Flights, sailings fully booked ahead of holidays
Flights, sailings fully booked ahead of holidays
JAKARTA (JP): Preparations for year-end holidays are underway
with airline and ship tickets hard to come by.
According to several travel agents, flights to major domestic
and foreign destinations are fully booked, starting this week
until Dec. 23.
Denpasar, Surabaya, Yogyakarta, Medan, Balikpapan and Makassar
are the most popular domestic destinations, and for overseas many
Indonesians will be traveling to Singapore, Hongkong and
Australia.
"Ship tickets have been sold out for the holidays, and there
was no increase in price," Abubakar Goyim, head of communications
at the Indonesian National Shipping Company (Pelni) told The
Jakarta Post by telephone on Tuesday.
Pelni directly sold some 15 to 20 percent of tickets, while
the rest were distributed to travel agents across the country.
A high demand for tickets has increased the presence of
scalpers.
The usual economy fare for a ferry from Jakarta to Medan is Rp
172,000, but scalpers are said to be selling tickets as high as
Rp 275,000.
Abubakar said Pelni would issue a strong sanction against
anyone, either staff or travel agents, who violates the
regulation.
"I suggest people not buy tickets from scalpers, and I hope
that people will inform us when they come across them," Abubakar
said.
In order to serve passengers better during the holidays, Pelni
has added four ships to the Jakarta-Sulawesi, Surabaya-Kalimantan
and Surabaya-Sulawesi routes, he said.
He said his office would ask for the Indonesian Navy's
assistance in providing extra ships if necessary. But how many
ships will be needed and the ship's routes have yet to be
decided.
Separately, Garuda Indonesia vice president for corporate
communications Pujobroto said the airline would increase the
frequency of its regular flights, provide extra flights as well
as operate larger aircraft for some busy destinations, such as
Denpasar, Yogyakarta, Singapore and Australia.
When asked to comment on travel agents selling tickets at a
higher cost, Pujobroto said Garuda would also issue a sanction
against them.
"People can present the information, accompanied by valid
proof, directly to Garuda," he said.
According to some travel agents in the capital, some airlines
have also increased their fares during the peak season, such as
Mandala and Bouraq Airlines.
While seats on airlines and ships have been fully booked,
train tickets have not been sold yet.
Train tickets will be sold directly at the counter seven days
before departure date, an official at Gambir railway station told
the Post by telephone. (04)