Garuda: Don't be so negative

We Balinese, whether by birth or by adoption, have been suffering for the last five weeks from the loss of friends, visitors, and business, and the economy here has plummeted to an all-time low.

We need to attract visitors again, so I am wondering why our national airline, Garuda, is making things so difficult for potential tourists.

I have four friends who had planned a long time ago to come to Bali in December. After the horrendous attack on Oct. 12, they were worried about security, but deciding that they were willing to take a chance, they didn't cancel their visit. On my recommendation, they had booked Executive Class tickets with Garuda, as I had always found this to be a very pleasant way to fly, and at a reasonable price.

However, I feel embarrassed that I suggested they use Garuda, because they now have a problem: Garuda has canceled their return flight to England (GA 970 on Jan. 8), so this means their entire holiday will have to be canceled, resulting in a loss of income to this country.

Maybe the airlines of other countries can be excused for reducing their flights to Indonesia, but our national airline should be positive, optimistic, and a standard-bearer for Indonesia. I hear that Singapore Airlines is about to announce a competitively priced package for tourists flying to Bali from anywhere in the world, so surely Garuda could make some small effort. Maybe a few airlines will lose money, but when our own airline has no confidence in the country, should we expect others to support us?

I feel certain that if Abdul Ghani were still president of Garuda, he would agree with me, as he made some great improvements to the service and thought ahead into the future. I am sure the current president also wants to maintain the good name of Garuda, so please don't be so negative. Keep the routes open and let's get more visitors to Indonesia.

ANDREW CHARLES, Canggu, Bali