Garuda: Don't be so negative

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