Garuda improves punctuality

SURABAYA (JP): Flag carrier Garuda Indonesia has improved punctuality on its Jakarta-Surabaya (East Java) route to over 90 percent following the introduction of the "Garuda Express" in early September.

The general manager of Garuda's Surabaya office, Iman Sutoro, said here on Saturday that the punctuality of departures and arrivals on the route had increased to 94 percent as of October from 60 percent last year.

"Our revamped service for flights connecting Jakarta and Surabaya is solely aimed at improving punctuality on the route," he told journalists.

Garuda launched a new service called "Garuda Express" for its Jakarta-Surabaya flights in early September.

The route is currently served by two Boeing-737-300 series planes with a capacity of 104 seats -- 22 in business class and 82 in economy class.

The airline sells around 70 percent of tickets on the route through advanced bookings at travel agencies, while the remaining 30 percent are sold directly over the counter at Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta airport and Surabaya's Juanda airport.

Garuda provides eight daily flights connecting the two cities.

Iman said the Jakarta-Surabaya route was chosen for the Garuda Express service because it was still profitable despite a countrywide slump in ticket sales.

He said that Garuda plans to provide a similar service on other profitable routes, including Jakarta-Yogyakarta and Jakarta-Medan (North Sumatra), in the coming months.

Garuda Indonesia has said it expects to suffer an Rp 400 billion (US$48.5 million) loss this year. The monetary crisis has left the airline facing dire financial difficulties because around 80 percent of its operating costs are priced in U.S. dollars while most of its revenues are earned in rupiah. (aly)