Garuda must show professionalism

Having had my handbag (including a Bali-Jakarta return ticket) stolen after a dinner party in Jakarta recently, I called my travel agent in Bali and reported the stolen ticket, then reported the theft to the police in Pejompongan -- all within eight hours.

A subsequent visit to Garuda Darmala Sakti to replace the ticket revealed an internal memo to employees saying that Garuda domestic tickets lost or stolen would not be replaced. Since this "recent" change in policy has not been announced to the ticket buying public, I take this opportunity to warn Garuda ticket holders that no amount of haggling will get your ticket back even if, as in my case, it was not used by unauthorized persons and was officially stated by the police to have been stolen. You have no choice but to buy another ticket -- at full price.

Garuda certainly has the corporate right to make policy decisions, but it should have the corporate responsibility to make those decisions public. Perhaps company funds for the recent full page ad in The Jakarta Post to apologize for a lack of professionalism would have been put to better use with the publication of exactly what Garuda policy is. Certainly the traveling public would like to see more professionalism and less breast-beating. Actions speak louder than expensive words.

SUSAN ANN SCHERER

Denpasar, Bali