Garuda's nonsmoking policy

I have read with interest the letter of Andrew Charles published in The Jakarta Post on Nov. 19, criticizing Garuda Airlines for making things difficult for potential tourists to Bali.

I couldn't agree more with Charles's view after our recent trip to Bali with Garuda Airlines from Frankfurt, Germany.

As a world traveler I must make choices constantly; one of my worst ones was to fly Garuda after booking two Executive class seats prompted by an article in a travel magazine that the airline was "smoker friendly", which must be one of the last carriers not to discriminate against smokers.

I always wanted to return to Bali but could not find an airline that would allow smoking in the cabin. Anybody who is a smoker knows what it takes to be on a long-haul, nonsmoking flight.

Two days prior to our departure I called the Garuda office in Germany to reconfirm our flights, at which time I was told that our return flight was canceled (as described by Charles) and that we would be bounced to another carrier. I complained that, in this case, I would be unable to smoke on the flight and the whole reason that I booked Garuda over any other airline was that it was advertised and confirmed as a smoking flight.

We were then given another option to extend our stay in Bali by two days and return to Amsterdam instead of Frankfurt with Garuda.

After rearranging work commitments and hotel accommodations, I was finally looking forward to our journey to paradise, while enjoying my die-hard habit.

I was just about to light up my first cigarette after take-off when the announcement came crackling through the speakers "This is a nonsmoking flight".

All my pleading and complaining to the cabin crew did not help, we were doomed to suffer for the next 17 hours on board. Most of the passengers on the flight were Indonesian citizens who had enjoyed their last cigarettes at the airport lounge prior to boarding.

As my cravings grew stronger through the night I eventually left my seat, armed with a lighter and a fresh pack to search for a spot to do the unthinkable. To my surprise and joy, a member of the cabin crew saw the desperation in my eyes and took mercy on me, inviting me to the service area where the whole crew was puffing away happily.

We have spent four weeks at the Four Seasons Resort in Bali and had a wonderful time, and hope to return again in April next year.

WALTER HERMANNS, Krefeld, Germany