Northwest planes to serve Jakarta via Osaka in July

GENEVA (JP): Northwest Airlines will become the first new American airline to enter Indonesia in five years when it flies into Jakarta in July.

Northwest's senior manager, Susan G. Franson, said here that the airline would serve the Seattle-Jakarta route via Osaka, Japan three times a week.

"Northwest will operate either Boeing B 747-40 or B 747-200 aircraft to fly the Indonesian route," Franson told The Jakarta Post during the European Incentive and Business Travel and Meeting Exhibition. The exhibition ended on Thursday.

Jakarta will be the fourth Southeast Asian city served by Northwest. The airline already flies to Manila, Bangkok and Singapore she said, adding that Northwest will serve Indonesia in partnership with Dutch KLM.

Northwest, with a total fleet of 380 aircraft, is the fourth largest airline in the United States. Other U.S. airlines include Delta Airlines, American Airlines, Continental, United Airlines and U.S. Air.

The defunct PanAm airline ended its Jakarta service nearly five years ago. The route has remained vacant since.

National flag carried Garuda Indonesia currently links Jakarta and Los Angeles via Honolulu five times a week.

Ritz-Carlton, which also took part in the three-day travel exhibition, unveiled its plan to open a hotel in Bali.

Suzette Devau, an executive of the hotel chain, said the five- star Indonesian hotel, located in Jimbaran, southern Bali, would open in December.

The four-story property -- the fourth hotel operated by Ritz- Carlton in Asia after Seoul, Hong Kong and Singapore -- is owned by businessman Rudy Suliawan. Rudy is currently developing Kempinski hotel in Jakarta.

Devau said that Ritz-Carlton, a hotel chain based in Atlanta, U.S., expects to manage another hotel in Jakarta next year.

The exhibition, which hosted over 50 nations, was also attended by the Directorate General of Tourism. Other Indonesian participants included the Jakarta Convention Center, the Jakarta Convention Bureau, Sahid Hotels, Hyatt Resort Bali, Pacto Convex, Sheraton Resorts Bali, the Indonesian Tourism Promotion Board and Garuda Indonesia.

The Indonesian participants expressed their satisfaction with the result of their promotional drive even though no concrete deals were signed.

They booked a total of 2,238 appointments during the three-day event.

"I'm satisfied with what we gained from this year's event. The exhibition is still the best for sales promotion, but we have to prepare better if we plan to participate in next year's event," Indra Sukirno of the Jakarta Convention Bureau said.

Other Indonesian participants also admitted they were not fully prepared, especially in the display of their products.

The Indonesian booths were no match for the colorful foreign booths.

Exhibition chairman Ray Bloom said this year's event was bigger than ever, with the number of visitors reaching over 6,475. (icn)