Tales of Garuda passengers

I could not help laughing when a friend told me several months ago that Garuda stands for "Good and Reliable Until Delay Announced". I told myself it was only a joke.

But I did not laugh when it happened to me last weekend. I took a flight from Jakarta to Semarang on Dec. 21, 1996. The flight number was GA414, with a 3 p.m. (departure) time. It was delayed for more than an hour, without an announcement. At 4 p.m., I asked a Garuda employee when the flight would depart. He answered: "Semarang ... I should check." Another passenger was so impatient that he asked the same question in a rising voice. To my surprise, the employee became furious and rudely yelled: "You don't have to shout. I'll tell you when." He then made an announcement that the passengers should start boarding.

Following another employee's instruction, all of the passengers went downstairs. After walking for about 100 or 200 meters, we realized we were going the wrong way. We were heading for the transit area. It was quiet, and there was no one to ask about directions. I was irritated, but it was also funny, in a way. Imagine, more than 50 Garuda passengers who wanted to board the aircraft got lost at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.

SIMA GUNAWAN

Jakarta