Travelers find Jakarta airport a chaotic journey

Travelers find Jakarta airport a chaotic journey

By I. Christianto

JAKARTA (JP): A security guard used a rolled-up newspaper to
cuff several men jostling to grab trolleys from women at the
airport's arrival terminal.

Onlookers appeared surprised or matter-of-fact about the
scene.

"Get out, you're not allowed to enter," the guard shouted.

The men laughed and smiled. Minutes later, they were up to
their old tricks when another group of unsuspecting women was
about to leave the terminal. The guard yelled again.

It seemed a plaintive cry -- the thugs heavily outnumbered the
guards on duty.

Welcome to the trials and tribulations of Soekarno-Hatta
International Airport.

The country's main gateway and many foreigners' first glimpse
of this heralded land of smiles is increasingly an embarrassing
source of grimaces.

Many are concerned by the spate of robberies on the toll road
linking the airport to downtown. Complaints about customs and
lost luggage abound.

Shoddy services and recent news reports about student
demonstrators occupying airports elsewhere in the country
threaten to deal a terrible blow to the already depressed tourist
industry.

The airport may have won an international award for its
architecture, but no honors are in store for its immigration
counter, baggage collection, lounges and parking lots.

"Dealing with the official at the immigration counter, I
thought I had suddenly lost my enthusiasm about coming home,"
said Helen, an Indonesian who has spent more than a year abroad.
Traveling alone, she arrived at the airport last Saturday.

"The official asked me for a 'souvenir'. He said that one
dollar would do. To me, it sounded like a demand rather than a
polite request.

"Shortly after I finished with the immigration check, a group
of men approached me. They roughly competed with each other for
currency exchange. It was really scary."

It was only the beginning of her troubles.

"When I went to exchange for rupiah, I realized the rate was
lower than the day's official rate, but I could do nothing but
accept it.

"The most terrible experience was when I got out of the
arrival terminal. I was looking for my friends who would pick me
up. I saw a lot of men trying to grab the luggage from a group of
women.

"I think the women were Indonesian migrant workers who had
just arrived from overseas. I also saw that they (women) were
also forced to exchange their foreign currency after they left
the immigration inspection counter."

An airport guard admitted they were everyday scenes.

"Yes, the women are Indonesian migrant works and the men
offer transportation to their hometowns outside Jakarta."

Although the unlicensed cab drivers target only returning
female workers who generally work as housemaids, they are an
annoyance.

Benny, a physician who frequently travels abroad, said he was
irritated by the bedlam.

"It's horrible. It's chaos. People are scared of that. It's
annoying to see men -- apparently unauthorized porters and
illegal cab drivers -- force people to use their services."

For Vita, arranging to get back her lost luggage at the lost-
and-found counter was a bitter experience.

"Actually it's not the fault of the airport nor the counter's
officials. When I came to pick up my bag on the following day, a
guard at the meeting-point area barred me from the counter unless
I could produce my passport.

It's ridiculous... I knew I didn't have to bring my passport
to pick up a lost bag at the counter as other identification
cards are acceptable," she said.

"I was aware that the guard was asking me for money and when I
refused he began to insult me."

Kasmin, a spokesman for PT Angkasa Pura II, the state-owned
company which manages Soekarno-Hatta airport, said that the
airport was happy with Angkasa Pura's efforts to solve the
problems.

For example, "unauthorized people" are confined to an area
where they cannot reach arriving passengers.

"For more convenience, travelers can now find counters for
hotel reservations and transportation while waiting for their
luggage," he said.

He also said that Angkasa Pura could do nothing other than
warn illegal porters and illegal taxi drivers not to enter the
airport area. Unlike the police, they are not authorized to
arrest trespassers.

Tales of inconvenience from the capital's airport could
further depress the tourist industry. The sector has become a
victim of the economic and political turmoil in the country.

Several foreign air carriers have cut their flights to
destinations in the country. News of riots, widespread crime and
student demonstrations are discouraging people from visiting many
parts of Indonesia, particularly Jakarta. Some countries have
gone so far as to issue travel advisories.

More than 60 percent of the total overseas travelers
traditionally use air transportation to visit Indonesia. Over 30
percent out of the total foreign tourists visiting Indonesia
annually arrive at the Soekarno-Hatta. The country's second major
entry point is Ngurah Rai Airport in Bali.

Recent official data shows that tourist arrivals in Indonesia
reached only 2.9 million in the first 10 months of the year, a
drop of more than 18.5 percent over the same period last year.
Foreign exchange earnings from overseas travelers have plummeted
by 19.5 percent to US$2.94 billion.

Tips

Here are some ways to navigate the pitfalls at the airport.

Refuse to pay illegal levies to any official at the
immigration counter, but in case he or she is insistent, prepare
the smallest amount of money in your home currency. Regard this
as a charitable, voluntary souvenir.

Closely watch your luggage, especially when you are leaving
the arrival terminal.

It is useful to keep some rupiah while abroad for the return
to Indonesia. You can have exchanged some rupiah in the airport
before departure. If you need to obtain rupiah in Jakarta's
airport, exchange only a small amount, probably less than Rp
100,000. Using an ATM if you have a credit/debit card is often
helpful as some of them have links with international payment
system networks.

Poor transportation services at the airport are a chronic,
notorious problem. Irregular public shuttle bus services, the
many illegal taxicabs and the only toll road vulnerable to crimes
holdups and robbery are some of the complaints. Try to have a
friend or relative pick you up. If you wish to stay in a hotel,
use the official counter for assistance.