Travelers fly to Asian cities during Idul Fitri
Travelers fly to Asian cities during Idul Fitri
Leony Aurora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
As more people make use of the Idul Fitri holiday as a time to
relax, airlines are seeing an increase in passengers, not only to
traditional domestic destinations but also to favorite Asian
cities.
Garuda Indonesia Airlines spokesman Pudjobroto said on
Wednesday that flights -- both domestic and international to
Asian destinations -- were between 95 percent and 100 percent
full in the period of Nov. 11 to Nov. 15.
"Flights to cities like Singapore, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, and
Guangzhou in China, were fully booked -- even the extra flights,"
said Pudjobroto.
"We also had to add more flights to Osaka, Japan."
Most white-collar workers were given extra days off after Idul
Fitri, which fell on Nov. 14, and need to come back to work on
Nov. 22.
"I think the long holiday, as well as improved living
standards and the economy in Indonesia, has helped to spur
overseas travel," said Pudjobroto.
A shift in domestic travel was also seen this year. Unlike
previous years, this season many people traveled on Idul Fitri
and the day after.
From the initial estimate of 42,000 additional seats for this
season for international and domestic flights, Garuda has had to
add 22,000 more seats to meet the abundant demand by adding extra
flights and using bigger planes.
Budget carrier Lion Air also saw an increase in passengers.
"However, the number of passengers was similar to the same season
last year," said spokesman Hasyim Arsal Alhabsi.
The most popular domestic destinations include Surabaya,
Yogyakarta, Balikpapan, and Palembang. Lion Air boosted the
capacity of its flights to these destinations to 30 percent
higher than usual.
The number of people traveling to Singapore has also increased
with flights that are usually 70 percent full, fully booked, said
Hasyim.
"People will start returning on Nov. 18, four days after Idul
Fitri," he said, adding that the number of passengers would
return to normal after Nov. 21.
As for the following holidays -- Christmas and New Year --
Hasyim said people had started to reserve seats, particularly on
flights to Denpasar, for dates between Dec. 20 and Jan. 3.
Unlike foreigners, Indonesians tend to postpone making their
reservations until the last moment. "From the business point of
view, it is difficult for us to predict (the number of
passengers)," said Hasyim. "But we are already used to it."
Pudjobroto concurred, saying that Garuda tried to apply a
ticketing time limit to prevent customers from changing their
flights.
"We check the reservations regularly to anticipate changes of
plans," he said.
For Christmas and New Year, Garuda has prepared 20,000
additional seats. "If there is a demand, we can still add more
seats," said Pudjobroto.