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.