I will be in Jakarta in June and intend to take a seven-day break while in
Indonesia, to Bali. I am traveling independently, so can you advise which is
the cheapest and most reliable airline that I should book with, and should I
book the ticket now, or when I get to Jakarta? - Peter Morton,
Newcastle upon Tyne
Sunday Times travel expert Richard Green responds:
There have been a spate of air crashes in Indonesia over recent years, and the
situation has got so bad that the EU has added all Indonesia-based carriers
to its banned list - see http://ec.europa.eu/transport/air-ban/list_en.htm.
It means that the EU aviation authorities feel the airlines there all fall
short of acceptable safety standards.
Everyone who's ever been to Indonesia has an airline horror story mine was
in Sumatra on an old Merpati airlines plane with black smoke billowing from
the for right engine so for time being, you are better off booking with on
alternative carriers.
Until recently this wasn't possible, and you'd be stuck with Garuda (www.garuda-indonesia.com),
Lion Air (www.lion.co.id), which has new
aircraft and uses the accidentally menacing strap line 'We make people fly',
or Adam Air (so bad that it has even been grounded by the Indonesian
government).
But now there Malaysia-based Air Asia provide budget style domestic flights
inside Indonesia with a young fleet of Boeing 737s.
As with Low Cost Carriers anywhere else in the world, you should book as early
as you can to get the really cheap fares. Right now, Air Asia has return
fares from Jakarta to Bali (Denpasar), including taxes, from £41.
Most UK-based travel web sites won't quote you fares inside Indonesia, but an
exception is Alternative Airlines (0871 222 9222, www.alternativeairlines.com),
which has fares with Garuda and Air Asia.
Why not go overland if you have one week available? Trains leave daily from Jakarta to Jogjakarta in the south of Java (10 hour journey) where you can visit the must-see temples of Borobodur (Buddhist) and Prambanan (Hindu) and then either fly (AirAsia again) or bus/ferry it to Bali. Fantastic!
Angela Whitehead, Gueret, France
The comment suggesting Indonesia Air Asia has a 'young fleet of Boeing 737s' is completely false. The average age of the 10 737-300 aircraft operated is 19.5 years, comparable to most Indonesian carriers.
Pat Major, Adelaide,
I agree with Richard. Air Asia is the best bet. You can book your ticket directly from the Air Asia website (www.airasia.com). Alternatively, I find Garuda not bad too. But, it is a full service airline. I would not recommend you to try other airlines other than the two.
Joseph Seow, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia