CGK: Best Place to Wait After Arrival

[Rejuvenated]

Due to family related issues, my uncle and I will embarking on a Jakarta trip together this week. We are departing Wednesday flying KE YYZ-ICN-CGK arriving CGK Thursday evening at 8:35pm. Unlike my previous visits, two of my aunts will also be arriving on the same evening but later at 10:45pm and my cousin (who is the local) picking up all three of us won't be there until around the time they arrive. So we will have at least over an hour or two to kill while waiting for them. Arranging a place to meet won't be the issue here as we all have each other's contact, but we would like to find a place to relax during the wait and preferably somewhere with an air conditioned facility. Any recommendations or even perhaps a restaurant landside that we can chill at? This will only be my third visit in the past six years and even though my last recent one was in 2009, the rarity of my visits have my memories of the airport layout/facilities falling into the raw category.

I'll be staying for a week this time.

[UMD]

KE will be arriving into Terminal 2E. There is nothing at CGK airside arrival area. However, you do have lots of options in terms of places to wait at landside departure area. KFC is located on the departing level at Terminal 2E and it does have the air conditioned area. If you want to walk to Terminal 2D, you also have an option of McDonald's.

I am off to CGK again this Friday and I believe another Starbuck is opening up landslide at departure level as well. Let me confirm it back to you.

[benlee]

There's a Sapphire airport lounge at Terminal 2D where you can wait. They have light buffet meal, including drinks and wireless internet. Access is free for Sapphire members but the general public can also pay a fee per pax to enter.

[andySYD]

benlee I believe the Saphire facility are for members only. Non-members can enter IF they are coming together with a member for 150k IDR.

[mraquinas]

Rejuvenated@ As you probably also already know that there are no so call 'arrival lounge' at CGK. And from what I understand, the new Sapphire Airport Lounge is a check in lounge and it is in the public departure level but it is specially designed for those of Sapphire Card Holder (this is just like Nexus Card for us here in North America)

There are a lot of good food in the terminal 2 including the hoka hoka bento -- my childhood best and most delicious indonesian influenced japanese fast food restaurant :-)

You should be able to spend 2 hours relaxing, eating, walking around the terminal with no problem.....

BTW: What make you choose KE, CX is much cheaper in both C and Y ex YYZ ....

[Rejuvenated]

Well unexpectedly, my cousin was already waiting for us by the time we exited into the greeting area and later he took us to KFC on the departure level to wait until the two aunties arrived. But appreciate all the responses nonetheless.

BTW: What make you choose KE, CX is much cheaper in both C and Y ex YYZ ....

No. For biz fares, KE was $1,300+ cheaper than CX for both online fares and the ones quoted by my TA when I made the booking in January and that fare difference is still the case right now on their respective websites. I am also not a fan of CX's coffin seats (i.e. herringbone) and regional J. As a regular CX flyer myself, their meals and services in J have also gone downhill over the past couple of years. Hence KE's attractive fare as well as being able to get long haul J seat for the entire journey made it all worthwhile to sacrifice the CX award/status mileages. Even I prefer their (KE's) prestige+ seating (the seat we got for the flights) to CX's crappy herringbone. Service and food on KE for both sectors several days ago were also very good and definitely better than the last couple of experiences I've had with CX J. These days I only fly CX for F. And until their (CX's) Cirrus J seats have been installed in the majority of their long/medium haul fleets and they get their act together in J catering and J service, I'd be more than happy to fly other carriers for business class travel.

[mraquinas]

.......These days I only fly CX for F....

I am 100% with you +1