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Fly the 5-Stars Airlines to Bali (SQ vs GA SIN-DPS)

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  • Fly the 5-Stars Airlines to Bali (SQ vs GA SIN-DPS)

    Once again, I took the chance of the long weekend holidays in Singapore to make a trip to a regional destination, this time to the popular resort island of Bali for a 3 nights stay. This trip would also be interesting as I would be flying Singapore Airlines on the trip up to Bali, and returning on Garuda Indonesia. Having flown SQ countless times, I was more eager to see how the new Garuda, with acclaimed 5-Stars Airline and Best Cabin Crew awards, compares to the industry leading Singapore Airlines. So here we go, the battle between SQ and GA on the regional SIN-DPS flight!


    Check-in was as usual painless when done online and at Changi Terminal 2, we used the self-service check-in kiosks on get our boarding passes, printed on flimsy slips of paper.




    It was a rather long trek to gate F58 where the aircraft was parked.




    The aircraft had arrived slightly late from Brisbane and servicing was still being done.




    Sister Silkair parked beside.





    24 March 2016
    Singapore Airlines
    SQ 946
    Singapore (SIN) - Denpasar Bali (DPS)
    A330-300
    9V-STQ
    Economy Class
    Flight Time: 2H21M


    Boarding was called and priorities were enforced. Down the jetbridge we go to the aircraft.




    Expecting a trolley load of newspapers at the door it was not to be. Only about 15 copies of The Straits Times were placed on the trolley. Cost-cutting measure?




    Welcomed onboard and directed to my seat at 55K. The flight would end up totally full. Not unexpected during this long weekend.

    Boarding in progress.




    View out the window.




    Legroom was average, with pillows and blankets pre-set on every seat. Note: STQ has its footrests removed as well.




    Inflight magazines.




    I would be an almost 2.5h flight today.




    The obligatory SQ hot towels were distributed, doors closed and we pushed back with safety video shown. Crew were seen to be in quite a rush due to the late boarding and full flight.

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  • #2
    Lets have a preview of Terminal 4 during the taxi to the runway.








    Cleared for departure from Rwy02C.






    And lift off, climbing to the cruising altitude of 37,000ft.
















    Video of the takeoff.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5A2WfzIcQo
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    • #3
      Meal service commenced shortly after departure. Service was typically SQ, efficient and polite, with all requests attended to swiftly but nothing too memorable. Guess with the really full and short flight, one cannot expect too exceptionally superb service in Economy.




      On offer was a choice of Chicken with potatoes or Fish with rice. We had a selection each. Meal was served with a salad starter, warm roll with butter, cup of water and a dessert. Requested for an apple juice to go with the meal.




      Chicken with potatoes selection. The salad starter was simple but refreshing with the fruit bits. Chicken selection was just standard airplane food fare and was rather bland. Dessert I knew would be good as I can the same dessert last year on the flight back from Hanoi. An observation: The cup of drinking water, which I thought would be mineral water, seems to be "downgraded" to be just filtered tap water, as there was a rather strong taste of chlorine which I am very sensitive to. Have not encountered this on my prior flights.








      As for the Spicy fish with rice option, it was a TOTAL FAIL!! The fish, I think should be dory, was all mushy and has a slight "fishy" taste. More incredibly, the red-coloured "spicy" sauce, other than a hint of hotness, was totally tasteless!! Seriously, I wondered how the caterers were able to whip up such a flavourless dish in the kitchen.... Had anyone in the catering center test-tasted the dish???




      The saving grace was the chocolate mousse dessert, which was yummy!




      Accompanied my meal with a Chinese movie. Not too interesting movie selections in this month's Krisworld.




      Ended my meal with a cup of tea during tray collection.




      Cruising




      Standard SQ amenities in the lavatory.




      View of the forward economy cabin.

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      • #4
        Ordered a Singapore Sling from the galley after the meals were cleared.




        Setting sun




        Flight path as we were nearing Bali.




        Last glimpse of light.




        Had a rather smooth landing on Bali's Rwy09 slightly ahead of schedule.

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVJQNbbSxAI


        Disembarking




        A standard SQ flight with pleasant and efficient service and offerings. Only fault would be the catering, which was way below usual SQ standards for the mains. But overall still a comfortable flight experience.


        Immigration and customs was luckily rather smooth as there were no other international flight arrivals prior to us. However, transportation to town was another matter as due to a very bad jam outside the airport, there was a total shortage of official airport taxis due to all stuck in jams. Instead, we had to proceed to the departure hall to grab an incoming drop-off Bluebird cab, which usually would be forbidden by the airport authorities. It was then an hour's ride to Seminyak, with half an hour spent just leaving the jammed up airport premise!

        Accommodation was booked at Heliconia Villas, which was well-located just off Eat Street in Seminyak. As it was the low season, rates were actually more than reasonable for the 2-storey pool villa.








        Having reached the villa and checked-in rather late, we settled for supper at one of the restaurants along Eat Street. Chose to have our meal at Café Bali, where we ordered a Snapper steak and a Nasi Goreng. Both were rather tasty, but portions may not be the biggest.






        Next morning, brunch was settled at a local Indonesian eatery along Eat Street which offers Nasi Campur, ie, rice with mixed dishes. The dishes were presented buffet-styled and you would pay after picking your fill of the dishes on your plate. Food was authentically Indonesian and tasty (and spicy!) and price was very reasonable as well!




        And relaxing with a cool drink at Seminyak Square on the very hot day.

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        • #5
          The stretch of beach near Seminyak, where KuDeTa is located, is definitely much nicer than Kuta.




          Along Jln Kayu Aya, aka Eat Street.




          The bar/café in the background has the concept of "Watching the World Go By".




          Dinner at a well-recommended restaurant, Kendi Kuning, which offers excellent food at value-for-money prices, plus excellent service as well! A wonderful dinner experience!

          Grilled clams in Balinese sauce




          Prawns with avocado salad and a vegetable dish. The salad was excellent.




          Balinese-style chicken with rice, and calamari rings.




          And the must-order Grilled mahi-mahi!




          3rd day, it was back for Nasi Campur, only this time my plate was filled with even more dishes!




          And the must drink on all my trips to Indonesia, A&W Root Beer Float!




          By now, you might be wondering why is there no pictures of Bali sights. But as we had visited most of the attractions before, this trip was basically a rest and relax and feast trip haha.

          Dinner at Ginger Moon. Another restaurant with great food, though a bit pricey. Reservations recommended as the restaurant totally filled up after we had our early dinner.

          Babi guling pizza




          Ribs




          Steamed buns with Balinese sausages and Nasi Goreng.

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          • #6
            Wow...looks like a very nice getaway from Singapore...looks like you had great food in Bali!

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            • #7
              On the last day, brunch was at a rather nice café "The Coffee Library" and again with excellent service. Not sure if it was pure luck, but I did find that service standards in Bali restaurants/cafes have generally improved tremendously over the years.










              More relaxation in the villa prior to late check-out and headed for a relaxing massage before the flight home.

              Back to Denpasar Airport's International Terminal.




              Only holders of air-tickets were allowed to enter the check-in area after a security screening.




              Checking in for the Garuda flight back to Singapore. There are no dedicated check-in counters for pax who had done web check-in, but queues at the normal counters were not long and fast-moving.




              Forced to walk through multiple shops after immigration and security.




              To the main terminal area with dining choices. Lounges were on the upper level.




              Using my Priority Pass, I proceeded to the Premier Lounge, which was also used by many airlines' premium pax, including SQ.




              Lounge was of decent size, with only the necessary facilities. There were both indoor and outdoor seating.



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              • #8
                Food selection was ok for a contracted lounge. Some simple hot dishes, 2 soups, salads, cakes and sandwiches and beverages. There was also a made-to-order Carbonara counter.






                Boarding pass and my food selection.






                FIDS in the lounge.




                It was a rather long walk to Gate 11 where our flight would be departing from. It would be a bus gate today as the plane had arrived from a domestic sector and was parked at the domestic terminal tarmac.




                At the bus gate.




                Boarding soon started and passengers streamed up the buses which will ferry us to the plane.




                During the bus ride to our aircraft.






                Spotted a Garuda jet in retro livery, and yes! The Retro-jet was going to be operating our flight today!



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                • #9
                  27 March 2016
                  Garuda Indonesia
                  GA 840
                  Denpasar Bali (DPS) - Singapore (SIN)
                  B737-800
                  PK-GFN "Retrojet"
                  Economy Class
                  Flight Time: 2H18M



                  Boarding via the rear door.




                  Welcomed by a male crew and proceeded to my seat at 43A. More crew wer along the cabin assisting with boarding as well. The cabin was not the of the Sky Interior though on this older aircraft.




                  Crew assisting with boarding. There were 6 crew serving on this flight, 2 in Business and 4 in Economy. I must say that the GA girls were all very well-groomed! Not a stand of hair out of place and they looked stunning in their Kebayas. Garuda certainly has a winner with its new uniform design! The flight ended up totally full with not a single empty seat sighted.




                  Pillows were placed on every seat while blankets were offered upon request. Legroom was surprisingly pretty generous for a B737 aircraft, and definitely better than on the SQ A330.




                  IFE was touch-screen. Selections on this short-haul flight was lacking though as most of the new-releases movies were not available and only available on flights more than 3hrs. Though I read that on the BSI planes, the full selection was available. However, I still found something to watch.




                  Headsets were available in the seat pocket.




                  As well as 2 thick booklets of inflight mag and entertainment guide, plus the usual. Interestingly, the Colours inflight magazine has 2 different covers, as mine was of a different cover design from my seatmate. GA is also widely advertising its 5-Stars Airline, Best Cabin Crew and Best Economy Class awards.




                  After all passengers had settled into their seats, welcome beverage was served. Think this is a rarity not found on any other airline.




                  Welcome drink of orange juice. Though I found it too sweet for my liking.




                  The drink cups were then cleared and safety video was shown. Similarly to SQ, the crew would not be seen using any trash bags to dispose of trash, but only using service trays to collect all the unwanted trash. GA certainly learned a thing or two from its neighbouring powerhouse airline.





                  Safety demo video

                  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qw3EA9XcpDM


                  Flight map.




                  IFE was already available during boarding. Decided to watch a Korean comedy, which was rather entertaining.




                  As the airport was rather busy at the time, it was a bit of a late pushback, followed by a lengthy taxi before we took off. We finally took off 30min behind schedule. Not sure why GA scheduled this flight with a tight flight time of 2h25min when all other airlines had a padded flight time of 2h30min or more. Bound to have lots of late arrivals with the minimal padding.

                  Took off from Rwy27.

                  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j43ybffzjww
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                  • #10
                    Meal service started after takeoff, first with special meals followed by the normal meals. There were 3 carts used for meal delivery, manned by 3 stewardesses. Observing the service, I can totally understand why GA was named airline with Best Cabin Crew by Skytrax. Service delivery by the crew was very refined and polished, along with lots of warmth and smiles. Call-lights were attended to very rapidly and every request was delivered with a smile. Even though their English language abilities may not be the best, but the attitude and subtle details to service, such as hand gestures and eye contacts, says it all. Think SQ service 25 yrs ago and you get the idea. Garuda certainly invested huge in training of its new generation of cabin crew!




                    Meal was served on the old serviceware. The choices offered were, coincidentally, Chicken with potatoes or Spicy fish with rice, exactly the same choices as on the SQ flight down to Bali! Again, I had an apple juice, though the meal carts also had wines, orange and guava juices, soft drinks and even UHT milk! Cutlery was metal.






                    Spicy mixed vegetable salad for starter, and a mango mousse cake as dessert. Salad was flavourful but cake was very sweet. Think the Indonesians like it sweet! A packet of chilli sauce was on the meal tray.




                    Chicken with potatoes. It was rather tasty, though the meat portion seemed small.




                    Spicy fish with rice, vegetables and sweet potatoes. This dish was so much better than what was served on SQ. The sauce was tasty and the vegetables cooked perfectly. Only comment is the portion of proteins can be bigger.




                    Visit to the lavatory after meal service. The lavatory was very clean. Amenities available include hand lotion and eu de toilette.






                    Tray collection in progress while more drinks were being offered.




                    Spent the rest of the flight finishing up my movie. Flight info can be called up on the IFE screen during the movie.




                    Approaching Singapore. Cabin was prepared for landing 10min before arrival and crew only took their seats and dim the lights for the landing barely 5min before touchdown.




                    Landing on Changi Rwy02L, 25min late. Now, if GA had padded the flight at 2h45m similar to SQ, we would be just on time.

                    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_Fq11sBuno


                    Taxied to and parked at Terminal 3. The aircraft and crew would be overnighting in Singapore.




                    It was a very pleasant 1st experience on Garuda Indonesia. Excellent service and offerings of a premium carrier, GA certainly has all the necessary to be a world class leading airline, but it needs to build the notion that the new Garuda is definitely not the Garuda of old. After this flight, I am definitely more looking forward to my next GA flight in a month's time, a longhaul B77W from SIN-AMS.

                    If were to compare SQ vs GA, I would say that there is no clear winner and I would gladly fly on either anytime!

                    Thank you for reading my report. All comments are welcomed.
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                    • #11
                      Thanks for the TR, very nice photos of Bali.

                      I fly GA every other week on their 737-800s. They aspire and really try hard to be a 5 star carrier. In terms of ground service and cabin service, they are getting close. Most BSI aircrafts have a wider selection of IFE programs. Adequate but not as good as ICE or Krisworld. Other than that, the seats on the 737-800 are very comfortable.

                      Ground Service - If you ever try calling GA's service hotline, be prepared that even after pressing 2 for English, none of the service staff will understand a word of English. Almost everything on the GarudaMiles website has been "work in progress" since last year. No way to review if my miles have been correctly credited.

                      Inflight Service - I've been on numerous flights on GA, and I have not had 1 bad set of crew. Always graceful, smiling and very obliging. Beautiful uniforms and well groomed crew. They may not speak the best English, but they try hard. I've encountered inflight announcements that are barely comprehensible, and also some that are better delivered than SQ's.

                      Food: SQ surpasses GA in terms of food quality in Y. But GA wins in quantity (from what I observe on my usual sector).

                      Cutlery: Metal cutlery on both airlines. But SQ's Y cutlery feels premium. GA's feels cheap, like the ones you get in coffee shops (unpolished, rough edges, super light weight).

                      Overall, IMHO, SQ is still a clear winner.

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                      • #12
                        Great comparison!

                        Indeed SQ has some serious competition in the Y and F departments. They have to work harder.

                        Garuda crew and food, as far as i remember, have always been good.
                        For the food, yes, we like everything sweet and tasty even in main courses. But never as sweet as Indian sweets.

                        First time noticed SIN T4. Gosh, i think it's ugly!

                        For DPS, looks like a nice new terminal but I wish it has more a local / resort flavour. It feels too generically 'international'.

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