Garuda Indonesia is to increase its capacity to Bali and Jakarta by more than 50 per cent from December 10 and offer improved connectivity to destinations throughout Asia.

Daily direct flights from Perth to the Indonesian capital from that date will complement existing daily direct flights to Denpasar, says Rob Moro, WA Sales Manager of Garuda Indonesia.

The daily Jakarta and Bali flights – all operated by the latest Boeing 737-800s New Generation aircraft - bring total Garuda Indonesia’s weekly seating capacity to Indonesia to 2352 and provide huge benefits to local travelers, says Mr Moro.

“The daily direct flights to Jakarta will give our booming Perth market connectivity via Jakarta to destinations such as Thailand, Japan, China and Singapore.

“This will benefit both the expanding number of business travelers operating throughout the region as well as offering new options to holidaymakers wanting to combine Indonesian destinations, including Bali, with the Asia-Pacific network served by Garuda Indonesia from its Jakarta hub.

“A further benefit is that the expanded Jakarta flights connect readily with Bali so we can also ease any shortage of seats over peak periods by offering this alternative for virtually the same price,” he said.

Effective December 10 Garuda Indonesia will operate the following services, in local times:

Daily
GA727 Perth-Denpasar 0800 – 1135 ( as current)
GA726 Denpasar-Perth 1240 – 1620 (revised timings)
Note: This flight will turn around in Bali, providing holiday makers with a convenient arrival time in Australia at the end of their holiday

Daily (new services)

GA731 Perth-Jakarta 1720 – 2045
GA730 Jakarta-Perth 0115 – 0630

Introduction of the all-economy 168-seat Boeing 737-800 on the Jakarta route will mean that Executive (business) class is no longer offered from Perth to either Jakarta or Denpasar, says Mr Moro. However, the added capacity, better connectivity and convenient daily travel times would be a huge positive for travelers from Western Australia.

“Not only is Bali coming back in a big way as a tourist destination for WA, but also the State’s business and leisure travel is expanding greatly throughout the Asia-Pacific as the booming WA economy leads the way to engagement with our neighbours,” he said.

“Never has travel to destinations including Bali and beyond been more accessible or affordable.”