Indonesian airline blasted after cancelling UK flights
Indonesia’s national airline Garuda has been blasted for ‘appalling’ customer service after announcing on social media that it was axing its non-stop flights between London and Jakarta.
It promised that passengers with existing bookings after October 28 would be re-routed via Amsterdam or offered alternative flights. Passengers were also told they could cancel their flights with a full refund.
However, passengers say they struggled to re-arrange their flights or obtain refunds from the airline.
Some passengers who contacted the UK office were told to call Garuda’s office in Jakarta, at their own expensive, but they were then referred back to the UK.
Others complained on Twitter that they were unable to get through to the UK office at all, or that they were cut-off prematurely. Those who booked online claimed the airline failed to respond to their emails requesting information on their cancelled flights.
One passenger wrote on Garuda’s Facebook page that they had waited more than a week for a response to their email to the airline.
Garuda launched the three-times-a-week service in October 2017, offering onward connections from Jakarta to other destinations, including Australia and Bali.
One customer wrote that his honeymoon flight to Bali had been cancelled, while others complained that switching to the Amsterdam flight meant they would have 12 to 14-hour stopovers in Jakarata.
Garuda did not say in its statement why it was axing the flight after only a year.
The airline was also criticised for misleading customers by claiming on social media that ‘the London Heathrow-Amsterdam-Jakarta route will continue to operate six times a week’, as this implied it was still flying to London with a stopover in Amsterdam, when in fact it plans to book passengers onto partner airlines to fly between the UK and Holland.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive
Euromonitor International unveils world’s top 100 city destinations for 2025