Some of you might recall that a few years earlier, in October 2014, Garuda Indonesia made it to the news for ordering 50 of Boeing's latest innovation to the Boeing 737 series, the Boeing 737-8 MAX. According to the announcement a few years ago, this next-generation aircraft is set to gradually replace the current fleet of roughly 75 Boeing 737-800 aircraft that is operated by the airline.
Fast-forward three years to December 2017, the airline received its first Boeing 737-8 MAX as part of its order from 2014. The aircraft, registered PK- GDA touched down in Jakarta a few days before Christmas in 2017. It was then followed by the shocking announcement that the flag carrier is postponing delivery of the rest of their Boeing 737-8 MAX until further notice, citing the current economic outlook and financial condition of the airline. That leaves PK-GDA as the sole B737-8 MAX among the 74 Boeing 737 aircraft operated by Garuda.
What are the odds do you think to fly in that 1 out of 74 aircraft?
But here's where a little bit of digging on information come through. The airline has been flying the aircraft on a scheduled flight between Jakarta and Surabaya under GA 304/309 and GA 312/317, daily, without fail (except when there's tech factors that required a substitute aircraft, that is).
So, I'm taking that chance by booking the GA 312 and GA 309 for a trip to Surabaya.
FLIGHT DETAILS
Garuda Indonesia, GA 312
Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta (CGK) to Surabaya Juanda (SUB)
Boeing 737-8 MAX, PK-GDA
Seat Number 42A, Economy Class
ETD: 1110 – ETA: 1245
PRE DEPARTURE
I've arrived around two hours prior to our scheduled departure of 11:10 AM out of Soekarno-Hatta airport's Terminal 3. The flight is said to be fully booked, to the point that my brother and I that were booked under the same ticket were unable to sit together. To make this start a little bit more of a letdown, the only seats left are middle seats. Yes, not a window or aisle but only middle seats. Thankfully this ride is supposedly taking less than 90-minutes.
Upon knowing that the aircraft is docked at Gate 26, I've allowed a little bit of more time to myself to reach the gate which is situated exactly at the further end of Terminal 3's domestic concourse. To our delight, we saw the aircraft we were hoping for. Garuda Indonesia's B737-8 MAX, PK-GDA.
Could not contain our excitement as soon as boarding was called, going through the aerobridge and greeted by the Flight Service Manager (FSM) on the front door of the aircraft.
Still bearing that factory-fresh smell, the aircraft is on a configuration of 8 Business Class and 162 Economy Class seats, slightly denser than the current Boeing 737-800 aircraft Garuda have.
IN-FLIGHT : JAKARTA TO SURABAYA
Details of our flight that was presented on the IFE system, if you were wondering.
Our aircraft left Soekarno-Hatta airport at around 11:30 AM, following a long line-up for departure, with smooth climb and cruising above West and Central Java provinces, where the crew was serving snack boxes and a choice of drink. An efficient and friendly service as what is expected from its award winning crew, even on a fully loaded short-haul flight.
SNACK SERVICE
Snack service in between the brief 40 - 50 minutes of cruising above Java.
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE NEW GARUDA B737 MAX ECONOMY CLASS?
As soon as you have entered the cabin, you can see the striking difference with the traditional maroon and brown seats Garuda normally found on its aircraft cabin. Its 162 economy class seats are covered with an turquoise fabric, with cream-coloured leather headrests. Personally speaking, the bright aqua-blue colour on the new economy seats look more refreshing as you board an aircraft.
That being said, while seat pitch remains the same as the previous Boeing 737-800 models, the seat-back cushioning are relatively thinner than the older economy seats. Despite the thinner seat-back creates a roomier impression, level of comfort comes as the sacrifice. This is obvious when person sitting behind you is pushing the buttons on the In-flight Entertainment (IFE) system touch screen functions.
A smooth pushing of the screen, while those accustomed to the irresponsive touch-screen on older Garuda Boeing 737s will start a more forceful touch to the screen, subsequently making you feel as if the person was trying to push your head by force, instead of the screen. I think it will only be a matter of time where we can see an outburst of arguments between passengers because of this.
That being said, the In-flight Entertainment system on this version of the B737 was an improvement than its previous version. Touch screen was much more responsive, contents were expanded, and the way different sections of movies, music, or games being organised is much more user-friendly. Gotta hand it for Garuda on this one.
Following a 45-minutes of cruising in the air, the cockpit crew came with an announcement that we are on descent, and we will be arriving on a sunny Surabaya on schedule, approximately at 12:45 PM.
Just as estimated, our brand new Boeing 737-8 MAX touched down smoothly at Juanda Airport, and we were docked at the airport's Terminal 2 in no time. The flight ended with the friendly crew bidding us farewell as we left from the door 1L. Being one of the few to arrive on T2 at that time, we had our baggage on the carousel pretty quick and made our way to the city.
Final thoughts of the flight
While there are aspects of the seat they have to improve, overall it was great to be able to fly in Garuda's newest Boeing 737 aircraft. Really can't ask for more with the refreshed new cabin look, improved IFE system and professional cabin crew team doing their usual outstanding job on the rather short flight.
So what do you think of the new Boeing 737-8 MAX? Leave a comment or reply on Instagram @dirktraveller.