Garuda Indonesia Lounge Review – Jakarta (CGK)

It’s a little titlating, isn’t it? The idea of going to a flagship lounge for a flagship carrier? Sure, maybe its not that great, but then again, five star airlines do tent to have some pretty fantastic lounges. And the quest for that titilation is waht bore us on Garuda wings to this lounge in Jakarta’s fantastic new T3. If you want to get the full details, and find out if the lounge is as good as Garuda’s reputation, you’ll have to read our Garuda Indonesia Lounge Review – Jakarta (CGK).

Our Trip – Garuda Indonesia Lounge Review – Jakarta (CGK)

We flew in the time of Corona, from Indonesia to Tokyo. It was a surreal time to be at the airport. There were definitely most passengers than we were expecting, but the AC was off, and lines were basically non-existent. Still, our commitment to lounge reviews is such that we felt we had to do this for you. And we needed to fly.

The Facts – Garuda Indonesia Lounge Review – Jakarta (CGK)

The lounge has a few ways in, none of them really general access. The easiest is to have status or fly business or first on Garuda. The second is to get access through your airline – we accessed it with our emerald status on on Oneworld, flying JAL. Priority Pass won’t get you in, though we aren’t saying there aren’t cards that will. This is, however, a fairly restricted lounge. However, you might have an easier time getting into the card/paid lounge down stairs, the Saphire Lounge, which does take Priority Pass.

To get to the Garuda lounge, once you’re past immigration, go down the very first escalator. Do not take the second, but rather, turn right and follow the long, surreal hallway down to the entrance. If you’ve checked in with Garuda itself, you’ll have elevator access directly to the lounge.

There is a strange children’s play thing in the middle of the walkway to the lounge. You don’t need lounge access to play in it.

The Space – Garuda Indonesia Lounge Review – Jakarta (CGK)

The space is a little claustrophobic, and we can’t say that we love it. For one thing, the hallway shown above, which is very wide, takes up space that would otherwise DOUBLE the space for the lounge, which is long and narrow. It’s really odd that they chose to make it quite so wide and the louge so small.

Indeed, we felt pretty cramped, even though the *only* flight using the lounge was our flight to Tokyo. Even with just the passengers on that flight, during a quarantine, this felt uncessarily crowded. Still, away from the food, there are a few havens that shield you from people constantly passing by, and for those who wish to work, that might be the best way to do this. These points are located at the far left and far right.

The food

Honestly, not that great for an Indonesian lounge. Some other countries might be happier with this, but given the schmorgasbord that we usually find in even domestic lounges in Indonesia, this really just didnt the mustard. There was a soup, a few hot items that were not untasty, as well as fruit and wrapped sandwiches. None of it was particularly special or particularly unique. It was also absolutely not spicy.

Honestly, for food, we’d consider going over to the Saphire Lounge, which has a pretty good spread and a noodle station. Really, its actually a lot better, over there, the more we think about it.

The drinks

Here’s the one place where the lounge kind of stands out, in Indonesian terms: unlimited alcohol. No fancy cocktails, but there is beer and wine, and that will have to do.

Beyond that we’ve got the usual suspects: juices, coffees, water, tea.

The internet

Need to make a work call? Your mom wants to video chat? You want to see what your cat is doing in the living room while you’re away? No problem, the internet here is blazing! We’ve seen faster, but this is still pretty good as far as airport wifi goes. Of course, please, do not forget to stay stafe online.

The restrooms

The restrooms are located inside the lounge, and there are two showers. They showed signs of use when we visited, which means they may not be available, but the wait is unlikely to be long.

Final Thoughts

Well, there you have it. A flagship lounge, for a 5-star airline, but a lounge that really doesn’t make you want to linger. It’s a lot better than some other lounges in the world, even flagship lounges, but its not particularly spectacular in Indonesian terms.

Final Grades