Garuda Indonesia named "Best in Region: Asia and Australasia" Airline in the Passenger Choice Awards 2013

SINGAPORE - In line with its ongoing transformation and continuous service improvement program, Garuda Indonesia was named winner in the "Best in Region: Asia and Australasia" category in the Passenger Choice Awards 2013 organized by Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX) – an industry association improving the airline experience that based in New York, United States of America.

The award was presented to Executive Vice President (EVP) Services of Garuda Indonesia, Faik Fahmi, during the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX) Award Ceremony held in Anaheim, California, United of America, on Monday evening, September 9, 2013.

Garuda Indonesia outshone five other airlines who were also finalists in the "Best in Region : Asia and Australasia" category, namely Singapore Airlines, Qantas Airways, Cathay Pasific Airways, Air New Zealand, and Pakistan Airlines.

The survey was carried out online in the site passengerchoiceawards.com, and the results tabulated by lobal survey agency, the Nielsen Company.

Garuda Indonesia President & CEO, Emirsyah Satar said that winning the "Best in Region : Asia and Australasia" category in the Passenger Choice Awards 2013 was the result of the hard work and commitment from all Garuda Indonesia employees to deliver the best quality service to its customers in an effort to realize its goal as a“Global Player”.

“Thanks to the strong commitment from the management and employees, Garuda Indonesia’s performance is gradually being recognized at international level. This achievement serves as a motivation for the us to continuously improve our performace throuh the "Quantum Leap 2011 - 2015" program, which will see the Garuda Indonesia Group becoming a five-satr airline and operating 194 aircraft by 2015,” he commented.

In addition to winning the "Best in Region : Asia and Australasia" category, Garuda Indonesia was also chosen as the Top 5 Best Overall Passenger Experience, together with Emirates, Etihad Airways, Virgin America, and Virgin Atlantic, as well as Top 5 Best Ground Experience with Delta Airlines, El Al Israel Airlines, Avianca, and Virgin America. Garuda Indonesia also named the Top 5 Best Inflight Publication together with Avianca, Gulf Air, Ethiopian Airlines, and Taca International Airlines.

During the Paris Air Show 2013 in June 2013, Garuda Indonesia  was named “The World’s Best Economy Class” by Skytrax, a global airline ranking agency based in London. Garuda Indonesia exceeded other candidates, such as Singapore Airlines and Asiana Airlines. Garuda Indonesia was also awarded “The Best Economy Class Airline Seat” by Skytrax and named “The World’s Top 10 Airlines” at the same event. 

In line with its efforts to continuously enhance services to customers, Garuda Indonesia launch the new "First Class" service, the premium service with an exquisite touch of unique Indonesian hospitality as part of the "Garuda Indonesia Experience", whilst simultaneously taking delivery of its newest member of fleet, the state-of-the-art Boeing 777-300 ER, in July 2013. 

"The addition of the Boeing 777-300ER in Garuda Indonesia's fleet marks two important milestones in the company's development. First, the delivery of the Boeing 777-300ER sets a new standard of quality and value in air travel, especially for direct, long-haul flights, as we continue to expand our destination network globally. Secondly, the inauguration of our "First Class" service that will take our services to an entirely new level of exellence," said Emirsyah.

Moreover, the arrival of the Boeing 777-300ER is part of the airline's fleet expansion program to increase its capacity and broaden its international network, in line with the corporate transformation and expansion program, that is known as the "Quantum Leap 2011-2015" program.

The aircraft has a capacity of 314 passengers, with a seating configuration of 8 seats in First Class, 38 seats in Business Class, and 268 seats in Economy Class, and equipped with "In-flight Connectivity", including exConnect (WiFi internet connection) and exTV (live broadcast from six international channels, namely CNN International, BBC World, BBC Arabic, NHK World Premium, Euronews, and CNBC).

Sourced: TravelDailyNews