My CRJ-1000 Flying Adventure With Garuda

Welcome to my trip report on Garada's CRJ-1000!

Introduction

Flying the CRJ1000 is one of my priorities for this trip. Garuda is the only airline in Asia to operate this model and there are less than 50 CRJ-1000 flying worldwide. Garuda is probably the biggest operator of this type with 12 operating for the airline. I hope there won't be any last-minute equipment change an that would frustrating. The last thing I want is to fly on the more common type, the 737-800.

I have been on the CRJ-1000 once at the Singapore Air Show in 2012. I was fortunate to be able to board and have a first impression look at the inside of the aircraft. Brit Air was kind to send that plane over to showcase that aircraft to Garuda and other potential operators.

About Garuda's website

Garuda's website is managed by Amadeus. Website is pretty much basic but it does what it supposed to do. No problems with the booking. I purchased my ticket for this flight for around S$50, a bargain if you ask me! Do check the flights before you book. Not all Denpasar-Surabaya flights are operated by CRJ1000. My flight was GA341, a 10.25 departure from DPS to SUB. The funny part was I was arriving at SUB at 10.25 (1-hour difference).

On the day of departure 

Bali International Airport was undergoing renovation so the photos you see below shows you the incomplete look of the terminal. 

Do take note that flying with Garuda, you do not need to pay airport tax as its already included in the air ticket. I wonder when will that be included in other airlines. If you are flying on other airlines, do remember to leave some money for the tax. 150000 Rupiah for a person for international flights and 40000 Rupiah for domestic flights. 

I feel like going for a chalet or a holiday resort, looks nothing like an airport. 

Do take note that a lot of locals will ask you to take their taxi, avoid them and go to the taxi counter located just outside the arrival hall. 

The new section of the airport. (Some parts were under construction at that time)

I made my way to the check-in counter. It looks incomplete as the terminal is undergoing renovation and is due to complete in the near future.

Anyway, I checked in confirming my seat, 37A. 

Only to find that I got 29A which was not what I want. Only realized this when I was at the gate waiting. 

I believe out of courtesy, the counter staff should have told me about the seat change but that doesn't matter. It turned out to be an almost empty plane, I got to choose where to seat just before the aircraft pushed back. I was assigned to 29A with another passenger beside me. He relocated to another seat in front while I choose to move a rows behind, near the rear of the aircraft. 

The domestic departure hall.

The holding area consists of 2 gates, one of the flights was heading to Jakarta and it turned out to be the aircraft I flew in, PK-GPJ, the airline's Airbus A330-200. 

At this point, I was feeling very excited as it would be my first time riding on a CRJ series and the -1000 is the perfect aircraft to kick off my CRJ joyrides.  

Routing for this flight! 

My ride! 

The airline added the 'Explore Jet' titles on this beauty. 

One of the CRJ-1000 in the fleet features the Skyteam livery

Airline: Garuda

Flight: GA341

Routing: DPS-SUB

Aircraft type: CRJ-1000

Registration: PK-GRI

Date: 18th February 2014

MSN: 19031

Delivered on: 25th March 2013

Aircraft leased from NAC

Configuration: C12Y84

Engines: 2 X GE CF34-8C5A2

Gate: 19 

Seat: 29A then moved to 37A 

Load: 30% 

Departure time: 1005

Push back: 1008

Take off: 1017

Arrival time: 1018

Schedule arrival time: 1015

Departure runway: 27

Arrival runway: 10

The bus took us drove past many aircraft before approaching our aircraft. The sleek looking CRJ is different from the usual aircraft that we normally fly on (737, 320 ..etc).

 Business class 

These seats are in a 2-2 configuration and has a better legroom space than Economy Class. 

In today's standard (2023), these seats be considered Economy Class with extra legroom space or also known as Premium Economy. 

This is my seat.

I moved to seat 37A as I wanted to have a feel of how long this aircraft is. 

At my original seat (below) 29A, the seat was located just in front of the wing. 

The crew had no problem with me taking cabin photos. They knew at once that I was an aviation enthusiast, as they had encountered a few recently. 

It was nice to have an empty flight but not good for the bean counters. 

What do you think of the cabin? 

The crew seat is located at the rear of the aircraft. 

Unfortunately this aircraft didn't stay long in Garuda's fleet as the aircraft has been retired. The CRJ-1000 was not economical as it was deemed be too heavy and expensive to maintain. I have to say how fortunate I am to have tried out this aircraft. There are not too many CRJ-1000 flying around these days and it looks unlikely I get to fly on another -1000.

The overhead panel 

The toilet is very small and I had a hard time fitting myself in it. 

Thanks to the wonderful crew for taking my photo.

It is great to have an almost empty flight and to explore the aircraft during flight. I am grateful to the cabin crew for everything!

What's inside the seat pocket? 

I like this new version of GA's safety card, nicer than the previous version. 

I was pleasantly surprised to receive a snack box for such a short flight! 

A cake and a hotdog with a small packet of drink. Some other airlines should take a look at this! I had nothing but praises for this airline so far on this trip. The airline had certainly made lots of improvement for the past few years and it deserved to be joining the Skyteam alliance on the 5th March. 

There were 2 crew onboard this flight. One was serving the front cabin and the other at the rear. They had a light workload on this flight but they were still professional by taking care of the few of us during the flight. 

Window view (Take off to Landing)

This photo was taken at the last window seat, you won't get obstructed by the engine when you fly on the CRJ1000. 

Flying in good weather makes it very enjoyable!

The old 737-400 was spotted along with its siblings.

We parked at Surabaya's terminal 2 remote bay. Before disembarking, I manage to get the green light to visit the cockpit. I had a brief but wonderful conversation with both flight crew. 

My opinion on the CRJ1000

This is the T-tailed aircraft operates on short-haul routes with lesser capacity than the standard 737 and 320 aircraft. It can be deployed on low demand routes or routes with high frequency. 

The cabin is fitted in 2-2 comfortable seating configuration and the fuselage is longer than the previous models, the -700 and -900. This model can carry up to 124 passengers depending on the airline's configuration. For Garuda, it is configured in 2-class. I find the interior to be comfortable but the ceiling to be low and cabin width quite narrow. However, the aircraft's interior is pleasant and the cabin noise is low, that is because the engines are located at the rear. I believe even sitting at the rear, it shouldn't be too loud. Overall, I enjoy this aircraft and will not hesitate to fly on it again.

My rating

On-ground service: 6/10

Website: 6/10 

In-flight service: 8/10 

In-flight snack: 9/10 (Unexpected and its good for such a short journey) 

Cabin interior: 10/10 

Aircraft cleanliness: 10/10

Aircraft experience: 7/10 (Cramp) 

Punctuality: 8/10 

Seat comfort: 9/10 

Overall rating: 73/90 

Conclusion

The money spent on this flight is worth it. Every minute of the flight was enjoyable, partly because of the light load and the great set of crew. It's a different experience from what I had gotten after my first experience with this airline a couple of years back. I flew on GA's 737-800 to CGK and wasn't impressed with the in-flight service. Personally, I feel, you need to fly more times to gauge the airline's in-flight service. Just one flight is not enough to judge the airline. 

Indonesian aviation has received a lot of scrutinies because of the poor safety record. As a result, some airlines were forced to shut down while others received the EU and the U.S ban list (that means they are not allowed to fly to Europe and the U.S). Fortunately for Garuda, they are no longer in the ban list and currently have flights to Europe. I hope to see Indonesian aviation doing better. 

Hope you enjoy this trip report! 

Cheers,
Charles