Singapore – Jakarta / Cengkareng
KLM #KL 837
Boeing 747-400 Combi (PH-BFR City of Rio de Janeiro)
Seat 77A, World Business Class (WBC)
ETD: 1650H
ETA: 1730H (local time)

21 Jan 2004

Background: I have not been back to Jakarta for close to 15 years so this trip was something to look forward to. While visiting a country that has seen drastic political changes in the last 5 years, another highlight of this trip was a ride in an Indonesian made CN 235 which will be covered in a later report.

Note: Photographs taken during the trip will be posted later.

Check in for KLM flight in Changi is at Terminal One. Row 13 had one counter for WBC and three others for Economy Class. Salmah warmly welcomed me and asked if I preferred the upper or lower deck. I chose the upper deck as I miss traveling there, and was thus assigned to 77A. Formalities painlessly completed in less than a minute and my boarding passes, CIAS Lounge invitation, and Indonesian immigration disembarkation forms were all bundled together in a blue KLM paper wallet. Nice touch!

Changi Airport should do something about the signage for CIAS Lounge. I never thought I would have any complaints about this airport but I spent a good 20 min figuring out how to get to the lounge. The directions posted behind the invitation card were useless as I ended up at the swimming pool on the roof. Staff was helpful in directing me to the lounge and they pointed out that it was a usual occurrence for passengers to get lost. Not good at all!

Tucked away in a quiet corner on the second level, I found the lounge. Many other airlines utilize the same lounge (NW, OZ, MK, GA, PG, and GF, just to name a few). One word to describe it – PATHETIC. Changi squeezed so many chairs into it that it seems like a sorry excuse for an airline lounge. Hors d’ouvres were smoked salmon or eggs on stale tasting bread cut into bite size, chicken nuggets (the kind found in large quantities in supermarkets), samosas and chicken puff. I am rather appalled by the standards of Changi because going by the looks of the SATS Lounge at Terminal Two, it is no better. Both do not have windows.

Having surveyed the disappointing lounge, I headed for Gate D32 and there she was… The KLM Boeing 747-400 Combi registered PH-BFR (christened City of Rio de Janeiro), still resplendent in the old livery. There was a swan on the fuselage and the titling “The world is just a click away”. There was not a spot of dirt on the aircraft and it looked so shiny after leaping a long way from Amsterdam.

Boarding process started as soon as I stepped into the holding lounge after clearing security. WBC pax were invited to board first so I just walked right through. Entering through Door 1L, I was greeted rather sternly by a wrinkled and warm stewardess in reading glasses.

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Photo © Wietse de Graaf

“Hhhello, Sir. 77A is down that way and up the stairs.”

Silly me, I should have walked through Door 2L. I was directed through Zone B which had that weird wall along the entire length on the right hand side. And this was Economy Class, so this cabin separated the WBC cabins in Zone A and the Upper Deck. Something like the photo below but it is in YCL configuration, 2x3. (2 seats by the wall and 3 on the right)

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Photo © Andy Smulders

“Oh hello!” greeted another friendly lady in blue, who was standing by Door 2L. This was where the famous KLM service ended for me, unfortunately.

I climbed into an empty upper deck and found 2 cabin crew chatting in the aft galley. The male FA (R. Van de Creeke) peeped out and asked “you know your seat?” and continued to banter when I nodded my head.

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Photo © Andy Smulders

Pitch for WBC is amazing, even more so at 77A as this is at the emergency exit. Seatbelt buckles are so shiny you can see your face in it, doubling up as a mirror. Cabin was clean and bright and the TV monitors were pulled down from the ceiling. Seat, though not the most modern, is absolutely comfy. Nothing is automated though. With all the Spacebeds and lie-flats, KLM’s WBC suddenly seems very primitive.

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Photo © Andy Smulders

6 other pax sauntered upstairs and drinks were served by a rude African FA. She stood in front of me and with one arm, extended the tray of water, OJ and a red coloured liquid. And because she acted like a mute, I didn’t know what the red liquid was so I played safe and took the OJ. No smiles, and also observed that she was chewing gum!

When I finished my drink, the African FA came over and took my glass. As she did, she asked me for my boarding pass as well. She pursed her thick lips and asked for my passport for some photo ID. I was the only one that had the honour of being verified. Jesus Christ! Do I look like a street urchin that I need verification to be sitting on the upper deck? That really ruined it for me. And her name? D.C. Frenzen d’ Arnault (I will put her in the same room as that bitch named Patsy from SIA that destroyed my liking for SIA).

1635H: Captain comes on the air to welcome us. Flight time will be 1 hr 15 min and cruising level is FL390. Announcements were in Dutch first followed by English.

1640H: Bridge moves back from the aircraft and we wait for pushback. Meanwhile, neither Frenzen nor Van de Creeke is seen anywhere.

1650H: All doors to automatic as Frenzen decides we are all worthy of her presence in the cabin. She walks to each of the doors and pulls a lever.

Meanwhile, the safety video comes on. Safety videos, you see them one, you’ve seen them all. While we are taxiing, Frenzen walks down the aisle one more time after pushing the two TV monitors into the ceiling, before strapping herself into the jumpseat across from me looking like her sulky self. Van de Creeke sits behind me like a passenger.

Flaps are silently deployed when we taxi to runway 02R, following behind a SIA 777-200 (9V-SQJ). Entering E11, we line up at 1704H and power off a minute later. Rolling for 25 sec, we rotate way before Concourse F.

A right turn puts us on a southerly heading towards Jakarta and we stay that way for the duration of the flight. The seatbelt sign pings off at 1710H and the service begin. Frenzen appears at 1720H to dish out hot towels while Van de Creeke takes drink orders.

A pre-recorded announcement in Bahasa Indonesian welcomes passengers, which I thought should have been played on the ground instead.

My meal tray appears at 1727H that is served directly from the aft galley. As Van de Creeke hurriedly puts down the tray, I ask if it is any trouble for pack of playing cards.

“Of course it is not a problem, Sir” and he says that with a smile. Thank God he is not another Frenzen! He later came back with 2 packs of cards.

Meal: Chicken puff, walnut chocolate cake (tasteless)

As I am negotiating the tasteless meal, the lead purser for today’s flight comes up to each pax in the cabin and greets them. Including me, of course. She was just a delight to talk to but I only managed to get a fleeting glance of her name (T.C.) because KLM’s nametags are so small! I had half a mind to mention Frenzen to her.

My tray is cleared at 1740H and Frenzen then asks if I want “Tea? Coffee?”. She serves me my tea in less than a minute. I have to give it to her for the fast service though.

1758H: Descend.

Arrival announcement is made by the purser at 1805H which is then followed by the Captain that informs us about the weather (raining) and the southwesterly direction that we would be landing in.

Soon enough, the coastline appeared out of the misty horizon and there was Tanjung Priok. The city skyline loomed hazily in the background and all was grey. Water threaded horizontally across my window as Frenzen cleared the loose items in the cabin.

1809H: Cabin crew, prepare for landing.

The seatbelt sign pinged on at 1814H and the pre-recorded Indonesian announcement came on again. After flying past Jakarta, flaps were deployed and gears lowered at 1818H.

The piano keys for runway 25R zoomed past and so did several aircraft like Lion Air MD80, two Garuda 737-300s and a SIA A340-500 taxiing for take off.

1821H: touchdown.

A taxi to Gate E7 brought us to a stop at 1821H. Local time was now 1721H (+7hrs GMT). In the vicinity were more Lion Air MD80s, Garuda A330-300s, an SIA 777-200 at Terminal D and an Air France 747-400.

Frenzen was strangely chirpy while saying goodbye to me at the stairs...

Here I was, back on Indonesian soil after a 15 year absence. Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (Bandar Udara Nasional Soekarno-Hatta) looked as regal as ever on the outside. But the insides have changed. The airport has aged expectedly with the walls and lighting darker. Immigration was quick as I was one of the first ones off the plane. Baggage took about 20 min which is quite a wait if you are used to the efficiency of KLIA and Changi. While the belts were churning with no baggage in sight, pax were getting impatient. Suddenly, from beyond the rubber flaps a wooden block with the word “PRIORITY” appears on the belt and my baggage behind it. Not too bad! Hehehe…

The arrival greeting area was just a mess. Arrival schedule board was not working properly because I was looking for my friend’s arriving flight from Medan but his flight had the AW Air logo next to his flight number of GA 187. I curiously saw CP Air (yep, Canadian Pacific) up on the boards as well for an arriving Merpati flight. People, people everywhere, smoking, shouting, crowding…

Welcome to Jakarta indeed!

Verdict:

Check-in: 8/10 (Very friendly CIAS personnel)
Lounge: 5/10 (Changi should seriously look into improving their lounge facilities)
Departure: 7/10 (Boarding process was smooth despite security checks)
Catering: 3/10 (Absolutely shitty...)
In-flight: 6/10 (Terrible service by Frenzen was rescued by Van de Creeke)

Overall: 58% KLM lacks the soft touch that we find in most Asian carriers, maybe that is the same for all European carriers too. The service levels were acceptable largely so there are no major complaints. I would like to think that Frenzen was just a one-off.

End note: The key word for Jakarta during this period is "security". There were metal detectors EVERYWHERE! Cars were searched when entering carpark compound of malls (Plaza Semanggi, Plaza Senayan, Plaza Indonesia, Cilandak Town Sq, ... u name it!) Hotels are not spared the stringent checks. Pedestrians are searched at the entrance to these buildings and have to walk through a metal detector. Armed guards overlook the procedures. Despite the dark undertones to the scene, I never felt more secure with these checks and was sure glad the government is finally taking the terror threats seriously.

Chinese New Year celebrations were out in full force. Lion dances all over and Jakarta was truly decked out in red. Even TV presenters wore chinese costumes! It is a sight to see because these celebrations were only made legal in Jan 2001. The chinese culture was squashed and made illegal during the New-Order era of Suharto for more than 35 years for the fear of communist insurgents.