General Info

[QUOTE=Hamaca]Has anybody used these services at Jakarta airport, I have used it at Bali and saved a bit time and grief, But the prices I checked online at Jakarta are $45 which is treble Bali price.

If anybody has any info or contacts for the above it would be much appreciated, pm if want.

Regards[/QUOTE]Garuda recently introduced a new service aboard their flights to Indonesia, in any case from Amsterdam and I suppose from other places too.

They have immigration officials on board the plane and you can get your tourist visa from them. Saves queing at the immigration office on the airport. You still have to wait in line for customs though.

[QUOTE=Koperen Ko]Garuda recently introduced a new service aboard their flights to Indonesia, in any case from Amsterdam and I suppose from other places too.

They have immigration officials on board the plane and you can get your tourist visa from them. Saves queing at the immigration office on the airport. You still have to wait in line for customs though :-([/QUOTE]Thanks for the info but the fast track I mean are the guys who meet you off the plane and they take you to the immigration desk except you don't queue, they go get the voa slip, get the passport stamped while you wait for your luggage off the belt. It saves a lot of waiting, but the ones I have found in Jakarta seem to be a lot more dearer than Bali.

Regards

Has anyone with a U.S. issued Visa or MasterCard had any success buying tickets online with either Garuda or Lion?

I have been trying to get tickets between Jakarta, Yogyakarta, and Bali, first on Lion, and then, failing that, on Garuda and neither one of these websites accept any American-bank-issued charge cards. Garuda's website explicitly states that they only accept Visa or MasterCard issued from various countries in Asia and Oceana, while Lion's website says nothing, but it has bounced 4 different Visa and MasterCards - each issued by American banks.

I ended up booking 2 of the 3 flights I wanted on AirAsia instead, and their website has no problem with my US-issued Capital One MasterCard. But unfortunately, AirAsia doesn't fly between Yogyakarta and Bali.

BTW, I called all of the credit card companies in advance to advise them of my Indonesia trip and to ask them to allow charges from Indonesian airlines to go through.

I could book Yogyakarta to Bali on Garuda via Expedia, but Expedia gouges and charges around double the fare that Garuda (~ 650K Rupiah) or Lion (~580K Rupiah) charge when booking direct. Expedia wants $138 US for that one short flight on Garuda - and Expedia doesn't work with Lion at all.

My other choice is to book two flights on AirAsia going from Yogya to Bali via Jakarta, but that involves a tight layover, and AirAsia won't guarantee the connection as they only guarantee point to point service. Plus, that involves a spending 4 hours on 2 flights plus layover, instead of a 1 hour direct flight.

Any idea how reliable AirAsia is on a 1 hour connection through Jakarta? Or whether I will have any problems waiting until I arrive in Jakarta on Oct. 14 to buy a flight from Yogya to Bali a week later - both Lion and Garuda only have one direct flight per day each, basically leaving Yogya at 20:00 or 20:30 and getting into Bali at 22:00 or 22:30 (with a 1 hour time change).

On a positive note, the two flights I was able to book on AirAsia were dirt cheap: 290K Rupiah Jakarta to Yogya including a 20 Kilo baggage allowance and 580K Rupiah Bali to Jakarta with the same 20 Kilo baggage allowance.

Now I just need to figure out how to get from Yogya to Bali with a U.S.-issued credit card.

Lion air does not accept foreign creditcards. I had the same problem.

There is a website who can buy the tickets for you from Indonesian airlines, completely reliable. For a small fee of course, max 9 euro's.

Check this:

[url]http://ticketindonesia.info/en/index.php[/url]

[QUOTE=Member #2041]Has anyone with a USA issued Visa or MasterCard had any success buying tickets online with either Garuda or Lion?

I have been trying to get tickets between Jakarta, Yogyakarta, and Bali, first on Lion, and then, failing that, on Garuda and neither one of these websites accept any American-bank-issued charge cards. Garuda's website explicitly states that they only accept Visa or MasterCard issued from various countries in Asia and Oceana, while Lion's website says nothing, but it has bounced 4 different Visa and MasterCards. Each issued by American banks.

I ended up booking 2 of the 3 flights I wanted on AirAsia instead, and their website has no problem with my US-issued Capital One MasterCard. But unfortunately, AirAsia doesn't fly between Yogyakarta and Bali.

BTW, I called all of the credit card companies in advance to advise them of my Indonesia trip and to ask them to allow charges from Indonesian airlines to go through.

I could book Yogyakarta to Bali on Garuda via Expedia, but Expedia gouges and charges around double the fare that Garuda ( 650K Rupiah) or Lion ( 580K Rupiah) charge when booking direct. Expedia wants $138 US for that one short flight on Garuda. And Expedia doesn't work with Lion at all.

My other choice is to book two flights on AirAsia going from Yogya to Bali via Jakarta, but that involves a tight layover, and AirAsia won't guarantee the connection as they only guarantee point to point service. Plus, that involves a spending 4 hours on 2 flights plus layover, instead of a 1 hour direct flight.

Any idea how reliable AirAsia is on a 1 hour connection through Jakarta? Or whether I will have any problems waiting until I arrive in Jakarta on Oct. 14 to buy a flight from Yogya to Bali a week later. Both Lion and Garuda only have one direct flight per day each, basically leaving Yogya at 20:00 or 20: 30 and getting into Bali at 22:00 or 22:30 (with a 1 hour time change).

On a positive note, the two flights I was able to book on AirAsia were dirt cheap: 290K Rupiah Jakarta to Yogya including a 20 Kilo baggage allowance and 580K Rupiah Bali to Jakarta with the same 20 Kilo baggage allowance.

Now I just need to figure out how to get from Yogya to Bali with a USA.issued credit card.[/QUOTE]

Member #

I gather you are going to Jakarta first. If so just go to a Garuda office and get the ticket. Pay cash, or if you have an Amex that will work. Or most travel agents are the same. Alternatively when you arrive in Yogja get the onward ticket at the airport when you arrive.
1 hour is to tight on any airline here as a connection. Domestic baggage pick up in Jakarta can take 20 minutes or more.

[QUOTE=Cooze Hound]Member #

I gather you are going to Jakarta first. If so just go to a Garuda office and get the ticket. Pay cash, or if you have an Amex that will work. Or most travel agents are the same. Alternatively when you arrive in Yogja get the onward ticket at the airport when you arrive.
1 hour is to tight on any airline here as a connection. Domestic baggage pick up in Jakarta can take 20 minutes or more.[/QUOTE]
Yes Cooze, I'm flying into and out of Jakarta, and spending 3 days there on each end. My biggest concern is that Lion and Garuda each only have one flight a day from Yogya to Bali, and I am concerned that it could sell out more than a week before hand. My dates are pretty fixed and I need to get from Yogya to Bali on Oct. 21 - not before and not after. Mandala only makes the flight 3 times a week, and not on that day. Incidentally, the Garuda and Lion websites don't take Amex.

[QUOTE=Member #2041]Yes Cooze, I'm flying into and out of Jakarta, and spending 3 days there on each end. My biggest concern is that Lion and Garuda each only have one flight a day from Yogya to Bali, and I am concerned that it could sell out more than a week before hand. My dates are pretty fixed and I need to get from Yogya to Bali on Oct. 21 - not before and not after. Mandala only makes the flight 3 times a week, and not on that day. Incidentally, the Garuda and Lion websites don't take Amex.[/QUOTE]


Don't worry about lion an Garuda. There are other cheaper airlines which fly out regularly from yogi. I think even air Asia has a connection. You have merpati and mandala apart from a host of small airlines.

[QUOTE=John Aldrich]Don't worry about lion an Garuda. There are other cheaper airlines which fly out regularly from yogi. I think even air Asia has a connection. You have merpati and mandala apart from a host of small airlines.[/QUOTE]
No, Air Asia does not - I'd have to go via Jakarta, and the layover is too tight to be sure I'd make it - and Air Asia does not support connecting flights. Not to mention that becomes a 4 hour trip rather than a 1 hour trip. And Mandala only flies there 3 days a week, and not on the date I need it. Merpati also does not show flights between Yogya and Bali on the date I need it. I researched all of this before I made my prior post.

[QUOTE=Member #2041]No, Air Asia does not - I'd have to go via Jakarta, and the layover is too tight to be sure I'd make it - and Air Asia does not support connecting flights. Not to mention that becomes a 4 hour trip rather than a 1 hour trip. And Mandala only flies there 3 days a week, and not on the date I need it. Merpati also does not show flights between Yogya and Bali on the date I need it. I researched all of this before I made my prior post.[/QUOTE]There's a garuda office within walking distance of the meridien hotel. They happily accept any US credit card. You could buy a jogja to bali ticket there after you arrive jakarta and before you go to jogja.

[QUOTE=Member #2041]No, Air Asia does not. I'd have to go via Jakarta, and the layover is too tight to be sure I'd make it. And Air Asia does not support connecting flights. Not to mention that becomes a 4 hour trip rather than a 1 hour trip. And Mandala only flies there 3 days a week, and not on the date I need it. Merpati also does not show flights between Yogya and Bali on the date I need it. I researched all of this before I made my prior post.[/QUOTE]If you are trying to get an Airlines ticket during the Idul Fitri period, good luck.

Starting Sep 5th thru Sep 20th almost every form of transportation is sold out.

There are guys called "Makalar" or scaplers that have tickets for sale but as the saying goes "Hati-Hati". Be careful.

RL

[QUOTE=Member #2041]
Now I just need to figure out how to get from Yogya to Bali with a U.S.-issued credit card.[/QUOTE]

[url]http://www.garuda-indonesia.com/pages/office/usa-canada[/url]

Garuda offices in USA. Call them and do your booking through them.

As for Airasia make sure you book your seat and meal in advance if you want.

[quote=member #3088]there's a garuda office within walking distance of the meridien hotel. they happily accept any us credit card. you could buy a jogja to bali ticket there after you arrive jakarta and before you go to jogja.[/quote]yes this was what i was trying to convey to member 2041, that there are several garuda offices rep001tered around jakarta, let alone travel agents and my reference to amex was that it can be used at these outlets as of course most other credit cards.

[quote=cooze hound]yes this was what i was trying to convey to member 2041, that there are several garuda offices rep001tered around jakarta, let alone travel agents and my reference to amex was that it can be used at these outlets as of course most other credit cards.[/quote]2041 is getting plenty of good advice! hope he has a good trip.

3008

Thanks to everyone for the information about getting my air ticket for travel inside Indonesia.

The [url]www.ticketindonesia.info[/url] website was an interesting idea, and they came back with a price that would have ended up being ~$88 US, which was around a $16 premium over the current Garuda fare. But since it still involved an intermediary that I have no familiarity with, I decided to pass, for now.

I decided that I will book my ticket when I arrive in Jakarta - either at the airport before I head into town via either Lion or Garuda, or else at a ticket office within Jakarta.

Still, one wonders why, with the internet being a global entity, why these places aren't set up to take credit cards from any major country - at least with some sort of security check on the validity of the credit card.

[QUOTE=Member #2041]Thanks to everyone for the information about getting my air ticket for travel inside Indonesia.

The [url]www.ticketindonesia.info[/url] website was an interesting idea, and they came back with a price that would have ended up being ~$88 US, which was around a $16 premium over the current Garuda fare. But since it still involved an intermediary that I have no familiarity with, I decided to pass, for now.

I decided that I will book my ticket when I arrive in Jakarta - either at the airport before I head into town via either Lion or Garuda, or else at a ticket office within Jakarta.

Still, one wonders why, with the internet being a global entity, why these places aren't set up to take credit cards from any major country - at least with some sort of security check on the validity of the credit card.[/QUOTE]


Have a great trip and am sure that you will have some memorable time out here in our adopted country, which in other words is paradise.

Have Fun,

Cheers