Airline one of only seven five star airlines in the world

Garuda Indonesia, the airline of Indonesia, has been named the newest member of the exclusive group of 5-Star Airlines by Skytrax, the world's leading airline and airport review specialists. The exclusive, top-tier 5-star rating is only awarded to airlines achieving the highest quality performance, and importantly, this focuses on the airline's ability to deliver this on a consistent basis. Garuda Indonesia today becomes the seventh airlines earned the prestigious award, joining Asiana Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Hainan Airlines, All Nippon Airways, Qatar Airways, and Singapore Airlines.

President and CEO of Garuda Indonesia Emirsyah Satar commented that being named a 5-star airline by Skytrax marks another milestone as a firm recognition of the ongoing transformation, which the airline's has continued to make over the recent years, not only in terms of services, but also throughout all aspects of the company.

“It is certainly an honour for all of us at Garuda Indonesia, and the achievement becomes even more meaningful as we are now reaching towards the completion of our “Quantum Leap” journey. For the past years, we have been striving persistently to provide a world-class travelling experience for our passengers and I believe that this accomplishment will serve as further inspiration for us to remain committed and improve even better. Furthermore, we take great pride in establishing our home country more firmly on the international stage by receiving this prestigious recognition,” he continued.

Edward Plaisted, CEO of Skytrax said, "This is recognition of the major turnaround in quality standards at Garuda Indonesia, reflecting the hard work by the airline in recent years, and we delighted to confirm that they are now meeting the 5-Star Airline. This rating is based on an all-round assessment of the product and service, on board and at the airport. We place a lot of importance on the fact that the majority of customers travel in Economy and it is the quality and consistency of those standards that contribute greatly to Garuda securing 5-Stars. Consistency of an airline's product and service is a major part of the 5-Star rating, with Garuda's long haul fleet now offering Business Class flat-bed seating and 32-34 inch seat pitch in Economy Class. Customers can also experience the new First and Business Class 5-Star service concept rolled out across the Boeing 777-300ER fleet." 



This 5-Star Airline rating also takes account of planned airport and service changes in 2015, when Garuda will transfer to the new Terminal 3 at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, its home base hub. This will provide a new home for Garuda Indonesia and SkyTeam member airlines, improving the travel experience through enhanced transfers and airport service, together with improved and expanded premium passenger facilities.

A 5-star airline rating represents "ultimate" quality recognition and approval, which is only awarded to airlines that achieve an exceptional front-line quality performance. The 5-star airline rating recognizes airlines at the forefront of product innovation that sets quality benchmarks and trends that are often followed by other carriers. The airline rating systems assess the standard of an airline's product and service delivery quality, using more than 800 assessment categories, applied across both the on board and airport environments.

On the ground, airline website/online operations, ticketing, check-in, security, lounges, boarding, departures, transfer, arrivals, and branding are all assessed, with prime importance given to all "touch points" involved in final service delivery to the customer. Onboard assessment includes a detailed assessment across all areas of on board product, staff service techniques and efficiency, and associated aspects of staff service.

As Garuda Indonesia strives to continue its transformation program, the airline's performance is increasingly being recognized at international level. Garuda Indonesia proceeded to receive a new coveted accolade as airline with “The World's Best Cabin Crew 2014” from Skytrax at the Farnborough International Airshow 2014.

Previously, Garuda Indonesia was also awarded “The World's Best Economy Class” in 2013, "The World's Best Regional Airline" in 2012, and "The World's Most Improved Airline" in 2010, also by Skytrax. Moreover, during the “Passenger Choice Award 2013” held in September 2013 in Anaheim, California, USA, and organized by “Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX)”, Garuda Indonesia was chosen as the “Best in Region: Asia and Australasia”.

For further information, call Garuda Indonesia on 1300 365 330 or visit www.garuda-indonesia.com/au.

For more information, please contact:

Sarah Corry ICON International Communications

Tel: + 61 2 8235 7600

Mobile: + 61 450 803 881

scorry@iconinternational.com.au

About Garuda Indonesia

Presenting a new level of service excellence in air travel, Garuda Indonesia, the national airline of Indonesia, seamlessly connects more than 60 destinations worldwide to not only one of the largest economies in Southeast Asia, but also a plethora of exotic locations in the beautiful archipelago of Indonesia all at once. With approximately 500 daily flights and a fleet of around 130 aircraft, Garuda Indonesia proudly serves our passengers with the award-winning "Garuda Indonesia Experience" service, which highlights Indonesia's warm hospitality and rich diverse culture. 

After receiving the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) certificate in 2008 and becoming a registered IOSA Operator, Garuda Indonesia implements security and safety standards that puts it on par with other leading IATA member airlines. The airline continuously strives, through its ongoing transformation program, to provide better and more convenient services with one of the youngest fleets in the sky, which should grow to around 194 aircraft by 2015. 

In line with improvements in various aspects of its performance and service, Garuda Indonesia has won a number of accolades and recognition from both national and international institutions, including “The World's Best Economy Class” award from Skytrax and the “Best in Region: Asia and Australasia”, by the “Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX)”.

For further information, please log on to www.garuda-indonesia.com/au or follow @GarudaAustralia on Twitter, @GarudaIndonesiaAus on Instagram and Garuda Indonesia Australia on Facebook.