In Reply to: Anyone had problems with GFF points? posted by Molly on Monday, 27. August 2007 at 16:07 Bali Time:
This year I've been setting up a business with a business in Jakarta. I booked a Melbourne/Jakarta/Bali/Melbourne Garuda flight in April. After unsuccessfully trying to join GFF via their website, I phoned Garuda's sales office in Melbourne. They told me there was a problem with the website, to get a GFF application form in Jakarta, to keep boarding passes and then send them to Garuda, with a covering letter explaining the situation. I did precisely that, and posted my letter a few days after my return to Oz.
I've had no reply from Garuda. Although I kept a copy of the letter, plus the original tickets, Garuda now has my boarding passes (yes, I know I should have photocopied them). After all this time, I've sort of abandoned all hope of receiving my points.
It's a shame, really, because Garuda does tend to be quite a bit cheaper than Qantas and Jetstar. Their scheduling suits me better, and they also fly direct from Melbourne to Jakarta, with a stopover in Bali for a little extra treat.
If you're reading this, Garuda, TAKE NOTE!!!
Despite substantial Garuda bashing on this Forum over the past few weeks, I had a great flight with them last time. Couldn't fault it at all. The service was fun and friendly, the flight left on time, and the food was surprisingly tasty - even on the internal flights - particularly for airline food.
My daughter and I are off to Indonesia again in a few weeks. I decided against Garuda and redeemed QFF points instead to pay for one ticket. Amex has (temporarily) paid for the other flight, and I now have free travel insurance. Even better, the money I saved on the points-redemption ticket has paid for a two-year membership to the Qantas Club, which gives members an extra 10 kgs luggage allowance, priority check-in, use of lounges (with guest), etc, etc.
The frustrating thing is that Garuda has a (more or less) connecting flight into Bali on the night we arrive in Jakarta. I've been trying to book one-way tickets on GA426, departing at 21:45, before I leave Australia. I'm not worrying about the return trip to Jakarta; this I can easily book in Bali. It seems that my only option is to book and pay for the tickets when I get to Jakarta, which will cause a headache if Qantas is running late that day.
Has anybody else booked and paid for Garuda internal flights from Australia? If so, what's the best option here?