Garuda Indonesia has been in the process of revamping its premium cabins and upper level offerings across its entire fleet. The Indonesian flag carrier is now down to eight First Class seats across all of its aircraft. All of them can be found exclusively on the airline's Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.
Garuda Indonesia down to eight First Class seats
One Mile at a Time reports that of the carrier's 10 Boeing 777-300ERs, only two of them feature First Class. Over the years, Garuda has cut down the number of First Class seats on its aircraft preferring instead to increase capacity in business and economy.
However, it now appears that one of those Boeing 777s is off to fly for the President of Indonesia. This leaves just one Boeing 777 in Garuda's active fleet with eight First Class seats. It appears that this aircraft is most often found flying between Bali and Tokyo.
First Class on Garuda Indonesia
Garuda Indonesia is widely regarded as one of the best First Class products out there. Below is a promotional video from the carrier highlighting the product:
Airlines are doing away with First Class
More and more airlines are cutting international First Class products. American carrier United is focusing on its new Polaris product over its previous First Class. In the Middle East, Qatar Airways is focusing on its Qsuite product over international First Class product found on its Airbus A380s. These are just a handful of examples among many other airlines doing away with First Class.
On the other hand, some airlines are still all-in on First Class. Emirates has recently upgraded its First Class product. Meanwhile, on some widebodies like the A380 and 747-8s, Lufthansa also offers an incredibly stunning First Class product.
First Class vs Business Class
International business class is starting to take a bigger role in premium travel. Airlines from Delta to British Airways to ANA have launched new products in this cabin class that offer doors for privacy and, in some cases, offer a superior hard product to First Class.
Also, First Class products generally come with a better ground experience and more exclusive lounges. This includes vehicle gate-to-gate or lounge-to-gate transportation.
Overall
It is unclear exactly what the future of First Class is for Garuda Indonesia. With the expected economic hit from coronavirus, Garuda Indonesia could cut the product entirely if it remains unprofitable. As of now, Garuda's long-haul schedule is quite light– especially to key destinations in Europe using its Boeing 777s. This does limit the scope of its First Class product.
Have you flown Garuda Indonesia's First Class? What do you make of Garuda Indonesia? Let us know in the comments!