Hola to another flight report! Last time I shared with you how my Jakarta to Yogyakarta on Indonesia Air Asia went. It was a winner for the price but just okay in all other aspects. There are a lot of points which they can improve on such, as seat quality, legroom & flight punctuality.
Today, I will share with you my Indonesia Air Asia flight back to Jakarta from Yogyakarta. I really didn’t have plans of covering this flight, but my great experience forced me to do so. I’m calling this a redemption flight – a redemption of all the not-so-good experiences I had on the flight to Yogyakarta.
Believe it or not, we used the same old aircraft back to Jakarta. There’s not much I can do with these details but the service topped it all. Allow me to share with you some details of this amazing flight. Please expect a shorter review this time as most details are already mentioned in the previous Indonesia Air Asia post.
indonesia air asia
As mentioned in my previous flight report, Indonesia Air Asia is a low cost airline that is based in Jakarta Airport. It is the Indonesian counterpart of Air Asia Berhad based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The airline currently flies to over 20 destinations in Indonesia, Southeast Asia & even in Australia. It operates an all economy class Airbus A320 fleet. Just like any other low-cost carrier, the airline offers basic flight services. Any additional service needs to be purchased.
Ticket
I paid ₱3,155 for a Jakarta – Yogyakarta – Jakarta return ticket with Indonesia Air Asia. I booked the ticket 6 weeks before the scheduled flight. I still consider the fare cheap considering it was booked a few weeks before the flights. The ticket includes complimentary 15 kilogram check-in baggage per way – a great add-on for the ticket. I hope all low-cost carriers offer this even just to its domestic services.
flight details
The flight was operated by a 6.2-year old Airbus A320-200 aircraft with an all economy class configuration. The plane has a 180-seating capacity & has 30 rows of 6 seats each. The flight departed Adi Sucipto International Airport on time & arrived Soekarno Hatta International Airport in Jakarta 40 minutes ahead of schedule. The flight only took 1 hour 1 minute back to Jakarta. It surely made it up from the flight I had a few days before.
CHECK-IN, BAGGAGE & BOARDING
Indonesia Air Asia uses Terminal B in Adi Sucipto International Airport. I arrived at the airport 2 hours before the flight & the check-in counters were packed. If I can remember it correct, I was 15th in the line. It took me about an hour to check-in. The check-in process was very disorganized. For me, this was the only let down of the flight. It was the total opposite of the check-in experience I had on the flight to Yogyakarta.
As mentioned above, all passengers were given 15-kilograms complimentary check-in baggage allowance. I checked-in my luggage to reduce the inconvenience of walking with a heavy bag. This free add-on is definitely a win for the airline – a low-cost carrier offering free baggage allowance. Great job, QZ!
Indonesia Air Asia, just like any other Air Asia flights, board passengers via seat numbers. They prioritize Premium Flex guests & those assigned on Rows 1-5, 12 & 14. Passengers seated from rows 15-30 come next & those seated from rows 6 to 11 board last. The boarding process in this flight was smooth & organized. It didn’t take us long to board the aircraft.
Seat, In-Flight Meal & Entertainment
The airline’s system automatically assigns seats to all passengers days before the flight. If the passenger doesn’t like the seat assigned to him / her; he / she has the option to choose a preferred seat with an additional fee. This can still be done during check-in process. I was lucky enough to get an exit seat- well not just exit but the front-most seat, 1E. I was in the middle of 2 Malaysian guys who know each other so I offered to exchange seat with one of them. I eventually got seat 1D by the aisle. The legroom on these 1st row seats were the best. It had so much space. The seats of this 6.2-year old aircraft are due for change. Their seat covers are already old & over-used. I hope the airline changes them soon. Just like the CGK-JOG flight, the seat belts on this aircraft were too tight.
Indonesia Air Asia doesn’t offer complimentary meals. Snacks & rice meals are available for pre-order during booking or during the flight itself. The available items can be found in the Santan Magazine provided in every seat pocket. The airline also doesn’t have in-flight entertainment systems. They only provide a seat pocket consisting of the airline’s magazine, Duty Free brochure & the safety card.
lavatory
I was seated in the 1st row, so I had the chance of checking the aircraft’s lavatory. I’d say the crew did a fantastic job in maintaining the front toilet clean all throughout the flight. They offered the basic amenities like tissue & liquid hand soap.
cabin crew service
Cabin crew service was probably the most outstanding part of this redemption flight. The crew were helpful & super friendly. They didn’t make any unnecessary noise during the flight. Believe it or not, meal & food service was finished 15 minutes after take-off. All of the cabin crew were attentive to all of the guests requests. I’m glad I experienced the genuine Air Asia hospitality in this flight. Hats off to the crew assigned to this flight last August.
verdict
Overall, my Indonesia Air Asia flight from Yogyakarta to Jakarta on QZ 7551 was awesome. The airfare, assigned seat, boarding process, early arrival, complimentary baggage allowance & cabin crew service made this flight my best QZ flight so far (had about 5 – 7 QZ flights in the past.)
The only dent I saw on this almost perfect flight was the long & disorganized check-in process & the old aircraft used for the flight. Everything was great aside from those things. I am happy that Indonesia Air Asia redeemed themselves in this flight back to Jakarta. Will I fly them again? OF COURSE. Nothing beats their affordable fares & amazing schedules, plus the complimentary baggage allowance. I personally don’t mind flying low-cost carriers to nearby destinations.
For those of you who are interested on the flight & aircraft information, check out the details below.
Airline: Indonesia Air Asia
Flight Date: 26 August 2019
Flight Number: QZ 7551
Route: Yogyakarta (JOG) – Jakarta (CGK)
Duration: 1:01 hours
Seat Number: 1D
Aircraft: Airbus A320-214 Sharklet
Aircraft Registration: PK-AZE
Age: 6.2 Years
Year Delivered: 2013
Have you ever flown with Indonesia Air Asia? If yes, how was your flight experience? If not, do you plan to fly with them sometime soon? Feel free to post your comments, questions, experiences & thoughts in the comments section below. You can also send them to me via email to contact@thewkndtravel.com. I’ll respond as soon as I can. Don’t forget to follow me & please also help me in promoting my social media channels – Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
Thank you so much for joining me in today’s Flight Report. Watch out for more flight reports soon. Ciao!
PS. Photos were taken using my HTC U11.