Garuda Indonesia is Indonesia’s premium flag-carrier airline. While it operates several international flights from Denpasar Bali (DPS), most of its operations are consolidated at its base in Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (CGK) Terminal 3.

The airline operates several lounges in four airports in Indonesia, specifically: Jakarta (CGK), Denpasar Bali (DPS), Surabaya (SUB), and Medan Kualanamu (KNO). Jakarta Airport (CGK), being Garuda’s main hub, is home to three lounges. The first two are located in the international section of Terminal 3, divided between Business Class and First Class passengers, respectively. The third is located in the domestic section, which this review will be focusing on.

Note that the lounge is divided into two sections, one for Business Class passengers and the other for GarudaMiles Platinum and SkyTeam Elite Plus card holders.

Lounge Access Rules

At its core, the lounge admits Business Class passengers and GarudaMiles Platinum members travelling on Garuda Indonesia. According to SkyTeam Alliance rules, SkyTeam passengers connecting to/from SkyTeam First and Business Class flights are also admitted access. SkyTeam Elite Plus cardholders connecting to/from international SkyTeam flights are also afforded access. Note that this benefit frustratingly does not extend to SkyTeam Elite Plus members flying on a wholly domestic itinerary, a rule echoed when I flew Garuda Indonesia from Denpasar to Jakarta.

Interestingly, passengers flying on Citilink, Garuda’s low-cost arm, can purchase access to this lounge. For IDR250,000, Citilink passengers can enter the lounge for a maximum of 4 hours, subject to restrictions. Garuda Indonesia also sells an elite membership tier called Gold Privilege for an enrollment cost of USD399, renewable at USD299 annually. This paid membership grants access 5x a year when flying on Garuda.

Lounge Location

The Garuda Indonesia Domestic Lounge is located after security in the domestic departures of Terminal 3. The lounge is located on the mezzanine floor, one level down from the check-in and security level, accessible by the leftmost escalator or the lift. Once at the mezzanine level, upon exiting the escalator, turn around. There you’ll instantly find the entrance to the Garuda Indonesia Business Class section of the domestic lounge. A separate frequent flyer section is accessible through a separate entrance at the end of the hallway next to this entrance.

Garuda Indonesia Lounge

Flying Citilink Indonesia’s short-lived Royal Green Premium Economy service, we were afforded access to the frequent-flyer section of the lounge. Following a scan of our boarding passes, we were admitted into the lounge by the friendly reception staff.

Seating

Whilst segregated, the Business Class and the frequent flyer sections shared one long and narrow space separated by a rope. The frequent flyer section in particular has two seating areas, one on a terrace overlooking the terminal and the other bordering the Business Class. The sections are parted by the refreshments area in between the two, which has several seats in a dining table setup. While the terrace section was closed during my visit, I would not suggest taking a seat there since it does not get a lot of air-conditioning.

The main section of the lounge is located left of the refreshments area and the entrance. The section consisted of rows of chairs facing each other, separated by ornate partitions. There is also a smoking room in this section. Between the warm tones and the furniture choices, the lounge’s design is fairly reminiscent of the international Garuda Indonesia Lounge. I appreciated the soft warm-white lighting permeating the space, which is easy on the eye.

Conveniently, power outlets are available on the centre consoles between chairs. Whilst not the most comfortable seating out there, the chairs are quite nice to sit one; this is more so an improvement compared to the hard plastic ones in the terminal. There were also several television screens showing flight departures. Apart from the ambient noise from the terminal, the lounge is rather quiet. Flight announcements were limited to delayed flights.

Wifi

A wifi internet network separate from the airport network is available in the lounge. The network is protected by a password that you could get by asking the reception staff. I did think it was quite inconvenient that the password isn’t just shown on the television screens instead. Regardless, the internet speeds weren’t great but good enough for messaging and browsing.

Food

During our visit in early 2022, the lounge refreshments were quite limited. Provided were just fruits, several finger cakes, and small sandwiches. Hot food was limited to a sweet traditional porridge and steamed sweet potatoes and bananas. Drink choices were also quite limited: there were only water, sweet tea, and a couple of juices available. Interestingly, the Business Class section had a much more comprehensive buffet of hot food and drinks. Hmmm…

There are reports that the food offerings have improved since then, which I hope is the case. In addition, alcohol is not served in either section of the lounge or inflight on domestic routes.

Lounge Toilets

The lounge’s small gender-segregated toilets are located just before the terrace seating. The washroom was bright and clean-looking. There is also a basic shower cubicle in the Business Class section of the lounge, which I didn’t get to see.

Overall

Whilst it was mostly devoid of frills, I think the domestic Garuda Indonesia Lounge is a relatively nice place to spend time before a flight. In particular, the peaceful and soft ambiance of the lounge is a stark contrast to the cavernous Terminal 3. It isn’t the greatest lounge out there, but it is serviceable and decent enough for what it is.

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