The Garuda Indonesia International Lounge at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport Terminal 3 is the flagship facility for the airline. Being the Indonesian flag carrier’s hub, the terminal is home to two adjacent lounges in the international section – a First Class lounge and a Business Class lounge; this review will focus on the latter. Considering the size of the lounge, I will be dividing this review into three sections, including an exclusive look at the new Platinum Lounge.

Lounge Access Rules

The access requirement to the Garuda Indonesia Lounge is very straightforward. For one, access to the Garuda Indonesia lounge is limited to SkyTeam Business Class passengers and SkyTeam Elite Plus cardholders. By default, this includes passengers flying Garuda Indonesia Business Class, as well as GarudaMiles Platinum members.

Additionally, this is also the contract lounge for several non-Skyteam airlines, including All Nippon Airways, Japan Airlines, Philippine Airlines, and Qatar Airways, among others. Furthermore, Garuda Indonesia Economy Class passengers may also purchase access to this lounge for IDR 349,000 (~ USD 22, GBP 16).

Location

The Garuda Indonesia Lounge is located airside, on the Mezzanine Floor of Terminal 3. After the immigration checkpoint, take the rightmost escalator down one floor to the Mezzanine Floor. You’ll find yourself at the food court, where you’ll make a U-turn. Here, you’ll face the elusive Garuda Indonesia First Class Lounge. From the First Class Lounge, turn left into the corridor where you’ll see large Garuda Indonesia signage.

The Business Class Lounge is located down a long corridor with low ceilings. For one, the space looked like an afterthought more than anything, with some parts of the ceiling being too short for the average adult to walk under. When you reach the very end, you’ll find the lounge’s reception, alongside a strange-looking children’s play area.

Things get nicer when you reach the reception, where it is much brighter and feels more inviting. I’ll note that there is an escalator that goes down to the Departures Level in front of the reception. As such, you won’t need to backtrack through the dark corridor and through the food court.

Garuda Indonesia Lounge

At the reception, I was promptly greeted by the friendly lounge agents, to whom I presented my boarding pass and lounge invitation. After scanning my documents, I was granted access and invited inside. From here, the lounge is separated into three general sections – the Business Class Lounge, the Terrace, and the Platinum Lounge. I will be expanding on all three sections in this review and showing a brief peek of the First Class Lounge.

Business Class Lounge

The Business Class Lounge is composed of a long and narrow space divided into two main sections, one for dining and one for lounging. Owing to its location and designated function, this is also the primary area of the Garuda Indonesia Lounge, where most passengers will end up.

Dining area

Right past the reception, you’ll find yourself in the dining area, where the lounge’s main food display is located. Next to the buffet spread, there are also several dining tables overlooking the terminal’s interior, each seating two people. Running along the adjacent interior walls are also several pairs of leather armchairs – an overflow of seating from the lounge area.

I’ll note that there is also an odd display of duty-free items and First Class amenities across the buffet spread. Perhaps Garuda felt that it was better to display them rather than letting them collect dust on the ground. It truly is a pity to see Garuda Indonesia’s First Class aspirations continuing to fail to take off, featuring only in two or three routes nowadays.

Food selection

The Business Class section has a single buffet spread, featuring a modest selection of hot and cold dishes. While there is also a ‘live cooking’ station, it is often unmanned, having a number of already-plated dishes instead.

Behind that, you’ll find an island counter with a salad bar with cheese and cold cuts, as well as a choice of lukewarm soup and sweet porridge. During breakfast times, the soup is replaced with an Indonesian rice congee (bubur ayam), served with chicken broth and meat. Accompanying these dishes are an assortment of Indonesian crackers.

Behind that, you’ll find the selection of hot dishes and baked goods. The hot dishes on offer in the buffet vary throughout the day and change regularly. Occasionally, this may include a limited choice of one or two Indonesian dishes – a major oversight on the part of Garuda Indonesia, if you ask me!

As a regular visitor to the Garuda Indonesia Lounge, I appreciate seeing the airline putting in more effort with its food selection. In particular, I like that local delicacies like beef rendang or mie ayam (chicken noodles) make it into the menu rotation. Furthermore, the addition of cold cuts and cheeses really elevates the spread, complementing the fresh selections of the salad bar.

Despite that, many of the dishes on offer still come across as rather low quality, a sentiment exacerbated by the lukewarm temperature of the bain-marie. This is especially true for the selection of bread, which is often stale and disappointing.

Beverage selection

Parallel to the food selection is an adequate selection of drinks. In terms of cold drinks, this includes a choice of drinking yoghurt, Sprite, Fanta, infused water, apple juice, and guava juice. Furthermore, bottled water is readily available – something especially valuable for a red-eye flight. Finally and as always, a coffee machine and a selection of teas, is also available.

Bar

At the end of the dining spread is a manned bar, although I don’t believe cocktails can be requested. Available is a choice of room-temperature drinks, mostly from local Indonesian brewers. This included drinks like Black Jack whisky, Bae soju, Iceland vodka, Bintang beer, as well as a choice of red wine. Additionally, I found it interesting to see a frozen yoghurt machine here, which is certainly a welcome development.

Rather perplexingly, however, is the static display of chocolate sculptures across the bar. Based on the branding, it appears that Garuda Indonesia has some sort of partnership with a local company called RR Chocolate. Confusingly, though, none of their chocolates are on offer in the lounge, whether for free or for purchase. Regardless, the brand has recently opened a store near Gate 8, however.

Lounge area

Behind the dining area is the dedicated seating area, featuring a pleasant atmosphere blanketed in warm tones and contemporary furniture. Within this area, you’ll see several rows of leather armchairs arranged close to one another, viewing the interior of the terminal. While tightly spaced, a few power sockets are readily available, popped out of the floor.

Beyond this, you’ll see many rows of armchairs arranged close, facing each other. Despite the dense configuration, several decorative partitions divide the space into smaller, cosier sections.

Notably, there are console tables next to most of the seats, each equipped with a pair of power outlets. Unfortunately, however, most of these armchairs aren’t very comfortable, considering how they lack proper padding.

The seating arrangement remains consistent throughout, reaching to the far end of the lounge – close to the washrooms and the door to the First Class Lounge. Regardless of the uncomfortable seating, I appreciated the soft, warm-white lighting permeating the space, which is certainly easier on the eyes of the weary traveller.

Nursery

Next to the lounge area, there is a small children’s play area, as well as a nursery. The former is exposed to the rest of the lounge and features only one small play table with a couple of games and a television over padded mats. On the other hand, the nursery contains exactly

Quiet area

A few steps behind the nursery is where you’ll find a quiet area of sorts, featuring only two armchairs complemented by a pair of ottomans. The narrow enclosure is shielded by a partition wall, making it feel rather claustrophobic.

Considering its size, the space is a very modest offering compared to regional rival lounges like the SilverKris Lounge in Singapore, for example. Additionally, as the lighting is as bright as the rest of the lounge, I wouldn’t plan on catching any winks in here.

Smoking room

Located between the quiet area and the Business Class Lounge toilets is a small smoking room. Probably added as an afterthought, the smoking room is wedged under what looked like a staircase. A decorative poster is hung on one side, doing little to cover the soot-covered walls of this rundown-looking space.

Toilet and shower

Close to the far end of the lounge area are the gender-segregated washrooms, which were bright and regularly cleaned. In the men’s room, there are two urinals, alongside a single sink and toilet stall. The latter is equipped with a basic bidet, which is common in this region.

Compared to the size of the lounge, the washroom frankly felt quite small, almost comically so, even. While it rarely gets very crowded here, the larger washroom in the Terrace area has thankfully reopened.

On the other end of the washroom are the two showers available in the men’s section. While the doors to the showers are rarely locked, you’ll have to request towels and toiletries at the reception desk. Although I did not try the shower for myself, the space looked clean and inviting.

WiFi

Complimentary WiFi internet access is available to patrons of the Garuda Indonesia Lounge. Regardless, the lounge’s internet is consistently slow, taking ages even to load the login page. If you’re stuck without internet access in Jakarta, I’d recommend connecting to the airport WiFi instead, which is much faster by comparison.

First Class Lounge

At the far end of the Business Class Lounge is a door leading to the First Class Lounge, perhaps to facilitate movement for staff between the two lounges. Despite that, the door does not get much use, considering the frequency with which the First Class Lounge is closed. I did find the door open on one of my visits, however, allowing a peek at the elusive Garuda Indonesia First Class Lounge.

For one, it looked like a slightly more premium version of the Business Class Lounge, with the added benefit of à la carte dining. Say what you will, but I don’t think it looks mighty impressive.

The Terrace

In the opposite direction of the dining area is the lounge’s terrace area. While technically still a part of the Business Class section, its relatively hidden location makes it a lot less busy compared to the other areas of the lounge.

VIP room

Between the Terrace seating area and the Business Class Dining Area is a VIP room, featuring several sofa chairs and a television. This VIP seating room is consistently locked, out of reach for most patrons. It is unclear if this space is reserved for actual VIPs or if it is open to top Garuda Indonesia frequent flyers.

Indoor seating

Before reaching the terrace per se, there is a secondary ‘indoor’ seating area, acting as a supplementary sitting room to the rest of the lounge. The space consists of leather sofa chairs arranged in a dense manner typical of an airport lounge, identical to the section next to the dining area.

Terrace area

Beyond the indoor seating area, the lounge opens into the terminal, revealing a narrow terrace area with a handful of recliners and armchairs. While it isn’t inherently outdoors, this is the only section of the lounge exposed to the rest of the terminal. While it certainly feels very spacious, this area can be a bit noisier and not as cool compared to the rest of the lounge.

Toilets and showers

As I have mentioned previously, the terrace has a larger toilet and shower facility compared to the main lounge. The washroom features an identical layout and style to its counterpart, only in a bigger space.

Despite that, the same cannot be said about the two shower rooms in this facility. For one, they looked and felt a lot less premium compared to the one in the main lounge. Perhaps it is due to the sterile white lighting and its smaller size?

Platinum Lounge

Going past the terrace, we arrive at the Garuda Indonesia Lounge’s newest section – the Platinum Lounge. Opened in early 2025, the Platinum Lounge showcases the airline’s latest style in lounge design. As its name suggests, this section is dedicated to the airline’s top-tier Platinum frequent flyers, as well as SkyTeam Elite Plus members. Despite that, I can’t comment on its enforcement, as the Platinum Lounge does not have a reception area for qualification checks.

In the past, the area had been home to an unpopular secondary seating area for the Business Class Lounge – exposed to the rest of the terminal, much like the terrace. This section was closed off for a few years after the Covid-19 Pandemic lockdowns, presumably as a cost-saving measure.

Lounge area

Inside, the Platinum Lounge opens up into a well-lit sitting room, seamlessly incorporating relaxed seating areas and a section dedicated to dining. Littered with splashes of bright colours and an array of curvy furniture, the space feels fresh and youthful, certainly a different look from what most Garuda flyers have been used to

Despite the similar lighting design, the space feels like a world away from the traditional look of the Business Class section. Sofas and armchairs of all shapes and sizes are creatively scattered throughout the premises of the lounge.

This includes everything from your typical rows of armchairs to partitioned banquette seats with multipurpose built-in console tables.

Crucially, the majority of these seats have access to a power socket – certainly an invaluable necessity for most travellers of this day and age. This is either found on the seat adjacent console tables or within the in-floor sockets for standalone seats.

More seats can be found beyond the main section of the Platinum Lounge, featuring the same array of different seating styles.

For one, I like the freshness of the space and admire that Garuda Indonesia is investing in the future. Despite that, I can’t help but feel that the new style and colours feel a bit cheap and unnecessarily nouveau? Like a forced youthful look, if that makes sense? Perhaps the result of an unsolicited three-way collaboration between W Hotels, Easyjet, and Garuda Indonesia? Well, you tell me.

Smoking room

Opposite the entrance to the Platinum Lounge is another smoking room, featuring an L-shaped bench and a standing ashtray. Though enclosed, this smoking room feels a lot more inviting compared to that in the Business Class section, thanks to the window looking out to the rest of the lounge.

Dining

Next to the main lounge is a small dining section, complete with a dozen or so dining tables and seats. These tables and seats are located on either side of the buffet spread. While each table seats two people, they are arranged close enough to accommodate a group.

The buffet spread itself features a selection of cold and hot dishes, identical to the offering in the Business Class section. It is notably smaller, however, lacking a few hot options as well as the live cooking station. Let me acknowledge that the dishes shown in the pictures below differ from that in the Business Class section of the view as I visited this section at a later time of day.

As this section of the lounge is less regularly frequented, it only makes sense that a few of the displays are covered. Importantly, this is the case with the salad bar, elements of which are hidden under a set of lids.

The selection of drinks is also identical, featuring soft beverages like juices, infused water, bottled water, and a couple of sodas. There is also a coffee machine and a selection of tea in addition. Due to the lack of a manned bar, alcoholic drinks are not available in the Platinum Lounge, however.

Balcony seating

Scattered throughout the exterior-facing side of Platinum Lounge are a handful of ‘balconies’. Each balcony is equipped with a bench, complete with a power outlet. There is a backdrop of faux greenery, perhaps to add to the ‘outdoor’ feel. Unconfined by the lounge’s walls, the balconies boast excellent views of the adjacent gates in the terminal.

Despite the nice views, I do find these balconies to be a puzzling addition to the lounge. Considering the lack of tables, they are not preferable for working or dining. Furthermore, smoking is forbidden outside designated areas, limiting its appeal to this demographic, as well. Could someone tell me the rationale behind these spaces?

Work area

Behind the secondary seating area is a work section, featuring an array of partitioned desk seats and individual cubicles with a table and a desk chair. The latter in particular reminds me of the Productivity Pods in Singapore Airlines Lounges, although in a more basic-looking form.

Confusingly, however, these cubicles appear to be missing power outlets; this is a contrast to the desk seats, which are equipped with three each.

Meeting room

Finally, at the far end of the Platinum Lounge, you’ll find an enclosed meeting room. The room is equipped with two tables, each seating four. While it is a nice amenity regardless, the meeting room does look like an afterthought more than anything, considering its awkward setup and arrangement.

Overall

While the existing Business Class section has remained more or less the same, I appreciate that the airline has been investing more in its food and beverage offering. As it stands, the Garuda Indonesia Lounge is a solid, although unimpressive, lounge offering, especially compared to its regional rivals. With the advent of the new Platinum Lounge, however, the Garuda Indonesia Lounge has started inching closer to competing with the behemoth Saphire Plaza Premium Lounge a few gates down. It is a shame, however, that access to this new section is limited to top SkyTeam frequent flyers. Perhaps a renovation for the Business Class Lounge is due soon?

Read more reviews from our ongoing trip reports below:

• A Summer in Shanghai
• A TransPacific Clipper

As always, thank you for visiting Jakarta Potato.