Pelita Air is an Indonesian state-owned carrier based out of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, operating a growing fleet of Airbus A320s. The airline was established in 1963, initially as a charter carrier for the nation’s oil and gas industry. The airline relaunched as a scheduled carrier in 2022, targeting the medium-service market. In the years after, the airline acquired ex-Alaska Airlines Airbus A320s, now used on the airline’s higher-yielding routes. Opting not to retrofit the existing cabins, Pelita Air subsequently launched a Business Class cabin product called Premium Class – making it the third airline in Indonesia to have such an offering.

Booking Pelita Air

Soon after returning from Guangzhou, I had to fly to Bali to attend a friend’s wedding. Stupidly, I had put off booking a flight until the last minute. As this trip coincided with a long weekend, most flights were booked out. This left me with little choice, most of which were bookable for outrageous sums. Meanwhile, I saw that Pelita Air is still selling its Premium Class seats for its usual price. Thinking that it would be a great opportunity to review the product, I pulled the trigger and booked my flight on their official website.

In the end, the one-way flight cost me IDR 3,187,000, equivalent to USD 188 or GBP 140. Considering how Batik Air regularly offers Business Class flights for 2/3 of that price, this certainly felt expensive for a routine sub-two-hour domestic flight. My sentiments were more so intensified considering the few reviews there are of this product. Is it more like Business Class or Premium Economy? Well, one way to find out.

Check-in

Pelita Air operates from the relatively new Terminal 3 at Soekarno–Hatta International Airport. I arrived two hours ahead of my 12.05 departure to Bali, which gave me ample time to check in and clear security despite the public holiday crowds. Like TransNusa, Pelita Air’s check-in counters are located near Gate 4 at the kerbside drop-off area, specifically on Island E.

The airline’s check-in counters are in close distance from the kerbside drop-off, located on Island E. Unsurprisingly for a public holiday, the general check-in queue was packed with passengers. This was to be expected, given that all Pelita Air flights are handled at these counters.

Thankfully, Premium Class passengers have access to a dedicated check-in lane. As expected, it was completely empty, and within minutes, I was assisted by a courteous agent. After tagging my luggage, she kindly informed me of my access to the Blue Sky Lounge and that boarding would commence 30 minutes prior to departure. Nice one.

Lounge

Pelita Air’s Premium Class passengers have access to the Blue Sky Premier Lounge, located between Gates 17 and 18. As far as domestic Indonesian airport lounges go, it was fairly decent. Seating was comfortable, and power outlets were readily available throughout. Coffee drinkers will also appreciate the availability of barista-made beverages. That said, the lounge was noticeably warm, and it felt way more crowded than the lounges operated by Batik Air or Garuda Indonesia, which detracted somewhat from the overall experience.

Boarding

Considering how stuffy the Blue Sky Premier Lounge was, I decided to head to the gate shortly after finishing my cappuccino. Like most Pelita Air departures, my flight was scheduled to board from one of the gates at the far end of the terminal. I arrived at Gate 19 around 30 minutes before the printed boarding time of 11:35, where I found our aircraft already being serviced. Operating the flight to Bali was PK-PWK, an Airbus A320-200 first delivered to Virgin America in May 2008.

After taking a few photos and briefly looking up the aircraft’s history, it wasn’t long before activity began to pick up around the gate area. At 11:25, the gate agents began making announcements, greeting passengers and outlining the boarding process. Meanwhile, passengers requiring special assistance were quietly boarded in the background.

General boarding commenced five minutes later, with passengers forming an orderly queue by the gate. Premium Class was invited to board first, and being near the front, I was among the first on board. At the door, the purser, Pratiwi, warmly greeted me and directed me to my seat. In the background, Pelita Air’s boarding music – an arrangement of Maliq & D’Essentials’ Senja Teduh Pelita – filled the cabin. The soft, upbeat tones created a relaxed, feel-good atmosphere that lingered long after boarding; even now, it’s something I can still recall vividly while writing this review.

Premium Class Cabin

The Premium Class cabin inherits much from its predecessor, retaining the 12 Recaro R5 seats installed after Alaska Airlines took over Virgin America. Arranged in a typical 2–2 configuration, the cabin feels more akin to something you’d find on a US carrier rather than an Asia-Pacific airline, largely due to its lack of bells and whistles. The absence of proper bulkheads separating the cabins certainly adds to this impression.

Each seat offers around 39 inches of pitch – comparable to Batik Air’s Airbus A320s, though slightly less generous than Garuda Indonesia’s Boeing 737-800s. Despite the relatively ample legroom, I was surprised by the absence of pillows and blankets. Combined with the seat’s fairly thin padding, this made for a product that falls short of the comfort levels typically expected of Business Class on Indonesia’s full-service carriers.

That said, legroom at my seat in the third row was more than adequate. At 180 cm (5’11”), I had just over 30 cm (approximately 11.8 inches) of space between my knees and the seat in front, which is quite respectable – and again, comparable to a domestic First Class seat. In fact, if not for the Indonesian signage, the nondescript black upholstery and minimalist bulkhead design could easily convince you that you were flying on a US carrier.

Seat details

On this flight, I was seated in 3F, the right-hand window seat in the third row. Despite being a regional recliner product, I was impressed by the amount of storage available. There were three seatback pockets, along with a long, shallow compartment beside the centre armrest. In addition, built-in bottle holders on the armrest were a thoughtful touch.

As you would expect on a US mainline carrier cabin, power options were well covered, with both a USB-A port and a universal power outlet available. Both worked without issue, though I do think the airline could do a better job when it comes to seat cleanliness. One notable omission, however, was a dedicated tablet holder on the seatback, meaning the tray table had to be used for entertainment.

The tray table itself folds out from the side armrest and, despite its design, felt sturdy enough for both meals and laptops. It also features a built-in tablet holder, which adds to its practicality – especially on longer flights. Paired with the available power outlets, the setup would be even better with the addition of inflight Wi-Fi!

A metal footrest is also mounted to the seat in front, adding a bit of extra comfort. Recline, however, is fairly limited compared to Business Class products on other Asia-Pacific carriers. The seat is manually adjusted using a metal button on the centre console. Lastly, I appreciated the presence of overhead air vents – something that’s always a welcome feature.

Economy Class

Behind Premium Class is the Economy Class cabin, which features 150 seats arranged in a standard six-abreast configuration. As with the seats up front, the Recaro R2 seats are virtually identical to those found on Alaska Airlines, save for the black upholstery. In any case, this was much nicer compared to the barebones cabins on most all-Economy configured Pelita aircraft.

Since I’ll be flying this product on the return segment, I’ll have a full review of it published here soon.

Departure from Jakarta

Soon after I settled into my seat, Lia, who had been stationed in the aisle, came over to introduce herself – a thoughtful touch. Unfortunately, there was no pre-departure service whatsoever, whether in the form of hot towels or welcome drinks. Coupled with the absence of pillows or blankets, Pelita Air’s Premium Class felt a little too similar to domestic First Class on a US carrier. At least the boarding music was pleasant, even reminding me of Barry White’s Love Theme.

As boarding continued, Captain Bayu came on the intercom to welcome us aboard and brief us on the flight to Bali, noting a flight time of 1 hour and 40 minutes with smooth conditions expected. Given the long weekend, the cabin was nearly full – Premium Class had just a single empty seat, while Economy Class was completely sold out.

The doors were closed 22 minutes after boarding commenced, after which the crew conducted a manual safety demonstration, accompanied by a clear automated narration. We then pushed back at 11:55, around 10 minutes ahead of schedule. As we taxied towards the runway, handheld tablets for the PASflix entertainment system were distributed – an exclusive perk for Premium Class passengers, and certainly more convenient than having to rely on a personal device (more on that later).

That said, instead of exploring the system, my attention (as usual) was fixed out the window, scanning for any interesting aircraft on the apron.

Fifteen minutes later, we reached Runway 07L and made an uneventful departure. Bali, here we come!

Refreshments

Six minutes after takeoff, the seatbelt signs were switched off, prompting the cabin crew to swiftly commence in-flight service. Like the two Indonesian full-service carriers, Pelita Air provides complimentary refreshments to passengers across all cabin classes. As such, it came as little surprise when, just eight minutes later, the crew made their way through the cabin to distribute warm meals.

However, unlike the Business Class service on Garuda Indonesia or Batik Air, there were no meal options available. Instead, each passenger was handed a cardboard meal box placed on a small tray, accompanied by a bottle of water, wooden cutlery, and a small piece of sweet bread. In this regard, the experience felt far more akin to Economy Class than a premium cabin. Unfortunately, the contents of the meal did little to redeem its underwhelming presentation.

The dish served was lontong kuning ayam taliwang – turmeric-infused rice cakes with Lombok-style fried chicken. While the description sounded promising, the execution fell way short. The lontong was overly mushy and lacking in flavour, while the chicken was chewy and similarly underseasoned. These were far from the firm bite one expects from well-prepared lontong and the spiced, savoury crispness typical of Indonesian fried chicken. After a few bites, I found myself picking at the meal before leaving most of it untouched.

The Mexican mocha bread on the side was at least edible, though that is hardly high praise. In fact, the highlight of the tray was, rather disappointingly, the small bottle of water. Overall, this meal underscores how much Pelita Air still has to improve when it comes to catering. This is particularly disappointing given that the airline consistently charges higher fares than Batik Air, yet delivers a noticeably less premium experience.

Entertainment

In an attempt to distract myself from the underwhelming refreshments, I finally took some time to explore the entertainment system. Premium Class passengers are given the ‘privilege’ of using touchscreen tablets, similar to the setup found on Hawaiian Airlines’ A330 First Class. However, no content is preloaded onto the devices, meaning passengers must still rely on the aircraft’s wireless streaming system, PASflix – a portmanteau of Pelita Air Service (PAS) and Netflix, I presume.

In total, the system offered just 17 films, spanning a mix of Western and Asian titles, alongside around a dozen Indonesian soap operas available through a mini-app for the Vidio streaming service. Beyond that, there was a rather random assortment of features, including a limited selection of Indonesian magazines, a few basic games, and something called ‘TikTok Extra.’ Needless to say, the overall selection felt lacking, even when compared to the already modest offerings from Batik Air and Garuda Indonesia.

To make things worse, the tablet’s case is too flimsy to attach to the seatback, meaning that you’ll need to place it on the tray table when in use. Furthermore, unlike either Garuda Indonesia or Batik Air, there was no inflight literature provided. Instead, the seat pocket contained only an airsickness bag, a safety card, and a brief guide to using the PASflix system. Oh well.

Lavatory

A few minutes before the start of descent, I headed to the lavatory to freshen up. Unsurprisingly, it was a standard Airbus A320 toilet, though at least it was clean and dry. There were no noteworthy amenities to speak of – aside from a nondescript, unbranded bottle of soap by the sink – but everything was perfectly serviceable.

Arrival in Bali

Approach

About 30 minutes before landing, Captain Bayu announced the start of our descent and the details of our arrival. Like clockwork, the flight attendants went through the cabin to collect our entertainment tablets and headphones, alongside any trash that may have accumulated during the flight. We were then kindly reminded to use the lavatories at this time before they are locked for landing.

Precisely 15 minutes before landing, the seatbelt signs were switched on, and the cabin was secured for the final approach. As we were on a straight-in approach to the island, Bali’s sunlit western coastline soon came into view, followed by the turquoise waters of the adjacent Jimbaran Bay. We touched down smoothly on Runway 09 at 14:42 local time.

Arrival

We came to a gradual stop, at which point Pratiwi welcomed us to Bali over the intercom. As we backtracked along the taxiway, the midday traffic at Ngurah Rai International Airport quickly caught my attention. This first included a parade of low-cost carriers parked at the far end of the International Terminal…

…as well as a mix of widebodies and regional aircraft lined up by the main terminal. Perhaps the most interesting of the bunch was a Garuda Indonesia Airbus A330-300 Pokémon Jet, which I hadn’t even realised existed – what a spot!

Eventually, we arrived at the Domestic Terminal, where we were parked next to an Airfast Boeing 737-8. If you were wondering, Airfast is a charter carrier that primarily operates flights for Indonesia’s oil and mining industries, making it a rare sight. Before long, a jet bridge was connected to our aircraft. As I made my way to the exit, I thanked the flight attendants, who would be operating the return flight to Jakarta in an hour.

Verdict

Honestly, Pelita Air is a very pleasant carrier to fly with. The airline’s operations feel professional and disciplined, making for a notably calmer journey than on some other carriers. That said, I found the Premium Class offering to be overpriced for what it delivers. Between the underwhelming food and beverage selection and the fairly mediocre amenities, the overall product felt closer to Premium Economy than a true premium cabin. Given that Batik Air’s Business Class is often available at a lower price point, I would be far more inclined to choose that instead – or simply fly Economy.

Read more about travel in Indonesia and Bali