The "Best in Region: Asia and Australasia" award was presented to Executive Vice President (EVP) Services of Garuda Indonesia, Faik Fahmi, in the "Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX) Award Ceremony" held in Anaheim, California, USA, on Monday evening, local time, 9 September.
Garuda Indonesia outshone five other airlines who were also finalists in the "Best in Region: Asia and Australasia" category, namely Singapore Airlines, Qantas Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways, Air New Zealand, and Pakistan International Airlines.
The award is based on a survey on outstanding flight experience for airline passengers around the globe, in the period from mid 2012 till 30 June 2013. The survey was carried out online in the site http://www.passengerchoiceawards.com, and the results tabulated by global survey agency, the Nielsen Company.
The President and CEO of Garuda Indonesia, Emirsyah Satar, said that winning the "Best in Region: Asia and Australasia" award this year was the result of hard work and commitment from all of Garuda Indonesia's employees to deliver the best possible service to the customers.
"Thanks to strong commitment from the management and employees to deliver the best service, Garuda Indonesia's performance is increasingly being recognized globally. Consequently, it is clear to see the great strides we have made as an airline over the past year and we aim to continue to improve even further. This award serves as motivation for us to better serve our customers and to continuously improve our performance through the 'Quantum Leap 2011-2015'," he commented.
In addition to winning the "Best in Region: Asia and Australasia" category, Garuda Indonesia was also chosen as the Top 5 Best Overall Passenger Experience, together with Emirates, Etihad Airways, Virgin America, and Virgin Atlantic, as well as Top 5 Best Ground Experience with Delta Airlines, El Al Israel Airlines, Avianca, and Virgin America. Garuda Indonesia was also named the Top 5 Best Inflight Publication together with Avianca, Gulf Air, Ethiopian Airlines, and Taca International Airlines.
During Paris Air Show 2013, one of the biggest air shows in the world, Garuda Indonesia was named "The World's Best Economy Class" by Skytrax London, exceeded Singapore Airline and Asiana Airline. At the same event, Garuda Indonesia was also named as "The World's Best Economy Class Seats" and ranked eighth place in "The World's Top 10 Airlines" by Skytrax.
In line with its continuous service improvement, Garuda Indonesia launched the new "First Class" service, the premium service with an exquisite touch of unique Indonesian hospitality as part of the "Garuda Indonesia Experience", whilst simultaneously taking delivery of its newest member of fleet, the state-of-the-art Boeing 777-300ER, on July 2013.
"The addition of the Boeing 777-300ER in Garuda Indonesia's fleet marks two important milestones in the company's development. First, the delivery of the Boeing 777-300ER sets a new standard of quality and value in air travel, especially for direct, long-haul flights, as we continue to expand our destination network globally. Secondly, the inauguration of our 'First Class' service that will take our services to an entirely new level of exellence," said Emirsyah.
Moreover, the arrival of the Boeing 777-300ER is part of the airline's fleet expansion program to increase its capacity and broaden its international network, in line with the corporate transformation and expansion program, that is known as the "Quantum Leap 2011-2015" program.
The Boeing 777-300ER has been named "Best Aircraft" in its class for five consecutive years in the "Leading Edge Awards". The aircraft has a capacity of 314 passengers, with a seating configuration of 8 seats in First Class, 38 seats in Business Class, and 268 seats in Economy Class, and equipped with "In-flight Connectivity", including exConnect (WiFi internet connection) and exTV (live broadcast from six international channels, namely CNN International, BBC World, BBC Arabic, NHK World Premium, Euronews, and CNBC).
About PT Garuda Indonesia (Persero) Tbk.
Garuda Indonesia is the flag carrier of Indonesia and serves as a full service airline. Garuda Indonesia currently operates 82 aircrafts and serves 33 domestic and 18 international destinations in Asia (Regional Southeast Asia, Middle East, China, Japan and South Korea), Australia, and Europe (The Netherlands). As a result of its concern to safety, Garuda Indonesia received IOSA (IATA Operational Safety Audit) as proves that the airline has fulfilled global best practice in safety and security procedures.
Apart from the main business as full service airline, Garuda Indonesia Group also consists of Strategic Business Unit (SBU) and Subsidiaries. The SBUs are Garuda Cargo and Garuda Medical Center. The subsidiaries are PT Citilink Indonesia as Low Cost Carrier (LCC); PT Aerowisata (hotel, ground transportation, travel agent and catering); PT Abacus Distribution Systems Indonesia (global distribution system); PT Aero System Indonesia/Asyst (provider of IT services for the travel and transportation industry), and PT Garuda Maintenance Facility or known as GMF AeroAsia (aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul).
In February 2011, Garuda Indonesia has taken historic step to become a public company and listed in Indonesia Stock Exchange. For more information, please visit http://www.garuda-indonesia.com.
Contact:
Pujobroto
VP Corporate Communications
PT GARUDA INDONESIA (PERSERO) Tbk
pujobroto@garuda-indonesia.com
Editor: PR Wire
Copyright © ANTARA 2013
