Indonesia’s national airline, Garuda Indonesia, has introduced a paid seat selection option for passengers, effective Saturday, 26th of October. This allows them to choose seats with additional legroom after issuing their ticket.
Garuda Indonesia’s President Director, Irfan Setiaputra, explained that the newly launched programme is part of an initiative to provide passengers with more flexible options for choosing their preferred seats early in the booking process.
“The ‘seat selection’ programme is set to begin on the 26th of October 2024, and we are working closely with stakeholders to ensure compliance with operational and safety regulations,” Setiaputra stated in an official press release on Saturday.
With this initiative, Setiaputra continued, the airline’s service users—especially Eco Promo and Eco Affordable ticket holders—will be able to select their preferred seats, including those with extra legroom in the first-row area and in emergency exit rows. Eco Promo ticket holders will also have the option to select standard seats for an additional fee, starting from Rp85,000, while extra legroom seats start from Rp199,000.
“In response to the growing diversity in flight experience preferences, we are committed to offering added value to our services, giving passengers the flexibility to choose their preferred seats well ahead of the check-in process,” explained Setiaputra.
The new seat selection policy includes the following provisions:
1. Seats with extra legroom, including row 21 and emergency exit seats, will incur additional charges for bookings made both online and offline.
2. Standard seats will also be subject to additional charges when selected both online and offline.
3. Passengers can choose either an extra legroom seat or a standard seat according to their preference, with the relevant fee applied at the time of booking.
4. For seat row 21, selection is available only for seats on the left and right sides of B777 and A330 aircraft.
5. For emergency exit seats, selection is available only for seats in the middle section on B777 and A330 aircraft.