(Jakarta: 21 May 2010) Indonesia’s national carrier, Garuda Indonesia, was named the ‘World’s Most Improved Airline’ at the Skytrax 2010 World Airline Awards in Hamburg, Germany. The Skytrax World Airline Awards is the airline industry’s most comprehensive and prestigious measure of service quality and is based on survey results from nearly 18 million international passengers. The survey measures passenger satisfaction with some 35 different aspects of product and service delivery, involving more than 200 airlines worldwide.

The Skytrax award recognises the success of Garuda Indonesia’s ongoing transformation programme, and its progress towards becoming one of Asia’s most successful and profitable airlines. Recent landmarks include the introduction of a new aircraft fleet, new in-flight product, new on-board service concept and a fresh corporate identity. Garuda Indonesia was recently awarded the Skytrax 4-star rating and aims to achieve the coveted 5-star standard.

“This prestigious award endorses our efforts to transform the airline and to deliver the highest standards of service to our passengers on the ground and in the air. Garuda’s financial turnaround over the last three years has played an integral part and was very much the foundation for its improvements in service, training and overall quality”, said Emirsyah Satar, President and CEO, Garuda Indonesia. He added: “With the re-launch of long-haul flights to Europe on 1st June, we are truly entering a new era of success for Garuda Indonesia”.

As part of its ‘Quantum Leap’ transformation programme, Garuda Indonesia has invested heavily in developing a service concept known as the ‘Garuda Indonesia Experience’. This combines warm Indonesian hospitality with elements of the country’s rich and diverse cultural heritage, reflected in the on-board decor, staff uniforms, food and beverages. Its new aircraft fleet features seatback video-on-demand systems throughout Executive and Economy classes, while the long-haul Airbus A330-200s are equipped with lie-flat beds in Executive Class.

About Garuda Indonesia

Garuda Indonesia is the national airline of Indonesia. It is a full-service network carrier and serves 28 domestic and 18 international destinations. The airline’s main hubs in Indonesia are located in Jakarta and Denpasar. In July 2009, the airline unveiled a new aircraft fleet, new in-flight product, new service concept and a fresh corporate identity to mark the start of its transformation into one of Asia’s most successful and profitable airlines.

Garuda Indonesia received its IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) certification in May 2008, recognising that the airline is fully compliant with global best-practice standards for flight operations, aircraft maintenance and safety management systems. In December 2009, the airline was also upgraded to a four-star rating by Skytrax, the global benchmark for airline service standards, confirming the improvement in its front-line product and service quality.

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