Taxis in Soekarno-Hatta Airport, Jakarta

I just came back from my trips to Jambi & West Sumatra and arrived at Soekarno-Hatta Airport last Friday night.

As soon as I found my luggage, I went out and try to find taxi. Once you've found yourself outside the luggage room, then you will meet a bunch of people offering their taxi for you. I don't get it, as far as I know there are taxi's posts for passengers to order the taxi they want (and I already on a queue to get may taxi). What I found was a man was following me everywhere I go just to offer his taxi to me. I already said no but he still following me and keep asking and talking to me. It's really-really annoying.

Fortunately, the man walk out and leave me. But I couldn't feel calm since another man came approaching me and -again- offering his taxi to me. "What's wrong with you, guys...? I already on a queue and you still bothering me...?"

In my opinion, for sure, this condition should be fixed. The airport should clear their area from this kind of people. Passengers will not like the situation, specially new people arrived in Jakarta. My advices if you want to use taxi from the Soekarno-Hatta Airport are:
1. Choose your favorite taxi (Blue Bird, Gamya, Express etc).
2. Talk to the taxi's representative (not the driver) and tell your destination, that officer will note your destination and put you on a queue.
3. Wait for your taxi.

Other option: you can use airport bus to several area in Jakarta, Bogor, Bekasi and Tangerang. Or call your friends in town and tell them to pick you up at the airport.

Read more »

Posted in: Airports in Indonesia,Banten,Jakarta

International visitors on January to March increased 15.68%

Number of international visitors to Indonesia through all gates in March 2008 amounted to 502.041 visitors or increased 13.30 %, if it is compared to the same period of the year 2007 amounted to 443.099 visitors.

International visitor who came through certain gates increased such as Soekarno-Hatta, 123,981 visitors or equal to 26.90%, Ngurah Rai, 159,886 visitors or equal to 28%, Sam Ratulangi 1,686 visitors or equal to 6.04%, Batam, 92,174 visitors or equal to 1.93%, Juanda, 11,485 visitors or equal to 0,05%, Minangkabau, 3,313 visitors or equal to 53.52%, Mataram, 1,435 visitor or equal to 47.63%, Adi Sumarmo, 2,130 visitors or equal to 54.57%, Sepinggan 951 visitors or equal to 16.83%, Tanjung Pinang, 10,415 or equal to 4.38%, and at other gates, 76,517 visitors or equal to 5.93%.

On January to March 2008, international visitors who came through all gates to Indonesia increased cumulatively amounted to 1,405,456 visitors or equal to 15.68% compared to the same period in 2007 amounted to 1,214,986 visitors.

Source: Ministry of Culture & Tourism

Read more »

Posted in: Airports in Indonesia,Visit Indonesia Year 2008 the program

Access to Soekarno-Hatta Airport back to normal

It's been a hard weather here in Jakarta for the past week, specially in last Friday. I tried to inform the condition but unfortunately I can't be on line for 24 hours per day. Flood in several areas in Jakarta including the freeway to the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, fog at the airport which closed the airport for about 3.5 hours that day and several flights were transfered to Halim Perdanakusuma Airport are the main issues last week.

In my opinion, the access to the international airport in Jakarta (actually it's located in Tangerang, Banten) is very-very poor. There is only one poor highway and limited main roads in Tangerang that can accommodate the traffic. There are no trains, no LRT/MRT and no fly-overs from/to airport to/from Jakarta City, there are no LRT/MRT. There are buses but they still use the one and only highway.

Indeed it's a bad campaign for Visit Indonesia Year program. Latest news from Jakarta Post said that access to the airport back to normal. That's a good news since I have to go to the airport next Monday.

Traffic on the toll road between Jakarta and Soekarno-Hatta International Airport returned to normal early Monday morning, according to toll operator PT Jasa Marga.

"We opened access to all kinds of vehicles at 5 a.m. this morning. At noon, we started charging the toll again," Jasa Marga corporate secretary Okke Marlina told The Jakarta Post on Monday afternoon.

The Sedyatmo tollway, the main access route from the capital to the airport, had been closed since Friday due to floods, especially along kilometer 26 in Kamal, North Jakarta.

Airport traffic police chief Comr. Sutimin told the Post as of Monday morning part of the road was still flooded with about 15 centimeters of water but that this was not enough to disrupt traffic.

Separately, airport administrator Herry Bhakti also confirmed that it was business as usual at the airport starting Monday morning.

"Everything is back to normal. There are a few delays but nothing is unusual," he said, adding that the problems over the weekend were not caused by the airport's design.

"If several parts of the road and runways were flooded, it was merely caused by the power of nature," he said.

Separately, Okke said Jasa Marga would start adding new lanes from kilometer 24 to 27 of Sedyatmo toll road next month.

"We expect the construction to start in March this year. It is scheduled to finish in a year and it is estimated to cost Rp 260 billion (US$ 26 million)," Okke said.

She said there would be one new elevated lane going in each direction. The lane head from the city to the airport would raised 1.5 meters over the existing mangrove forest.

"I want to clarify, we won't take out the mangrove forest. We will just build columns on it," Okke said.

"The construction won't disturb the traffic in the existing lanes," she said.

Okke said while waiting for the new lanes to be completed, Jasa Marga would coordinate with the city's public works agency to improve drainage along the toll road.

"What happened on Friday was the water in Tanjungan creek in Kamal was intercepted by the sea water in the north. Therefore, the water from the city came back south, flooding the toll road," she said.

In November, a high tide cut off the airport toll road. The operator now has 14 pumps to deal with flooding, but during Friday's flood, the water came from both the north and south and was too much for the pumps to handle.

The closure of the airport toll road and the delays of more than 200 flights between Friday and Sunday cost airport operator PT Angkasa Pura II Rp 5.3 billion.

PT Angkasa Pura president director Eddie Hayoto said the airport operator lost landing and take-off fees from the airlines.

Source: Official Website of Ministry of Culture and Tourism

Read more »

Posted in: Airports in Indonesia,Banten,Jakarta

Jambi City, Jambi

My first trip to Jambi City, using Lion Air. After arrived at Sultan Thaha small airport then I went to Novotel Hotel, Jl Gatot Subroto #44. Yes, I stayed at that hotel but for you, sure you will have other option: you can stay at Abadi Suite, across Novotel Hotel. Abadi Suite is a relatively new hotel, opened for public since mid 2007. All facilities are still brand new, but fitness facilities are not ready yet. Well, the choice is yours.

Sultan Thaha Airport, as I mentioned before, is a small airport with only 8 flights in a day (no flight at night). And for sure, Garuda Airways doesn't have flight to Jambi City. You can flight with garuda Airways to Palembang or to Padang then use land transportation to Jambi City.

Once I asked the Novotel guy, I asked him what kind of tourism attractions that Jambi City has. Actually there is no tourism attraction inside Jambi City, all tourism spots are outside the city: Jambi Museum (km 12 Kotabaru), Candi Muaro Jambi (Kabupaten Muaro Jambi), Danau Gunung Tujuh (lake of Seven Mountain, Kerinci Seblat National Park area), Kerinci Volcano and Kerinci Seblat National Park.

But for shrimp lovers, find the best shrimp in town at Sari Wangi Restaurant, near Sultan Thaha Airport, Jambi. You'll love it.

Related link: http://www.muarojambi.go.id

Read more »

Posted in: Airports in Indonesia,Jambi,National Park

Jakarta deserves a better airport...!

I don't know about you, but for me Soekarno Hatta Airport is really not comfortable.

I have experiences using International and also Domestic Gates, both are sucks. I mean the rooms are so dusky with minimum lights. Then please take a visit to the rest rooms, what's your opinion about them...?

See the people working for the airport itself...? Looks like they're not so friendly, ya...? How about the "taxi competition" atmosphere once you walking out through the exit door...? Arrgghhh, really annoying.

Access to the airport...? Well, thanks God my home is close to the Tangerang Gate therefore I still can avoid the flood :p.

Join the Jakarta Deserves a Better Airport Group in Facebook.

Read more »

Posted in: Airports in Indonesia,Banten,Jakarta