Garuda Indonesia Is Still Reviewing Plans To Increase Ticket Prices

Garuda Indonesia aircraft. (Irfan Meidianto / VOI)

JAKARTA - PT Garuda Indonesia (Persero) Tbk has a plan to raise ticket prices even though it is not too high because currently the passenger capacity of aircraft has been increased to 70 percent from the initial 50 percent.

President Director of PT Garuda Indonesia (Persero) Tbk, Irfaniaputra, said that the plan to increase ticket prices was motivated by the emergence of new habits when people chose to board planes during the mid-week of COVID-19.

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"Why am I talking about increasing ticket prices as an alternative? Because in my opinion, in the future, the priority list or the way people think on planes may change a little. Previously we were looking for cheap ones, maybe in the future there is a feeling of looking for safe airlines," he said, in a video conference with journalists, Tuesday, June 9.

However, according to Irfan, the ticket price increase will still be reviewed first. Because, this will have an impact on the interest of passengers to fly with Garuda Indonesia.

"Raising the ticket is a very unpopular act. But we also have to count, when we raise it, will you fly or not? That's what we analyze in the future. Maybe it becomes a new consideration (consideration) when someone wants to fly like what," he explained.

In the early days of COVID-19, said Irfan, people did not only think about safety in flights. However, the health sector is currently the main focus and ticket prices are criterion number nine, which means passengers do not question whether it is expensive or not.

"Okay, add IDR 150 thousand rapid test, the important thing is I'm safe. We want everyone to enjoy flying with Garuda," he said.

The former President Director of PT INTI (Persero) also explained regarding his statement which stated that if the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test requirements were implemented it would make people reluctant to fly because it was more expensive than airplane tickets. He emphasized that Garuda Indonesia is more concerned with passengers.

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- Garuda Indonesia (@IndonesiaGaruda) June 6, 2020

Irfan considered, currently it is important to create a sense of security and comfort so that the aviation industry and others improve. That way in the end the Indonesian economy will slowly improve even though it is still struggling to fight the COVID-19 outbreak.