Come Fly with Me!

(9/1/2007)

A survey conducted by the Indonesian Consumer Council Foundation (YLKI) of Jakarta and the Consumers Protection Bureau (LPK) in Bali reveals that 72.5% of the people who use Bali's Ngurah Rai International Airport are unsatisfied with the level of service provided by Island's sole airport.

In a public meeting on Thursday, August 30, 2007, to reveal the results of the survey and elicit comments on how to improve service at the Airport, the Chairman of LPK in Bali, I Putu Armaya, called on Ngurah Rai's management to improve both the facilities and services they provide to the public.

As reported in the Indonesian-language Bisnis Bali, of the 200 foreign and domestic respondents included in the survey only 27.5% said they were satisfied with the level of service provided at Bali's air gateway. Of the 72.5% who expressed dissatisfaction with the Airport's services, chief complaints centered on:

• Check-in procedures as relates to boarding procedures, excess baggage rules, schedules, confirmations and information access.

• Parking facilities

• Toilets

• Airport Service Charges

• Waiting rooms

• Flight delays

• Ticket inspections

• Baggage handling

• Transportation

• Baggage trolleys

• Immigration services

• Porter Service

Respondents suggested that the Airport’s management PT Angkasa Pura I improve the quality of manpower employed at Ngurah Rai to enhance skills, integrity and the credibility of those who earn their living at the facility.

Over Commercialized

A number of respondents complained of the over-commercialization of the airport and too many shops operating at Ngurah Rai.

The Airport's Management Responds

In responding to the criticism contained in the consumer survey, PT Angkasa Pura I's general manager in Bali, Suweta Putra said the input from the public must be greeted positively and used in plans to improve airports services and facilities.

He said plans were now underway that will enlarge passenger waiting room facilities and that he intends to soon invite members of the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI) and the Indonesian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (ASITA).