Warning: Avoid Lion Air

[LindaBluedolphin]

Me thinks I am grounded.....probably no trips for me

 

[jcclink]

My own experience over the past 4 yrs which has had mininal logistics problems has been ----
Third world - things happen more slowly than we're used to
Morning flights when possible - best chance to be on time
I fly Garuda as much as possible - better on time record & baggage has always arrived
Lion/Wings has been adding new aircraft - generally good service
Merpati only when necessary
You WILL be overweight so get used to it (last month on Garuda 20kg total allowed)
Rp/kg seems to depend on what airport you fly from
Bali to Makassar/Manado - Garuda
Manado to Sorong - Wings
Bali to Ambon - Garuda to Makassar/Wings to Ambon
If going straight to Manado from US - Singapore Air to Singapore/Silk Air to Manado (extra baggage allowance from US checks thru to Manado)

 

[Travelnsj]

Looks like my trip next year, I will be on Merpati and Lion. Lion has a 7pm flight out of Bali to Makassar (which will be my no dive day) spend the nite, then take the Merpati AM flight on Sunday to Sorong. Coming back I have a choice to take the AM flight on Wings to Manado (who did not put my luggage on the plane after charging $50 in over weight fees) or the PM flight on Express Air....Probably will take the Wings flight to get to Lembeh a few hours earlier.

 

[Mike Veitch]

Lion Air has the cutest flight attendents

 

[chinacat46]

Lion Air has the cutest flight attendents

Gotta disagree with this. Singapore and Silk Air both put Lion Air to shame. Even Express Air had nicer flight attendents.

 

[Travelnsj]

Lion Air has the cutest flight attendents

Mike those "cute flight attendants" on Lion hand you a lunch and then come back around and want 50,000 rupiah!....But gotta agree with ChinaCat....Singapore and Silk is hard to beat....Malaysian Air is also pretty good....I like an isle seat on those 737's and Dash 80's...they bump into you all the time:cool2:

 

[Mike Veitch]

Mike those "cute flight attendants" on Lion hand you a lunch and then come back around and want 50,000 rupiah!....But gotta agree with ChinaCat....Singapore and Silk is hard to beat....Malaysian Air is also pretty good....I like an isle seat on those 737's and Dash 80's...they bump into you all the time:cool2:

50000 rupes but i ask for phone numbers

 

[LindaBluedolphin]

 

[Mike Veitch]

i meant the lunch box!

 

[highdesert]

So are you saying on Express Air if you are 6'2' and 225lbs....you may be a bit cramped?....Yikes!

Hi Scott and others ...

Just a note now since we've been back home from our Bali/Raja Ampat trip for two hours ...

ExpressAir has the tightest seat pitch of any airline I have ever been on in my life! I'm one of those 6'3" 225 lb types, and I pulled a middle seat for the flight from Sorong to Makassar. I could literally not fit my body squarely in the seat with my knees straight in front of me. My wife traded with me, and I ended up with my knees in the aisle. If the flight attendants used those carts that fill the whole aisle, I'd be in leg casts right now.

Loved the food ... a KFC box with one chicken wing and a lump of sticky rice ... but then if I had been on United, it probably would have been five peanuts for $6.00.

Oh yeah ... we departed 1.5 hr late, and when we got to Makassar, where we were to claim our bags and check in again with Garuda for the flight to Bali, seems our dive gear was STILL IN FRICKIN' SORONG !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Flight was overweight, and our bags got yanked. We had booked an extra day in Bali, in case we ourselves were delayed on our return to Bali ... but instead, we made it, and out gear didn't. Combination of our finding the ExpressAir rep in Makassar and Robin's calls to her and Garuda got our gear back to Bali a day later, the night before we left.

I shouldn't go on like the flight was all bad ... the good part was, ummm, well ... never mind. OK, have to unpack and sleep ... more later.