Buying air tickets for domestic Indonesia travel

[nwflyboy]

We're headed to Misool in Raja Ampat this fall (and very much looking forward to it). We have our long transpac flights booked (from home on the US west coast to/from Jakarta - used FF miles so that's good). I'm now trying to finalize a few domestic flights within Indonesia after our major diving is done.

On our way out, we're planning to fly from Sorong to Jogjakarta, where we'll spend a day or two relaxing (and visiting Borobudur), before heading on to Jakarta for our outbound flight back home.

I'm looking at flights from Sorong (SOQ) to Jogjakarta (JOG). Looks like our only two options are Merpati and Lion Air.

Merpati looks less expensive (about US$187), with one stop (4 hours in Makassar), but departs later and gets us in to JOG later (arrive 7:10 pm).

Lion Air looks more expensive (about US$250), with at least two stops (50 min connection in Ambon, which seems tight given Indonesian flights notorious lateness, and a 90 min connection in Surabaya), but leaves earlier and gets us to JOG earlier (1:30 pm). Given that short connection in Ambon (less than 1 hour), it seems risky to pay extra to try and arrive at our destination earlier. So I think Merpati seems safer (even though I know they have their flight delays, too - at least we only have to make one connection and have 4 hours to do it, which seems safe enough).

Does anyone know of another airline that we could fly between Sorong and Jogjakarta?

Also, what's the best way to but a ticket on Merpati? Their web site seems functional (more than I can say for some other domestic Indonesian carriers), but I see this note on their booking page:

Payment must be made using Visa or Mastercard credit cards issued by Indonesian banks I have credit cards but they're not issued by Indonesian banks. Is this requirement really enforced?

Does anyone here have any experience booking flights on Merpati? How do you suggest doing that?

Thanks!

 

[Ze_Abron]

You can buy once you are there, or through a travel agent.

Lion Air is all new aircraft (Boeing 737-900ER). They are about to be added back to the EU 'fly' list. Garuda is your best bet. I haven't dared fly anything other than those two.

Try and do a trip to Manado if you can, the diving in Bunaken is astonishing.

 

[nwflyboy]

Thanks, we did Bunaken last time, and it was great - I'm familiar with Lion Air (we flew Lion Air from Denpasar - Makkasar - Manado; flights we an hour or so late each leg, but otherwise were fine - 737s were brand new, flight attendants were cute, food was weird, boarding chaotic - no serious complaints).

I really do not want to wait until arrival to get tickets, since we do not have extra days to spare in case we're shut out of a flight. I know it's often no problem to buy at or near the last minute, but we risk our transpac return tickets (long-haul flights are award travel tickets, so if we miss that flight, we would have to buy full fare on the spot to get home - serious bucks, not an acceptable option for us). So I need to get the tickets for the domestic legs purchased before we depart.

No other option than going through a travel agent?

 

[jake11]

You will not be able to buy the tickets on your own until you get there. There are many people in the states that have agents they use to purchase your tickets for you. If you can get ahold of Andy from Maluku Divers resort, he is a whiz at the domestic air tickets and could probably help you out. Uwe Guenther from the Tambora dive boat can help you as well. I am not sure if they only book for their clients but it couldn't hurt to ask. You can also email susanp@worldofdiving.com and she has contacts that can help you get your tickets. I flew Lion Air in May and they did not charge me any excess baggage fees and they were on time. They did not give out any food or water and I was starving. I wondered why all of the people waiting for the plane had Dunkin Donuts with them!!! Maybe this was because they were night flights???? You live and you learn! Have fun!!!!

 

[Valwood1]

I recommend (1) using an Indonesian travel agent or the local dive op, (2) paying with, perhaps, Paypal, and (3) allowing a fair amount of flexibility (and this refers to DAYS, not only HOURS). The intra-country airlines seem to change schedules fairly regularly, often without much notice; since there may not be more than one flight per day to-and-from a particular destination, it's a bit dicey to cut schedules too close. AND, sometimes you make a flight but your bags do not; that happened to me in 2007 with Merpati (Bima-to-Denpasar, and the bag didn't arrive until the next day after my flight to the US had left) and about 10 days ago with Riau/Transnusa (Alor-to-Kupang, though the bag did show up two days later, and was thoroughly rifled with some items stolen).

 

[Reefwalker]

If you need a good reliable travel agent for air ticketing in Bali try "Arta" at KCB Tours.
his e-mail is: arta@kcbtours.com
We use them for flights to Australia and some odd domestic flights. They are a long established business and trustworthy. There prices are sharp. Lots of expats living in Bali use them for flight arrangements, both Domestic & International.

 

[Reefwalker]

If you need a good reliable travel agent for air ticketing in Bali try "Arta" at KCB Tours.
his e-mail is: arta@kcbtours.com
We use them for flights to Australia and some odd domestic flights. They are a long established business and trustworthy. There prices are sharp. Lots of expats living in Bali use them for flight arrangements, both Domestic & International.

 

[sharkbait98]

Hi. I am going to be flying from DPS to Ambon and I was looking at flying Lion Air. Can I not purchase off of this site : https://secure2.lionair.co.id/lionairibe/

Thanks in advance.

 

[NotYetBent]

I would avoid Merpati. I do not like that airline (seems like there more delays / cancellations with them).

 

[sharkbait98]

I tried to book my flight via Lions website and it won't accept my credit card. So I emailed Maluku Dive resort and they told me that I cannot book direct with Lion Air because they will only accept Indonesian credit cards. They said they would book my flight for me but there is a pretty nice mark up on it AND I am going to have to pay for yet another bank transfer so I am trying to avoid booking it that way. Any suggestions anybody????