I’m going back to Raja Ampat in January and will be using the same flights, Singapore Airlines (SQ) for international flights & Garuda Indonesia Airlines (GA) for domestic flights. The SQ route is from Houston to Singapore with a stop in Manchester. From Singapore you take another SQ flight to Jakarta. From Jakarta you take a nonstop GA flight to Sorong.
The 75 minute layover in Manchester (UK) is no problem because you will be on the same flight. The plane would just refueling, releasing passengers who are not going to Singapore and adding new passengers who are going to Singapore. You will be disembarking the plane with your carryon, going through UK TSA and embarking the same plane and sitting back on the same seat. Your check-in luggage would still be in the same plane with you. You get a chance to stretch your legs and walk around during that 75 minute layover, do some window shopping in Manchester Airport after 8-hour sitting / sleeping in the plane.
The next 95 minute layover in Singapore is no worries also. SQ baggage handling department is very efficient. I have been flying with them since 1980’s with no loss / delay of check-in luggage, compared to EVA air, where my luggage got stuck in Taipei twice last year even with 3-hour layover in Taipei. In addition to that, SQ fly Singapore-Jakarta route every 2-3 hours. If your luggage doesn’t make it on your connecting flight, it’ll be there on the next flight, 2-3 hour later, compared to EVA that fly to Jakarta only once a day. I had to stay one more day in Jakarta to wait for my luggage that got stuck in Taipei last year.
I’ll have more than 12 hour layover in Jakarta before flying to Sorong. I’ll be arriving in Jakarta at 10:15 and my GA flight is at 00:10 (midnight) the next day. During that time, I’ll check into Anara Hotel on level 2 of Terminal 3, upstair from Jakarta international arrival, have a good sleep (after 27.5 hour travel half around the world) and a nice dinner afterwards in some nice restaurant in Terminal 3. Then around 22:00, check out of Anara hotel and take elevator to level 3 to check into Garuda flight to Sorong.
Some advantages of flying with Garuda:
1. Their gates are in Terminal 3, the same terminal as all of the international airlines. Other domestic airlines gates are in Terminal 2 that requires you to take taxi or bus. You can take SkyTrain for free, but it stop operation at 22:00.
2. Garuda offer a nonstop flight to Sorong, no layover & changing plane in Makassar that could potentially lose / delay your luggage due to short layover.
3. Midnight flight is usually on time.
4. Arriving in Sorong at 6:15 (4:15 Jakarta time), which is a good time for the dive operator crew to pick you up at the airport.
5.
https://www.garuda-indonesia.com/other-countries/en/index is US credit card friendly. I can buy my flight ticket with my United Explorer.
scubaboard.com
