A new full-service airline, from Lion Air.

Today (3 May 2013), a new full-service airline will take to Indonesia’s skies:

Lion Air is reaching out to passengers who perhaps like a little more comfort than Lion’s current economy class offering, but baulk at the much higher cost of Lion’s business class service.

Is it worth paying a little extra to fly Batik Air? Here is a comparison of each airline’s economy and business classes:

	Economy Class	Economy Class	Business Class	Business Class
Food
Legroom (inches)	29	32	38	45
Baggage Allowance	20 kg	20 kg	30 kg	30 kg
Airline Lounge	No	No	Yes	Yes
Sample Fare	Rp1 110 000 ($US120)	Rp1 280 000 ($US140)	Rp3 090 000 ($US355)	Rp4 415 000 ($US475)

Batik Air also offers the following services in both economy/business classes:

• personal TV screens with in-flight entertainment
• leather seats
• in-flight wi-fi and mobile phone signal (subject to regulatory approval)

It is unconfirmed how Batik Air’s stewardesses (right) will stack up against the competition.

Initially, Batik Air will fly between Jakarta and the following cities: Ambon, Balikpapan, Manado, Pekanbaru. More domestic routes will be opened shortly, and perhaps some international routes too; these are still to be be confirmed, but are rumoured to include Kupang to Darwin and Denpasar to Adelaide.

Whatever their business plan, it is hoped that Batik Air performs better than the last full-service domestic airline to commence operations in Indonesia – Pacific Royale – which remains grounded indefinitely.

Would you like to try Batik Air? Please fill in an enquiry form.