Chris flies on Garuda’s newest plane: the Bombardier CRJ1000 NextGen.

Garuda Indonesia recently added a new model to its fleet of aircraft:

the Bombardier CRJ1000 NextGen

They are flying on Garuda’s new domestic routes: Surabaya to Lombok and Surabaya to Semarang (right), plus other shorter flights.

The author recently flew on this new plane; his review is below:

1. This plane is really quiet
   There was no clearly discernible increase in engine volume before take-off. With engines at the rear, it may have an advantage over other aircraft in this area… but engine noise was minimal even when standing at the rear of the plane.
2. This plane is smooth
   The only bumps and thumps came from the runway during take off and landing, not from turbulence or other factors. This was a late afternoon flight during the wet season – not usually the best time to fly for favourable weather conditions. As you can see below, it had rained earlier in the day.



3. This plane is comfortable
   It is appropriate that the plane looks like a supersized Lear Jet, because the cabin is surprisingly nice, even in economy class (right). Legroom is adequate, although perhaps in Business Class it may be below expectations. Boarding is not as comfortable; as the plane is too short for an airbridge, you still need to go downstairs from the departure gate to a bus, which will deliver you to the jet. At least there are not so many steps up from the tarmac to the door as larger aircraft.

In summary, the author was very impressed with the new Garuda Bombardier CRJ1000 NextGen. It appears to be a suitable addition to the Garuda Indonesia fleet, giving it an advantage for shorter flights over Garuda’s larger Boeing 737 aircraft, as well as its rivals.

To conclude, here is a comparison with its nearest competitor, the ATR72-500 operated by Wings Air:

Airline
Aircraft Model	Bombardier CRJ1000 NextGen	ATR 72-500
Made in	Canada	France and Italy
No. passengers	96	68
Baggage allowance	20 kg	15 kg
In-flight service	Snack (cake and roll), cup of water	Nil
In-flight entertainment	Nil	Nil
Engine type	Jet (faster)	Turoprop/propellor (slower)

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