Jakarta by plane
|
Departure taxes
As of March 2009, Soekarno-Hatta Airport charges departure taxes of Rp 150,000 (US$17) for international flights and Rp 40,000 (US$4.50) for domestic flights, payable in cash only. Foreign currencies may be accepted, but it's better to leave enough Rupiah to pay; forgetting this could be very awkward!
|
Soekarno Hatta International Airport (IATA: CGK; ICAO: WIII), at Tangerang, Banten. All international and nearly all domestic flights land here 20 km (12 mi) to the northwest of the city. The unintuitive airport code comes from Cengkareng, a district near the airport. During the rainy season the road to and from Cengkareng was prone to flooding but this problem has now been alleviated with the building of a raised, dual carriageway, toll road between the city and Cengkareng. If you don't have non-stop options between your origin city and Jakarta, try connecting via Singapore or Kuala Lumpur as there are more than a dozen flights a day between these cities and Jakarta.
The Soekarno Hatta airport has three terminals, further split up into sub-terminals, which are really just halls in the same building:
Terminal 1 (A-B-C). Used by domestic airlines except Air Asia, Mandala, Garuda.
Terminal 2. All international airlines (D-E) and domestic Garuda flights (F).
Terminal 3 (Low Cost Carrier Terminal). The newest and nicest of the bunch, Pier 1 serves Air Asia domestic flights and all Mandala flights.
A free but unreliable shuttle bus runs between the terminals; if you're in a hurry, it's a safer bet to take a taxi, although they may ask for a rather steep Rp 50,000 for the service (not entirely unjustified, as half of this goes to paying their parking fees), however it should really be a metered ride. If have time, though, it's not a problem to wait for next one - just ask the airport staff where it stops and how does it look (yellow color, normally). Also, be sure to know on which terminal do you need to disembark.
Visas on arrival (VOA) are available at the airport, see the main Indonesia article for the details of the rules. If possible, provide an exact payment of US$25 and ignore any requests for bribes or any additional fees. ATMs and currency exchange services are available in the baggage claim hall, and Terminal D has a left luggage service. The Visa on Arrival is payable in cash only and the nearest ATM is past the customs area, so if you don't have cash, you will need to be escorted to the ATM and back.
Be cautious of having any involvement or contact with the baggage porters, the greater majority of them are committed scamsters and they often attempt to obtain money by cheating and misleading passengers. They should be paid Rp 5,000 to carry bags but that is best avoided, seek out a trolley and deal with it yourself.
Exchange rates in the airport are not significantly worse than the centre of town and better than you will get from hotels. Bear in mind that you will need some cash and Jakarta is not a place where you can just stroll down to the nearest bank in town as it is pedestrian unfriendly. ATMs generally have limit of Rp 1-3 million per transaction; for the latter, try CIMB or bii-Maybank - in the international terminal, there are several of these on the second (departure) floor.
If you are taking a domestic flight from Soekarno Hatta, you can enjoy cheap airport lounges. There are several private lounges open to travellers on any airline that are in stiff competition with each other. For Rp 50,000, you can get a few hours in one of these lounges where you can relax on the comfy couches, eat and drink as much as you want and use the internet (either by wifi or through their computers).
To get to the city, the easiest option is to contact your hotel to pick you up in the airport, as many hotels in Jakarta provide free airport transfers. Getting a taxi is a little more complicated:
If you book from the counters right outside Customs, you'll get a nice car, jump to the head of the queue and pay around Rp 175,000 for a trip to the Golden Triangle. These counters can also sell you SIM cards and refills.
If you head past the counters, you'll get to the ordinary taxi ranks ? and encounter many touts and baggage carriers, these individuals should be ignored and will probably need waving off (just wave your hand and shake your head). Silver Bird is a very reliable operator with good drivers and plush Mercedes cabs, but pricier than the rest at around Rp 120,000 to the Golden Triangle. Blue Bird has smaller but still nice air-conditioned Toyota Vios cars, and would cost you around Rp 90,000. Other operators will charge you in the vicinity of Rp 70,000-90,000. All taxis use meters (argo), passengers are responsible for paying roadway tolls, prices are posted at the toll booths and a receipt is given. The airport has a docket system for payment of an airport surcharge in addition to the normal taxi metered charge. It is detailed on the docket and is determined by destination distance. You are asked for your destination when arriving at the taxi rank and the docket is issued accordingly when you are assigned a taxi. If you do not make it clear that you require a taxi you may not be assigned one. The Bluebird taxi staff are uniformed. If someone offers you a taxi and they are not wearing that uniform you are well advised to ignore them.
Xtrans, ☎+62 21 5296-2255, +62 21 5296-4477. Provides reliable airport shuttle service from Soekarno Hatta airport to major hotels in Sudirman and Thamrin Street in Jakarta and Bumi Xtrans in Cihampelas Street in Bandung. Cost: US$3.30/adult and US$2.20/child. Schedule: once every hour from 5AM-10PM. Xtrans booth are available at Terminal IA, IB, IC and IIE.
Jakarta Airport Transfer, Jl Jembatan Tiga Raya 5AH, Jakarta Utara, ☎ +62 21 9062 2754 (Jakarta) ( ). Door to door transportion to Jakarta city and neighbouring cities. Whole day car hire is available in Jakarta and Bandung with driver if required. Airport transfers provide options of stopovers at Puncak, Bogor, Cirebon with a choice of economy (7 seater) or jumbo vehicle (15 seater). Online reservation and instant confirmation. A daily Bandung Express is a more private though more expensive option for travellers to Bandung with pricing from Rp 300,000/passenger. �
If you have more time than money, frequent (15 min to 1 hr between buses, depending on route and time) DAMRI shuttle buses connect to Jakartan destinations Rawamangun, Pasar Minggu, Blok M and Gambir (Rp 20,000) as well as directly to the neighboring cities of Bekasi, Bogor and Depok (Rp 30,000). The bus service operates until midnight and is comfortable. You can get the tickets in the many counters after the airport exit. If arriving by an international flight, head to the left after going out of the building until you see DAMRI ticket booths and bus stops.
For overnight transits, there are a few hotels near the airport:
'Sheraton Bandara Hotel, Bandara Soekarno-Hatta (3 km from airport). ☎ +62 21 559 7777, . 5-star hotel with 205 Deluxe rooms and 15 Suite rooms. Rooms have Sheraton Sweet Sleeper beds and 32" LCD TVs. Complimentary shuttle airport pick-up and drop off and a private lounge at the airport. Check the special offers on the hotel's website to find special packages such as day use, special rewards and offer on related deals. From US$100.
The older Halim Perdanakusuma Airport (IATA: HLP, ICAO: WIHH), to the southeast of the city, is used by military, VIP flights, charter flights, helicopter leasing companies and private jets.
Susi Air, ☎ +62 811 211 3080, provides services to local destinations across Western Java from Halim Airport.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Jakarta
