From strange shortcuts through baggage handling to a lounge without windows, this trip had it all! Find out why Lion Air is still an option for budget travellers and how we arrived in Bali safely, if not stress-free.
Review #44
| Departure planned (actual) | 25.08.2024 – 11:40 (12:16) |
| Arrival planned (actual) | 25.08.2024 – 13:55 (14:12) |
| Flight time planned (actual) | 1:15 (0:56) |
| Aircraft type (registration) | Boeing 737 – 900 (PK – LHI) |
| Delay | 36 minutes at start 17 minutes at arrival |
| Class | Economy |
| Seats | 21 D & 21 E (Emergency Exit row) |
Table of contents
Arrival
The usual way to get to Adi Soemarmo Airport in Surakarta – also known as Solo – is by car. Probably arriving from the hotel. We were coming from our sightseeing tour of the UNESCO World Heritage site of Borobudur and the Prambanan temple complex. For our flight from Solo to Denpasar, we didn’t want to make the long 90-minute drive from Yogyakarta in the morning before the flight as it felt just too inconvenient for us. So we arrived the night before and spent our last night in Java at Alila Solo.
Normally it takes about 20 minutes to get to Surakarta airport. However, we flew on a Sunday and on this particular day one of the main roads was closed due to a traffic-free day. As a result, virtually all motorised traffic had to use the side roads. And let me tell you – some of them are super narrow so that only one car can really fit through. So the journey was quite exciting for us and in the end, it took us three-quarters of an hour. Of course we were totally tense the whole time, hoping we wouldn’t miss our flight.
But in the end we made it and arrived on time. All thanks to Fabi always wanting to leave super early… 😉
Departure airport
The small provincial airport of Adi Soemarmo in Surakarta serves as a second, and equally distant, option for air travel to the temple complexes of Borobudur and Prambanan, alongside the official airport in Yogyakarta. Otherwise, it serves as a regional airport for north-central Java.
You will arrive at a drop zone where you can unload your luggage all relaxed. This is just opposite the main entrance and you will need to show your boarding pass or reservation to enter the departure hall.
Check-in
The check-in hall is located directly opposite the main entrance. Lion Air has three check-in desks. Unfortunately, we couldn’t check in using the app or online, so we did that in person at the counter like everyone else.
There were only two people queuing ahead of us, so it was our turn rather quick. Our bags were included in the flightfair and were checked without any problems. As we kindly asked if we could be allocated seats by the emergency exits, partly because of our height, our boarding passes were indeed issued for those seats. Super nice and, as you’ll see, very sensible! The check-in process was quick and straightforward.
Security check
At the end of the ticket hall on the right is where you find the passage to the security checkpoints. Unfortunately, you have to remove all electronic devices and liquids from your bags. However, everything went quite quickly and without any problems.
Lounge
After security check you take the escalator straight up one floor, where the paths separate and you will find the signs for the lounge straight ahead. You have to walk down a somewhat gloomy corridor with suspended, apparently empty shops to find the entrance at the very end of it.
Concordia Lounge is the only lounge here at the airport and is used by virtually all airlines and credit cards as a partner. We were flying economy class on Lion Air, but thanks to the Priority Pass that comes with the American Express Platinum credit card, we were welcomed in without any further charges and could each even have taken a guest with us if wanted. It is probably also possible to pay for access, but I have not been able to find any information about the prices. If you do, please let me know in the comments. Our Priority Passes and boarding passes were scanned at the entrance before entering the lounge.
Unfortunately, the lounge itself is rather unspectacular. There are no windows and the whole room makes you feel like you are in a basement – dark with low ceilings. There are seats, armchairs and tables available for relaxing but there wasn’t much going on that day – only 3 other people where at the lounge besides us.
The buffet was mainly hot food and was surprisingly large for a small lounge like this. But we stuck to lemonade and coffee as we jus had breakfast before leaving the hotel.
We were ready to go to the gate as we were told that we didn’t have to walk back the way we came from, but could take the lift straight down to the gates. No sooner said than done. We got into the lift. Unfortunately, everything was labelled in Indonesian and we just assumed that the bottom button would be the right one.
But no – the door opens and we are standing in the baggage sorting area in the basement. Oh my God! How ist that even possible? This is a blatant security breach! You can’t just be able to easily get in there as a guest… Crazy! So we immediately panicked that the lift back upstairs wouldn’t open back up for us after closing. So we went straight back in and went up to the mezzanine. Phew. OK. We were finally in the right floor but still ended up in the deserted part of the terminal! to our relief we arrived at the actual gate area after just a short walk.
Gate area
There was plenty of space for all passengers in the waiting area outside the gates, as well as some food outlets, souvenir shops and even a 7/11. Now that’s something!
Boarding
Boarding was a little late and all passengers were simply called at the same time. Groups were not separated. Families with young children or people with disabilities were not treated in any way special.
We were processed via a passenger boarding bridge, but at the end of this we had to go down a flight of stairs and walk a short distance across the apron to the aircraft. There was a mobile staircase that we had to climb back up to get to the aircraft doof. For guests with limited mobility, the boarding process here is definitely a challenge!
In our case, no one really needed help and the flight was far from full, so boarding went fairly quickly.
Welcome
On board, we were greeted rather dully by the two flight attendants and simply ushered through to our seats. As far as energy is concerned, this will continue on this flight with Lion Air as this flight really feels more like traveling by bus.
Start & Routing
We took off a little late, heading west, before making a big turn east and flying over Java to South Bali. After a short loop over the south-east coast of Java, we landed in Denpasar, just a little past our actually planned time of arrival.
Cabin & seat
Cabin
All of Lion Air‘s narrow-body aircraft are equipped with a 3-3 seat configuration, with Economy Class only. Just at the first row and the two emergency exits at the rear are there a total of 4 double seats.
The cabin wasn’t the most modern, and Lion Air unfortunately doesn’t take cleanliness very seriously.
Seats
There is more legroom in rows 20 and 21 because of the emergency exits above the wings. In all other rows, the distance between the seats is well below the European average. As a tall person, you really will have problems getting your long legs in here.
We sat in seats 21 D & 21 E after kindly being seated in the emergency exit row. The seat pitch is actually quite good here, quite contarty to the rest of the plane. Especially when you consider that not all flights only take an hour.
You can see the difference between the two seat pitches in the pictures below. So if you are tall, we recommend you ask at check-in if the emergency exit rows are still available.
Entertainment
As with most short-haul flights around the world, there is no additional entertainment – and Lion Air is no exception. You’ll have to provide your own entertainment. So bring something with you. The seat pocket in front of you only contains various prayers, safety cards and an air sickness bag. There are advertisements on the back of the tables.
Lion Air does not offer wifi or charging facilities on this aircraft.
Amenities
Lion Air really doesn’t offer anything here.
Food, drinks & snacks
Food, drinks and snacks are not provided by Lion Air on short-haul flights. Neither included in the fare nor available for purchase. There simply is nothing carried on board to consume. Please note in advance that water is not served or available for purchase. And please – never! Never ever! Use the water from the toilets for drinking!
Washrooms
Talking of toilets. As with most narrow-body aircraft, the washrooms are kept to a minimum. There is a toilet, a sink, paper towels, a container for sanitary bags and a bin. On this Lion Air flight there was not even soap available at the washroom I used.
Service on Lion Air
Like I said. There is simply nothing on offer. Nothing at all. No food. No in-flight sales. Only once, to prepare the cabin for landing, did the flight attendants walk through the cabin with a trolley to collect trash.
In general, the mood of the crew was one of annoyance and irritation. I don’t really know how to put it. Probably some kind of boredom – and to be honest, I can totally relate. But when we sat one row back to test the seat spacing, we were brusquely asked to return to our original seats immediately.
Route network
But take a look at the huge route network of the Lion Air Group. It’s really big and offers a lot of point-to-point connections. Batik Air, Thai Lion and Wings complete the group.
Lion Air itself has 15 A330-900 NEOs in addition to all the single isle planes in its fleet, some of which even offer a premium economy class. We really must try those sometime.
Arrival
About 20 minutes before landing, there was the usual announcement from the flight deck about the current situation, altitude, speed, local weather and a small thank you for choosing Lion Air.
Denpasar airport is really stretched to the limit and operating at the upper end of its capacity. After landing, we had to wait a good 10 minutes outside the gate until our flight was handled at our bus gate at the domestic terminal. Unfortunately, it took a while for us to disembark, as the stairs to the plane were apparently not brought up as quickly as we were ready to get off the plane.
We were then taken by bus to a central arrivals gate which took us 5 minutes.
Arrival airport
Ngurah Rai Airport in Denpasa, Bali is huge and you can fly in from all over the world. Nevertheless, construction is going on like crazy and the terminals are being expanded all the time. Thanks to the central arrival gate for domestic flights, we were already inside the gleaming airport without further ado. I mean, we’re not in Singapore’s Changi Airport, but you can definitely see where the money is. Everything is perfectly clean, signposted and organised.
In response to some creepy Instagram posts, we paid our tourist tax early and had our pre-filled document ready, hoping we wouldn’t have to queue for long. But interestingly, they didn’t even ask for it! Apparently you don’t have to pay the Bali arrival tax as a domestic passenger. I wouldn’t necessary say this with a straight face, but we didn’t see a single unmanned check point where we should have been checked. Anyway, we paid the fee for nothing.
The walk to the baggage carousel is actually quite long, but once we were there we were able to collect our bags rather quickly. Then it’s straight outside, without any further customs checks, where a sign welcomes you to Bali!
Departure and onward journey
At the arrivals area, Denpasar Airport has come up with a particularly clever system whereby you have to walk 300 metres down a winding corridor, past countless shops, caf̩s and restaurants, before you even get to the car park where you will be picked up. But honestly Рthat really simply is annoying. You just want to leave for your hotel and have to walk for ages to get to the pick-up point. Interestingly though, all the shops were quite busy.
As usual, we took a grab to our hotel and set off on a two-hour, roaring, traffic-clogged road adventure. And just so you know, when we got there, I, at least, was totally annoyed and in a really bad mood and had a grumpy head because of the monster exhaust that was roaring directly below us for the whole ride.
We were driven to the centre of the island to Alila Ubud by a young man in a souped-up car.
Costs
Booking this flight was really difficult because for some reason we were unable to book directly through the Lion Air website. So we made an exception to the rule of only booking directly through the airline itself and used Opodo, who issued the tickets including luggage straight away. So we were able to hop over to Bali for a good 65 euros per person.
Conclusion
Phew. I can only draw an oblique conclusion here. There were some really bad things about this flight. Many of them had nothing to do with the airline, but still had an effect on this flight. I mean, we were stuck in traffic chaos on the way to and from the airport. The lounge felt like a basement, then we were standing in the baggage sorting area, getting on and off the plane was across the apron, there was no service at all on board and the plane was really not well looked after.
Points
So we can only give this flight on Lion Air from Surakarta (SOC) to Bali, Denpasar (DPS) 3 out of 10 possible points.
At least we got to Bali safely, reasonably punctually and rather cheap.
Recommendation
Well. If you have no expectations and just want to fly cheaply, you can do that on Lion Air. But if you don’t expect anything more, then this is the airline for all travellers.
Lion Air is a real low-cost airline.
Airline Homepage
Our small Bali round trip
Next week we’ll be looking at our first of five hotels here in Bali, starting with the Alila Ubud. This will be followed by Alila Uluwatu, Hyatt Regency Bali, Andaz Bali and La Reserve 1785.
So stay tuned for more interesting reviews from the Island of the Gods!
YouTube Review
Be sure to check out Fabi’s YouTube review. You’ll find even more footage there, especially of our incident in the baggage sorting basement. Enjoy!
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I’m an Indonesian, Lion Air is known for its occasional delays for reasons I really don’t know. I’ve been flying with a couple of times before and had experienced delays prior to flight, but thankgod nothing serious happened to me so far. It’s perhaps the worst airline in Indonesia and I would always avoiding it. I’d rather fly with AirAsia or at least Citilink (the low-cost carrier of Garuda Indonesia) instead since they are more reliable.
Dear Editya,
thank you very much for your comment on our review!
Usually we try to fly on AirAsia but had to go on Lion Air this time due to a lack of choice on this route.
Wishing you safe travels around the world!
Fabi & Micha