Review: Batik Air B737-800 Business Class Solo – Jakarta

• August 26, 2023
• Batik Air ID7367
• Solo (SOC) – Jakarta (CGK)
• Departure: 1448(SOC)
• Arrival: 1545(CGK)
• Duration: 1:27
• Aircraft: Boeing B737-8NG
• Registration: PK-LDH
• Seat: 1A (Business Class)

It has been some time since I posted a review of my flight review as I was constantly on the move with my review backlogged. Now, I am able to share my experiences and reviews on flights I took for the past few months.

I have been recently on an intense trip within Asia, especially in Indonesia to visit Bali and Jakarta back to back to retain my hotel tiers. Last week, thanks to flights being sold out from Bali to Jakarta, I was able to try out Batik Air Indonesia’s Business Class from Solo (SOC) to Jakarta (CGK).

About Batik Air

Batik Air is an Indonesian airline founded in 2012 as the full-service carrier of the Lion Air Group. Although Lion Air Group mainly focuses on low-cost airlines, it launched a full-service subsidiary to compete with Indonesia’s flag carrier Garuda Indonesia.

The airline has 70 aircraft in its fleet including two widebody A330-300s. What surprises me is that both the narrowbody and widebody fleets feature two classes of service – business class and economy class.

Batik Air SOC – CGK Check-In

I made a separate booking for this route as I was originally departing from Bali to Solo with Lion Air. Although both airlines fall under the same Lion Group, the check-in counter in Bali wasn’t able to print out the onward ticket so I did an online check-in where it issued me a mobile boarding pass.

Up until I was at Bali’s domestic airport, I did not know the flight to Solo was going to be delayed for nearly four hours. Thankfully, there were some passengers on board Bali to Solo who booked a connecting flight in one ticket so Batik Air was waiting for our flight to land in the airport.

Batik Air B737-800 Business Class Cabin

The majority of Batik Air’s narrowbody is equipped with 12 Business Class seats in 2-2 configuration. In total, the B737-800 features 162 seats (150 in Economy Class).

The Business Class cabin bears khaki-colored seats with Boeing Sky Interior installed. Unlike some older series, the Sky Interior definitely feels modern and new.

The Boeing Sky Interior also offers larger overhead bins. With the exception of the number one storage bin, the remaining bins can fit enough carry-on items for the whole Business Class passengers.

Batik Air B737-800 Business Class Seats

Going over the seats, the Business Class seats are similar to standard recliner seats available at most narrowbody markets. Each seat features a 45in (96.5cm) pitch and 21in (53.3cm) width. It also comes with a comfortable recline with an extendable legrest.

Each seat has wide spacing but on the first row, you will have extra space due to the position of the bulkhead and there are no obstructions such as the IFE box and the metal frame unlike the next two seats behind.

Due to the location of the IFE monitor, the space between the seats is wide which is comfortable when traveling alone but if you are traveling as a couple, there is no partition for privacy.

All Business Class seats come with a small pillow with a Batik air branding. These pillows or more of a cushion were too soft I needed two to lean by the window to catch a short nap.

The seats also come with charging ports and individual touchscreen IFE monitors. However, the IFE was not working on my flight instead the aircraft offered Wi-Fi connectivity for entertainment.

The IFE monitor is enclosed under the large center armrest where you can lift up it up by opening the armrest and pressing the ‘push’ button. The monitor itself comes with a USB-A socket to charge your device but I would recommend you to use the universal power socket located in between the seat.

When I asked one of the cabin crew members, she told me that the entertainment system from the monitor is provided on longer flights.

In terms of seat reclining, it was not too bad as you can lean back and stretch your legs, thanks to the extended legrest.

Opposite the armrest where the monitor is stowed, you can find manual seat controls and a tray table stowed underneath as well. The seat controls are pretty outdated and require some pressure to recline the seat.

A large tray table can be removed under the armrest. The table completely covers the whole width of the seat and is good when you have multiple devices to work on.

Under each center armrest, you can pull out a saucer to place your drinks if you do not want to share the center space. But unless the airline gives out different types of drinks, I think the saucer is not that useful.

And of course, there are two power outlets in the center which are very useful on flights. Also, you can connect your USB-A chargers at the same time for smaller devices.

On the overhead panel, there is no difference between Business and Economy cabins – three reading lights and three air conditioning vents respectively.

Batik Air B737-800 Business Class Inflight Entertainment

As I mentioned earlier, the physical monitor did not work on my flight though I assume it was due to the short flight. However, there is an onboard Wi-Fi available that offers “Batik Entertainment.: The catch is that you need to download an app called “Tripper” prior to the flight or else you won’t be able to view the contents.

I tried to download it midflight to check out the contents however, it gave me the page where it mentioned to download the app before the flight or else I wouldn’t be able to access the Batik Entertainment.

Batik Air B737-800 Business Class Dining

On my 90-minute flight from Solo to Jakarta, a simple snack was served on a proper tray and glassware. I received a cheese bun and a sponge cake with bottled water. It’s not as grand as what Garuda Indonesia offers however, I can see the effort from the airline to the passengers.

Batik Air B737-800 Business Class Lavatory

The lavatory for Business Class passengers is located in the forward section just behind the cockpit. The lavatory was equipped with liquid hand soap and was kept clean, unlike some airlines…

Batik Air Business Class Arrival Experience

Upon arrival, the aircraft taxied to the remote stand where I first thought I had to use a shuttle bus to the terminal along with the Economy Class passengers. But surprisingly, there was a dedicated van for Business Class passengers waiting for us.

This was a whole new experience as I first thought there would be no premium arrival assistance from Batik Air. It was pretty impressive for Lion Air Group to put an effort into the airline.

Summary

This was the first time I flew on Business Class with Batik Air on a domestic route between Solo and Jakarta. I have long been using Garuda Indonesia due to its superb inflight experience in premium cabins when traveling within Indonesia.

However, I found the competitor now in terms of pricing and quality. The seats were comfortable with great inflight service offered throughout the flight and the crew members were really kind too.

The only improvement Batik Air needs to make is to keep up with the on-time performance.