Soon after JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton bombings on July, Garuda Indonesia president and CEO, Emirsyah Satar, started to monitor the cancellation of bookings for flights to Indonesia. Up to now, less than 5 percent of the bookings have been canceled, equating to about half the level of cancellations recorded after the first 2005 JW Marriott bombing, thus easing the concerns. However, Garuda does not take bombings lightly, given their impact on passenger numbers. After the 2002 Bali bombings, the carrier’s revenue dropped by a sizable 30 percent, reflecting how important the Bali route is to the carrier. This explains why Bali’s Ngurah Rai airport is Garuda’s second hub. Continue reading »