INTRODUCTION
Ever since Citilink announced their new Dining Experiences program, I was eager to try it out.
This service includes fantastic meal options, coffee and tea, extra miles for Garuda Indonesia, free seat assignment, priority boarding, airport assistance on departure and arrival, and two flight insurance policies.
The Citilink Dining Experiences program varies between domestic and international flights. On domestic flights, passengers can choose from up to 10 hot meal options, five desserts, and one salad.
On international flights, the main meal options expand to include up to 14 selections featuring Indonesian, Asian, and Western cuisine.
Here’s a look at some of the offerings.
Unfortunately, Citilink has since discontinued this product.
GROUND EXPERIENCE
If you’re flying Citilink, I highly recommend trying this upgrade product. My experience began the morning of my departure when I was contacted via email to meet my airport concierge, who would guide me through the airport to my gate.
We met outside the terminal, and she escorted me through airport security and to my gate.
My only gripe was that we met early, and with her assistance, I breezed through security, arriving at the gate about 90 minutes before departure.
The Dining Experiences program offers priority boarding, so when it was time to board, I was collected by a ground staff member and taken to the aircraft.
INFLIGHT
As soon as I sat down, the purser introduced herself and welcomed me onboard. Fifteen minutes after takeoff, I was presented with the meal I had chosen online, and the purser went to the trouble of explaining all the dishes to me.
Here’s the Beef Rendang with Egg Balado and Kapau, as well as the chicken salad.
Meals are served on proper china with real cutlery, and there are also some packaged chocolates. The beef rendang was delicious; I couldn’t believe how tasty the meal was, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The salad was crisp, fresh, and tangy. I finished my meal about 20 minutes later, and the crew took my tray away. I also pre-ordered a standard meal to see the difference between the meals.
My Mie Goreng Jawa cost only USD $3.60 and included a bottle of water and mango pudding, offering incredible value.
While I was quite full from the previous meal, I sampled this dish, and it was a winner. The noodle and chicken dish topped with a sunny side up egg was delicious, and the mango pudding wasn’t too sweet either.
In addition to the Dining Experiences and Pre-Order meals you can select before your flight, there is also a wide range of meal choices available for purchase inflight.
ARRIVAL
Once we landed in Bali, a ground team member met me and whisked me away by private bus to the terminal, escorting me through to arrivals.
For a budget airline experience, this was probably one of the best on-ground and inflight experiences I’ve had so far.
The inflight service was excellent, and the staff made a significant effort to cater to their Dining Experiences passengers.
It was a pleasure to fly with Citilink, and if I’m ever in Indonesia again, I would gladly take advantage of this service once more.