Garuda Indonesia

Garuda Indonesia is the country's flag carrier and its full-service standard-bearer, flying from Jakarta and Denpasar across the archipelago and out to Asia, Australia and the Middle East. A SkyTeam member, it has held onto a traditional service culture, and its widebody cabins matter as much as its network: this is one of the few airlines in the region still flying a true First class.

The catch for seat pickers is that Garuda's fleet carries several generations of product at once. The same A330 or 777 route can be flown by an aircraft with fully flat one-two-one Business or by one with an older sleeper cabin that reclines steeply but not flat, so the published seat map for your specific flight is worth a look before you commit to a fare.

The published layouts cover the 737-800 narrowbody in two fits, the A330-200, A330-300 and A330-900neo widebodies, and the 777-300ER in both two-class and three-class versions.

The widebody Business products span three generations: fully flat Super Diamond seats in a one-two-one on the flagship A330-300, the similar Opal product on the A330-900neo, and older pod-style sleeper cabins in a two-two-two on the other A330 fits. The three-class 777-300ER adds a small cabin of First Suites at the nose ahead of a long flat-bed Business. Every 737-800 carries a real two-by-two Business recliner cabin, roomier than most narrowbody premium products.

At the top, the First Suites on the 777 are enclosed, sweeping in pitch and rare in the region. The modern Business cabins on the A330-300 and A330-900neo are fully flat with direct aisle access from every seat, while the older Minipod-style cabins on other widebodies recline deeply but stop short of horizontal, which is the key distinction to check before paying a long-haul Business fare.

Economy is one of Garuda's quieter strengths: the flagship A330-300 runs more legroom than most carriers offer in long-haul economy, and the A330 fleet keeps a couples-friendly two-four-two layout. The 777s keep the increasingly rare nine-abreast layout where most of the industry now fits ten across, so their economy seats run wider than the 777 norm, and the 737s fly a conventional three-by-three with a band of exit-row legroom over the wing.

Before anything else, check which Business generation your flight carries: a one-two-one layout on the map means a flat bed with aisle access, a two-two-two means the older sleeper product. Solo travellers do best at the windows in the one-two-one cabins; in the two-two-two fits an aisle seat saves you climbing past a neighbour.

In widebody economy, take the divider rows for legroom and a window or aisle to stay clear of the centre block, and note that the nine-abreast 777s are a quiet comfort win: wider seats than the ten-across most airlines fit, with the middle of each trio the only draw to dodge. On the 737s the over-wing exit rows carry the legroom, and the two-by-two Business up front is a real cabin worth weighing up on longer domestic sectors.