TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

New terminal at Soekarno-Hatta generates confusion for passengers

Marguerite Afra Sapiie (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Wed, August 10, 2016

Share This Article

Change Size

New terminal at Soekarno-Hatta generates confusion for passengers Passengers wait for their flights at the newly developed Terminal 3 at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport recently. (The Jakarta Post/wienda parwitasari)

T

he newly built Terminal 3 at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport seemed a lot busier than other terminals after it officially started its operations on Tuesday.

The terminal’s ongoing construction confused passengers, especially those not yet familiar with the areas around the terminal.

Since the construction of most parts of Terminal 3 is still underway and the construction sites are covered by temporary walls, visitors need to take a longer time to learn about which routes they should take to get to arrival and departure gates, which are located on separate floors.

The three-story building has signs hung on the ceilings of every floor, but they are not big or clear enough to effectively deliver information to either flight passengers or visitors.

(Read also : Govt to make Terminal 3 major tourist gateway)

Visitors needed to ask for directions from airport officials. The officials were apparently ready to assist everyone visiting the terminal.

"The terminal is really big, it even took me quite a while to find the entrance I should go to upstairs," said Suhendar, a passenger who wanted to depart to Lombok on Tuesday.

The futuristic design of Terminal 3 Ultimate, which makes it similar to international airports abroad, also attracted Suhendar.

Unfortunately, he said directories inside the terminal were not informative enough for him or others visiting the terminal for the first time. The departure gate sign, for instance, was slightly hidden behind a temporary wall, he said.

Even though the terminal is spacious, with high ceilings and a grand design, it does not provide enough chairs to accommodate passengers waiting for their check-in or boarding schedules.

On Tuesday, some passengers were seen sitting down on wide green carpet behind the check-in area as they waited for their flights.

Since it is still in the development phase, Terminal 3 also does not yet have permanent commercial areas. At the check-in area, there were only about five small stalls for food and beverages, one compact convenience store and one small book shop, all within non-permanent walls.

"The shops will probably stand like this for about the next three months," Yesi Cartani, a shopkeeper at the convenience store, said.

The flow of passengers from around 300 domestic flights, which arrived at and departed from the terminal on Tuesday, was nonetheless relatively smooth. However, passengers waiting for buses or cars outside the terminal building continued to pile up along the roadside.

The absence of pick-up zones and a permanent road separator to manage the flow of vehicles led to a traffic jam due to an overload of cars and buses entering the terminal. (ebf)

{

Your Opinion Counts

Your thoughts matter - share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.