Garuda and SkyTeam: how your frequent flyer status stacks up

With Garuda Indonesia now in the ranks of the SkyTeam alliance, the Garuda Frequent Flyer (GFF) scheme now offers reciprocal privileges with the loyalty schemes of the 19 other airlines through SkyTeam’s Elite and Elite Plus status ranks.

That includes the six currently flying in Australian skies – China Airlines, China Eastern, China Southern, Delta, Korean Air and Vietnam Airlines.

Here’s how the status tiers stack up. 

GFF Platinum = SkyTeam Elite Plus

The top spot on SkyTeam’s status ladder affords the prized perks of lounge access, priority check-in and baggage handling, additional checked luggage (an extra 20kg or one extra bag, depending on if baggage is assessed by weight or a per-piece count), preferred seating and priority boarding.

In addition to the lounges of partner airlines, your GFF Platinum card will see you and a guest waved into any of the new SkyTeam-operated lounges at London, Istanbul and soon Sydney, with Beijing and Dubai to follow.

GFF Gold = SkyTeam Elite

Life as a SkyTeam Elite isn’t all that bad: you still get to skip the queues with priority check-in and boarding, although there’s no lounge access.

You’ll be able to pack an extra 10kg or one extra bag over the normal allowance, however your bags will have to hang out with non-status luggage rather than being tagged for fast delivery from the plane to the carousel.

(For a full list of SkyTeam Elite and Elite Plus perks, click through to SkyTeam Benefits.)

If you're a GFF Silver, there are no SkyTeam perks for you.

David Flynn travelled to Bali for the Garuda-SkyTeam media event as a guest of Garuda Indonesia

Follow Australian Business Traveller on Twitter: we're @AusBT

David Flynn

David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis.