I suppose it is usual in Indonesia that one never expects a response. Having said that, I certainly will not discount that there are many professional local companies that are catching up.

Coming back to my comments, I remember vividly on my flight to Jambi last month, I had ants and cockroaches over my seat and the cabin was certainly not in a pleasant state. The smell was horrendous and the seats were falling off. I had only imagined that it was only one bad flight. After my assignment, I decided to take the same airline back to Jakarta.

To my amazement, I had the same pests with a different crew and certainly with a different carrier registration number. I am certain that it was not the same aircraft as I do remember the registration number of aircraft.

Upon returning to Jakarta, I logged on to the website to lodge my complaint and sent a written letter to the airline. As expected, I did not get a response.

This is not an isolated incident but has happened to me with other Indonesian airlines. So what is new with the report, Bleak view of air safety? I am surprised that it is only now being discovered.

“Facts that we collected in the field confirm what the public has long believed, that safety in the air transportation industry is at its lowest point. We have weak regulations, outdated technology and poorly trained human resources, Oetarjo (director general of air transportation) said.” (The Jakarta Post, March 13)

This “fact” is certainly obvious to all travelers, be they local or foreign. It starts from the basics: the physical security of airports is compromised, aviation systems are non-functioning and entire flight safety standards are not in place.

Indonesia is indeed a beautiful country, with much to see, yet many people are now beginning to have doubts on her safety.