Review: Saphire Plaza Premium Lounge Jakarta

The Saphire Plaza Premium Lounge is far from a standout, but it's the only contract lounge available in Jakarta T3 at the moment.

First things first. 

I have no idea how “Saphire” made it through the spellcheck, but that’s the official name of the Plaza Premium Lounge at Jakarta International Airport Terminal 3. A quick Google search confirms that “Saphire” is not a valid alternate spelling for “Sapphire”, but rather an integrated PRA software tool that gives a user the ability to create and analyse fault trees and event trees using a personal computer. Lovely.

Nonetheless, the Saphire Plaza Premium Lounge Jakarta is the only contract lounge currently available to passengers departing from Terminal 3, so you’d best lay your qualms about typos aside.

🍸 tl;dr: Saphire Plaza Premium Lounge
The Saphire (sic) Plaza Premium Lounge is far from a standout, but it’s the only contract lounge available in Jakarta T3 at the moment.
👍 The Good👎 The Bad
  • Plenty of seating
  • Productivity pods for working
  • Very slow Wi-Fi
  • Poor ventilation, with only scattered air vents
  • Limited choice of drinks and no alcohol available during my visit
🍸 A Day in The Private Room

Access and Operating Hours

The Saphire Plaza Premium Lounge is located in the departures area of Terminal 3, near Gate 5. Operating hours are:

  • Mon, Wed, Fri: 3 a.m to 1 a.m
  • Tues, Thu, Sat, Sun: 4 a.m to 1 a.m
Saphire Plaza Premium Lounge

Lounge access can be purchased at 550,000 IDR (~S$52) for 2 hours, or 850,000 IDR (~S$81) for 5 hours. That’s steep to say the least, and you’re much better off accessing the lounge through one of its many partners. 

Saphire Lounge access partners

Apologies for the potato quality photo, but the relevant ones for Singapore-based readers would be:

  • American Express Centurion and Platinum Charge
  • Dragon Pass
  • GrabRewards
  • Lounge Buddy
  • OCBC VOYAGE and Premier Visa Infinite

Do note that complimentary access is not available to Priority Pass and LoungeKey, following their breakup with the Plaza Premium Group in 2021. In fact, Priority Pass members do not currently have any lounge access in CGK Terminal 3, since the Saphire APS Blue Sky Lounge and Saphire Blue Sky Lounge are closed. 

The Saphire Plaza Premium Lounge is also the contract lounge for various airlines flying out of Terminal 3, including Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Etihad Airways, THAI, and Qantas. First, Business Class and eligible elite members will receive access. 

Lounge Overview

Lounge entrance

The Saphire Plaza Premium lounge has seating for 240 guests. On admission, the lounge dragon told me there were no in-lounge boarding calls for Scoot flights, but that doesn’t really matter. General boarding calls are made over the airport’s main PA system, which is so loud you’ll definitely hear it in the lounge as well.

One important thing to state upfront: this lounge is warm. Very warm. Terminal 3 enjoys abundant natural light thanks to the liberal use of full height glass panels, but this also creates a greenhouse effect. Ventilation is poor, and depending on the weather you may end up sweating in some areas after a while.

Entering the lounge and turning right takes you to the so-called “quiet zone”, which features armchair-style seating, a few  recliners with ottomans facing the tarmac, and productivity pods configured in a hexagonal shape. 

Saphire Plaza Premium Lounge seating
Saphire Plaza Premium Lounge seating
Saphire Plaza Premium Lounge productivity pods

Turning left takes you to the lounge proper. Seating here is a mix of armchair, bar tables and additional productivity pods. 

Saphire Plaza Premium Lounge seating
Saphire Plaza Premium Lounge seating
Saphire Plaza Premium Lounge productivity pods
Saphire Plaza Premium Lounge seating

The lounge enjoys good views of the tarmac, as well as the U-shaped terminal building. 

View from lounge
View from lounge

The bar marks the centre of the lounge, though there’s not a lot of bar seating on offer- just a few high chairs on the opposite end.

Bar area

Around the bar were a couple of communal work tables, each with their own power outlet and USB ports.

Saphire Plaza Premium Lounge seating

Further on was the buffet area, with a few two-top dining tables.

Buffet area

At the rear of the lounge was a spillover seating area, with armchairs and some uncomfortable-looking circular bench seating, which I think you’d only take as a last resort.

Saphire Plaza Premium Lounge seating
Saphire Plaza Premium Lounge seating

Power & Productivity

The Wi-Fi network in the Saphire Plaza Premium Lounge is abysmally slow, barely registering 1-2 Mbps up and down. I’ve had Wi-Fi sessions 35,000 ft in the air that were faster than this. 

Power outlets and USB Type-A ports can be found throughout the lounge, but the outlets only accept Type A, Type C and Type I plugs (Australia, Europe, US/Japan). 

Power outlets

However, if you manage to snag a productivity pod, you’ll find a universal power outlet that can take Singapore style Type G plugs too.

Power outlet in productivity pod

Food & Beverage

Buffet area

The self-serve buffet was arranged around a small rectangular table. Items were replenished regularly and looked fresh, though there were a lot of flies hovering around the fruits.

Fried items
Fruits
Cakes and muffins

The hot food options were mostly Indonesian, with fried noodles, a choice of stir-fried vegetables, and curry chicken. A couple of Western options were available, but both were carbs- a spaghetti smothered in cheese, and some potatoes.

Fried noodles and spaghetti
Stir-fried vegetables
Potatoes
Curry chicken

Surprisingly, the drinks selection was extremely limited. First of all, there’s no alcohol, not even canned beer (previous reports mention wine and beer were available- just my bad luck?). All drinks had to be requested at the bar, and if you didn’t take coffee or tea, you basically had Coke and Sprite to choose from (plus bottled water, thankfully).

Drinks selection

Showers

Shower rooms

At the rear of the lounge are three shower rooms. Unfortunately, these were out of service during my visit, so I couldn’t take a look inside.

However, photos from other reports look serviceable, if unspectacular. Each shower room has an attached toilet, plus a hand shower and bathroom amenities by “Magenta Springs”. 

Conclusion

Saphire Plaza Premium Lounge

The Saphire Plaza Premium Lounge is a decent place to wait for a flight, with varied seating types, plentiful power outlets and a serviceable buffet. The real disappointment is the lack of alcohol, plus the slow Wi-Fi. The lounge’s poor ventilation (despite it being open air) is another major issue, and a few portable A/C units would have really helped. 

But in any case, it’s not like you have a choice. This is the only lounge available to non-Garuda passengers at the moment, and it sure beats sitting in the terminal. 

Aaron Wong
Aaron Wong
Aaron founded The Milelion to help people travel better for less and impress chiobu. He was 50% successful.

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KFEG member

Just wondering, so if I am KFEG flying back on SQ economy, will I get access to this lounge with my status?

Andi

Yes, you would have access to the lounge. For SQ pax who have lounge access entitlement, you can choose to get the lounge access or dining voucher which can be redeemed at some cafes in the airside. KFEG would get IDR150k per pax and business class pax would get IDR200k per pax.

I prefer to get the voucher because the food quality in the cafes is better and I do not have to walk to Gate 5 which is quite far if your plane is at gate 8.

KFEG member

Thanks! For the voucher, do you get it from the check-in counter?

David Fu

Yes. You have to request from the check-in counter staff who will then black out the “You are invited to the Plaza Premium Lounge” printed on your boarding pass and issue you the F&B voucher.

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