From Manila to Tagbilaran on Asia's First: Philippine Airlines

Date: December 22, 2012
Route: Manila (MNL) to Tagbilaran (TAG)

Distance: 384 miles

Flight: PR173
Aircraft Type: A320-200

Flight time: 1 hour and 10 minutes

Scheduled departure time: 9:35am

For the past few years, I've been spending Christmas with my family in Bohol, one of the country's major tourist destinations which also happens to be my mother's home province. Every year, we look forward to seeing my mom's parents and her sisters with their respective families and get together to celebrate this important holiday. Well, this year isn't any different.

Whenever we'd fly to Bohol, it would usually be a toss-up between Philippine Airlines and its rival, Cebu Pacific. This year, however we decided to fly on Philippine Airlines, as it turned out to be somewhat cheaper than its low-cost rival (strange, I know). As always, we booked our flights and selected our seats months in advance to avoid any inconveniences.

Anyway, we arrived at Terminal 2 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport for our 9:35 am flight around 7 o'clock in the morning. Getting inside the terminal was not a problem at all, since there were much fewer flights now unlike in Terminal 3. Since October this year, Philippine Airlines had transferred most of its domestic operations to its subsidiary AirPhil Express, and decided to focus more on international flights as well as their major domestic routes, which include Bacolod, Cebu, Davao, General Santos, Iloilo, Laoag, Kalibo, and Tagbilaran. Since then, the domestic side of Terminal 2 has become much quieter, and long queues to get inside the terminal are now rare.

Passengers queuing to check-in to the two flights to Tagbilaran and the flight to Bacolod.

Tarp reminding passengers about the changes to PAL's operations

There was a rather long queue at the check-in counter since the queues are no longer specific to one flight, but rather to around 3 flights. Thus, the passengers who were at the same "snake" line as we were were either passengers on our flight, or the other flight to Tagbilaran (which leaves about an hour after our flight), and another flight to Bacolod City. Despite this, however, we were able to finish checking in in less than half an hour.

At the check-in hall

Previously, passengers were supposed to pay for the terminal fee right after checking-in. Recently, however, airport officials decided that the terminal fee would now be integrated into the plane ticket, so that we could avoid any further queues and to make things a bit easier for the travelers. Thus, right after checking-in, we proceeded to clear the final security check before we could finally settle in and wait for our boarding call at the gate.

Terminal 2 has become much quieter since the changes were made to PAL's operations

Terminal 2, which is exclusively used by Philippine Airlines, is actually one of the nicer terminals at the NAIA complex. It is bright and airy, and the domestic side of the terminal also has a good view of the main runway which is a big plus for airplane enthusiasts such as myself. It also has a pretty good WiFi connectivity which allows passengers to check their e-mails or social networking accounts before their flight. It also gives them something to do as there isn't really much to do inside the terminal. The problem with this terminal, though, is the lack of food kiosks which are plentiful in the newer Terminal 3. I wish they could do something about this, although I don't think there is really enough space in Terminal 2 for that. Oh well.

My boarding pass

The boarding announcement was made at around 9 o'clock, and the passengers were asked to board by specific groups as indicated on the boarding pass. The Mabuhay (Business) Class passengers as well as those seated towards the rear of the aircraft would usually be asked to board first.

Getting ready to board

I was expecting that our plane would be one of PAL's A319-100s which were delivered in 2006 or 2007 and had newer seats, since I checked the PAL website the night before our flight. I was disappointed to see, however, that our plane was actually one of PAL's older A320-200 planes which were delivered during the 90s and had older seats. The plane did look worn out and the seats definitely needed some updating--they were of a purplish shade which surely looked like they'd seen better days. The entire cabin, however, was kept neat and spotless, which still somehow makes a difference.

Inside the cabin. The seats were of the older kind and definitely needed updating.

We were welcomed on board by two flight attendants who greeted the passengers as they walked past. At the Mabuhay Class Cabin, there was one male flight attendant who served the passengers welcome drinks. Throughout the Fiesta (Economy) Class cabin, there were other flight attendants who were ready to assist the passengers.

Parked beside us was one of PAL's newer A320s which had a special "70 Asia's First, Shining Through" sticker on it

Boarding was completed rather quickly, though we had to wait for quite a while as cargo was still being loaded onto the plane. Eventually, the plane did push back, and the new safety video began to play. Just to give you an idea, here's PAL's new safety video which was launched only a few years ago:

The new PAL safety video was conceptualized to be more entertaining so as to get the passengers' attention. This was probably PAL's answer to rival Cebu Pacific's dancing flight attendants which earned recognition worldwide, and became viral on YouTube in 2010 with over 10,000,000 as of this posting.

Legroom on the plane was really good, I must say. 

Eventually, we were airborne, and cruising at an altitude of 33,000 feet. Flying time to Tagbilaran would take approximately an hour and 10 minutes. Shortly after take-off, the flight attendants began serving snacks, which consisted of peanuts and a small cream-filled cake bar and a choice between water, tea, or coffee. Though it was enough for the short flight, I do miss the "snack packs" which PAL used to serve on their domestic flights. These "snack packs" contained a wide assortment of cookies, crackers, and sweets. I guess PAL had to cut costs.

Snacks served on the short flight

I originally wanted coffee to go with my snack, but the flight attendant said she would have to return to go back to the galley for a refill. I figured this would take a while since she had to prioritize serving the snacks to the other passengers first, so I decided to have a cup of water instead.

The view outside, from my window seat

They were actually showing short programs on the drop-down LCD screens found throughout the aircraft, but it was actually pretty useless watching them since there were no headsets provided. Unless, of course, they were showing an episode of Just for Laughs (a gag show), then the headsets wouldn't really be needed. However, on this flight, they showed an episode of a travel program as well as another show (I don't remember which one), so headsets would surely have been needed. Many passengers instead decided to entertain themselves by reading newspapers (which were distributed by the flight attendants during boarding) or by tinkering with their iPads and whatnot.

Soon enough, we were already starting our descent towards Tagbilaran. The flight attendants began collecting trash and started making preparations for landing. The approach towards Tagbilaran offered pretty good views of Panglao Island as well as the world-famous Chocolate Hills.

The Chocolate Hills, one of Bohol's major tourist attractions

Just before 11am, our plane landed at Tagbilaran's tiny airport. Despite Bohol being a major tourist destination, the island province actually lacks an airport that would be able to easily accommodate all the arriving and departing visitors as well as the several flights that take-off and land from the airport. The airport can actually only handle 2-3 planes at a time and isn't capable of accommodating night flights. Thus, the airport usually closes after the last flight departs between 4:30-5pm and opens again when the first flight from Manila arrives around 6:30am the next day. For years now, there have been talks about the construction of a bigger airport at Panglao Island (to be called the Panglao Island International Airport) but so far there have been to concrete plans, especially after President Aquino took over. Maybe this new airport should be made a priority.

Tagbilaran's tiny domestic airport

One last look at our plane

Claiming our luggage did take a while. Due to the lack of sufficient equipment, unloading the luggage from the aircraft and bringing them to the arrival area was a slow process. You can't blame the airline for this, though. After 30 minutes of waiting, we finally did get to claim all our luggage and off we were to our 5-day Christmas trip to Bohol.

Conclusion

There isn't anything to complain about on this flight, actually, except for the fact that we were on an older plane that had outdated seats (but were still actually quite comfy). Everything--from check-in to arrival--was a breeze. The new PAL management under the San Miguel Corporation has certainly done a great job of trying to "bring back" the glory days of the airline, when it was known as one of the best in Asia. They surely still have a lot to work on, though, since PAL is actually still much behind compared to the other leading carriers in the region such as Singapore Airlines. The PAL acronym, which to many people actually used to mean "Plane Always Late", doesn't seem to be that relevant anymore, as our flight to and from Tagbilaran did depart on time. I just hope it's an uphill climb from here (pun intended)--otherwise, how would PAL be able to live up to its "Asia's First, Shining Through" slogan?

Overall score: 15/20

Asia's First, Shining Through--from Manila to Macau on Philippine Airlines

(Note: While I have already blogged about my recent trip to Macau last month, this blog entry will focus solely on my experience on my Philippine Airlines flight from Manila to Macau and Macau. I will be using some pictures which I have already used on my Macau blog entries.)

Asia's First, Shining Through--from Manila to Macau and Back on Philippine Airlines

Manila to Macau

Date: June 1, 2012

Route: Manila (MNL) to Macau (MFM)

Distance: 717 miles

Flight: PR352

Aircraft type: A320-200

Flight time: 2 hours

Scheduled departure time: 12:55 pm

Actual departure time: 13:50 pm

For a few days in June, my family and I decided to take a quick trip to Macau to enjoy the last few days of summer vacation, before my brother and I would go back to school. While we were planning this trip some months before, we were considering destinations such as Macau, Bangkok, Hong Kong, and Singapore. We decided to settle on Macau because: a.) None of us have ever been there before and b.) It's just a two-hour flight. Macau is also a popular tourist destination for Filipino vacationers (that, along with cities such as Hong Kong, and Singapore), so we also wanted to see what the buzz was all about. I won't talk about our Macau experience in detail, though, as I've already done that here and here and here.

Anyway, we had two airline choices for this trip: Philippine Airlines, the country's national carrier, or Cebu Pacific, a low-cost carrier. Although Cebu Pacific had lower fares, my mom did not exactly like the idea of flying low-cost on an international flight (no meals, slightly more cramped seats, and inconvenient schedules), so we naturally had to pick Philippine Airlines. Philippine Airlines flies between Manila and Macau four or five times a week, and the flight leaves during the early afternoon hours. We booked our flight and selected our seats months before the trip, so that there wouldn't be much of an inconvenience on the day of our flight itself. 

We arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Terminal 2--PAL's exclusive terminal) at around 9:30 in the morning, which was, quite honestly, a bit too early for our 12:55 pm flight. We didn't want to take any chances, though, as Metro Manila traffic can be quite horrendous. Unlike the "new" NAIA Terminal 3, there are less flights that depart out of this terminal (or at least at the international wing), so the lack of freakishly long lines to get inside the terminal was actually quite a pleasant change (I haven't been on a PAL flight in a while now). 

The entrance to Terminal 2's International Wing

Once we'd gotten in at the Terminal and went through the usual security checks, we proceeded to check-in for our flight. Since we were too early, however, the check-in counters for the Macau flight hadn't been opened yet. The people at the information desk, however, told us that we could check-in at the common check-in counters at the far end of the terminal. 

The check-in hall. The lack of long lines and huge crowds (which I've already gotten used to at Terminal 3) was a pleasant change.

Check-in was fast and efficient. One thing I noticed was that the people behind the check-in counters were wearing completely different uniforms from PAL employees (which was not the case a few years ago when I last flew with PAL). This time, they were wearing bright red uniforms. I figured that they were not PAL employees, but rather of the companies that PAL outsourced their services to. This outsourcing by the airline, by the way, was met with protests by disgruntled PAL employees who ended up losing their jobs last year. The airline did explain that this outsourcing was done to save the airline from losing any more money.

After check-in, we proceeded to pay the terminal fee (Php550) and then lined up at immigration. Although there were a lot of counters open, for some reason it still took us about 20 minutes to clear immigration. Maybe it really just took them a while to go through the passengers.

There were spaces in between each counter, probably to prevent unnecessary chitchat among employees

After clearing immigration, we went through yet another security check. Afterwards, since we had plenty of time to spare, we decided to grab a snack at one of the few food stalls at the terminal. Unlike in terminal 3, terminal 2 had far less options in terms of dining and shopping since it's a smaller terminal. Terminal 2 only had a few restaurants (such as Cafe France) and food stalls which sold snacks such as sandwiches, burgers, or noodles. The duty free shops here, unlike in Terminals 1 and 3, seemed to be awkwardly and randomly placed in the middle of the terminal. An explanation for this would be that this terminal was actually designed to be a domestic terminal, but when PAL decided to use this terminal for both their international and domestic operations, a few modifications had to be made to accommodate international flights (like the addition of immigration counters).

Terminal 2 is still more preferred than Terminal 1 which is old and voted one of the worst in the world.

Awkwardly-placed Duty Free stalls

Aside from a few restaurants and Duty Free shopping, Terminal 2's international wing now had free internet counters, courtesy of Citibank. I used one of their computers--internet connection was fast, so I was able to check my e-mail, and Facebook and Twitter accounts. Not all computers were being used, though. 

Aside from that, another thing that excites aviation geeks like me is plane-spotting--just simply looking out the terminal's glass windows and watch the planes take-off and land. That alone would be enough to keep me entertained, actually.

A PAL Jumbo Jet getting ready for its flight to Cebu

This B777 had just arrived from Tokyo

Our boarding gate was at gate N1, at the far end, closest to the domestic wing. Just a few minutes before our scheduled boarding time, an announcement was made that our flight's boarding time would be pushed back 15 minutes because our plane had just arrived from a local destination and was still being cleaned and prepared for its flight to Macau. All the other passengers just shrugged off this slight delay--have we Filipino travelers become too used to flight delays already?

When the boarding announcement finally came at around 1 pm, there was a mad rush to the gate--all instructions such as boarding by rows were ignored (as they always do). After the agent at the gate tore off our boarding passes, we Macau-bound passengers had to walk all the way to the Domestic wing, where our plane was parked. It wasn't that tiring to walk since our gate was already near the domestic wing anyway.

Our plane to Macau, an Airbus A320-200

Upon entering the plane, we were greeted by the flight attendants who looked cheerful and greeted each passenger with a "Good afternoon, how are you?". We proceeded to our seats at Row 14 and settled down, and just sat and wait as the other passengers boarded. In the meantime, I decided to preoccupy myself by reading through a copy of PAL's official in-flight magazine, Mabuhay, which usually featured cities included in their route network.

Boarding was quick and orderly

For this particular flight, the plane we were on was one of the airline's newer A320s. The seats were blue and had a rather calming effect, unlike those on their older A320s. The bulkheads also had a tropical design (with palm trees and the like) which shows quite a bit about our country. Legroom was excellent, though there were no footrests for the passengers, unlike their other planes. This wouldn't really be much of an inconvenience for their shorter flights, though.

More PAL planes beside us, parked at the domestic wing

As I looked out the window, I noticed two black SUVs at the runway, tailing a plane that had a small Philippine flag design on its tail. It was the official Presidential plane, which the President used for trips within the country. I watched in amazement as the plane was taxiing, escorted by two SUVs towards the Villamor Airbase. The standard operating procedure is that whenever the President would be departing or arriving, operations at the airport would be halted for half an hour for security reasons--meaning, no other plane would be allowed to depart or land at the airport. True enough, a flight attendant announced that operations at the airport had to be halted and so our departure would be pushed back for 30 minutes. For the next half hour, we had no choice but to sit and wait.

Eventually, operations at the airport resumed. The doors of our plane were closed, the jetbridges were disconnected, and our plane was pushed back from the gate, ready for departure. Since NAIA only had one main runway, there was quite a long queue for aircraft for both landing and take-off. We had to wait for a few more minutes until it was finally our plane's turn to take-off. At exactly 01:50 in the afternoon (55 minutes after our scheduled departure time), we were airborne, and finally on our way to Macau.

Yup, that's a Qantas A380. That's the first of 12 Qantas A380s that will be brought to Manila for maintenance and reconfiguration (of seats)

Take-off

Flying over the Paranaque-Las Pinas area

Just 5-10 minutes after take-off, the seatbelt signs were switched off and the flight attendants quickly got to work. They started off by distributing newspapers to the passengers, followed by immigration/arrival cards which we had to fill out. 

As for in-flight entertainment, PAL's A320s had drop-down screens. Since it was just a two-hour flight, they were just showing short TV programs (for that flight, they showed an episode of a game show called Wipeout (which airs on AXN) and a short documentary called NASA 360. I didn't really bother watching them, though, as I preferred to preoccupy myself by listening to music on board (PAL had several playlists that had a fixed set of songs, sorted by genre). I remember listening to songs by artists such as Chris Brown and Katy Perry on one of their playlists.

Noise-cancelling headsets

Eventually, the flight attendants started serving meals. Passengers on economy class had a choice between Pork Bicol Express and Lemon Chicken. On some other airlines, flight attendants distributed menus during boarding. This was not the case with PAL, however. The flight attendants had to go and ask every passenger "What would you like? We have Pork Bicol Express or Lemon Chicken" each time. That's quite exhausting, actually. Maybe they should start handing out menu cards next time.

The Pork Bicol Express meal

One thing I noticed was that the meals have shrunk considerably. Aside from the smaller servings, the meal tray just had the main course and simple dessert on it. On my last international PAL flight in 2006, I remember having a bread roll (with jam and butter), the main course, dessert, and a fruit cup (containing various pre-sliced fruits such as mangoes, watermelon, and melon). As I was to find out later on, PAL only did this on their international flights that lasted two hours or less. I guess PAL is cutting costs.

Despite the small serving, the Pork Bicol Express was actually quite good. It was spicy-- but that's just how it really is. The rice was soft, too. For dessert, we had a cup of fruit jelly (which they call "Cathedral Windows") from the bakeshop chain Goldiclocks. It was okay, though it seemed quite dry for me. 

After the trays had been collected once the passengers were done eating, the flight attendants then started serving coffee and tea. The flight attendants never really got to serve all passengers, because the seatbelt sign had to be switched on about two to three times due to turbulence. I was hoping to get a cup of coffee, though, but oh well.

Before I knew it, we were already descending towards Macau. The weather at Macau was pretty good, so we didn't encounter any turbulence as we were on our descent. 

And there's Macau!

A few seconds before touchdown...

At around 4 pm, our flight finally touched down at the Macau International Airport. After a quick taxi, our plane parked at a remote stand at the terminal, so we had to get off the plane by stairs and then we walked towards the arrivals section. Since we were the only flight arriving at that time, we cleared immigration in just a few minutes. It also didn't take long for us to get our luggage. Within 30-40 minutes, we were already out of the terminal and on the bus that would take us to our hotel. Thus began our Macau (and Hong Kong) adventure.

Passengers walking towards the arrivals hall after disembarking 

The immigration counters

The baggage claim area at Macau International Airport, which was quite empty (except for passengers on or flight)

Conclusion

For a short flight, it was actually a pretty good flight. The flight attendants were friendly, courteous, and professional. The plane was in good condition, and had generous legroom (compared to those on similar aircraft of other airlines I've been on). The entertainment on-board (magazines, TV shows) was sufficient for a two-hour flight, though personal TV screens where you could choose to watch whatever movies or TV shows you want would have been way better (other airlines have them even on their narrow-body jets). Although the food was decent, I do miss the days when they had bigger servings and when it was actually a full-course meal. With a new management taking over (San Miguel Corporation purchased a 49% stake in the airline, and is now being managed by SMC executives), I do hope PAL is on the right track towards becoming one of Asia's best airlines again, just like in their glory days. I have a lot of faith in this airline, though, and I would certainly not hesitate to fly with them again.

Overall score: 17/20