Legazpi – The Wknd Travel

Flight Report: CEBU PACIFIC AIR 5J 325 – Manila to Legazpi – Last-Minute Cheap Jet Flight Back to Bicolandia [May 2022]

Yes, you read the title right! Jet flights are back in Bicol. Just last month, May 2022, Cebu Pacific Air & Philippine Airlines restarted their Airbus A320 services to & from Legazpi at the newly-opened Bicol International Airport.

Since this new airport opened in October 2021, Cebu Pacific Air utilized their ATR 72-600 turboprop aircraft on their daily flights to & from Legazpi, while Philippine Airlines flew their De Havilland Canada DHC-8-400 aircraft on the same route. I have had the pleasure of flying these propeller planes from both airlines in the last few months. Check out the following flight reports to know more: DG6194 Legazpi to Manila, DG6193 Legazpi to Manila, PR2922 Legazpi to Manila, PR2919 Manila to Legazpi & DG6192 Legazpi to Manila.

If you have been following me in the last few weeks, you know that I’ve been to Cebu with my friends for a quick 4 days & 3 nights around Cebu City & Bantayan Island. From Cebu, I flew to Manila to fulfill some work obligations. After a quick 1-day trip in Manila, I then flew back home to Legazpi – this time on Cebu Pacific Air’s Airbus A320 jet service on 5J 325. Join me in today’s flight report as I share with you my experience flying with a jet back to Bicolandia.

Cebu Pacific Air

Cebu Pacific Air is not a new airline in this website; it is actually my most-reviewed airline here. Cebu Pacific Air is the country’s largest low-cost carrier. The airline is owned by Cebu Air Inc which is part of one of the country’s biggest conglomerates, JG Summit Holdings. The airline commenced its first flight in 1996 & has been flying for over 26 years. Together with its subsidiary, Cebgo (previously Tiger Air Philippines), the airline flies to over 60 destinations across the country, Asia Pacific & the Middle East. It operates close to 70 young & fuel-efficient jet & propeller aircraft. Cebu Pacific Air operates the narrow-body & wide-body aircraft while its subsidiary operates the propeller passenger & cargo aircraft.

The airline has a lifestyle & loyalty program called Go Rewards. It is also a founding member of Value Alliance, the world’s largest alliance of low-cost carriers. The airline has opened the opportunity for every Filipino to fly domestic & international at extremely low prices compared to its industry rivals. It is known for its ₱1-base fare promotions offered a few times a year.

In case you missed it, I post reviews & features of my flights since June 2019. I’ve covered airlines such as EVA Air, Indonesia Air Asia, Singapore Airlines , Philippine Airlines & Cebu Pacific Air. All posts about these flights are found under the Flight Reports category.

Airfare

I had initial plans of traveling by land with my parents back to Bicol after the short work trip in Manila. Last-minute changes in plans forced me to take this flight back to Legazpi. I’m super thankful for Cebu Pacific Air’s CEB Super Pass I got a one-way ticket a week before the scheduled flight for only ₱1,234.88. I paid ₱390.88 for the CEB Super Pass & added ₱844.00 for the flight taxes & 20-kilograms check-in baggage allowance. Not bad for a last-minute ticket, eh?

Travel Requirements

Albay is open to tourism & returning residents since late last year. Fully-vaccinated individuals only need to provide a valid ID & their vaccination card or vaccination certificate. Partially & unvaccinated passengers need to provide a negative antigen result taken 48 hours before the flight.

I have been fully-vaccinated since October last year, so I only had to show my vaccination card. Please take note that these requirements may change from time to time. For Cebu Pacific Air passengers, the airline has compiled on their website & is regularly updating the requirements for all their destinations. Feel free to check out the updated Covid-19 Information Page here.

Before The Flight

Even with more lax restrictions & border controls, Cebu Pacific Air still kept their passengers informed by sending e-mail reminders days before the scheduled flight. The e-mail contained contactless flight protocols, check-in & bag drop schedules & mask reminders.

Just like the reminders we got for our recent flight from Legazpi to Cebu, I noticed that the airline has removed the item about the Traze mobile application. I believe the authorities have stopped using this application for contact-tracing purposes. It would have been nicer if contact-tracing procedures were still being practiced in order to curb any possible surge in cases.

I still commend Cebu Pacific Air for keeping their passengers informed & prepared for what they may experience from check-in to the flight itself.

Flight Information

Cebu Pacific Air has brought their Airbus 320 aircraft back to Legazpi Airport just last May 2022. This 5J 325 flight was operated by a 6.5-year-old Airbus A320-200 Sharklet aircraft with registration RP-C4106. This 320 sharklet aircraft has an all-economy class configuration with 180 seats. The flight left Manila station at 9:20am, cruised to an altitude of 25,000 ft & then touched down at Bicol International Airport at 10:01am. This Manila to Legazpi flight only took 41 minutes; it departed on time & arrived at its destination a few minutes ahead of schedule.

Airport & Ground Experience

CHECK-IN

I arrived at Ninoy Aquino International Airport around 6:30am; I expected long queues from going into the terminal & to the check-in counters. I was so surprised to see a rather empty Cebu Pacific Air check-in counters. I noticed that the counters were sorted by destination for the first time in years. I also noticed that the document check section, which I mentioned on my November 2021 Cebgo Manila to Legazpi flight, was already removed.

I took me exactly 7 minutes to finish the whole check-in process. This included checking-in & printing my boarding pass & bag tags in the self-service check-in machines, queuing for bag drop & the bag drop process itself. The guy at the check-in counter was very friendly.

PRE-DEPARTURE

After check-in, I went through security & walked to our assigned gate – Gate 131. I was surprised to see a not-so-crowded boarding gate. There were a lot of available seats & there were no people seated on the floor. The gate started to get packed when it was near our boarding schedule.

At exactly 8:00am, I received a text message from Cebu Pacific Air confirming Gate 131 as my assigned boarding gate. Props to Cebu Pacific Air for keeping the passengers well-informed. It’s these small details that make the flights enjoyable & worth the price.

BOARDING

Boarding commenced at exactly 8:15am. Priority passengers, those traveling with kids, senior citizens & persons with disabilities boarded first. After a few minutes, the crew called the rest of the passengers for boarding. All passengers took the bus to the assigned aircraft.

Passengers board from both the front & rear cabin doors. Those seated from rows 1 to 15 boarded through the front door, while those seated from rows 16 to 31 boarded through the rear door. I was assigned seat 25F, so I boarded through the rear door. The boarding process took 45 minutes; the cabin crew closed the aircraft doors at 9:00am.

Inflight Product & Experience

SEAT

Cebu Pacific Air’s Airbus A320-200 aircraft has 180 passenger seats in an all-economy class cabin. It has a 3 x 3 configuration across 30 rows. Each row has 6 seats. All seats, except the exit row seats, have a seat width of 17 inches & a seat pitch of 29 inches. This 6.5-year-old aircraft had the old & thick seat design which can still be reclined.

I got a window seat (25F) for this quick flight to Legazpi. Each seat features an industry-standard leg room, a foldable tray table & a seat pocket with the aircraft safety card. Each passenger also has access to individual air vents & individual reading lights. The seats do not feature USB power outlets, unlike those from the Airbus A321neos I flew with to Davao & from Davao last March. I will choose the seat recline over the USB power outlet any time!

INFLIGHT SNACKS

Cebu Pacific Air does not offer complimentary snacks or meals on all of their flights. Instead, the airline offers buy on board light snacks & drinks during the flight. This paid snack service was only re-introduced recently when cases have gone down.

For this flight to Legazpi, the cabin crew offered light snacks & drinks to passengers shortly after take-off. Choices were limited to chips, light snacks & drinks. Rice / heavy meals & alcoholic beverages were not yet offered during this flight. Inflight menus are not yet available on this flight.

INFLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT

Cebu Pacific Air aircraft do not feature personal entertainment screens. Pre-pandemic, they had inflight magazines found in every seat pocket. These magazines were still not available on this flight.

The airline is known for conducting inflight games in exchange for airline-branded merchandise. For this flight, the crew asked for 3 items; the passengers who raised their hand first & showed the requested items first won Cebu Pacific Air-branded pouches. I got the 2^nd question correct & won an airline branded pouch. Thank you, Cebu Pacific Air!

LAVATORY

I didn’t have the chance to visit the rear lavatory during the flight. I was seated by the window; the couple beside me were mostly asleep during the flight.

Cabin Crew Service

I had close to no encounter with the cabin crew on this flight, but I noticed that they were attentive to the questions & requests of the guests during the snack service. They also greeted all passengers during boarding & disembarkation.

Disembarkation & Baggage Claim

We arrived at Bicol International Airport at 10:01am & disembarked from the aircraft minutes later. Passengers use both front & rear doors for disembarkation. Our check-in baggage took longer than usual because a Philippine Airlines flight arrived ahead of us. The bags from that PAL flight came out first & were followed by those from our flight. Bicol International Airport authorities have removed the arrival forms & Traze App QR code checks they had months before.

Final Thoughts

This Cebu Pacific Air Manila to Legazpi flight on 5J 325 l took last 19 May 2022 was an excellent flight. In fact, it’s probably one of the best ones I’ve had with the airline. Everything on this flight, from ticket price, to check-in, boarding to inflight experience, went right.

The price I paid for this one-way flight was definitely the highlight of the trip. Imagine, I only paid that cheap for a flight in 7 days. Take note, the ticket even included 20 kilograms of check-in baggage allowance. Thanks to my CEB Super Pass, I got this great deal.

I was surprised to see the check-in counters & pre-departure gates empty on a Thursday morning. I enjoyed the quick check-in & bag drop process, the efficient boarding process & the on-time departure & arrival of this flight. I also won a Cebu Pacific Air-branded pouch during the inflight games.

Flights like this make me more excited to fly again with Cebu Pacific Air in the future. I am looking forward to taking them again on my future domestic & international flights. Thank you, Cebu Pacific Air for such an enjoyable flight experience.

PS. I am also delighted to see bigger jet aircraft being used again for the Manila to Legazpi route!

For those who are interested, here are the technical details of this flight:

Airline: Cebu Pacific Air
Flight Date: 19 May 2022
Flight Number: 5J 325
Route: Manila (MNL) to Legazpi (LGP)
Duration: 41 minutes
Seat Number: 25F
Aircraft: Airbus A320-200
Aircraft Registration: RP-C4106
Engines: 2 x CFM International Jet Engines
Age: 6.5 years old
Delivered: January 2016

Thank you for joining me in today’s flight report. Do you have any questions about flying with Cebu Pacific Air or flying in to Legazpi? Feel free to post your questions in the comments section below. You may also send them via e-mail to contact@thewkndtravel.com.

Stay tuned for upcoming flight reports & posts! In the meantime, you may check out my previous flight reports here. Before you go, can you visit my social media channels –Facebook & Instagram – and like or follow them? Thank you & see you in the next one!

PS. Photos were taken using my OnePlus 9 Pro.

Flight Report: CEBGO DG 6207 – Legazpi to Cebu – My First-Ever Regional Flight Out of Bicol [May 2022]

Recently, my friends & I flew to Cebu for a quick weekend getaway. We flew from Bicol International Airport (Airport code: LGP) to Mactan-Cebu International Airport (Airport code: CEB) on Cebgo DG 6207. It was my first ever regional flight that’s not out of or arriving in Manila. All my past domestic flights are either leaving from or arriving at Ninoy Aquino International Airport. Join me in today’s flight report as I share with you my first ever regional sector experience with Cebgo from Legazpi to Cebu.

CEBGO

Cebgo is not a new airline in this website. In fact, it is the most reviewed airline including its parent company Cebu Pacific Air. Formerly South East Asian Airlines (SEAir) & Tigerair Philippines, Cebgo joined Cebu Pacific Air in 2014. Since then, Cebgo has been flying to most of the country’s smaller airports, connecting these regional airports to the rest of Cebu Pacific Air’s wide domestic airport.

The airline flies an all-turboprop fleet accommodating up to 78 passengers per flight on a single-class configuration. If I’m not mistaken, it also operates 2 all-cargo turboprop aircrafts. It’s the only turboprop cargo plane in the Philippines.

AIRFARE

Cebgo’s Cebu-Legazpi-Cebu sector only happens a few times a week. Given this limitation, my friends & I booked tickets from Legazpi to Cebu, Cebu to Manila & another ticket from Manila to Legazpi. This one-way Legazpi to Cebu ticket cost us ₱1,803.56 each. I added 20 kilograms baggage allowance a few hours into the flight & I paid an additional ₱651.73.

This is the screenshot of the ticket including the Cebu to Manila leg I took days after this flight. 🙂

This one-way ticket to Cebu with baggage allowance cost me ₱2,455.29. It may not be the usual less than ₱1,000 ticket, but it is still worth every peso. Take note, the tickets were booked 2 months before the intended dates; it was during the post-election & summer peak & it allowed us to fly directly to Cebu without having to transit via Manila.

TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS

Cebu is & has been open to tourists for a while now. Fully-vaccinated individuals only need to provide a valid ID & their vaccination card or vaccination certificate. Partially & unvaccinated passengers need to provide a negative RT-PCR test result taken 72 hours before the flight or a negative antigen test result taken 48 hours before the flight. Some municipalities & cities in Cebu Province require a medical certificate from partially vaccinated or unvaccinated travelers stating that they do not exhibit any Covid-19 symptoms. This medical certificate must be issued within 24 hours before arrival in Cebu.

Please take note that these travel requirements may change from time to time without prior notice. For the latest requirements to Cebu, please feel free to check Cebu Pacific Air’s Covid-19 Information Page or the page of the Local Government Unit you are heading to.

BEFORE THE FLIGHT

Even with more relaxed travel restrictions, Cebgo & Cebu Pacific Air continued to send flight reminders to all its passengers via e-mail, Viber & text messages. The airline also kept us passengers well-informed of the minor changes in flight schedules via the mentioned means of communication. They also sent a reminder about buying baggage ahead of time & the updated carry-on baggage rules.

I noticed that the airline has removed the item about the Traze mobile application. I believe the authorities have stopped using this application for contact-tracing purposes. It would have been nicer if contact-tracing procedures were still being practiced in order to curb any possible surge in cases.

FLIGHT INFORMATION

Cebgo, Cebu Pacific Air’s regional subsidiary, used a 5.6-year-old ATR 72-600 propeller aircraft for this Legazpi (LGP) to Cebu (CEB) regional sector. The propeller plane is registered under RP-C7281 & has 78 economy seats in a 2-2 configuration. The aircraft took off from Bicol International Airport at exactly 8:05am, flew at 17,000 ft above the ground & touched down at Mactan-Cebu International Airport at 9:02am. The whole flight only took 57 minutes.

AIRPORT & GROUND EXPERIENCE

CHECK-IN

I arrived at Bicol International Airport quarter before 7:00am & immediately headed to the check-in counters. I noticed that the airport staff no longer required the Traze App upon entering the airport terminal. I was the only person in the Cebgo check-in area. The whole check-in & bag drop process literally took a minute. The ground staff did not even bother to check my vaccination card / certificate.

PRE-DEPARTURE

After check-in, I headed upstairs to submit myself to a final security check & to stay in the pre-departure area. The terminal is spacious & the 2 operating airlines, Cebu Pacific Air / Cebgo & Philippine Airlines have their own boarding gates. Some souvenir & food shops were already open when I got there. Smart Communications offers free WiFi to its subscribers waiting for their flight. Oh boy, the internet speed went as high as 410 Mbps.

A few minutes before boarding, the airline sent another text message informing us that our assigned boarding gate is Gate 8. What a lovely gesture by the airline! I stayed in the pre-departure area & waited for my friends to arrive.

BOARDING

The boarding process started on-time at 7:30am. Priority passengers & those needing special assistance boarded the aircraft first. The remaining passengers came next. The boarding process only took 20 minutes. The crew closed the aircraft doors at 7:50am; the plane was pushed back 3 minutes later. The cabin temperature was hot during boarding & did not improve until the engines started.

INFLIGHT PRODUCT & EXPERIENCE

SEAT

Cebgo’s ATR 72-600 aircraft has 78 seats in an all-economy class cabin. Each row has 4 seats in a 2-2 configuration. That means that each seat either has a window or aisle access. This 5.6-year-old aircraft is fitted with the old individual seat design. All seats have a decent-sized tray table. It also has 2 seat pockets – one for the safety card & supposed to be inflight magazine & the other for the air sickness bag.

All seats feature an individual reading light & air nozzle. Seat 17C, the seat beside me, has a broken left arm rest. I was surprised to see it wrapped in clear tape. Each seat has a pitch of 29 inches & a width of 17 inches. The seat dimensions are acceptable for a low-cost airline. Take note that these seats cannot be reclined.

INFLIGHT SNACKS

Cebgo does not offer complimentary snacks to their passengers. Instead, they offer buy-on-board snacks (called Fun Café) to those who wish to get some snack / drink during the flight. This buy-on-board service started 15 minutes after take-off and was finished in 10 minutes. I did not avail of any snack or drink on this short hop to Cebu.

INFLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT

Cebgo is a no-fills airline & does not offer entertainment options on all of its flights. They used to have inflight magazines, but they haven’t brought it back. On some of its daytime flights, they conduct a game where passengers can win some airline-branded merchandise. Unfortunately, the crew did not conduct the Fun Game on this Legazpi to Cebu flight

LAVATORY

Midway into the flight, I decided to visit the lavatory found at the rear part of the aircraft. The lavatory is clean & it smells good. It was basic & it had everything you needed. Unfortunately, it was so small to the point where I could barely move inside.

CABIN CREW SERVICE

The cabin crew gave all passengers a warm welcome during boarding. They made sure all passengers were wearing their masks & following the flight protocols. They attended to all passenger requests during the snack service. Unfortunately, I had close to no interaction with the crew on this flight.

Disembarkation & Baggage Claim

The aircraft parked near Mactan-Cebu International Airport Terminal 1’s arrival area. We only walked for a few meters & headed to the baggage claim & arrival hall. The whole disembarkation & baggage claim process took 20 minutes.

Final Thoughts

It was another enjoyable flight with Cebgo – this time with their Legazpi to Cebu regional sector. It felt weird not flying from or to Manila, but it also felt nice to be flying inter-island to Cebu. I am very happy that these smaller routes exist. It makes inter-island connectivity easier & faster for those who have business or those who want to go on vacation in Cebu or in the nearby islands.

It’s great to see the airline continuing the pre-flight reminders & announcements even with relaxed restrictions all over the country. Ground experience was great! Check-in, security checks & boarding processes were fast & efficient. It’s sad to see that the contact tracing & requirements check measures were omitted for this flight. We are still in a pandemic & we need to still be strict on these measures.

My flight experience on DG 6207 was also good. The cabin product is still good, even if it’s a bit outdated. Seats were comfortable for a short hop. The flight left Legazpi Airport & arrived Cebu Airport ahead of schedule & the lavatory was tight but spot clean. The only downside I noticed is the ageing aircraft & the dirt in Seats 17C & 17D. This specific aircraft needs some serious cleaning. Dust is starting to pile up near the safety card pocket.

This minor observation won’t hinder me from flying with Cebgo in the future. They still provide the best value on flights around the Philippines. In fact, I can no longer wait for the next one! Let me share with you some technical details of this flight:

Airline: Cebgo
Flight Date: 13 May 2022
Flight Number: DG 6207
Route: Legazpi (LGP) to Cebu (CEB)
Duration: 57 minutes
Seat Number: 17D
Aircraft: ATR 72-600
Aircraft Registration: RP-C7281
Engines: 2 Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127M Engines
Age: 5.6 years old
Delivered: September 2016

Have you tried a regional flight with one of our local airlines? If yes, how was your experience? If not, is there a specific regional flight you want to try? Feel free to share your experiences & thoughts in the comments section below. Do you have a question about this flight or anything related to Cebu or Cebgo? You may also send them to me via e-mail to contact@thewkndtravel.com.

PS. Photos were taken using my OnePlus 9 Pro.

Flight Report: CEBGO DG 6192 – Legazpi to Manila – Delayed First DG Flight Out of BIA [March 2022]

Some of you know that I moved back to my hometown in Albay during the pandemic. This move has made me take Legazpi-Manila-Legazpi flights more than usual in the last few months. I’ve shared with you my flights with Cebgo last November 2021, from Legazpi to Manila & Manila to Legazpi & with Philippine Airlines in early March 2022 on the same route from Legazpi to Manila & Manila to Legazpi.

Just a few weeks ago, my friends & I decided to fly to Davao & visit another friend. There are no direct flights from Legazpi to Davao at the moment. This meant that I had to fly again to Manila before taking that flight to Davao. Join me for today’s flight report as I share with you my recent experience with Cebgo & see if anything has changed from the flight I took back in November.

CEBGO

In case you missed it, I post reviews & features of my flights since June 2019. I’ve covered airlines such as EVA Air, Indonesia Air Asia, Singapore Airlines & Cebu Pacific Air. All posts about these flights are found under the Flight Reports category.

Airfare

At the time of booking, a one-way Legazpi to Manila ticket on this flight cost over ₱3,000 – expensive! To save some cash & like my previous Legazpi-Manila & Manila-Legazpi Cebgo flights, I used the CEB Super Pass I bought back in September 2021.

I paid ₱390.88 for the CEB Super Pass & added ₱288.88 for the airport taxes & fees at the time of booking. This one-way ticket cost me only ₱679.76 – that’s over ₱2,000 less than the advertised price in the website. What a steal! I did not any add-ons since it was only a short weekend trip & the 7 kilogram carry allowance was enough. In case you want to know more of the airline’s add-ons, feel free to check them here.

Travel requirements

Metro Manila was placed under Alert Level 1 last March 2022. This meant that the region is open to anyone; no requirements are needed to enter the metro.

Travel requirements change once in a while. Cebu Pacific Air, Cebgo’s parent company, keeps their travel information section up-to-date. Feel free to check out the page here.