The Wknd Travel

After spending a few days around Davao, it’s time for us to go back to our normal lives. My friends & I took one of the last flights out of Davao last March 27, 2022. For the 3^rd time on this trip, I flew with Cebu Pacific Air on flight 5J 982 back to Manila. Allow me to share with you in this flight report how this flight went, from when my pre-booked seat went missing to a delayed departure back to Manila.

In case you missed it, I shared my DG 6192 Legazpi to Manila & 5J 971 Manila to Davao flights that took me to Davao from Legazpi days before this flight back to Manila.

Cebu Pacific Air

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 opted not to use my CEB Super Pass for this leg. Instead, I availed the GO Easy fare bundle available on the website at the time of the booking. I got the base fare for ₱199 & added ₱519 (plus VAT) for the 20-kiloggrams check-in baggage allowance & free standard seat. This bundle is way cheaper than using my CEB Super Pass then adding baggage on the add-ons page. I even added another ₱59 (plus VAT) to book a standard plus seat located in the forward cabin.

The ticket cost me ₱1,658.68 one-way. This is already a steal considering it includes a 20-kilogram baggage allowance & a forward cabin seat. Check out the breakdown of fares & taxes in the image below.

Travel Requirements

Metro Manila was downgraded to Alert Level 1 last March 2022. This meant the metro is now open to all types of travelers. No documents or tests are required to fly to Manila domestically.

Please note that these alert levels & requirements can change anytime. Always make it a habit to check Cebu Pacific Air’s Covid-19 Information Page for the updated requirements for your upcoming trip.

Before The Flight

MISSING PRE-BOOKED SEAT

At the time of booking this ticket in February, the assigned aircraft for the flight was the Airbus A330-200. I got a standard plus seat at the back (48J) & hoped that I would get the whole 2 seats for myself. A little over 2 weeks before the flight, I got an e-mail advising that the flight times have been pushed to a later time. I didn’t mind the minor schedule change. I checked the flight & saw the assigned aircraft was changed to the A321neo. I also noticed that my pre-booked seat (48J) is missing – A321s do not have Row J seats. I tried to add a standard plus seat (same type of seat I availed at the time of booking) but I was prompted by the system to pay an additional fee for this same type of seat.

I reached out to Cebu Pacific Air through their online channels (Website inquiry form, Twitter, Facebook Messenger & general e-mail) but didn’t get a prompt response. Their customer care hotline has been removed during the pandemic as part of their digitalization efforts. I tried to send an e-mail to the airline management & I got an e-mail reply after 2 days. I was endorsed to the Manager of Customer Care & was issued the ticket with my preferred standard plus 5A seat. I’d like to thank Cebu Pacific Air management for responding to my e-mails & for taking on board my concerns about the airline & system.

PRE-FLIGHT REMINDERS

Like my Legazpi to Manila & Manila to Davao flights, Cebu Pacific Air sent pre-flight e-mail reminders to all passengers. The e-mail reminders included the updated requirements for the flight to Manila as well as the process of contactless flight experience. They also gave instructions on how contactless check-in works & provided reminders to follow the health protocols from the airport terminal to the flight itself.

I applaud Cebu Pacific Air for continually sending these e-mail reminders despite the lax border requirements. The airline makes sure that passengers are up-to-date with all the travel requirements & procedures.

Flight Information

This Davao to Manila flight on 5J 982 was operated by the Airbus A321neo. This plane has a registration code of RP-C4125 & was delivered to the airline last March 2021. The flight took off from Francisco Bangoy International Airport or Davao International Airport at 11:13pm & landed at Ninoy Aquino International Airport at 12:42am. The flight took 1 hour & 29 minutes & was delayed by almost an hour.

Airport & Ground Experience

CHECK-IN

Cebu Pacific Air check-in counters at Davao International Airport are located in the right part of the check-in area. The check-in process starts at the self-service check-in kiosks. At the time of our check-in, only 1 of the 4 kiosks were working. The ground staff pointed me directly to the counters for check-in & bag drop. I finished check-in in less than 5 minutes.

PRE-DEPARTURE

After check-in, my friends & I went through security & headed to the pre-departure area to wait for our flight. Davao Airport’s domestic pre-departure area was hot & crowded that night. All seats near the boarding gates were occupied. We found a relatively empty & cool area in the leftmost part of the pre-departure area & stayed there until our flight commenced boarding.

BOARDING

Boarding commenced at 10:35pm. Priority passengers, those traveling with kids, senior citizens & persons with disabilities boarded the aircraft first. After a few minutes, the crew called the rest of the passengers for boarding. Passengers boarded in 2 lines.

I gave way to most of the passengers & decided to board the plane last. The front aircraft door closed at 10:53pm. The whole boarding process only took 18 minutes – quite fast considering the large number of passengers onboard this 321neo aircraft.

Inflight Product & Experience

SEAT

Cebu Pacific Air’s Airbus A321neo is fitted with 236 seats in a single class (all-economy) cabin. Around 95% of the rows have 6 seats in a 3 x 3 configuration. Rows near the emergency exits / aircraft doors only have 4 seats with a 2 x 2 configuration. According to SeatGuru, premium / exit seats have a seat pitch of 30 inches. Standard plus (forward economy) & regular economy seats have a seat pitch of 28 inches. All seats have a width of 17 inches. Recaro, a world-renowned seat manufacturer, made & supplied all the seats in this A321neo.

I got seat 5A in the forward cabin for this flight to Manila. I actually got the entire row to myself. The seat features a decent-sized tray table, an individual reading light & air nozzle. It also has a netted seat pocket with the inflight safety card & air sickness bag. One new feature that’s found in Cebu Pacific Air’s A321 (not in the A320s) aircraft is the USB charging port. Each passenger has a designated USB charging port found near the seat pockets.

One thing I do not like about these Recaro SL3510 seats is its non-reclining feature. All seats can no longer be reclined because these seats have the ‘pre-reclined’ design by Recaro.

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 Manila, 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 planes are not equipped with personal entertainment screens. Pre-pandemic, the airline had inflight magazines for every passenger. The magazine rollout has been suspended temporarily due to the pandemic. The airline is known for their inflight fun games. Cabin crew asks questions or asks for a certain item; the first passenger who provides the answer the fastest or shows the item wins an airline-branded item.

For this Davao to Manila flight, the crew decided not to have the inflight games since most of the passengers were asleep during the flight. The airline also recently brought back their Change for Good program in partnership with UNICEF. Passengers donated cash to be turned over by Cebu Pacific Air to UNICEF. This donation program came next after the snack service.

LAVATORY

The cabin crew regularly sanitized the front cabin lavatory. The lavatory was clean & well-maintained throughout the flight.

Cabin Crew Service

I had little interaction with the cabin crew on this flight – only during boarding & disembarkation. Of course, they greeted all the passengers during these times. Also as mentioned above, I noticed the crew went to clean the front cabin lavatory a few times during the flight. I also noticed that the crew placed a garbage bag / litter bag near the airplane door during disembarkation. Good one!

Disembarkation & Baggage Claim

We arrived in Manila close to 1:00am. Our plane / flight got assigned a terminal gate & jet bridge. All passengers disembarked only through the front door. I waited for & joined my friends in leaving the plane. We then went to the baggage claim area & waited for our bags.

Final Thoughts

The Cebu Pacific Air Davao to Manila flight on 5J 982 last 27 March 2022 was an ‘okay’ flight. It was not one of the best & not one of the worst 5J flights I’ve had. The airfare, including the baggage & seat bundle, was definitely a win. The aircraft used for the flight had comfortable but not-reclinable seats.

The last-minute aircraft change started it all. The airline’s system didn’t assign me a standard plus seat on the new aircraft. It even prompted me to pay again for the said add-on. Cebu Pacific Air’s customer service contact options added to the frustrations – no airline hotline available, unhelpful chatbot & busy live chat agents. I waited for 3 hours on a queue via Facebook Live chat only to be disconnected after being connected with an agent. I reached out to the airline management & was gladly issued the itinerary receipt with my chosen standard plus seat. I wish it didn’t have to go that far. I’d still like to thank Cebu Pacific Air management for responding to my e-mails & for taking on board my concerns about the airline & system.

One thing is for sure. This experience won’t discourage me from flying with Cebu Pacific Air. I will continue to fly with them in the future!

For those interested with the technicalities of this flight, please see the details below:

Airline: Cebu Pacific Air
Flight Date: 27 March 2022
Flight Number: 5J 982
Route: Davao (DVO) to Manila (MNL)
Duration: 1 hour & 29 minutes
Seat Number: 5A
Aircraft: Airbus A321-271NX (A321neo)
Aircraft Registration: RP-C4125
Engines: 2 Pratt & Whitney PurePower GTF Engines
Age: 1.1 years old
Delivered: March 2021

Thank you for joining me in today’s flight report. Do you have questions about the flight or the aircraft? Feel free to post them in the comments section below. You may also send in your questions via email 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.

A few weeks ago, my friends & I visited a good friend who moved back to Davao at the start of the pandemic. This Davao trip was initially planned for March 2020, but the pandemic happened. The lower number of Covid-19 cases & relaxed domestic border controls allowed us to finally push through with this trip. I won’t write about that Davao trip, but I will still write about my Manila to Davao flight. This flight was my first domestic narrow-body jet flight in 28 months; it was also my first time in Cebu Pacific Air’s Airbus A321neo aircraft. Allow me to share with you in this flight report my excellent domestic flight on the NEO!

Cebu Pacific Air

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’ve mentioned in the review title that I only paid ₱872 for this one-way Manila to Davao flight. Believe it or not, I booked the ticket about a month before the flight date. At the time of booking, Cebu Pacific Air offered all their domestic destinations at ₱88-base fare for immediate travel.

I decided not to use my CEB Super Pass because the existing promotion at the time of booking had a cheaper & much better value than that of the super pass. Also, I did not pre-book any baggage or add-ons because I was only staying for 4 days. The flight to Davao takes close to 2 hours & there was no need for any meal or add-on for the flight. In case you want to know more of the airline’s add-ons, feel free to check them here.

I was super lucky to get such cheap tickets for an immediate flight to Davao. I don’t know if I can still find a deal like that given the current inflation & oil prices.

Travel Requirements

Davao City was one of the first cities that removed all Covid-related requirements for inbound travel. It means that passengers are only required to bring a valid ID for their flight to Davao. This requirement is similar to all domestic flight requirements before the pandemic.

Please note that the requirements & protocols can change anytime. Always make sure to visit the airline’s Covid-19 Information Page for the updated Davao border regulations.

Before The Flight

Even if Davao City has already removed the requirements for all inbound passengers, Cebu Pacific Air still sent pre-flight reminders days before the scheduled flight. The reminder included a note to always check the local government protocols as they are subject to abrupt changes, to download the Traze mobile application & to wear face masks at all times.

The airline also sent another e-mail containing guidelines for contactless travel. This e-mail includes updated instructions for contactless check-in & bag drop procedures. It also gave a reminder to check the protocols & border requirements of the destination of choice.

I applaud Cebu Pacific Air for continually sending these e-mail reminders despite the lax border requirements. The airline makes sure that passengers are up-to-date with all the travel requirements & procedures.

Flight Information

This Manila to Davao flight on 5J 971 was operated by one of Cebu Pacific Air’s new generation fuel-efficient aircraft – the Airbus A321neo.

AIRBUS A321NEO

Cebu Pacific Air took the delivery of their first Airbus A321neo (new engine option) aircraft last January 2019. This neo aircraft has 236 seats in a single class (economy) configuration. According to Airbus press release way back in 2019, the Pratt & Whitney PurePower GTF engines of this neo aircraft delivers up to 20% fuel cost savings.

Currently, Cebu Pacific Air has 10 delivered A321neo aircraft & is still expecting 11 more in the future. The airline has converted 10 of its A321neo orders to the more fuel-efficient Airbus A321XLR (extra-long range) aircraft due for delivery starting 2024.

Fun fact: The A321neo aircraft I flew with to Davao was the first A321neo delivered to Cebu Pacific Air back in January 2019. Its registration number is RP-C4118.

AIRCRAFT CHANGE

At the time of booking this ticket, 5J 971 was assigned the airline’s newest passenger plane type – the Airbus A330neo or the -900 variant. The aircraft was then changed to the Airbus A321neo days before the flight.

FLIGHT DETAILS

This Manila to Davao flight left Ninoy Aquino International Airport at 2:56pm, cruised at an altitude of 33,000 ft above sea level & arrived Davao International Airport at 4:21pm. The flight got delayed by a few minutes due to the late turnaround of the flight before ours. The flight took 1 hour & 25 minutes. If you’ll include the airport gate to gate times, the whole flight took 1 hour & 49 minutes.

Airport & Ground Experience

CHECK-IN

After arriving from Legazpi on DG 6192, I went up to the departure hall, proceeded to the self-service check-in counter & printed by boarding pass.  The ground staff near the bag drop section advised me to directly go to the assigned boarding gate because Davao City does not have any requirements for arriving passengers. The document check & bag drop lines that time were tolerable, not as chaotic as it is usually in the morning.

PRE-DEPARTURE

After printing my boarding pass, I went through the long lines of pre-boarding security checks. Cebu Pacific Air has notice boards after security & indicated the upcoming Cebu Pacific Air flights. My flight 5J 971 was labeled as delayed with a new departure time of 2:12pm from the initial 1:40pm schedule. The LED screen also showed that my flight does not have an assigned boarding gate. In contrary, the boarding pass indicates Gate 132 as our assigned gate.

I went to Gate 132 & noticed that the pre-departure area was packed. Travel is indeed back! Social distancing was not observed. Gate 132 had no available seats & even had people standing on the sides. I decided to go to Army Navy & had my lunch. While having lunch, I heard the ground staff announcing our flight was delayed due to the late turnaround of the assigned aircraft. Passengers were advised to stay near Gate 132 to wait for the next announcement. After lunch, I just stood near Gate 132 – there were still no available seats!

Gates 131-134 are always the most crowded & chaotic boarding gates in Terminal 3. It’s also where passengers board buses to their assigned aircraft.

BOARDING

Boarding commenced at 1:44pm. The staff requested the passengers to present both boarding pass & valid ID at the final boarding / gate check. Priority passengers queued first. Gate 132 turned into a chaotic gate when boarding was announced. Some of the regular passengers immediately went on queue, even if they were not asked to line up yet. Eventually, everyone was called to board.

I noticed that the ground staff randomly checked the carry-on baggage of some passengers. The staff even called the attention of 1 passenger carrying 3 bags. Cebu Pacific Air has recently introduced new rules for carry-on bags. Please make sure to check the website for details to avoid being charged up to ₱1,000 for every excess carry-on bag.

I queued for boarding last & got on the last bus that’ll bring the remaining passengers to the aircraft. Our A321neo plane was parked near the international side of the airport. Passengers with assigned seats from Rows 1 to 15 boarded from the front door, while the rest of the passengers boarded from the rear door. The whole boarding process finished at 2:21pm; the aircraft doors were then closed.

Inflight Product & Experience

SEAT

Cebu Pacific Air’s Airbus A321neo is fitted with 236 seats in a single class (all-economy) cabin. Around 95% of the rows have 6 seats in a 3 x 3 configuration. Rows near the emergency exits / aircraft doors only have 4 seats with a 2 x 2 configuration. According to SeatGuru, premium / exit seats have a seat pitch of 30 inches. Standard plus (forward economy) & regular economy seats have a seat pitch of 28 inches. All seats have a width of 17 inches. Recaro, a world-renowned seat manufacturer, made & supplied all the seats in this A321neo.

Fun fact: This A321neo, with registration RP-C4118, was the first ever 5J NEO aircraft fitted with Recaro’s SL3510 seat. This seat is one of the lightest & most ergonomic seats in the air today.

I got seat 7A in the forward cabin for this flight to Davao. I actually got the entire row to myself. The seat features a decent-sized tray table, an individual reading light & air nozzle. It also has a netted seat pocket with the inflight safety card & air sickness bag. One new feature that’s found in Cebu Pacific Air’s A321 (not in the A320s) aircraft is the USB charging port. Each passenger has a designated USB charging port found near the seat pockets.

One thing I do not like about these Recaro SL3510 seats is its non-reclining feature. All seats can no longer be reclined because these seats have the ‘pre-reclined’ design by Recaro.

INFLIGHT SNACKS

Unlike the country’s flag carrier Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific Air does not offer complimentary snacks & drinks to their passengers. Instead, the airline offers a buy-on-board scheme. Flight attendants sold light snacks & drinks shortly after take-off. The airline does not offer hot meals on the spot. These hot meals need to be purchased ahead of time, either during the ticket booking or at least up to 24 hours before the flight. Also, inflight menus are not yet available on this flight. I did not avail of any snack or drink during 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 has recently brought back their inflight games. 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 participated in the game but didn’t win anything. How unlucky. The airline also brought back their Change for Good program in partnership with UNICEF. Passengers can donate cash to be turned over by Cebu Pacific Air to UNICEF.

LAVATORY

Midway into the flight, I visited the lavatory found in the forward cabin. I was delighted to see the lavatory so clean & spotless. The lavatory had liquid hand soap & toilet paper in it. The crew made sure the lavatory was cleaned & maintained throughout the flight.

Cabin Crew Service

The cabin crew on this flight to Davao were friendly & helpful. The crew assigned in the forward cabin welcomed us with her best smile & sanitized our hands upon entering the aircraft. They even assisted some passengers to their respective seats & helped some put their bags in the overhead cabin. They also answered the passengers’ questions during the flight.

Disembarkation

We arrived at Davao International Airport at a little over 4:00pm. The cabin crew announced that only the forward door would be used for disembarkation. The passengers immediately stood up after the seatbelt sign was switched off & got off the plane. I decided to deplane last to have another look at the A321neo interiors for the last time that day.

Final Thoughts

The blog title says it all. This Manila to Davao flight on 5J 971 last 24 March was an excellent flight with Cebu Pacific Air.

Here are some of the aspects which I enjoyed on this flight. First, it was my first time flying the A321neo aircraft & my first flight on a jet in 26 months. It was supposed to be the A330neo, but the 321neo wasn’t bad at all. Second, the crew onboard the flight was outstanding. They made sure all passengers had a great flight with them. Third, the airplane seat features were great. They were comfortable to seat in for this 1.5-hour hop to Davao; they even had USB ports per seat. Fourth, the lavatory was clean & spotless. The aircraft felt & looked new even if it’s been in service for over 3 years.

I know I called it an excellent flight, but I believe there were still some I didn’t like about this flight. First, the boarding process was chaotic & long. I know the airport terminal crowd management was not the airline’s fault, but it still affected the flight experience. Second & lastly, the seats can no longer be reclined. I don’t mind having that kind of seat on short domestic flights; I don’t think it’ll be a comfortable seat for a much longer flight.

Nonetheless, it was still a fun & enjoyable flight with Cebu Pacific Air. Now that I’ve flown their A321neo, I look forward to flying their A330neo & their upcoming A321XLR!

Allow me to share with you the technical details of this flight:

Airline: Cebu Pacific Air
Flight Date: 24 March 2022
Flight Number: 5J 971
Route: Manila (MNL) to Davao (DVO)
Duration: 1 hour & 25 minutes
Seat Number: 7A
Aircraft: Airbus A321-271NX (A321neo)
Aircraft Registration: RP-C4118
Engines: 2 Pratt & Whitney PurePower GTF Engines
Age: 3.3 years old
Delivered: January 2019

Thank you for joining me in today’s flight report. I hope you enjoyed this ride on the A321neo as much as I did. Do you have questions about the flight or the aircraft? Feel free to post them in the comments section below. You may also send in your questions via email 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.