Tag: Manila

Flight Report: EMIRATES EK 335 – Manila to Dubai – Overnight Long-Haul Flight with the Middle Eastern Global Carrier [November 2022]

Late last year, my friends & I flew to Europe for a 3.5-week holiday. I shared in my 2022 Recap post that we went to France, Italy & Spain. Before I share the details of our visit to each city, allow me to share with you the first leg of my trip to Europe. I took Emirates on their long-haul service from Manila, Philippines (MNL) to Dubai, United Arab Emirates (DXB) on their flight EK 335. This long-haul flight will be the subject of today’s flight report. Join me as I run you through this overnight flight to the Middle East.

Emirates

Emirates commenced operations in 1985 from its home hub in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. 37 years after, the airline is now one of the world’s biggest airlines. The airline is a subsidiary of the state-owned The Emirates Group. Most, if not all, of its flights depart & arrive from the massive Dubai International Airport Terminal 3.

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.

The airline flies to over 80 countries & 150 destinations in the 6 habitable continents. It has a fleet of over 250 wide body aircraft with 200 more on order. The airline currently operates only Boeing 777 & Airbus A380 aircraft in their fleet; it is also the largest operator of both aircraft types. It makes use of Dubai’s strategic location in connecting people from all over the world.

Apart from its commercial division, the airline also has its cargo & corporate subsidiaries. Its cargo division is called Emirates SkyCargo, while its corporate & private subsidiary is called Emirates Executive.  Emirates’ frequent flyer program is called Emirates Skywards. The airline is not part of an airline alliance but has codeshare & partnership agreements with airlines like flydubai, Qantas, United, Air Canada & a lot more.

Emirates is a full-service airline. This means that the airline offers services & amenities such as inflight meals & snacks & personal entertainment screens on every flight. All Emirates tickets also include check-in baggage allowance depending on the booking / ticket class where the passengers are booked.

Do you want to know the difference between a full-service & a low-cost airline? Check out my previous post detailing the differences of these 2 types of airlines.

Airfare

I shared in my No Travel 2020 recap that I booked a ticket to Europe with Emirates back in January 2020. My previous Emirates ticket had flights from Hong Kong to Munich, Germany via Dubai & back to Hong Kong from Budapest, Hungary via Dubai. Because of the pandemic & the closed borders back in 2020, Emirates gave us the option to keep our ticket & made it valid for 3 years. Also, they allowed us to change destinations as long as the new destination is within the same Emirates region for free. This ticket can be booked anytime as long as there are seats available & as long as the trip is finished before the ticket expiry – in my case, before 3 February 2023. This was probably the best possible airline ticket option in the whole world. Emirates’ competitors didn’t have this flexible ticket option.

Fast forward to 2022, my college friends & I planned to fly to Europe for 3.5 weeks. Borders have been opened & pandemic-related requirements have been removed; traveling to another country has become easier compared to how it was in 2020 & early 2021. After getting my visa from the Italian Embassy, I called the Emirates hotline & requested for my ticket to be issued. I changed the airport of origin from Hong Kong to Manila (both in the Far East) & the airport of destination from Munich to Paris (both in Europe). My return flights were changed from Budapest to Barcelona (both in Europe) & then back to Manila. The ticket got issued in less than 2 minutes after the Emirates agent confirmed my preferred flight schedules & details. The best thing was this new ticket didn’t cost me anything – no additional fees, change fees or airport taxes or whatever. It even included a 20-25 kilograms check-in baggage allowance from previously 15 kilograms.

You will not believe me when I tell you how much this ticket cost me back in 2020. Believe it or not, this ticket only cost me HK$4,039 or ₱27,072.73. Cheap-o, right? This ticket was definitely a steal. Thank you, Emirates, for this once-in-a-lifetime deal back in January 2020!

Travel Requirements

All pandemic-related entry / travel requirements to both France (my final destination) & United Arab Emirates (transit airport) have been removed. France removed these restrictions back in August 2022 while United Arab Emirates phased these out last November 2022.

Please take note that these entry protocols may change anytime. Best to always check with the airline you’re flying to days before your flight.

Before The Flight

Emirates sent an e-mail & mobile application check-in reminder 48 hours before my scheduled flight to Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The airline offers free standard seat selection during web or mobile check-in.

I already had my seats pre-booked at the time of booking this ticket so I didn’t bother checking or changing them during web check-in. I checked in for the flights to Paris immediately I received the check-in reminder. Take note that you will need your passport information & other necessary details to complete this early check-in.

Aircraft & Flight Information

This Manila to Dubai Emirates flight was operated by a 12-year-old (at the time of the flight) Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. The aircraft, delivered to Emirates back in 2010, has 2 cabin classes. The business class section has 42 angle lie-flat seats in a 2-3-2 configuration. The economy class section has 386 standard seats in a 3-4-3 configuration.

Business Class Seats
Economy Class Seats

This EK 335 flight departed Ninoy Aquino International Airport a few minutes before 12 midnight & arrived Dubai International Airport at 4:17am local time. The flight only took 8 hours & 29 minutes in contrast to its 9 hours & 15 minutes flying schedule.

Ground & Airport Experience

All Emirates flights depart from & arrive at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3.

CHECK-IN

Emirates check-in counters in Manila Airport open at least 4 hours before the scheduled flight. I arrived at the check-in area at 7:52 & noticed 8-10 queues. First class & business class passengers have 2 dedicated counters. Passengers traveling with kids, senior citizens & persons with disabilities have 1 dedicated check-in counter. Passengers who have already checked in online have 2 counters while the rest of the passengers have access to 3 check-in counters. Those traveling in groups have a dedicated group check-in counter.

I already checked in online so I proceeded to the mobile / web check-in queue. The ground staff allowed some passengers (including myself) to check-in using the first & business class check-in counters. The queue took some time, but the counter check-in process took less than 5 minutes. The whole process only took me 20 minutes.

Tip: Check-in online before the flight to have a faster check-in experience. I heard the regular check-in line took almost an hour to finish.

PRE-DEPARTURE EXPERIENCE AT MARHABA LOUNGE

My newly-acquired Security Bank Platinum Mastercard credit card (not sponsored) gives me unlimited complimentary access to the Marhaba Lounge in NAIA Terminals 1 & 3. After passing through immigration & security, I immediately went to the Marhaba Lounge in Terminal 3.

The lounge is separated into 2 sections – one section is reserved for Emirates passengers flying First Class & Business Class & the other section that’s open to everyone. The small lounge has plenty of seats. The food options were limited but tasty. They also have an extensive drink option – they also offer alcoholic beverages at no extra charge. The lounge also has a fast Wi-Fi connection.

I stayed in the lounge for 3 hours & noticed that it got busier past 10:00pm. Around 10:44pm, the lounge staff announced that boarding was about to commence for our Emirates flight to Dubai. Please note that they only make this announcement for Emirates-operated flights.

BOARDING

Upon hearing the announcement, I left the lounge & went to the crowded Gate 111. Boarding commenced at 10:54pm. First class, business class & Emirates Skywards status holders boarded the plane first. Economy class passengers boarded the plane by zone / row. Those seated at the back went in first, while those seated in the forward economy section (including myself) boarded the plane last.

The boarding process only took 30 minutes for such a big 400-seater full plane. The crew closed the cabin doors exactly at 11:25pm.

Inflight Hard & Soft Product

SEAT FEATURES

This Manila to Dubai Emirates flight was operated by a 2-class Boeing 777-300ER. It has 42 business class seats & 386 economy class seats. According to SeatGuru, each business class seat has a seat pitch of 60 inches & a seat width of 20.5 inches. On the other hand, every economy class seat has a seat pitch of 33 to 34 inches & a standard seat width of 17 inches.

Economy class seats feature a touch-screen personal entertainment screen with remote, a foldable table, a cup holder, a coat hook, a USB charging port, a seat pocket with Duty Free magazines & aircraft safety card, a shared universal power outlet (2 in a row of 3 seats), a pillow, a blanket, a pair of headphones & an adjustable headrest. Every economy class passenger also has access to spacious overhead cabins, individual reading lights & air vents.

Emirates provides everything a passenger needs for a long-haul flight like this.

INFLIGHT MEALS

Emirates provides complimentary meals on all their flights. Passengers can access the inflight menu from the airline’s website as early as a week before the flight. They also have the option for passengers to request for or book special meals up to 24 hours before the scheduled flight. The airline doesn’t provide physical menus; instead, they ask passengers to access & browse the menus through their on-board portal.

Emirates offered 2 meals on this flight from Manila to Dubai. The light meal was served 30 minutes after take-off. This meal service only had 1 option – braised rice noodles with stir-fried chicken & vegetables. It came with chocolate mousse as dessert, a cup of water & a drink of choice. I went for whiskey & cola to help me sleep on this overnight flight.

3 hours before landing, the cabin crew started distributing the breakfast meal. They served the special meals first & then gave out meals to the rest of the economy class cabin. Passengers had 2 options for breakfast – scrambled eggs with chicken chipolatas, baked beans & creamy spinach & beef tapa with garlic fried rice & scrambled eggs. These options come with fresh fruit slices, yoghurt, bread roll, a fruit muffin, an energy bar, a cup of water & drink of choice. This time, I opted for the apple juice.

Both meals were tasty & filling. Personally, I enjoyed the breakfast service more than the light meal. The beef tapa was really good.

INFLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT

Emirates is known for its excellent inflight entertainment system called ICE. The entertainment system offers thousands of options ranging from movies, television shows & series, documentaries, songs & even games which you can play together with your seat neighbor. It even has region-specific movies & television shows. ICE also offers live television coverage of news channels like BBC World News, CNN International, Sports 24 & Sky News Arabia.

ICE also offers access to 2 aircraft cameras installed in the front of & under this Boeing aircraft. It also shows the complete flight & aircraft details & even has 2 kinds of moving flight maps. The airline indeed offers the best entertainment system in the skies – a system every airline in the world should copy.

I encountered a minor issue with the personal entertainment screen at Seat 18H. I found the screen not that responsive, but I will give the airline a pass considering how old the aircraft is.

INFLIGHT CONNECTIVITY

Emirates offers paid inflight wi-fi connectivity on their flights. Rates range from $2.99 – $19.99 depending on the type of use the passengers need. The cheapest onboard internet plan costs $3.99 & is only limited to messaging applications such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, etc.

I didn’t try this service during this flight; I don’t need to use the internet during this overnight flight. I think it would be nice if the airline offered complimentary but limited connectivity / data allowance at least for Emirates Skywards members like how Singapore Airlines offers to their Krisflyer members.

LAVATORY

The lavatory on the middle economy class section was kept clean throughout the flight. It has hand lotion & perfume available for use. I didn’t see any toothbrush or toothpaste kept in the drawers – it would be nice to have them for such a long-haul flight. I like the wooden interiors added by the airline in their lavatories.

Cabin Crew Service

The cabin crew service on this flight was alright; it’s not something you will remember. They made sure all passengers had an enjoyable flight. The crew assigned to our area was helpful & friendly. She helped passengers put bags in the overhead cabin, answered questions by the passengers & engaged in small chitchats during the meal service.

Disembarkation

Upon arrival at Dubai International Airport, our aircraft taxied to Gate F25 for disembarkation. Business class passengers deplaned first. Forward economy class passengers, including myself, came next & those seated at the rear section followed.

I went to the Connections area & immediately checked the gate for my next flight to Paris, France.

Final Thoughts

This Emirates EK 335 flight from Manila to Dubai was definitely one for the books. It was my first ever flight with Emirates & I can definitely say that their product is worth raving about. I won’t say it’s a perfect flight, but I say it’s still a good flight.

Let’s talk about the great things about this flight. First, the fare was the best part of the experience. Imagine flying to & from Europe for around ₱27,000 – it’s a no-brainer. Second, Emirates is known for serving good food onboard & they delivered. The meals had sizable potions. The beef tapa was the best! Third, their inflight entertainment system, ICE, is just excellent. It has thousands of options from movies, to television shows, music, games & even life news shows. There’s no way that passengers with get bored given the available options. The access to the plane cameras also made the system exciting for aviation geeks like myself.

Fourth, the lavatories were kept clean & tidy throughout the flight. I also liked the wooden finishes used in the lavatory interiors. These details added class to the lavatories. Lastly, the seats have everything a passenger needs for a long-haul flight like this.

The flight also had some misses. First, the personal entertainment screen is no longer that responsive. It worked well using the remote but not while using the touch screen option. The screen is already outdated. Second, the lavatory had incomplete amenities. It only had hand lotion & perfume. I wish it also had toothbrush & toothpaste for passengers to use. Lastly, both meal service on this flight felt rushed. After giving out meals, to all passengers, the crew started to collect meal trays from those they gave out first.

Overall, it was still an enjoyable & memorable first flight with Emirates. I hope they offer the same deal I got for this flight so I can fly with them again in the future. Thank you, Emirates, for such a wonderful flight!

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

Airline: Emirates
Flight Date: 15 November 2022
Flight Number: EK 335
Route: Manila, Philippines (MNL) to Dubai, United Arab Emirates (DXB)
Duration: 8 hours & 29 minutes
Seat Number: 18H (aisle)
Aircraft: Boeing 777-300ER
Aircraft Registration: A6-ECY
Engines: 2 x GE GE90-115B
Age (at the time of the flight): 12 years old
Delivered: January 2010

This ends my flight report on Emirates’ EK 335 service from Manila to Dubai last 15 November 2022. Have you flown Emirates in the past? How was your experience? Will you fly Emirates soon & have questions? Feel free to share your experiences or post your questions in the comments section below. You may also send them via e-mail to contact@thewkndtravel.com.

Thanks for joining me in today’s flight report. I hope I gave you some insights on how it is to fly with Emirates. Make sure to catch the next flight report on another Emirates flight, but this time to Paris, France! 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: SINGAPORE AIRLINES SQ 916 – Singapore to Manila – Excellent but Turbulent Flight Back to Manila [July 2022]

After deplaning from my Singapore Airlines Flight SQ 107 from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur, I immediately walked to the assigned gate for my onward flight to Manila. This Singapore to Manila SQ 916 flight on Singapore Airlines will be the subject of today’s flight report. Join me as I share with you details about this excellent but turbulent flight back home.

Singapore Airlines

Singapore Airlines is Singapore’s national carrier. This award-winning world class airline is based in one of the world’s best airports – Singapore Changi Airport. The airline starred as Malayan Airways in 1947; it then re-branded & commenced operations as Singapore Airlines in 1972. The airline has been a top contributor in terms of the world’s revenue passenger kilometers & the number of international passengers carried worldwide.

The airline currently flies to over 60 destinations in more than 30 countries across 5 continents. Singapore Airlines is one of the leading carriers in the Southeast Asian Region with the help of its low-cost subsidiary, Scoot. The airline’s previous regional subsidiary, Silk Air, has been incorporated into SQ’s operations as of March 2021.

Singapore Airline flies a modern aircraft fleet consisting of Airbus A350, Airbus A380, Boeing 777, Boeing 787 Dreamliner, Boeing 737 Max & Boeing 737-800 NG. The airline is the world’s largest Airbus A350-900 operator with 60 currently in service & 5 more on order. 7 of the 60 Airbus A350’s in service have the ultra-long range (ULR) premium (only business & premium economy class) configuration. These ULRs are mostly used in the North America routes.

Singapore Airlines is a full-service carrier. It means that every flight includes all the necessary in-flight amenities & services you can think of. All SQ tickets include free check-in baggage, meals & in-flight entertainment. The airline has a frequent flyer program called KrisFlyer & PPS Club. The airline is a member of the Star Alliance – one of the world’s biggest airline alliance networks.

Singapore Airlines is not a new airline on this website. In fact, it is the 2nd most reviewed airline after Cebu Pacific Air.

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

This SQ 916 flight from Singapore to Manila was part of a 4-sector ticket from Manila to Kuala Lumpur & back on Singapore Airlines. The return ticket cost me US$147.69 + 7,665 KrisFlyer miles I earned during my Singapore Airlines flights to Europe in 2019.

My bank charged me ₱7,926.12 including foreign currency conversion charges. This return ticket includes 25 kilograms check-in baggage allowance, 7 kilograms carry-on allowance, inflight meals & snacks, personal entertainment screens on 3 of 4 flights & a 5-star flight experience with well-trained & passionate cabin crew on all 4 sectors or flights.

This return ticket was a great deal considering it was booked a month prior to the scheduled flights. It also gave me all the benefits of a full-service airline. Believe it or not, return tickets on Philippines-based low-cost carriers were more expensive than this SQ ticket!

Do you want to know the difference between a full-service & a low-cost airline? Check out my previous post detailing the differences of these 2 types of airlines.

Travel Requirements

A few months ago, the Philippine government relaxed entry requirements for those who want to travel to or go home to the country. The requirements differ based on the individual’s vaccination status.

Fully-vaccinated passengers who have received a booster dose are exempted from providing a negative antigen or RT-PCR test result. They only need to provide their vaccination certificate issued by the respective health authorities. Fully-vaccinated passengers who have not received a booster dose need to present a negative antigen test result taken 24 hours before departure.

Unvaccinated or partially-vaccinated individuals need to present a negative RT-PCR result taken 48 hours before the departure or a negative antigen test result taken 24 hours before the flight. They also need to undergo facility-based quarantine, take a test on the 5th day & if negative, continue quarantine at home until 14th day from arrival.

On top of these vaccination or test requirements, all incoming passengers, regardless of nationality, need to register on the One Health Pass website 72 hours before the flight. He/she must also save a printed or digital copy of the QR code at the end of the form.

Please take note that some nationalities still require additional requirements such as a visa (if needed) or proof of onward ticket when entering the Philippines. These requirements can be changed anytime. It’s always best to check the Covid-19 Travel Information page of the airline you’ll be flying with to the Philippines.

Before The Flight

A few days after booking the flight, Singapore Airlines sent an e-mail reminder to check the updated travel requirements of the chosen destination. The e-mail included helpful links where I need to check the updated protocols for both transit area & destination.

Fast forward to a few days before the flight, the airline sent an e-mail about mySQupgrade. It is their instant upgrade program for economy class passengers who want to pay for a business class seat on that specific flight. I didn’t bother to check the minimum upgrade price because I don’t have the funds for it.

48 hours before my Kuala Lumpur to Singapore flight, the Singapore Airlines mobile application notified me that check-in is now available for both flights. I immediately checked-in & chose my seats for both Kuala Lumpur to Singapore & this Singapore to Manila flights. Singapore Airlines allows their passengers to choose their preferred seats for free during the online check-in process.

Flight Information

This Singapore to Manila flight was operated by a 6.5-month-old (at the time of the flight) Airbus A350-900 aircraft. The aircraft, which was delivered to Singapore Airlines in January 2022, has the two-class regional configuration consisting of 40 lie-flat business class seats & 263 standard economy class seats.

SQ 916 took off from Singapore Changi International Airport (SIN) at exactly 1:48pm & landed at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL) at 5:13pm. The flight had a smooth & quiet take-off & landing but also had a very turbulent journey up in the air. It experienced several turbulences throughout the 3.5-hour flight. The whole journey from Singapore to Manila took 3 hours & 25 minutes.

Ground & Airport Experience

This Singapore to Manila flight on SQ 916 is a continuation of my Kuala Lumpur to Singapore flight. I did not clear immigration in Singapore & only stayed airside at Singapore Changi Airport.

CHANGI AIRPORT TRANSIT EXPERIENCE

Transit at Singapore Changi Airport is back to pre-pandemic times. The airport does not require a negative Covid-19 test or proof of vaccination during transit. The only requirement they have for transit passengers is to have both flights (to Singapore & out of Singapore) under the same ticket or itinerary & have the passenger’s baggage tagged from the airport of origin to the final country or airport of destination.

My flight back to Manila was booked under the same itinerary. I checked in for both Kuala Lumpur to Singapore & Singapore to Manila flights in Kuala Lumpur. I also had my check-in luggage tagged from Kuala Lumpur International Airport to my final destination, Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila, Philippines.

SQ 107 from Kuala Lumpur arrived a few minutes behind schedule. After disembarking from the Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft, I immediately headed to Terminal 3 Gate B9 to board this flight to Manila. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to go around Terminal 3 on this short connection. This transit experience was seamless & hassle-free.

PRE-DEPARTURE

I submitted myself & my carry-on bag for a final security check at the doors of Gate B9 & went to the staff counter to request a seat change. I mentioned in my SQ 107 flight report that I tried to request a seat change during check-in at KLIA. I was advised by the check-in agent that the system doesn’t allow her to do it & mentioned that I can request this in Singapore before I board the flight to Manila. I went to the flight staff & was immediately granted a new seat at the 2nd to the last row – 69B.

I went to the pre-departure area, took a seat & enjoyed the view of the beautiful Airbus A350-900 aircraft that will fly us to Manila. Ah, such a beautiful plane!

BOARDING

At exactly 12:58pm, the ground staff called all business class passengers & status holders to board the aircraft to Manila. 2 minutes later, they called all economy class passengers seated at the rear part of the cabin (that’s us) to board the plane. Shortly after our batch, those seated in the forward economy cabin boarded the plane last. Boarding was done by group & took 28 minutes to finish. The cabin crew closed the aircraft doors at 12:28pm.

Inflight Hard & Soft Product

SEAT FEATURES

This Singapore to Manila flight was operated by one of Singapore Airlines’ newest Airbus A350-900 aircraft. The plane sports the regional seat configuration with 40 lie-flat business class seats & 263 standard economy seats. According to SeatGuru, each business class seat has a 60-inch seat pitch & 28-inch seat width. The seats have a 1-2-1 configuration, with each seat having direct aisle access. All business class seats are equipped with a large personal entertainment screen paired with noise-canceling headphones. Each seat also includes a pillow, a blanket, several storage spaces & a large tray table.

Business Class Seat
Economy Class Seats

Economy class seats have a seat pitch of 28 inches & seat width of 18 inches – slightly bigger than the Boeing 787-10’s 17.5 inches seat width. Each seat comes with a spacious leg room, an adjustable headrest & a personal entertainment screen. Seats also feature a seat pocket with inflight safety cards, a fold-able tray table with mirror, a coat hook, small storage space below the screen, a fold-able cup holder, a USB charging outlet & a universal power outlet in between seats. Pillows, blankets, face masks & disinfectant surface wipes are now available by request.

The seats on this Airbus A350 aircraft are complete & comfortable enough for a short-haul international flight. It has more than what a normal economy class passenger needs for a 3-hour flight.

INFLIGHT MEAL

Singapore Airlines served complimentary hot meals on this 3-hour flight to Manila. The airline has removed the physical menu cards & integrated the whole food & drink information in the flight’s onboard connectivity service. Passengers had the option to choose between Herb Crusted Fish Fillet & Roasted Chicken Rice. The main dish came with a bread roll & butter, ice cream & a drink of choice – coffee, tea, wine, beer, water or juice. The crew went around again to offer a second round of drinks & offered water, coffee & tea to those who want. Check out the full menu below.

I admire the airline for using metal cutlery & recyclable food containers during the meal service. It helps a lot in eliminating solid waste; it is environment-friendly. I hope they can find a sustainable alternative to plastic cups.

I chose the roasted chicken rice meal with a glass of red wine & enjoyed it. The rice, chicken & vegetable portions were just right. For dessert, we had Udders Dark Chocolate ice cream. The ice cream was thick & tasty; it was probably the star of the lunch service.

Immediately after the meal service, I asked for roasted nuts to help me finish my small glass of red wine. After this, I asked for the airline’s signature cocktail, Singapore Sling. I think I had 2 more glasses of this drink paired with their roasted cashew & almonds. Don’t worry, I didn’t feel tipsy or what.

INFLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT

Krisworld, Singapore Airline’s entertainment system, offers thousands of options to choose from. They have hundreds of movies & TV shows to watch, thousands of songs to listen to, games to play & a few local media content to check out. All these options can be accessed via the touch screen personal entertainment screens found in front of every seat. The touch screen screens were responsive & easy to navigate. It also showed the flight path & even details of onward connecting flights. The provided earphones were alright. They aren’t noise canceling but they did its job.

Krisworld also gives frequent flyers the option to personalize their experience. The system asks for the passengers KrisFlyer membership number & then shows the passenger’s favorites or the last song, movie to television show he/she watched / left unfinished. I hope Singapore Airlines install cameras in their A350’s which passengers can access / view during flights.

INFLIGHT CONNECTIVITY

Singapore Airlines offered Wi-Fi service on this flight. PPS Club members & business class passengers are given 100MB of data to use up during the flight. The airline also gives complimentary 2 hours of messaging service to KrisFlyer members in economy class. Non-members can opt to either register to KrisFlyer to avail of the data plans on board.

Sad to say this, but the Wi-Fi on this flight was close to not working. I had to try a lot of times before having access to the inflight food & drinks menu. I didn’t get to use the free 2-hour messaging service because I always got the ‘network error’ or ‘service unavailable’ notification.

LAVATORY

The rear lavatory on this Airbus A350 was spotless & well-maintained. It was clean; it had the amenities needed for a 3-hour flight. The sink had cold & warm water & had hand soap & tissue beside it. The lavatory console had a moisturizing hand lotion & the drawer had more amenities.

Cabin Crew Service

The cabin crew service on this flight was excellent. The cabin crew welcomed all passengers with their best smiles & wished us a pleasant & enjoyable flight. Upon arriving at my seat, I saw that the tray table had leftover crumbs. I notified one of the cabin attendants in the back. The cabin attendant apologized & immediately got back to me with disinfectant wipes & tissue.

The crew had to pause meal service a few times due to turbulence. They kept apologizing to the passengers every time the meal service was halted. They continued with the meal service after the turbulences. The guy who served my meal was polite & attentive. He asked what meal & drink options I preferred & gladly served it.

After the meal service, I asked for a glass of Singapore Sling. The cabin attendant misunderstood it, & thought I asked for a Bloody Mary. She came back & apologized that they don’t have Bloody Mary onboard; she also immediately offered to mix a special drink for me. I told her that I actually requested for Singapore Sling. She again apologized & came back with my requested drink with 2 packs of roasted nuts. Lovely!

Several members of the flight crew went around the cabin throughout the flight & attended to every passenger’s requests. They even went around & offered glasses of water to those who want.

The assigned crew on this flight showed true Singaporean hospitality. They served the passengers with their best smiles & catered to every request throughout the flight. They made sure that passengers had an enjoyable flight onboard Singapore Airlines. Their top-notch service made the flying experience a lot better. Cheers to the crew on this flight!

Disembarkation & Baggage Claim

All passengers disembarked in an orderly manner. The ground staff checked every passenger’s One Health Pass QR code & instructed where to fall in line for verification / scanning. Immigration didn’t take long & check-in bags were available as soon as we arrived at the baggage claim hall. Believe it or not, I finished the whole arrival process (from stepping out of the plane to the arrivals area) in less than 10 minutes.

Final Thoughts

It was another excellent flight with Singapore Airlines. Both the hard & soft products stood out on this 3.5-hour flight from Singapore to Manila onboard their new Airbus 350-900 aircraft. I’d like to point out a few things that actually made this experience a great one.

First, the transit experience at Singapore Changi Airport was seamless. No requirements, no whatsoever. I just went from one airport gate to the other. Second, both the ground staff & cabin crew provided excellent service. The ground attendants in Kuala Lumpur & Singapore were polite & accommodating. Those in Singapore station even allowed me to change seats last minute. The cabin crew teams onboard the flight were hospitable & service-oriented.

Third, Singapore Airlines’ hard product on the Airbus A350-900 is modern & solid. The seats are comfortable; they have good leg space. The personal entertainment screens area big; it has thousands of entertainment options to choose from. The cabin also feels very spacious.

The airline’s soft product on this flight was as awesome as the hard product. Cabin crew service, as mentioned above, was top-notch. The inflight meal portions were just right. They also offered a long list of drinks for economy class passengers. I particularly liked the dark chocolate ice cream offered as dessert. Lastly, I also noticed the airline’s sustainable efforts by using recyclable food containers, providing metal cutlery & getting rid of physical menus.

This flight was not perfect. It also had some drawbacks which I hope the airline can improve on. First, the onboard Wi-Fi was close to not working. It only worked when I tried to access the inflight menu. Second, the airline still uses plastic cups for the drink service – particularly for water, wine & other alcoholic beverages in economy class. I hope they can find an environment-friendly alternative for it.

Third, I somehow felt a downsize in economy class service compared to how it was before the pandemic. Pillows & blankets are no longer provided to every seat & the towel service in economy class has stopped. I hope they can find a way to re-introduce them in the future. Lastly, not entirely the airline’s fault, but this flight was very turbulent. The meal service had to stop several times due to turbulence. I think the seatbelt sign was turned on for more than an hour in total. The frequent turbulence somehow affected the overall experience on this flight to Manila.

Putting these aside, I still enjoyed this flight with Singapore Airlines. I wish the flight time from Singapore to Manila was longer than 3.5 hours. Will I fly them again in the future? Definitely! In fact, I am already considering taking them again for another set of flights for next year.

Here are some geeky details about this excellent 3.5-hour hop from Singapore to Manila:

Airline: Singapore Airlines
Flight Date: 7 July 2022
Flight Number: SQ 916
Route: Singapore (SIN) to Manila, Philippines (MNL)
Duration: 3 hours & 25 minutes
Seat Number: 69B
Aircraft: Airbus A350-900
Aircraft Registration: 9V-SHW
Engines: 2 x Rolls-Royce Trent XWB
Age: 6.5-month-old
Delivered: January 2022

This sums up & ends by journey with Singapore Airlines on the trip to Kuala Lumpur last July 2022. Don’t forget to check out my other flights with them: Manila to Singapore on SQ 915, Singapore to Kuala Lumpur on SQ 114 & Kuala Lumpur to Singapore on SQ 107. Feel free to also check out my post about this quick international trip to Kuala Lumpur by clicking this link.

Have you flown with Singapore Airlines recently? How was your flight? Please share details about your experience in the comments section below. Do you have questions about this flight or anything related to the airline? You may post them below or send them to me via e-mail to contact@thewkndtravel.com if you are shy to comment.

Thank you for joining me in today’s trip report. If you’re interested in my previous flight reports, feel free to check them out under the flight report category. I hope you’ll look forward to the next one. Also, 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: SINGAPORE AIRLINES SQ 915 – Manila to Singapore – First International Flight After 31 Months [June 2022]

You read the title right! After 31 months of being in the Philippines, I finally flew out of the country again. The last time I went out of the Philippines was when I flew to Europe in 2019 via Singapore. Believe it or not, my last flight out of the country was also on Singapore Airlines SQ 915 back in October 2019. How does this recent SQ 915 flight compare to the pre-pandemic Singapore Airlines flight experience? We’ll find out in this flight report!

Singapore Airlines

Singapore Airlines is Singapore’s national carrier. This award-winning world class airline is based in one of the world’s best airports – Singapore Changi Airport. The airline starred as Malayan Airways in 1947; it then re-branded & commenced operations as Singapore Airlines in 1972. The airline has been a top contributor in terms of the world’s revenue passenger kilometers & the number of international passengers carried worldwide.

The airline currently flies to over 60 destinations in more than 30 countries across 5 continents. Singapore Airlines is one of the leading carriers in the Southeast Asian Region with the help of its low-cost subsidiary, Scoot. The airline’s previous regional subsidiary, Silk Air, has been incorporated into SQ’s operations as of March 2021.

Singapore Airline flies a modern aircraft fleet consisting of Airbus A350, Airbus A380, Boeing 777, Boeing 787 Dreamliner, Boeing 737 Max & Boeing 737-800 NG. The airline is the world’s largest Airbus A350-900 operator with 60 currently in service & 5 more on order. 7 of the 60 Airbus A350’s in service have the ultra-long range (ULR) premium (only business & premium economy class) configuration. These ULRs are mostly used in the North America routes.

Singapore Airlines is a full-service carrier. It means that every flight includes all the necessary in-flight amenities & services you can think of. All SQ tickets include free check-in baggage, meals & in-flight entertainment. The airline has a frequent flyer program called KrisFlyer & PPS Club. The airline is a member of the Star Alliance – one of the world’s biggest airline alliance networks.

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

Late May 2022, I randomly saw an affordable ticket to Kuala Lumpur on Singapore Airlines for travel within 30 days. With borders now opening & Malaysia dropping the test entry requirements, I decided to immediately book this ticket to Kuala Lumpur.

The return ticket initially cost US$199.70. I used up my KrisFlyer miles (earned when I flew with Singapore Airlines to Europe in 2019) before they expire in the next 12 months. The ticket price went down to just US$146.69 including 7,665 redeemed KrisFlyer miles.

The ticket included 4 flights in economy class – Manila to Singapore, Singapore to Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur to Singapore & Singapore to Manila – with 1.5-hour layovers at Singapore Changi Airport both ways. The ticket also includes 25-kilogram baggage allowance on all sectors, inflight meals & snacks & even inflight entertainment on board.

My bank charged me ₱7,926.12 including foreign currency conversion charges. It was a really good deal from Singapore Airlines considering the current world market situation & inflated fuel prices. For context, other airlines’ ticket prices were around ₱10,000 to ₱15,000 return at the time of booking this SQ ticket. Some of these airlines don’t even include baggage & meals in the ticket prices.

Travel Requirements

I am only transiting at Singapore Changi Airport & I’m flying to Kuala Lumpur afterwards. On the day of the flight, Singapore does not have any requirements for transiting passengers as long as the passenger has an onward connecting flight under the same booking reference number. Those with split bookings will be required to fulfill the entry requirements of Singapore. Check out the requirements for my flight to Kuala Lumpur & transit in Singapore as per the airline’s website a day before this flight.

Singapore Airlines regularly updates their travel requirements page. You can find the latest destination & transit requirements on this page.

Before The Flight

Days after I booked my flight, Singapore Airlines sent an e-mail reminding me to check the entry & transit requirements for my trip. The e-mail had links where I could check the entry protocols for each flight.

3 days before my flight, the airline sent an e-mail informing me about mySQupgrade. It is their instant upgrade program from economy to business class for a hefty price. The instant upgrade offer cost around ₱30,000 – almost 4 times the price of my return ticket. I did not avail of this upgrade offer.

2 days before this flight, the Singapore Air mobile application notified me that my flight is already open for online check-in. I immediately checked-in for my flight to Singapore & onward flight to Kuala Lumpur & chose forward section seats for both flights. The airline allows passengers to choose their seats for free during online check-in.

Flight Information

This Manila to Singapore Singapore Airlines flight was operated by an Airbus A350-900 aircraft delivered in February 2021. This A350 has the airline’s 2-class regional configuration with 40 seats in business class & 263 seats in economy class.

The flight departed Manila at exactly 8:00am from Runway 06/24 & landed Singapore Changi Airport at 10:58am. It only took 2 hours & 58 minutes to reach Singapore. The flight was generally quiet & stable; not much turbulence happened.

Airport & Ground Experience

AIRPORT CHECK-IN

Singapore Airlines segregated check-in counters per cabin class & frequent flyer status. KrisFlyer & Star Alliance status holders & business class passengers have dedicated check-in counters. Economy class passengers have their own queues as well. Economy class passengers who checked in online have a separate & a faster queue.

I already checked in 2 days before so I lined up at the internet check-in queue. The lady at the counter checked my vaccination certificate & travel requirements for Malaysia & then issued my boarding passes to Singapore & Kuala Lumpur. She also weighed my carry-on bag & advised that passengers are only allowed up to 2 carry-on bags each. The whole check-in process took about 25 minutes; it was not as fast as my previous SQ 915 flight in 2019.

PRE-DEPARTURE

After immigration & security check, I walked to Gate 110 where we’ll board our flight to Singapore. The airline divided the pre-departure area into groups according to their assigned seats on the plane. KrisFlyer & Star Alliance status holders & business class passengers were assigned at Groups 1 to 3. Economy class passengers seated at the rear of the aircraft were placed in Group 4. Those in the middle were assigned to Group 5. I, together with the other passengers assigned in the forward economy cabin, were placed under Group 6.

BOARDING

Boarding commenced 30 minutes before the flight at 7:10am. Business class passengers & status holders under Groups 1 to 3 were asked to board the aircraft first. Passengers who require assistance & those traveling with kids & infants boarded next. Economy class groups 4 & 5 followed. Our group, group 6, boarded the plane last.

Economy class passengers were offered earphones at the jet bridge, just a few steps before the aircraft door. The friendly Singapore Airlines cabin crew welcomed every guest & directed them to the aisle where they will walk to their seats. The whole boarding process only took 26 minutes. Aircraft doors were closed at 7:36am.

Inflight Product & Experience

Singapore Airlines is a full-service airline. This means that the airline features personal entertainment screens, has a more comfortable seat & provides inflight meals & drinks. Check out what Singapore Airlines offers on this flight from Manila to Singapore.

Do you want to know the difference between a full-service & a low-cost airline? Check out my previous post detailing the differences of these 2 types of airlines.

SEAT FEATURES

This Manila to Singapore flight was operated by an Airbus A350-900 with 40 lie-flat business class seats & 263 standard economy seats. According to SeatGuru, each business class seat has a 60-inch seat pitch & 28-inch seat width. The seats have a 1-2-1 configuration, with each seat having direct aisle access. All business class seats are equipped with a large personal entertainment screen paired with noise-canceling headphones. Each seat also includes a pillow, a blanket, several storage spaces & a large tray table.

Business Class Seat
Economy Class Seat

Economy class seats have a seat pitch of 28 inches & seat width of 18 inches – slightly bigger than the Boeing 787-10’s 17.5 inches seat width. Each seat comes with a spacious leg room, an adjustable headrest & a personal entertainment screen. Seats also feature a seat pocket with inflight safety cards, a fold-able tray table with mirror, a coat hook, small storage space below the screen, a fold-able cup holder, a USB charging outlet & a universal power outlet in between seats. Pillows & blankets are now available by request.

Check out the screenshot below for the amenities available on this flight:

Singapore Airlines’ economy class seats provide more than what you actually need for a 3-hour flight. The seats & adjustable head rests were comfortable.

INFLIGHT MEAL

The airline offered a complimentary hot meal on this flight to Singapore. Physical menus have been phased out & meal menus can be accessed through the airline’s onboard connectivity service. Passengers had 2 options – Chicken Adobo & Egg Tortilla. I chose the Chicken Adobo meal & was surprised that it still came with a yogurt, a bread roll with butter & drink of choice (coffee, tea, wine, beer, water or juice). I know Singapore Airlines announced in 2020 an enhanced economy class dining experience for short haul flights under 3.5 hours. I expected meals to come in food boxes with sustainable tableware, but I guess the Manila-Singapore-Manila routes were not included in the said changes. I’ve added screenshots below of the menu for this flight.

The chicken adobo tasted great; the meat was full of flavor. The food portions were just right for a 3-hour flight. The crew went around after the meal service to offer a 2nd round of drinks to passengers. An hour after the meal service, I asked for their signature Singapore Sling drink – still their best drink onboard.

I love how the airline continues to use metal cutlery on this route instead of disposable plastic tableware. I hope they can find an alternative for the plastic cups. Oh, one thing! I noticed that they had already removed the towel service before the meal service.

INFLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT

Krisworld, Singapore Airline’s entertainment system, offers thousands of options to choose from. They have hundreds of movies & TV shows to watch, thousands of songs to listen to, games to play & a few local media content to check out. All these options can be accessed via the touch screen personal entertainment screens found in front of every seat. The touch screen screens were responsive & easy to navigate. It also showed the flight path & even details of onward connecting flights. The provided earphones were alright. They aren’t noise canceling but they did its job.

Krisworld also gives frequent flyers the option to personalize their experience. The system asks for the passengers KrisFlyer membership number & then shows the passenger’s favorites or the last song, movie to television show he/she watched / left unfinished. I hope Singapore Airlines install cameras in their A350’s which passengers can access / view during flights.

INFLIGHT CONNECTIVITY

Singapore Airlines offered Wi-Fi service on this flight. PPS Club members & business class passengers are given 100MB of data to use up during the flight. The airline also gives complimentary 2 hours of messaging service to KrisFlyer members in economy class. Non-members can opt to either register to KrisFlyer to avail of the data plans on board. Check out the data plans below (rate as of writing this blog) as per the airline’s website.

LAVATORY

I didn’t get the chance to visit the lavatory on this short hop to Singapore. I got a window seat; my neighbor by the aisle was asleep most of the flight.

Cabin Crew Service

Cabin crew service is one area where Singapore Airlines excels the most. The crew on this flight to Singapore were super friendly & accommodating. They welcomed all passengers with their best smiles, served the meals with the happiest faces & catered to the passenger’s needs with utmost attention. They made sure all passengers had an enjoyable onboard experience. The cabin crew service made this flight even more memorable. Thank you, SQ!

Disembarkation & Baggage Claim

Passengers disembarked in an orderly manner. Business class passengers headed out first, followed by economy passengers in the forward cabin. The rest of the passengers came next. I didn’t go straight to baggage claim since I was in Singapore only for transit.

Final Thoughts

It was another memorable flight with Singapore Airlines. Aside from it being my first international flight out of the Philippines since the pandemic, it turned out as how excellent flights should be – with or without the current crisis. The pandemic may have changed some onboard amenities, but it didn’t stop Singapore Airlines from offering a world-class flight experience on this flight to Singapore.

I enjoyed this flight because of the following. First, the ticket price was cheaper than the Philippines-based low-cost carriers. It even provided more value than those from LCCs. Second, the cabin is clean & very modern. Third, the cabin crew service was topnotch. Fourth, the pandemic may have happened, but the airline has not downsized meal service on their Manila to Singapore flights. It had the same portions, 2 options & sides & even retained the metal cutlery with it.

Fifth, they offered a 2-hour complimentary messaging service to KrisFlyer members. The Wi-Fi service was good. They had connectivity issues but overall worked fine. Sixth, the entertainment system remained updated & competitive. They have the latest movies & TV series seasons. They even had the list of connecting flights & respective boarding gates for those with connecting flights. Lastly, the pandemic has forced the airline to digitalize some onboard amenities. Inflight menus & magazines are now digital.

I noticed some services have been downsized compared to how they were pre-pandemic. First, the towel service prior to the meal service has been omitted. Second, pillows are no longer provided in every seat. They are now available by request. These are only minor & have not affected the overall flight experience.

So happy I was able to try their signature Singapore Sling drink onboard. Can’t wait for the next!

At this stage, I will choose to fly with Singapore Airlines over any Asian airline. I’ve had high expectations from the airline & I can confidently say that they delivered. I cannot wait for my next flight with them. Thank you, Singapore Airlines for this enjoyable flight to your home country, Singapore!

Allow me to share with you the technical details of the flight & the aircraft used. Please see below:

Airline: Singapore Airlines
Flight Date: 29 June 2022
Flight Number: SQ 915
Route: Manila (MNL) to Singapore (SIN)
Duration: 2 hours & 58 minutes
Seat Number: 44A
Aircraft: Airbus A350-941
Aircraft Registration: 9V-SHU
Engines: 2 x Rolls-Royce Trent XWB
Age: 1.4 years old
Delivered: February 2021

Have you recently flown with Singapore Airlines? What do you think of their service after the dark ages of the pandemic? Feel free to share your recent experiences in the comments section below. Do you have a question about the airline or this flight? You may post them in the comments below. If you are shy to post below, you may send your questions, experiences & thoughts via e-mail to contact@thewkndtravel.com.

Thank you for joining me in today’s flight report! Watch out for my onward flight from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur also on Singapore Airlines. 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: CEBU PACIFIC AIR 5J 982 – Davao to Manila – From a Missing Pre-Booked Seat to a Delayed Late Night Flight Back to the Metro [March 2022]

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 3rd 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.

Flight Report: CEBU PACIFIC AIR 5J 971 – Manila to Davao – Excellent ₱872 Domestic Flight on a New Generation Fuel-Efficient Aircraft [March 2022]

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.

USB ports for all passengers!

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.

Great legroom!

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.