Yes, you read the title right! Jet flights are back in Bicol. Just last month, May 2022, Cebu Pacific Air & Philippine Airlines restarted their Airbus A320 services to & from Legazpi at the newly-opened Bicol International Airport.
Since this new airport opened in October 2021, Cebu Pacific Air utilized their ATR 72-600 turboprop aircraft on their daily flights to & from Legazpi, while Philippine Airlines flew their De Havilland Canada DHC-8-400 aircraft on the same route. I have had the pleasure of flying these propeller planes from both airlines in the last few months. Check out the following flight reports to know more: DG6194 Legazpi to Manila, DG6193 Legazpi to Manila, PR2922 Legazpi to Manila, PR2919 Manila to Legazpi & DG6192 Legazpi to Manila.
If you have been following me in the last few weeks, you know that I’ve been to Cebu with my friends for a quick 4 days & 3 nights around Cebu City & Bantayan Island. From Cebu, I flew to Manila to fulfill some work obligations. After a quick 1-day trip in Manila, I then flew back home to Legazpi – this time on Cebu Pacific Air’s Airbus A320 jet service on 5J 325. Join me in today’s flight report as I share with you my experience flying with a jet back to Bicolandia.
Cebu Pacific Air
Cebu Pacific Air is not a new airline in this website; it is actually my most-reviewed airline here. Cebu Pacific Air is the country’s largest low-cost carrier. The airline is owned by Cebu Air Inc which is part of one of the country’s biggest conglomerates, JG Summit Holdings. The airline commenced its first flight in 1996 & has been flying for over 26 years. Together with its subsidiary, Cebgo (previously Tiger Air Philippines), the airline flies to over 60 destinations across the country, Asia Pacific & the Middle East. It operates close to 70 young & fuel-efficient jet & propeller aircraft. Cebu Pacific Air operates the narrow-body & wide-body aircraft while its subsidiary operates the propeller passenger & cargo aircraft.
The airline has a lifestyle & loyalty program called Go Rewards. It is also a founding member of Value Alliance, the world’s largest alliance of low-cost carriers. The airline has opened the opportunity for every Filipino to fly domestic & international at extremely low prices compared to its industry rivals. It is known for its ₱1-base fare promotions offered a few times a year.
In case you missed it, I post reviews & features of my flights since June 2019. I’ve covered airlines such as EVA Air, Indonesia Air Asia, Singapore Airlines, Philippine Airlines & Cebu Pacific Air. All posts about these flights are found under the Flight Reports category.
Airfare
I had initial plans of traveling by land with my parents back to Bicol after the short work trip in Manila. Last-minute changes in plans forced me to take this flight back to Legazpi. I’m super thankful for Cebu Pacific Air’s CEB Super Pass I got a one-way ticket a week before the scheduled flight for only ₱1,234.88. I paid ₱390.88 for the CEB Super Pass & added ₱844.00 for the flight taxes & 20-kilograms check-in baggage allowance. Not bad for a last-minute ticket, eh?
Travel Requirements
Albay is open to tourism & returning residents since late last year. Fully-vaccinated individuals only need to provide a valid ID & their vaccination card or vaccination certificate. Partially & unvaccinated passengers need to provide a negative antigen result taken 48 hours before the flight.
I have been fully-vaccinated since October last year, so I only had to show my vaccination card. Please take note that these requirements may change from time to time. For Cebu Pacific Air passengers, the airline has compiled on their website & is regularly updating the requirements for all their destinations. Feel free to check out the updated Covid-19 Information Page here.
Before The Flight
Even with more lax restrictions & border controls, Cebu Pacific Air still kept their passengers informed by sending e-mail reminders days before the scheduled flight. The e-mail contained contactless flight protocols, check-in & bag drop schedules & mask reminders.
Just like the reminders we got for our recent flight from Legazpi to Cebu, I noticed that the airline has removed the item about the Traze mobile application. I believe the authorities have stopped using this application for contact-tracing purposes. It would have been nicer if contact-tracing procedures were still being practiced in order to curb any possible surge in cases.
I still commend Cebu Pacific Air for keeping their passengers informed & prepared for what they may experience from check-in to the flight itself.
Flight Information
Cebu Pacific Air has brought their Airbus 320 aircraft back to Legazpi Airport just last May 2022. This 5J 325 flight was operated by a 6.5-year-old Airbus A320-200 Sharklet aircraft with registration RP-C4106. This 320 sharklet aircraft has an all-economy class configuration with 180 seats. The flight left Manila station at 9:20am, cruised to an altitude of 25,000 ft & then touched down at Bicol International Airport at 10:01am. This Manila to Legazpi flight only took 41 minutes; it departed on time & arrived at its destination a few minutes ahead of schedule.
Airport & Ground Experience
CHECK-IN
I arrived at Ninoy Aquino International Airport around 6:30am; I expected long queues from going into the terminal & to the check-in counters. I was so surprised to see a rather empty Cebu Pacific Air check-in counters. I noticed that the counters were sorted by destination for the first time in years. I also noticed that the document check section, which I mentioned on my November 2021 Cebgo Manila to Legazpi flight, was already removed.
I took me exactly 7 minutes to finish the whole check-in process. This included checking-in & printing my boarding pass & bag tags in the self-service check-in machines, queuing for bag drop & the bag drop process itself. The guy at the check-in counter was very friendly.
PRE-DEPARTURE
After check-in, I went through security & walked to our assigned gate – Gate 131. I was surprised to see a not-so-crowded boarding gate. There were a lot of available seats & there were no people seated on the floor. The gate started to get packed when it was near our boarding schedule.
At exactly 8:00am, I received a text message from Cebu Pacific Air confirming Gate 131 as my assigned boarding gate. Props to Cebu Pacific Air for keeping the passengers well-informed. It’s these small details that make the flights enjoyable & worth the price.
BOARDING
Boarding commenced at exactly 8:15am. Priority passengers, those traveling with kids, senior citizens & persons with disabilities boarded first. After a few minutes, the crew called the rest of the passengers for boarding. All passengers took the bus to the assigned aircraft.
Passengers board from both the front & rear cabin doors. Those seated from rows 1 to 15 boarded through the front door, while those seated from rows 16 to 31 boarded through the rear door. I was assigned seat 25F, so I boarded through the rear door. The boarding process took 45 minutes; the cabin crew closed the aircraft doors at 9:00am.
Inflight Product & Experience
SEAT
Cebu Pacific Air’s Airbus A320-200 aircraft has 180 passenger seats in an all-economy class cabin. It has a 3 x 3 configuration across 30 rows. Each row has 6 seats. All seats, except the exit row seats, have a seat width of 17 inches & a seat pitch of 29 inches. This 6.5-year-old aircraft had the old & thick seat design which can still be reclined.
I got a window seat (25F) for this quick flight to Legazpi. Each seat features an industry-standard leg room, a foldable tray table & a seat pocket with the aircraft safety card. Each passenger also has access to individual air vents & individual reading lights. The seats do not feature USB power outlets, unlike those from the Airbus A321neos I flew with to Davao & from Davao last March. I will choose the seat recline over the USB power outlet any time!
INFLIGHT SNACKS
Cebu Pacific Air does not offer complimentary snacks or meals on all of their flights. Instead, the airline offers buy on board light snacks & drinks during the flight. This paid snack service was only re-introduced recently when cases have gone down.
For this flight to Legazpi, the cabin crew offered light snacks & drinks to passengers shortly after take-off. Choices were limited to chips, light snacks & drinks. Rice / heavy meals & alcoholic beverages were not yet offered during this flight. Inflight menus are not yet available on this flight.
INFLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT
Cebu Pacific Air aircraft do not feature personal entertainment screens. Pre-pandemic, they had inflight magazines found in every seat pocket. These magazines were still not available on this flight.
The airline is known for conducting inflight games in exchange for airline-branded merchandise. For this flight, the crew asked for 3 items; the passengers who raised their hand first & showed the requested items first won Cebu Pacific Air-branded pouches. I got the 2nd question correct & won an airline branded pouch. Thank you, Cebu Pacific Air!
LAVATORY
I didn’t have the chance to visit the rear lavatory during the flight. I was seated by the window; the couple beside me were mostly asleep during the flight.
Cabin Crew Service
I had close to no encounter with the cabin crew on this flight, but I noticed that they were attentive to the questions & requests of the guests during the snack service. They also greeted all passengers during boarding & disembarkation.
Disembarkation & Baggage Claim
We arrived at Bicol International Airport at 10:01am & disembarked from the aircraft minutes later. Passengers use both front & rear doors for disembarkation. Our check-in baggage took longer than usual because a Philippine Airlines flight arrived ahead of us. The bags from that PAL flight came out first & were followed by those from our flight. Bicol International Airport authorities have removed the arrival forms & Traze App QR code checks they had months before.
Final Thoughts
This Cebu Pacific Air Manila to Legazpi flight on 5J 325 l took last 19 May 2022 was an excellent flight. In fact, it’s probably one of the best ones I’ve had with the airline. Everything on this flight, from ticket price, to check-in, boarding to inflight experience, went right.
The price I paid for this one-way flight was definitely the highlight of the trip. Imagine, I only paid that cheap for a flight in 7 days. Take note, the ticket even included 20 kilograms of check-in baggage allowance. Thanks to my CEB Super Pass, I got this great deal.
I was surprised to see the check-in counters & pre-departure gates empty on a Thursday morning. I enjoyed the quick check-in & bag drop process, the efficient boarding process & the on-time departure & arrival of this flight. I also won a Cebu Pacific Air-branded pouch during the inflight games.
Flights like this make me more excited to fly again with Cebu Pacific Air in the future. I am looking forward to taking them again on my future domestic & international flights. Thank you, Cebu Pacific Air for such an enjoyable flight experience.
PS. I am also delighted to see bigger jet aircraft being used again for the Manila to Legazpi route!
For those who are interested, here are the technical details of this flight:
Airline: Cebu Pacific Air
Flight Date: 19 May 2022
Flight Number: 5J 325
Route: Manila (MNL) to Legazpi (LGP)
Duration: 41 minutes
Seat Number: 25F
Aircraft: Airbus A320-200
Aircraft Registration: RP-C4106
Engines: 2 x CFM International Jet Engines
Age: 6.5 years old
Delivered: January 2016
Thank you for joining me in today’s flight report. Do you have any questions about flying with Cebu Pacific Air or flying in to Legazpi? Feel free to post your questions in the comments section below. You may also send them via e-mail to contact@thewkndtravel.com.
Stay tuned for upcoming flight reports & posts! In the meantime, you may check out my previous flight reports here. Before you go, can you visit my social media channels –Facebook & Instagram – and like or follow them? Thank you & see you in the next one!
PS. Photos were taken using my OnePlus 9 Pro.