Flight Report: PHILIPPINE AIRLINES PR 2922 – Legazpi to Manila – First PAL Flight in 3 Years

Last weekend, I had the chance to fly our country’s flag carrier, Philippine Airlines, on it’s Legazpi to Manila service. I booked the tickets last minute & got this Philippine Airlines (PAL) flight cheaper than its major competitor Cebu Pacific Air. Join me in today’s flight report as I share with you my first ever PAL flight in 3 years – with the last one from Bacolod back in March 2019.

Disclaimer: The reviewer is fully vaccinated during the trip. Travel requirements & procedures may change anytime. Everything mentioned below were valid during the day of the flight. For updated requirements & procedures, please check Philippine Airlines’ Travel Rules & Requirements page.

Philippine Airlines

Philippine Airlines is the Philippines flag carrier. The airline was founded in 1941 & is the oldest commercial airline in Asia. Majority of the airline’s stake is held by PAL Holdings owned by Dr. Lucio Tan – the same owner of LT Group, one of the Philippines’ largest conglomerates. ANA Holdings, the parent company of All Nippon Airways, owns a minority stake in Philippine Airlines.

Philippine Airlines operates around 60 Airbus, Bombardier & Boeing aircraft to over 40 international & 31 domestic routes. Its hubs are located in Manila, Cebu, Davao, Clark & Kalibo. PAL is the country’s biggest full-service airline offering premium experience to its passengers. They offer business class, premium economy & economy class to most of its routes.

PAL is not a member of any airline alliance but has code-share flights with major carriers such as All Nippon Airways, Cathay Pacific, Turkish Airlines, Gulf Air & many more. PAL also has its own frequent flyer program called Mabuhay Miles. PAL is also the only Philippine-based carrier to receive a 4-star rating from world-renowned air transport rating organization Skytrax.

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

Airfare & Inclusions

Ticket prices on both Philippine Airlines & Cebu Pacific Air websites have skyrocketed when I checked for flights. I managed to catch a rare return trip deal with a 3rd party company called Traveloka. The company offered a discounted fare for return tickets on the same airline. I got the ticket for ₱2,277.62 roundtrip including a 10% discount from Traveloka. Note that the ticket prices on the airline websites were double to almost triple compared to the price I paid.

The initial ticket only includes 7-kilogram carry-on baggage but does not include check-in baggage. I called the PAL hotline days before my flight & added 10-kilograms check-in baggage per way. It cost ₱800 return at ₱400 per way. Baggage fees can be cheaper if you book it during the initial ticket booking (which Traveloka didn’t offer for this flight) or more than 15 days before the intended flight.

The return ticket with 10-kilograms baggage per way cost me ₱3,077.62. The airline reflects it as ₱3,372.00 because it didn’t include the 10% discount I got from Traveloka. The all-in ticket price is ridiculously cheap considering it was booked a week before the intended flight & hey, it’s with Philippine Airlines.

Travel Requirements

Metro Manila has one of the laxest travel requirements in the country. The region only requires a valid identification card & a copy of vaccination card or vaccination certificate. Please note a specific local government unit may require additional documents from the arriving passenger. It’s best to always check with the LGU of your destination for the updated requirements.

Philippine Airlines makes sure that their passengers are informed of the latest travel requirements per destination. The airline frequently updates their website with the latest requirements & documents per destination. You may check out this page for more information.

Note: Legazpi Airport still requires all passengers to download the Traze mobile application for contact-tracing purposes.

Before The Flight

Airlines have their own ways of informing their passengers about the requirements for the flight. On my last flight with Cebu Pacific Air, they sent an e-mail with all the reminders days before the flight schedule. Philippine Airlines, on this flight, sent a text message to my registered mobile informing me about my confirmed itinerary, the updated travel rules & regulations & the options in case there are flight disruptions.

I appreciate this gesture to keep their passengers informed of everything about the flight. Kudos to Philippine Airlines!

Flight Information

This Legazpi to Manila PAL flight was operated by a 4.7-year-old Bombardier Q400 or De Havilland Canada DHC-8-400 Next Generation aircraft with registration RP-C5901. The plane has 86 seats on a 2-2 configuration. It has 6 economy-plus or extra legroom seats & 80 regular economy seats. The plane left Bicol International Airport at 7:46am & arrived at Ninoy Aquino International Airport at 8:32am. The flight took 46 minutes in the air & arrived 37 minutes ahead of schedule.

Airport & Ground Experience

This Philippine Airlines flight to Manila was the first flight that operated out of Bicol International Airport that day.

CHECK-IN

All passengers go through the initial security check & Traze application scanning before going to the check-in counters. All airline check-in counters are located on the ground level with Philippine Airline’s counters found in the right part of the building.

Check-in & bag drop took about 2 minutes. The ground staff asked for my identification & vaccination cards, printed my boarding pass & checked my check-in luggage. The PAL ground staff were nice & accommodating on an early Saturday morning.

BOARDING

After check-in, all passengers proceed to the 2nd floor where the final security check & pre-departure area is located. Bicol International Airport is relatively new so there isn’t a lot inside. Boarding commenced ahead of schedule. All passengers walked through the jet bridge & then walked out onto the tarmac to head to the aircraft. We all had a lovely view of Mayon Volcano during boarding.

Bye Bicol International Airport!

The flight crew checked every passenger’s boarding pass & disinfected everyone’s hands upon entering the plane. The whole boarding process took less than 20 minutes & was completed ahead of schedule.

The Mayon Volcano showed up during boarding! This is the view from the airport boarding gate.

Inflight Product

SEAT

Each seat has a small pocket & tray table
Individual air nozzles. Yay!

Philippine Airlines’ Q400 aircraft comes with 86 seats in a 2 x 2 configuration. Each row has 2 window & 2 aisle seats. Each seat features a seat pitch of 29 inches & a seat width of 16.92 inches. Each also features a tray table, individual air nozzle & reading light. The seat also features a decent recline, which the competitor doesn’t offer. The seat pocket in front of every passenger contains the aircraft safety card. Inflight magazines have been removed because of the pandemic; unsure if it will be back soon. The aircraft also features spacious overhead compartments – bigger than the local competitor’s overhead cabin.

Tried to open the tray table. It was spot clean! The crew made sure it was cleaned after the 1st leg.

I got window seat 11A for this flight. I was seated near the propeller so I experienced an extra neglectable noise during the flight. The legroom was alright for such a short flight.

Passenger Safety Card
Great legroom!

INFLIGHT SNACK

Shortly after take-off, the crew handed out snacks to all passengers. They gave out complimentary chocolate oatmeal cookies from Figaro & a 350mL bottled water. The crew finished the snack service in less than 10 minutes.

Free bottled water. Thanks PAL!
Complimentary cookies. Thanks PAL!

INFLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT

Philippine Airlines Q400 aircraft doesn’t come with personal entertainment options & screens. Planes with personal entertainment screens are mostly available on their international routes.

LAVATORY

The aircraft’s lavatory was located in the front part of the cabin. I did not have the chance to visit the lavatory on this short flight.

Cabin Crew Service

Philippine Airlines brands their service as the ‘Heart of the Filipino.’ The cabin crew on this Legazpi to Manila flight embodied that way of service & gave their best in catering to the needs of the passengers. They welcomed all passengers with their best smiles, helped in putting passengers’ bags in the overhead compartment & constantly reminded the passengers of the safety protocols. The cabin crew service on this flight was top-notch, probably one of the best I’ve experienced on a domestic flight.

Disembarkation & Baggage Claim

This Legazpi to Manila PAL flight landed at Ninoy Aquino International Airport & headed to Terminal 2 for disembarkation. Terminal 2’s structure does not cater to propeller planes thus requiring us to have a bus gate. Passengers left the aircraft in an unorderly manner (not by rows) & rode a bus to the airport arrivals area. Checked luggage arrived in less than 10 minutes – quite rare these days!

Final Thoughts

It was an excellent flight with Philippine Airlines; it was probably one of the best domestic legs I’ve had in a while.

Beautiful Q400 aircraft!
View from my seat during take off.

A few things made me happy with this flight. First, the aircraft & seat features were at par with industry standards. The cabin temperature was cool & comfortable. The crew kept the air conditioning on even before the engine started. Second, Philippine Airlines maintained their reputation of being the country’s sole full-service airline & offered snacks to all passengers during a pandemic. Third, the flight operated ahead of schedule. Lastly, the ground & cabin crew service made the flight extra special. I’ve felt & experienced PAL hospitality from the time I checked in for my flight up to when I disembarked from the plane.

This flight was my first PAL flight in 3 years & this won’t be the last. This flight with Philippine Airlines proved that they are still the country’s best airline in terms of service. They may not have the cheapest fares, but they still have the most premium service.

Curious about the technical details of this flight? Check them out below:

Airline: Philippine Airlines
Flight Date: 5 March 2022
Flight Number: PR 2922
Route: Legazpi (LGP) to Manila (MNL)
Duration: 46 minutes
Seat Number: 11A
Aircraft: Bombardier Q400 / De Havilland Canada DHC-8-400 NG
Aircraft Registration: RP-C5901
Aircraft Engine: 2 x Pratt & Whitney Canada PW150A Engines
Age: 4.7 years
Delivered: July 2017

Have you flown with Philippine Airlines recently? How was your experience with the country’s flag carrier? Feel free to share your personal experiences in the comments section below. Do you have any questions about flying into Manila or anything about flying during the pandemic? You may post them below or you may send an e-mail to contact@thewkndtravel.com.

Thanks for joining me in today’s flight report. Stay tuned for the next one coming in shortly. I also have a few flights lined up in the coming weeks & months. Before you go, can you visit my social media channels –Facebook & Instagram – and like or follow them? Thank you & see you in the next one!

PS. Photos were taken using my OnePlus 9 Pro.

Flight Report: CEBGO DG 6193 – Manila to Legazpi – Flying Back Home to Albay During the Pandemic

A little over a week ago, I shared with you my November 2021 flight experience with Cebgo on their DG 6194 flight from Legazpi to Manila. It was my first flight in 21 months & since the pandemic started. A lot has changed from the pre-pandemic flying experience but these changes are for the passengers’ safety & well-being.

Today, I will run you through my return flight from Manila to Legazpi. After a few days around Metro Manila, I had to go home & get back to my usual ‘probinsya’ work from home set-up. What has changed in the process of flying from Manila to Legazpi? We’ll know in the detailed report below.

March 2022 UPDATE: I flew with Cebu Pacific Air’s main competitor in the Legazpi sector – Philippine Airlines – recently. Feel free to also check out my PAL Legazpi to Manila flight PR 2922 & PAL Manila to Legazpi flight PR 2919 flight reports!

Disclaimer: The reviewer is fully vaccinated during the trip. Travel requirements & procedures may change anytime. Everything mentioned below were valid during the day of the flight. For updated requirements & procedures, please check Cebu Pacific Air’s Travel Reminders page.

Cebgo

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

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

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

Airfare & Inclusions

Like my recent Legazpi to Manila flight, I used my CEB Super Pass voucher on this flight back to Legazpi. This pass costs ₱99 base fare plus taxes valid for one-way domestic trip. The pass is valid for one year & can be booked at least a week before the planned trip.

I paid ₱390.88 for this pass & added ₱1,494.72 for the final ticket booking. The ticket cost ₱1,885.6 one-way; it included a 20-kilogram checked baggage allowance, pre-selected window seat & the CEB Flexi option. I availed of the CEB Flexi option because at the time of booking, I was unsure if I will extend my stay in Manila or I will fly out to somewhere with my friends. Know more about the CEB Flexi add-on & other add-ons available on your Cebu Pacific Air / Cebgo flight here.

The return journey from Legazpi to Manila & back to Legazpi cost me ₱3,162.32 all-in. This included pre-selected seats & 20-kilogram baggage allowance per sector & that add-on on the way back. I think this return fare is still a steal considering fares have shoot up during the pandemic & tickets were booked just a week before the intended flight.

Travel Requirements

Travel requirements these days change more often than before. I flew to Manila last 11 November 2021 knowing that I will need to take an RT-PCR test for my flight back home. Luckily, the Provincial Government of Albay changed the requirements for inbound passengers last 12 November 2021.

All passengers need to download the Traze & Albay Get-Pass mobile applications for contact-tracing purposes. Fully-vaccinated passengers are only required to show their vaccination cards upon check in. Partially-vaccinated or unvaccinated passengers need to present a negative antigen or RT-PCR test result taken at least 48 hours before the flight. Children are also required to present this test result.

I was happy the provincial government removed the test requirement for fully-vaccinated travelers; I also got to save some money. Please take note that these travel requirements can change anytime. For the updated ones, please check out Cebu Pacific Air’s Covid-19 Information Page.

Before The Flight

One of the changes I noticed this pandemic is the e-mail reminder sent by Cebu Pacific Air to their passengers before the flight. Passengers previously only get online check in reminders. This time, the airline sends e-mails requesting the passengers to update emergency contact information, reminding them about the contactless protocols for the flight & the updated destination requirements.

I applaud Cebu Pacific Air for sending these reminders to all passengers; I can see that they are making sure that all passengers are informed & are aware of the updated protocols.

Flight Information

This Manila (MNL) to Legazpi (LGP) flight was operated by a 3.1-year-old ATR 72-600 aircraft with registration RP-C7260. The plane has 78 economy seats in a 2-2 configuration. The plane left Ninoy Aquino International Airport via Runway 13/31 at 10:54 am & arrived Bicol International Airport a minute ahead of schedule at 11:59 am. The flight took 1 hour & 5 minutes.

NAIA Terminal 3 Check-In Process

Cebu Pacific Air / Cebgo’s check-in process in Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 is now contactless.

Self-Service Check-In

Passengers are required to check-in online or use the check-in kiosks found outside the bag drop counters. All boarding passes & baggage tags must be printed in these check-in kiosks.

Documents Check

After printing the boarding pass & baggage tags, passengers need to fall in line in the document check counters. Airline staff will check the passenger’s travel requirements & documents before they are allowed to drop their bags. Vaccination cards & antigen/ RT-PCR test results are also checked here.

Bag Drop

After document check, the passengers queue in the bag drop counters for their check-in luggage. The airline staff checks the bag’s weight & conduct last-minute checks. The airline staff asks the passenger to add the luggage tags to their own baggage. He/she also reminds the passengers that only 1 carry-on bag is allowed per person. Additional bags are subject to crew’s evaluation upon boarding & may incur additional charges.

The whole check-in process only took me 15-20 minutes considering the busy passenger airport load that day. It was nice seeing NAIA Terminal 3 relatively busy; it means that travel is starting to pick-up. It is, however, still far off from the pre-pandemic levels.

Boarding

Prior to boarding, Cebgo ground staff advised passengers to fill out the health declaration form required by the City Government of Legazpi & the passenger locator form required by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines. The smaller passenger locator form was collected by the ground staff during boarding.

DG 6193 boarded from the super crowded Gate 134B. Due to the overwhelming number of passengers, social distancing protocols where not observed. The seats were not enough for all the passengers; there’s barely a space for a person to move around.

The boarding process started on time. Passengers with infants, senior citizens, those requiring special assistance & those who availed the GO Ahead add-on boarded first. The general passengers followed. The bus took all the passengers to the assigned aircraft near Terminal 4.

All passengers boarded from the rear door of the ATR 72-600 aircraft & were welcomed by the crew. Passengers were also offered alcohol / hand sanitizer before getting in the plane.

Seat & Inflight Experience

Cebgo’s ATR 72-700 aircraft has 78 seats in a 2 x 2 configuration. Each row has 2 window & 2 aisle seats. The seat pitch was alright; not that spacious but all good for a short flight. The seats only have armrests as dividers & no ‘individual’ seat space unlike those from jet planes. Each seat pocket has a passenger safety card & an air sickness bag. Inflight magazines were removed because of the pandemic. Each seat also has a foldable table, dedicated manual air vents & reading lights. I was lucky I had the C & D seats to myself.

This flight to Legazpi was basic as expected. There were no additional services offered during the flight. Meals were offered to those who pre-booked snacks. The flight left Manila station behind scheduled but managed to arrive at Bicol International Airport ahead of schedule.

All passengers were required to wear face masks & face shields (at that time) throughout the flight. Face shields are no longer required inflight as of writing. The cabin crew constantly reminded the passengers of the inflight safety protocols observed by the airline.

Lavatory

The aircraft’s only lavatory is found at the back of the plane, near the main passenger door. I decided not to use the lavatory on this flight.

Cabin Crew Service

The cabin crew on this flight were on full personal protective equipment, face mask & face shield. They gave a warm welcome to all the passengers; they made sure that everyone complies to all the safety protocols throughout the flight. One of the attendants even helped a passenger look for an overhead compartment for a bag. The same crew even answered the questions of one passenger. The crew took care of us passengers from boarding to disembarkation.

Disembarkation

The cabin crew followed an orderly disembarkation process for this flight. Passengers were only allowed to stand up & get their bags once their rows were called. Upon disembarkation, all passengers headed to the arrival hall. Each passenger was asked to fill out a border control monitoring form. After getting the checked luggage, all passengers lined up in a booth to surrender all the forms (including those given in Manila) & to check-in using the Traze mobile application. After this, passengers are free to leave the terminal building & airport.

FINAL Thoughts

It was another pleasant flight with Cebgo. I’d say this was a more pleasant flight than my Legazpi to Manila leg. The pandemic has changed the aviation industry. The ever-changing destination requirements & flight protocols make flying more stressful; however, we have no choice but to comply to all these rules. Props to the airline staff for making flying even safer at these strange times.

The flight from Manila to Legazpi made me happy for a few reasons: eased flight requirements to Legazpi for fully-vaccinated passengers, removal of home or facility-based quarantine for returning passengers, Albay now opening up to tourists & the Philippine aviation industry slowly going back to life. We may be far off from how things were before the pandemic but at least we can see people starting to crowd the airports & tourist destinations again.

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

Airline: Cebgo
Flight Date: 16 November 2021
Flight Number: DG 6193
Route: Manila (MNL) to Legazpi (LGP) Albay
Duration: 1 hour & 5 minutes
Seat Number: 8D
Aircraft: ATR 72-600
Aircraft Registration: RP-C7290
Age: 3.1 years
Year Delivered: 2018

You all know how much I love flying. Before the pandemic, I’m used to taking 25 to 30 flights in a year. When the pandemic hit, that went down to 0. I was so happy I finally got to fly again after so long. It may not be as frequent as before but at least I got to step on an airport again, board an aircraft & hear the aircraft engines after so long. Flying makes me happy; how I wish I can fly more in the coming months.

Have you been on a flight recently? How has the pandemic changed your flying experience? Feel free to share your personal experiences in the comments section below. Do you have any questions about flying into Legazpi or anything about flying during the pandemic? You may post them below or you may send an e-mail to contact@thewkndtravel.com.

Thanks for joining me in today’s flight report. This may be the last one for now & for this year. I hope take more flights next year. For now, let’s all do our part in making this pandemic an endemic. Please wear your masks properly, observe proper social distancing & get vaccinated. Before you go, can you visit my social media channels – Facebook & Instagram – and like or follow them? Please stay safe & stay tuned for the next one.

PS. Photos were taken using my OnePlus 9 Pro.

Flight Report: CEBGO DG 6194 – Legazpi to Manila – First Flight After 21 Months on the Ground

Hello, it’s been a while! I hope you are all safe & healthy. After hibernating for some time, I am back with a new flight report! Yes, you read it right! After 21 months of being on the ground, I finally took a flight to Manila for a very important event.

How has the pandemic changed flying? Join me as I share with you my flying experience with Cebgo on their Legazpi (LGP) to Manila (MNL) on their ATR-72 aircraft.

March 2022 UPDATE: I also flew with Cebu Pacific Air on the return flight from Manila to Legazpi on Cebgo flight DG 6193. Just recently, I also flew with the country’s flag carrier on Philippine Airlines from Legazpi to Manila on PR 2922 & Manila to Legazpi on PR 2919. Feel free to check those trip reports!

Disclaimer: The reviewer is fully vaccinated during the trip. Travel requirements & procedures may change anytime. Everything mentioned below were valid during the day of the flight. For updated requirements & procedures, please check Cebu Pacific Air’s Travel Reminders page.

Cebgo

Cebgo is not a new airline in this website. It is a subsidiary of the country’s biggest low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific Air. It used to fly as South East Asian Airlines (SEAir) & Tigerair Philippines until Cebu Pacific Air acquired the company in 2014. Today, Cebgo flies an all-turboprop fleet to destinations with relatively small but strong demand & to airports that cannot service bigger jet aircraft. It is also the only Philippines-based airline that flies an all-cargo turboprop aircraft.

Cebu Pacific Air / Cebgo’s 2 x ATR 72-600 aircraft parked in Bicol International Airport. Nice view!

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

Airfare & INCLUSIONS

A few months ago, Cebu Pacific Air offered the so-called ‘CEB Super Pass.’ This pass costs ₱99 base fare plus taxes valid for one-way domestic trip. The pass is valid for one year & can be booked at least a week before the planned trip.

I used 1 CEB Super Pass for this trip. I initially paid ₱390.88 for the pass including taxes. The one-way Legazpi to Manila ticket cost me ₱1,276.72. This included a pre-booked seat & 20 kilograms checked baggage. At the time of booking (week before my intended flight), the one-way ticket cost around ₱4,000 inclusive of all add-ons. I got a good deal with the CEB Super Pass!

Travel Requirements

Metro Manila was downgraded to Alert Level 2 when I flew out of Legazpi. There were no travel document requirements to enter Manila at the time of the flight. All passengers were asked to download the Traze mobile application for contact tracing purposes.

You may check Cebu Pacific Air’s Covid-19 Information Page for updated routes & travel requirements per destination.

Before The Flight

A few days before my flight, Cebu Pacific Air sent e-mail reminders about my flight. These e-mails included a reminder to update the guest details including an emergency contact, travel requirements to Manila & contactless reminders for everyone’s safety.

Bicol International Airport

This Legazpi to Manila Cebgo flight departed from the newly inaugurated Bicol International Airport. This airport replaced the old Legazpi City Airport & is far from the city in Alobo, Daraga, Albay. It adopted the old airport’s LGP code. The new airport hosted its first commercial flight last 8 October 2021. The airport is yet fully operational (with some sections still closed / under construction) but has the required facilities to host domestic commercial flights into Legazpi.

Dubbed as the ‘Most Scenic Gateway,’ the airport is expected to handle 2.2 million passengers annually. The new terminal building is spacious & can be compared to other airports around the country. It also has a great view of the majestic Mayon Volcano.

Flight Information

This Cebgo flight from Legazpi (LGP) to Manila (MNL) was operated by an all economy 4.6-year-old ATR-72 aircraft. The plane has 78 economy seats on a 2-2 configuration. The plane left Bicol International Airport 1 minute early & arrived Ninoy Aquino International Airport 28 minutes ahead of schedule. The whole flight took 1 hour & 2 minutes.

Check In, Baggage & Boarding

Cebgo encouraged all passengers to check-in online & avoid as much physical contact as possible. Given, I have pre-booked a seat, I already checked in online even before I went to the airport. I had my electronic boarding pass in my phone. Check in counters open at least 2 hours before & closes 45-minutes to an hour before the flight.

The woman in the bag counter initially did not want to accept my luggage because it has frozen goods in it. They no longer have plastic bags so they asked me to look for one myself. I personally disliked the ‘sorry po ubos na po plastic namin, kayo nalang po maghanap’ remark I got during bag drop. Good thing my parents found one in a nearby wholesale depot. I managed to finish the bag drop process a few minutes before the counter closed.

Cebgo offers prepaid baggage on all its flights. All tickets come with free 7-kilogram carry-on allowance. Check in baggage is available for purchase at the time of booking the ticket up to 4 hours before the flight schedule. The ticket I bought included 20 kilograms baggage allowance. Cebu Pacific Air & Cebgo recently changed their carry-on baggage policies & have limited them to only 1 hand carry bag per person. It used to be 1 backpack or trolley & 1 hand bag. The sign I saw in the bag drop counter showed that they can charge from ₱1,000 to ₱3,000 as boarding gate bag fees.

Boarding commenced 45 minutes before the flight. All passengers walked through the jet bridge then went down to the tarmac & boarded the plane from the ground. All passengers had a view of the airport terminal’s welcome signage & the majestic Mayon Volcano from afar. The boarding process took longer than expected due to some passengers.

View from the jet bridge

Seat & Inflight Experience

The turboprop aircraft has a 2 x 2 seat layout. Each row has 2 window & 2 aisle seats. The seat pitch was alright; there was not enough legroom as expected. The seats only have armrests as dividers & no ‘individual’ seat space unlike those from jet planes. Each seat pocket has a passenger safety card & an air sickness bag. Inflight magazines were removed because of the pandemic. I was unlucky to have a seat with a broken tray table.

This flight to Manila was very basic. Inflight snacks were only available to those who pre-booked meals. The airline has decided to temporarily get rid of selling snacks during the flight to reduce contact between the crew & the passengers. The flight went smooth & we arrived in Manila in no time.

Face masks (and at that time face shields) were required to be properly worn throughout the flight. The cabin crew constantly reminded all passengers of this inflight protocol. At the time of writing, face shields are no longer required inside the airplane. Please take note though that this can change anytime.

Lavatory

The aircraft’s only lavatory is found at the back of the plane, near the main passenger door. I decided not to use the lavatory on this flight.

Cabin Crew Service

The Cebgo cabin crew on this flight welcomed us passengers in their full personal protective equipment with face mask & face shield. They made sure that passengers comply to the safety & health protocols from boarding to disembarkation.

Disembarkation

We all waited for our rows to be called by the cabin crew before we can stand up, get our bags & disembark. Upon disembarkation, we headed to the bus that took us to the arrival hall. Checked baggage were already in the baggage claim areas when we arrived. The arrival process in Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 has never been this efficient until this pandemic.

Verdict

Just like the old times, it’s always a pleasure flying with Cebgo. A lot has changed since the pandemic but the airline’s service remains top-notch. Everything was great except for the bag drop encounter. Inflight experience was bare but acceptable. Seat pitch was okay except for the broken tray table. I admire how the cabin crew & the airline imposes strict health & safety protocols from the time the passengers enter the plane up to disembarkation. It was also nice to see that all passengers followed the disembarkation protocol (by rows) applied by the crew & airline.

Here are the technical details of this flight I took:

Airline: Cebgo
Flight Date: 11 November 2021
Flight Number: DG 6194
Route: Legazpi (LGP) Albay to Manila (MNL)
Duration: 1 hour & 2 minutes
Seat Number: 7D
Aircraft: ATR 72-600
Aircraft Registration: RP-C7284
Age: 4.6 years
Year Delivered: 2017

I was so happy to fly again after 21 months of being on the ground. As far as I can remember, my last flight was in January 2020 when I flew back to Manila after the Christmas holidays. It felt like it was a long time ago. Flying may have changed a lot during this pandemic but it has never changed the feeling of excitement or happiness I get when in one.

This is the view every passenger gets right before boarding the flight to Manila. Majestic indeed! 😍

Have you flown any local or international airline recently? How was your experience? How has the pandemic changed your flying experience? Feel free to share your personal experiences in the comments section below. Do you have any questions about flying into Manila or anything about flying during the pandemic? You may post them below or you may send an e-mail to contact@thewkndtravel.com.

Thank you for joining me in today’s flight report. Let’s hope the pandemic ends soon so we can all fly to wherever we want to. For now, please do your own part by getting vaccinated & by observing health protocols. Before you go, can you visit my social media channels – Facebook & Instagram – and like or follow them? Thank you. Stay safe.

PS. Photos were taken using my OnePlus 9 Pro.

That No Travel 2020 – A Year of Refunds, Flight Credits & Cancelled Trips

2020 – an eventful year no one expected. It was a year that challenged the world’s normalcy, every country’s government & health system, every business & every person’s daily life. Things changed in a blink of an eye – natural disasters here & there, global pandemic, ‘environmental reset’ for a while & now, the new normal with strict health protocols.

The past travel years have been very memorable for me – 2016 was all about travelling solo, 2017 was about discovering new places & revisiting the old ones, 2018 was about reuniting & travelling with friends & 2019 was all about crossing borders & making travel dreams come true. 2020 was different – it was a year where I had big travel plans but nothing came to fruition. It was a grounded year full of refunds, flight credits & cancelled trips.

Let me share with you what were my plans for 2020, what actually happened & what the future holds.

2020 Plans

I started 2020 with a high note; I had big plans for this year. I booked tickets to old & new destinations, planned to reunite with friends in Davao, Palawan, Shanghai, Kuala Lumpur & Bangkok, travel with my mom to Australia, take my colleagues to Vietnam & revisit Europe for the 2nd year & Japan for the 6th year in a row.

I also had plans of trying new airlines (Emirates, Qantas, Virgin Australia, Thai Airways), flying different aircraft types (Boeing 777-300ER, Boeing 747-8 & Airbus A380 (thrice!!)) & staying in new boutique hostels around Asia, Australia & Europe. I had a long list of new things to try & planned contents (old & new destinations, thrift hacks) to share in this blog.

I was so looking forward to flying the world’s superjumbo jet in these 2 flights from HKG to MUC 🙁

All these plans got postponed or cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

What Actually Happened

The deadly virus believed to have started in China before Christmas 2019 – just days before I got my Chinese tourist visa. Its effects were not widely talked about until the country imposed a lockdown for the Chinese New Year holidays. Flights to & from China were cancelled; borders in various countries were closed for people coming from China. People all over the world started to become cautious about everything.

Our Shanghai weekend trip got cancelled for obvious reasons. Everyone lived normal lives except that people wear masks. We booked tickets for the rest of 2020 trips; we even got our Australian tourist visas for the April trip. Little did we know, the virus started to spread in Europe, particularly in Italy in February & the rest of the world in March.

Here in the Philippines, the government imposed a community quarantine effective 16 March but was later changed to the strictest form of lockdown from 17 March. The country closed its borders with all domestic & international flights suspended. Everyone was forced to stay & work from home. Malls & offices were closed, public transportation systems were shut down & streets were empty. Only limited essential movements were allowed; only 1 person was allowed to go out per household. All countries around the world also closed their borders, imposed strict lockdown & limited movement protocols.

The first of many flight cancellations I received back in March 2020. I remember I was so looking forward to this Airbus 350 flight from Brisbane to Singapore only to find it out was cancelled. 🙁

Our Saigon weekend trip, Davao weekend trip & Australia Holy Week trips got cancelled one after the other. We applied for a refund for the Saigon trip & opted for travel fund / travel credits for all Davao & Australia tickets. All accommodation bookings & trips were also cancelled. Airlines were forced to suspend commercial operations. The world’s travel industry paused.

Our N9 March Davao trip was initially moved to August but was then cancelled due to metro MECQ

Restrictions were somewhat eased in June. The government was forced to open the economy but the number of cases continued to rise until the end of the year. With the level of uncertainty happening around the world & with all borders closed, I was forced to cancel the planned trips to Malaysia, Thailand & Europe. Again, these tickets were either refunded or kept as travel credits.

Our Bangkok trip also got cancelled because of Covid & we got our refund from PAL after a month!!

I didn’t take any trip in 2020; I’ve been on the ground for the whole year. On a lighter note, I caught up with my Europe blogs. I also continued posting about hostel of the day features, flight reports & even the ‘hit’ Tuesday tips. I also introduced new sections namely P’s List & Flying 101.

Towards the end of the year, I almost ran out of content to share & completely lost motivation to write. It felt like the pandemic is here to stay for a while. I stopped looking at airline websites & booking air tickets, stopped reading about & looking for new destinations & even stopped watching travel vlogs. I stopped everything I was doing for travelling & turned away from this website for a bit. That is the main reason why you are reading this 2020 recap in July 2021.

The Future

It’s now mid-2021 but the pandemic is still here. Vaccines have arrived but new virus variants threat the effectivity of these brilliant works of science. What does the future hold of us? No one knows. I am very positive that this pandemic will end & that we will all go back to the normal lives we were used to.

Currently sitting on various travel credits & funds from different airlines. Where should I go first?

As for this site – it’s not going anywhere. I will start posting in the coming weeks & months. I will also start planning my future trips; I have so much travel credit to use! I also plan to travel domestically as soon as it’s relatively safer outside. I guess we have to learn to live with the virus for a while!

I know it’s too late to ask but I was wondering how your 2020 went? What happened to your travel plans? Did you push through with some of them? How was it travelling during the pandemic? Feel free to share your cancelled 2020 trips, pandemic travel experiences & plans for the future in the comments section below.

I will end this recap here but I hope that you are all healthy & sound. Please always wear a mask & observe minimum health protocols when going out. Also, please get vaccinated when you can! Let’s do our part in helping the country achieve herd immunity & in helping the world end this pandemic. Stay safe!

Flying 101: The REALITIES of Flying Low-Cost Airlines

A few weeks ago, I introduced a section in this website called Flying 101. Posts under this category aim to take the readers through the basics & the ins & outs of flying. I already shared with you a comparison between low-cost & full-service airlines. I also gave you an introduction about the Philippine government-mandated airline taxes & fees charged by the airlines.

Today’s Flying 101 post will run you through the realities of flying low-cost airlines. Low-cost travel has significantly changed the aviation & travel industry over the years. Low-cost airlines have popped out in almost every country in the world & have provided a very affordable flying experience to humankind.

There is really no issue flying a low-cost airline. However, one must get ready for the following ‘realities’ when flying one.

It’s cheap but you get what you pay for.

Yes – it’s that cheap. You can get a ticket as low as free, ₱1, $1, €1 or 1 of whatever currency base fare plus taxes & fees. This ticket only includes a guaranteed seat on the flight in an almost all-economy class configured airplane. It also includes basic carry-on luggage of 7 to 10 kilograms, depending on how much the airline allows.

Nothing else is free.

Every extra inflight service or amenity comes with a fee. Passengers pay for check-in baggage allowance, inflight meals, a bottle of water & seat selection. Some airlines in other countries also offer priority check-in & boarding plus fast-track lane access for additional fees.

Most low-cost airlines offer fare bundles with combined add-ons for discounted rates. It’s always cheaper to avail these fare bundles than paying for every single add-on after selecting the basic fare.

Flight schedules aren’t the most convenient.

Low-cost airlines don’t have the most convenient flight schedules. The low-cost airlines here in the Philippines, have convenient schedules across the domestic network. Their international network has a different story. Most international flights leave either early morning, mid to late afternoon or late at night. Only a few international short-haul destinations (the likes of Hong Kong & Singapore) have regular schedules throughout the day.

Change fees are expensive.

Low-cost airlines impose very high change or rebooking fees. This change fee is on top of the fare difference you have to pay when changing your ticket. Change fees here in the Philippines can cost as high as ₱2,000 per sector. At most times, it’s cheaper to buy a new ticket. Make sure to check the price of the new ticket before rebooking your ticket.

Some low-cost airlines now offer flexible ticket options by charging a flexible ticket add-on which waives change fees & only charges the fare difference. This is a good add-on for this with unpredictable schedules.

Expect for an ‘OK’ overall service.

Don’t expect for a 5-star service when flying these low-cost carriers. You will usually experience bus boarding / disembarkation, a walk in the tarmac, paper boarding passes, crowded passenger waiting areas & frequent flight delays. You might even encounter not-so-clean airplane seats, tray tables & (sometimes) filthy cabin & toilets in general.

One thing you’ll notice, most of the ground attendants & on-board crew are friendly & accommodating – which is good!

Don’t get me wrong – I am not a low-cost carrier hater. In fact, I love flying low-cost airlines because of their super cheap fares. Flying these airlines come with certain realities we have to face. I’ve had a few bad experiences with some low-cost airlines but here I am flying with them again & again. At the end of the day, I am fine with these ‘realities’ as long as they take me to my desired destination safe & sound.

How are your experiences with low-cost airlines? Have you experienced some of those mentioned above? Share your experiences in the comments section below. Do you have any questions about anything mentioned above? Feel free to send them via e-mail to contact@thewkndtravel.com. Also, please follow me on my social media pages – Facebook & Instagram.

Thank you for joining me in today’s Flying 101 topic. See you in the next one! Stay safe & healthy.