Budget – Page 4 – The Wknd Travel

Flight Report: PEACH AVIATION MM 158 – Fukuoka to Osaka Kansai – Future-Proof & Efficient Japanese Domestic Low-Cost Flight [April 2023]

In April 2023, I flew to my favorite country, Japan, for the first time since the pandemic. I thought I was just in time for the cherry blossom season, but Sakura started early this year. I saw a ₱1 base fare ticket to Fukuoka from Osaka a few months ago and decided to grab this low fare to visit Japan again.

Upon arrival in Fukuoka, I stayed only for a night and decided to fly to Osaka the next day and base there for the remaining 6 days. Between these 2 cities, I flew with one of Japan’s biggest low-cost airlines – Peach Aviation. This Peach Aviation flight MM 158 from Fukuoka to Osaka Kansai is today’s flight report feature. Read on below as I share details about this future-proof and efficient Japanese domestic flight.

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, Emirates & Cebu Pacific Air. All posts about these flights are found under the Flight Reports category.

Peach Aviation

Peach Aviation Limited, operating as Peach, is a Japanese low-cost airline based in Osaka, Japan. The airline was founded by All Nippon Airways and Hong Kong-based private equity firm First Eastern Investment Group on 10 February 2011. The airline was initially named A&F Aviation and rebranded to Peach on 24 May 2011.

The airline had its first domestic commercial flight to Sapporo and Fukuoka on 1 March 2012. It also marked the first flight by a Japanese low-cost airline in the country. It flew its first international route from Osaka Kansai International Airport to Seoul Incheon International Airport back on 8 May 2012. The airline has launched several domestic and international routes through the years and has become one of the biggest low-cost carriers in the country. In 2018, All Nippon Airways, its parent company, announced the merger of Peach and another low-cost carrier, Vanilla Air, with Peach as the surviving entity.

Today, Peach flies to 37 destinations within Japan, South Korea, China, Hong Kong, and Thailand. It has bases in Osaka, Naha (in Okinawa), Tokyo Narita, and Sendai. The airline operates an all-Airbus A320 fleet. It expects deliveries of Airbus A320neos and Airbus A321LR (long-range) aircraft in the next few years. On 24 April 2023, the airline celebrated an important milestone as it flew its 50millionth passenger since it started its operations.

Peach sports a unique livery consisting of pink, purple, and white color schemes. As far as I am aware, the airline does not have a loyalty program. It has a monetary token called Peach Points where these points can be used to pay for Peach flights, add-ons, and government taxes.

Peach is a low-cost airline. The airline offers basic airline fares at low and affordable prices. Any other add-ons and services availed of such as check-in baggage allowance, seat selection, and inflight meals are paid on top of the basic fare.

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 booked my one-way ticket 2 months before the intended flight date and paid ¥8,260. I availed of the airline’s Simple Peach basic fare and bought a 20-kilogram check-in baggage allowance as an add-on. My local credit card issuer charged me ₱3,559.50, including the foreign currency transaction conversion fees.

I believe the total fare price is reasonable considering it was for a flight during the peak Sakura season and it was booked 2 months before the flight.

Travel Requirements

The airline staff only requested a valid identification card during counter check-in. They specifically asked for my Philippine passport during check-in. Apart from the confirmed airline ticket and valid ID, the airline staff did not require any other requirements to board this flight.

Before The Flight

3 days before the flight, Peach Aviation sent a flight email reminder. They sent a pre-flight preparation checklist and tons of information about check-in and bag drop procedures. They also offered more add-ons such as additional baggage allowance and seat selection.

At the time of the flight, check-in procedures are only done at the airport at least 1.5 hours before the flight. Recently, the airline has introduced flight check-in procedures through its official mobile application.

Aircraft & Flight Information

This Fukuoka to Osaka Peach flight MM158 utilized a 7.4-year-old (at the time of the flight) Airbus A320-214 aircraft. This plane, delivered to the airline in November 2015, is registered under JA817P. It has 180 seats in an all-economy class 3 x 3 configuration.

The flight took off from Fukuoka International Airport at 6:13 p.m. and touched down at Kansai International Airport in Osaka at exactly 7:00 p.m. The flight only took 47 minutes and arrived 5 minutes ahead of schedule.

Ground & Airport Experience

Domestic flights out of Fukuoka International Airport depart from the Domestic Terminal. This is the airport terminal connected to the Kūkō Line of the Fukuoka City subway system.

CHECK-IN

Check-in for domestic Peach flights opens 90 minutes before the scheduled time of departure. Passengers first check-in through the check-in kiosks, line at the counters for document check, and drop bags for weight and security checks at the bag-drop counter. Seats are assigned automatically unless availed of for an additional fee.

This unique check-in process took me less than 5 minutes to finish. Add to that, the ground staff at the document check and bag-drop counters were nice and accommodating. It was an easy, quick, and efficient check-in process. Well done, Peach!

PRE-DEPARTURE

After check-in, I lined up and took some time to pass through security. I walked to our assigned gate, Gate 2, and noticed that the noticeboards included the expected flight delays in the smallest timeframe (10 to 15 minutes).

The Gate 2 pre-departure area had enough seats for all the people in our flight. It even had workstations for those who wanted to do some work while waiting or those who needed to go into a meeting before catching a flight.

BOARDING

The ground staff announced the pre-boarding reminders at 5:30 p.m. They started boarding passengers at 5:35 p.m., 20 minutes before the scheduled departure.

Passengers assigned to seats A and F in rows 16 and above boarded the plane first. They were followed by all passengers seated between rows 16 and above. Next, passengers assigned to seats A and F in rows 1 to 15 boarded the plane. They were followed by the rest of the passengers. One quick note – all boarding announcements were made in Japanese and not in English.

The crew closed the cabin doors at 5:55 p.m. The boarding process was finished in 20 minutes. It was quick, orderly, and efficient. The plane pushed back at exactly 6:00 p.m.

Inflight Hard & Soft Product

SEAT FEATURES

This Fukuoka to Osaka Peach flight was operated by an all-economy-class Airbus A320-200 aircraft. The plane has 180 economy seats configured in a 3 x 3 arrangement split in the middle by a single aisle. According to SeatGuru, all seats (excluding the exit row seats) have a seat width of 17 inches and a seat pitch of 29 inches.

I got an aisle seat (4C) for this quick flight to Osaka. Each seat features an industry-standard leg room, a foldable tray table and a seat pocket with the aircraft safety card, air sickness bag, inflight magazines (both in English and Japanese) and an inflight digital service information sheet. Each passenger also has access to individual air vents and individual reading lights.

INFLIGHT SNACKS

Peach does not offer complimentary snacks or meals onboard. Passengers can purchase snacks, meals, or drinks onboard through the inflight digital service. Unlike other low-cost carriers, the Peach cabin crew does not go around the plane and offer snacks to the passengers. They only go to the passengers once food orders made through the inflight portal are served.

They offer a wide range of snack and drink options at reasonable prices. I did not avail of any food or drink service during this flight.

INFLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT

Like most low-cost airlines, Peach Aviation planes do not feature personal entertainment screens. They provide inflight magazines both in English and Japanese.

The airline also has an inflight portal where passengers can browse through various entertainment contents such as airline original videos and other variety shows. The portal’s shop offers souvenirs for those who want to buy some and transportation tickets for those who want to take the bus from Kansai Airport to Umeda. The portal also features a moving inflight map that shows real-time details about the flight.

INFLIGHT CONNECTIVITY

Peach did not offer in-flight Wi-Fi on this short flight to Osaka. Passengers can connect to the onboard connection only to access the inflight portal and not to use the internet or messaging applications.

LAVATORY

I did not get the chance to visit the lavatory because the flight was a little under an hour.

Cabin Crew Service

Unfortunately, I did not have a direct interaction with the cabin crew on this flight. I saw them only during boarding, before take-off and landing and during disembarkation. At least, they made sure that everyone followed the protocols during these times. Overall, the cabin service lack personal touch from the crew.

Disembarkation & Baggage Claim

The aircraft touched down at Kansai International Airport at exactly 7:00 p.m. and taxied to Terminal 2. We got off the plane through the tarmac and walked quite a distance to the baggage claim area. We got our bags after a few minutes and headed to the free shuttle bus to Terminal 1 / Kansai Airport train station.

The arrival experience was almost like our Jetstar flight from Sapporo to Tokyo Narita back in February 2018.

Flight Experience

I had a fun, interesting and unique flying experience with Peach Aviation. I believe some of the Japanese way of doing things are different from what we are used to, but they totally make sense. I found their systems quick, efficient and future-proof.

This flight had some notable points. First, the check-in process was unique but quick and very efficient. The whole process took me less than 5 minutes and that included checking in via the kiosk, having my documents checked with the ground staff and surrendering my check-in luggage for a weight and security check.

Second, Fukuoka Airport announced every possible delay on their flight noticeboards. They announced the expected 5-minute delay. Impressive! Third, the boarding process was, again, unique but made everything run smoothly and quickly. I noticed that it is only in Japan that they board A and F passengers before anyone else. This specific process works and makes boarding faster.

Fourth, Peach Aviation’s inflight portal is something else. It is future-proof and a nice additional feature for a low-cost airline. Another airline that comes to mind is Scoot, with its ScootHub. I hope the other low-cost airlines in the region develop their own inflight portal. I seriously think this portal makes the inflight experience a lot better.

Lastly, the fare I paid for this flight (¥8,260 / ₱3,559.50) was worth every single penny. The airline offered an affordable fare during the peak season and delivered an excellent flying experience.

Moving to the other side, I personally think the airline can improve some parts of the flight. First, they can add more contents and options to the inflight portal. Currently, the entertainment options are limited to airline-related videos and some variety shows. It would be nice to have full movies or television series in the options.

Second, I hope the airline can also incorporate English announcements both during boarding and during the flight. They can continue making the announcements in Japanese, but I hope they can also add some English parts for the important ones. Lastly, I personally felt the lack of cabin crew touch on the flight. I may be saying this as someone who is used to the Southeast Asian kind of inflight hospitality. The cabin crew service still affects the overall flying experience.

Nevertheless, it was still an excellent flight with Peach Aviation. Will I fly them again in the future? Definitely. It would be interesting to see if other Japan-based airlines follow the same processes. I wonder if All Nippon Airways (ANA), Japan Airlines (JAL), Air Do, Jetstar Japan and other local airlines do the same thing. I hope I can fly all of them in the future.

To my fellow aviation geeks, here are some additional information about this domestic flight to Osaka:

Airline: Peach Aviation
Flight Date: 14 April 2023
Flight Number: MM 158
Route: Fukuoka, Japan (FUK) to Kansai Airport, Osaka, Japan (KIX)
Duration: 47 minutes
Seat Numebr: 4C (aisle seat)
Aircraft: Airbus A320-214
Aircraft Registration: JA817P
Engines: 2 x CFM International CFM56 Engines
Age (at the time of the flight): 7.4 years old
Delivered: November 2015

This sums up my first-ever flight with Peach! Have you flown Peach in the past? How was your experience? Will you fly Peach soon & or by any chance have questions about anything mentioned above? 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.

Thank you for joining me in today’s Peach flight report. I hope you can also check out these flight reports as well as my previous flight reports with Cebu Pacific Air, Singapore Airlines, Emirates, Vietnam Airlines and Air France. All other previous flight reports can be found under the Flight Reports category. Feel free to check them out. Please look forward to more flight reports in the future.

Before you go, I hope you can like and follow my social media pages – Facebook and Instagram. This will help me increase my reach; it will also keep you up-to-date with the latest blog posts and flight reports on this website. Thank you and see you in the next flight report!

PS. Photos were taken using my OnePlus 9 Pro.

HANOI Weekend Photoblog: 3 Fun-Filled & Spontaneous Days around the Vietnamese Capital City

Early this year, my friend and I flew to the Vietnamese capital city of Hanoi for a quick 3-day weekend getaway. We came across a ₱1 base fare ticket mid-last year and immediately took the chance to visit this beautiful city. We have heard great things about the place, so we decided to give it a go.

We did not get the chance to plan things out before the trip. We showed up to the airport with only a return ticket, a booked place to stay (accommodation) and an airport transfer – no planned itineraries, no booked tours and no whatsoever. Thankfully, the trip turned out fun and memorable despite everything being decided on the spot.

Allow me to share with you details and photos of this spontaneous and fun-filled trip to Vietnam’s beautiful capital city, Hanoi.

Hanoi

Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam; it is the second-most populous city next to Ho Chi Minh City. The city is in the northern part of the country, within the Red River Delta. The city used to be the capital of French Indochina back in the day. The influence is evident in the city’s centuries-old architecture and rich culture, particularly in the Old Quarter area.

Airfare

We took advantage of Cebu Pacific Air’s ₱1 base fare promotion in August 2022 and got our return tickets for a little over ₱5,000. The ticket included the usual 7-kilogram carry-on baggage allowance per way and a randomly assigned seat on both flight sectors.

My friend booked a return ticket to Hanoi and paid ₱5,338.17. On the other hand, I paid for a ticket to Hanoi and back from Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and paid ₱5,059.62. I spent a few more days in Saigon after Hanoi and met up with friends whom I had not seen in a long while.

The return fares above are a little bit pricier than the recent ₱1 base fare tickets in recent months. However, considering the high prices of everything, including jet fuel, these days, the tickets we paid for are still a bang for the buck.

After Hanoi, I flew to Ho Chi Minh City with Vietnam Airlines and tried their widebody business class product in a domestic flight. Check out the Vietnam Airlines business class flight report here.

Accommodation

Hanoi has thousands of affordable accommodations to choose from. The city’s accommodation rates are on the affordable side compared to the other capital cities in Southeast Asia. It also has a wide range of popular and local hotels, family-owned guesthouses, and backpacker-friendly hostels and homestays.

My friend and I booked a 3-night stay with Hanoi House Hostel & Travel. We paid VND 1,950,000 (roughly ₱4,500) for a twin room with a private toilet and shower. We paid around ₱750 per person per night for a large twin room with a refrigerator, television, work table, and fast Wi-Fi. We also enjoyed complimentary breakfast for 3 mornings.

One of the many available breakfast options at Hanoi House Hostel. Phở for breakfast. Why not?

Hanoi House Hostel & Travel is a nice place to stay when in Hanoi. The hostel’s location in the Old Quarter is central and very close to pretty much everything, including Hoàn Kiếm Lake and Ta Hien Beer Street (Beer Street Hanoi).

Going around Hanoi

Going around Hanoi is easy. Like any other Vietnamese city, the best way to go around the city is by driving a motorcycle. These are available for rental practically everywhere. If you do not know how to drive a motorcycle, you can opt to take the local bus, a taxi, or Grab (GrabCar or GrabBike). Another way to explore the city is by renting a bicycle and riding it around the city.

The best way to explore the city during a cold month (like our visit in January) is by foot. One can easily walk to many places within and nearby the Old Quarter.

Places Visited in Hanoi

We arrived in Hanoi with no pre-trip research or plans. We managed to visit a few places even without any plans. Let me share with you the ones we visited.

Day 1 – Mausoleum Complex & Old Quarter

After dropping our stuff at the hostel, we took a GrabCar to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Complex. We went inside the Mausoleum, checked out the Presidential Palace, Stilt House, and the Museum. Then, we walked to the nearby Hanoi Botanical Garden to check out the place before heading back to the Old Quarter for lunch.

We went inside our room afterwards and took a nap. A few hours later, we explored the Old Quarter area and walked to St. Joseph Cathedral and Hoàn Kiếm Lake. We met with another Indonesian friend for dinner and finished the day with drinks at Ta Hien Beer Street (Beer Street Hanoi).

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum

Presidential Palace

Stilt House

Ho Chi Minh Museum

Hanoi Botanical Garden

Hanoi Old Quarter

Bún Chả + Beer for Lunch

St. Joseph’s Cathedral

Hanoi Old Quarter at Night

Ta Hien Beer Street

Day 2 – Halong Bay Cruise Day Tour

We went to Halong Bay on our second day in Hanoi. The cruise day tour included pick-up from and drop-off at Hanoi after the tour, seafood lunch onboard the cruise, and visits to a local pearl store, Ti Top Island, Luon Cave, and Sung Sot (Surprise) Cave.

After the day tour, we headed back to our hostel to freshen up. Then, we met up with new friends we met on the tour for dinner in Old Quarter and drinks on the Beer Street.

Ha Long Pearl

Ha Long Bay Cruise

Hòn Ti Tốp / Ti Top Island

Hang Luồn / Luon Cave

Hang Sửng Sốt / Sung Sot Cave

Hanoi Old Quarter at Night – Part 2!

Hủ Tiếu Khô + Beer for Dinner

Ta Hien Beer Street Again!

Day 3 – Walkathon Around the City

We spent our last day literally walking around the city with new friends from the tour the day before. We went to the controversial Hanoi Train Street, the Temple of Literature, and Trấn Quốc Pagoda. We had delicious local dishes and banana coffee in between the long walks. Our last day ended with another party night at Beer Street.

Hanoi Old Quarter in the Morning

Hanoi Train Street

Hủ Tiếu Khô again for Lunch!

Temple of Literature

Trấn Quốc Pagoda

Ta Hien Beer Street for the Last Time!

This pretty much sums up everything about our 3-day trip around Hanoi. The 3 days around the city went by smoothly, despite everything being planned on the spot. The spontaneity of the itinerary made the visit exciting, interesting, and memorable.

Have you been to Hanoi on your previous trips? How did you find the city? Share your memorable experiences and discoveries in the comments section below. Do you have any questions about the details mentioned and shown above? Feel free to post them in the comments section below. You may also send these questions via email to contact@thewkndtravel.com.

Thank you for joining me in today’s blogpost. I will surely visit Hanoi again in the future and I will take time to visit the nearby city of Ninh Binh and the iconic town of Sa Pa. I do not know when exactly will that be but I hope it will be in the next few years.

Before you leave, I hope you can like and follow my social media pages – Facebook and Instagram. This will help me increase my reach; it will also keep you up-to-date with the latest blog posts and itineraries on this website. See you in the next one!

PS. Photos were taken using my OnePlus 9 Pro.

A Dream Come True Part 2: 24 DAYS Around FRANCE, ITALY & SPAIN For Less Than ₱170,000 ALL IN – Airfare, Accommodation, Food, Museum Tickets & Transportation Included

I flew to Europe alone in 2019 and explored 4 countries – The Netherlands, Belgium, Czech Republic and Denmark – for 19 days and spent a little over ₱117,000 for everything. The total expense included return flights via Singapore Airlines, hostel accommodations, visa application fees, travel insurance and daily expenses. Cheap-o, right? I honestly cannot believe I did it that time. I hope you can check out all the details of this life-changing EU solo trip here – Going Solo in Europe category.

Fast forward to 2022 when prices of everything went up, I did not think I will be able to do it again. In early to mid-2022, my friends and I talked about flying to Europe for a few weeks towards the end of the year. After months and weeks of planning and visa applications, we finally flew to Europe in November 2022 for holiday. I, with some friends, went around France, Italy and Spain for 24 days.

Guess what? I spent a little over ₱167,000 ALL IN for this 3.5-week trip! Curious how I made it happen? Let me share the breakdown of travel expenses below.

Air Tickets

Back in 2020, I booked a ticket with Emirates from Hong Kong to Munich and back from Budapest to Hong Kong for only HK$4,039 or ₱27,072.73 for October 2020. The pandemic happened; I was not able to use that ticket.

Luckily, Emirates offered the most flexible option for tickets booked that year. They offered to keep the ticket and extended its validity for 3 years. They allowed passengers to book their tickets when they are ready to fly. On top of that, they also allowed the passengers to change the airports of origin and destination as long as the airports are within the same Emirates region. Emirates also waived all fare difference, rebooking and change fees.

After securing my tourist visa last October 2022, I called Emirates and advised them my preferred dates and flight schedules. I got my new ticket in less than a minute after I ended the call. I wrote about my Emirates flight experiences last year under the Flight Reports category – EK 335 Manila to Dubai, EK 073 Dubai to Paris CDG, EK 256 Barcelona to Dubai and EK 332 Dubai to Manila. I hope you can check them out.

My friends and I also booked our inter-country tickets before flying to Europe. We flew with Air France from Paris, France to Rome Italy and paid ₱6,854.74 for a one-way ticket. After Milan, my friends all flew back to Manila while I continued my journey to Barcelona. I flew with Vueling from Milan, Italy to Barcelona, Spain. I got my ticket 2 months before the trip and paid ₱3,442.29 for this one-way ticket.

On top of these flights, I also paid the Philippine Travel Tax of ₱1,620 before leaving Manila. This travel tax is required for all Filipinos going out of the country for holiday or vacation.

Accommodation

I mentioned in my 2019 Euro trip summary that accommodations in the continent are expensive. After the pandemic, I noticed that accommodation rates got more expensive in general. I still cannot afford staying in these hotels and private rooms so I opted in staying with hostels again! I am happy I found a travel buddy / friend who is also keen on staying in hostels to save some cash. Just like before, I stayed in popular and high-rated hostels found in central and well-recommended locations.

I stayed with Le Village Montmartre by Hiphophostels for 4 nights in Paris (€147 paid during check-in), The Romehello for 5 nights in Rome (€89,26 paid through Agoda days before check-in), YellowSquare Florence for 4 nights in Florence (€95,60 paid during check-in), YellowSquare Milan for 4 nights in Milan (€109,24 paid during check-in) and YEAH Hostel Barcelona for 4 nights in Barcelona (₱5,589.42 paid through Agoda in Philippine Peso).

Travel Insurance

Schengen tourist visa applications require a travel insurance with up to €30,000 medical coverage for the duration of the trip, some even up to 15 to 30 days after the trip.

I got my travel insurance from Oona Insurance (previously known as Mapfre Insurance) and paid ₱1,969.43 (€34.95) for a 35-day coverage.

Schengen Tourist Visa

I applied for my own tourist visa with the Italian Embassy in the Philippines’ Visa Center – VIA Italy. I paid ₱4,494 (€80) for the visa fee and ₱1,350 for the visa handling fee including the courier fee / service. I opted for the passport pick-up to make sure I get the visa in time for my trip. I previously shared in this website how I got my Schengen tourist visa from VIA Italy without the help of any tour agency. Check out that Tuesday Tip post here.

Internet Sim Card

Travelling around Europe is a lot easier when you are connected to the internet throughout the trip. I did not want to get lost during the trip so I ordered a 3UK internet sim card from Travel Sim PH Shopee Store (not sponsored). I got the sim card that has 12GB data allocation valid for 1 month after activation. I paid ₱1,521 for this sim card including shipping fee and had it delivered at home weeks before the trip.

Pre-Booked Tickets & Tours

Weeks before our trip, my friend and I booked several tickets that we will use for the trip. We booked our bus tickets from Rome to Florence, Florence to Milan and the return bus tickets to Serravalle Designer Outlet. We also booked entry tickets to museums like the Vatican Museums in Vatican, Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence and the Last Supper in Milan. We also booked day trips to the Colosseum in Rome, Tuscany countryside in Florence and Lake Como in Milan.

All these tickets were booked using our credit cards and cost us ₱20,206.70 each.

Daily Expenses

I tried to set a daily budget for the trip but I noticed I have been spending more than the allotted amount. I decided to just let things go with the flow. Most of the day-to-day expenses came from food and transportation. I brought some euros to Europe and used my credit card for other purchases.

POCKET MONEY

Before leaving for Europe, I managed to change some cash to Euros to serve as my pocket. I changed ₱29,980 worth of Philippine pesos to €500. Towards the end of my stay in Italy, I also withdrew some cash from the ATM. The withdrawal cost me ₱9,435.93 including the international withdrawal charges.

I used the cash for day-to-day expenses like transportation and food. I also used the money to get my Navigo card and Paris Museum Pass in Paris.

TRAVEL EXPENSES CHARGED TO CREDIT CARD

Credit cards are widely accepted in Europe. In fact, it is the preferred mode of payment of some establishments. I used my credit cards a lot of times during the trip – mostly for food and transportation.

FOOD

I tapped my card in a lot of restaurants, fast food chains, hostel buffets and supermarkets during the trip. For instance, I used my card in paying for all the hostel breakfast buffets I availed at The RomeHello and YEAH Hostel Barcelona. I also used it in various restaurants in Florence, Milan and Barcelona. I even used my credit card in getting food from different fast-food chains and supermarkets.

In total, I charged ₱20,424.28 to my BPI Credit Card (not sponsored) only for food.

TRANSPORTATION

I also used my credit card in paying for transportation costs like airport trains, subways, buses and ride-hailing applications such as Uber, Bolt and FreeNow. In total, I charged ₱6,865.51 to my BPI Credit Card (not sponsored) for all transportation-related expenses.

Summary of Expenses

Here is the summary of all the expenses mentioned above.

The total amount spent for this 24-day trip around France, Italy and Spain is ₱167,752.45. This total cost includes flight tickets, accommodation bookings, visa application fees, travel insurance, entry tickets, food and transportation costs.

Please do not get me wrong, ₱167,752.45 is a big amount of money. At the same time, it was everything I spent for a 24-day trip to Europe from the Philippines. It may be a little over 40% higher than my 2019 Euro trip but it is still cheap given all the places I have been to in this trip.

Blog List

Here is the list of blog posts that are related to this 2022 trip to Europe.

FLIGHT REPORTS ✈️

Flight Report: EMIRATES EK 335 – Manila to Dubai – Overnight Long-Haul Flight with the Middle Eastern Global Carrier [November 2022]
Flight Report: EMIRATES EK 073 – Dubai to Paris CDG – Excellent Airbus A380 Superjumbo Flight to the Famous French Capital [November 2022]
Flight Report: AIR FRANCE AF 1304 – Paris CDG to Rome – Short Inter-European Hop to Italy’s Capital City [November 2022]
Flight Report: VUELING VY 6333 – Milan Malpensa to Barcelona – Superb Flying Experience with a Spanish Low-Cost Airline [December 2022]
Flight Report: EMIRATES EK 256 – Barcelona to Dubai – Impressive Intercontinental Flight on a Rare Long-Range Aircraft [December 2022]
Flight Report: EMIRATES EK 332 – Dubai to Manila – Underwhelming Inflight Meals on a Busy & Full Flight Back to Manila [December 2022]

HOSTEL FEATURES 🏨

Hostel of the Day: LE VILLAGE MONTMARTRE BY HIPHOPHOSTELS – Authentic & Affordable Parisian Property in the Artist District
Hostel of the Day: THE ROMEHELLO – Affordable, Hospitable & High-Rated Accommodation That Felt Like Home
Hostel of the Day: YELLOWSQUARE FLORENCE – Lively & Social Hostel Outside (But Near) Florence City Center
Hostel of the Day: YELLOWSQUARE MILAN – Hidden Hostel Gem in Milan’s Porta Romana District
Hostel of the Day: YEAH HOSTEL BARCELONA – 4 Fun & Solid Nights in One of the World’s Best Hostels

VISA APPLICATION ✍️

Tuesday Tips for Philippine Passport Holders: Do-It-Yourself SCHENGEN TOURIST VISA Application with VIA ITALY

PARIS 🇫🇷

N9 Friends in Europe: PARIS – 5 Days Around the Postcard-Perfect French Capital [Days 1 & 2]
N9 Friends in Europe: PARIS – 5 Days Around the Postcard-Perfect French Capital [Days 3, 4 & 5]
N9 Friends in Europe: CHÂTEAU DE VERSAILLES Day Trip Photoblog
PARIS MUSEUM PASS Review – Is It Worth It?

ROME 🇮🇹

N9 Friends in Europe: ROME – 6 Days Around the Italian Eternal City – Arrival, Colosseum Tour & Trastevere Food Tour [Part 1 of 3]
N9 Friends in Europe: ROME – 6 Days Around the Italian Eternal City – Vatican City, Necropolis Tour & Papal Audience [Part 2 of 3]
N9 Friends in Europe: ROME – 6 Days Around the Italian Eternal City – Rome at Night, City Walking Tour & Departure [Part 3 of 3]

FLORENCE 🇮🇹

N9 in Europe: FLORENCE – The Cradle of Renaissance | 4 Wonderful Days Around the Historic Italian City
N9 in Europe: TUSCANY EXPERIENCE CLASSIC TOUR Photoblog – A Day Trip to Pisa, San Gimignano & Siena
P’s List: 7 Food Places to Check Out in Florence

MILAN 🇮🇹

N9 in Europe: MILAN – 4 Beautiful Days Around the Italian Business, Shopping & Fashion Capital
N9 in Europe: LUGANO & LAKE COMO DAY TRIP FROM MILAN Photoblog – Exploring 3 Places in 2 Countries in 1 Day

BARCELONA 🇪🇸

N9 in Europe: BARCELONA – 4 Lazy Days Around the Bustling Spanish City

Do you have any questions about anything mentioned above? Is there anything you want to ask how I planned the trip in general? Or maybe how I made it happen? Feel free to post your questions in the comments section below. You can also send it via e-mail to contact@thewkndtravel.com.

Thank you for joining me in summarizing my 2022 trip to Europe. I may be months behind in posting everything about this trip but I hope it is never too late to share these details. I would like to thank my N9 friends for joining me in this life-changing and memorable trip to Europe. I cannot wait to go back to the continent in the future!

Feel free to follow me on my social media channels for more information on cheap fares, thrift hacks & fun itineraries – Facebook & Instagram. I will end this post with this statement. I DID IT AGAIN – 24 DAYS AROUND FRANCE, ITALY & SPAIN FOR LESS THAN ₱170,000 ALL IN AND I KNOW YOU CAN DO IT TOO!

PS. Photos were taken using my OnePlus 9 Pro.

Flight Report: EMIRATES EK 332 – Dubai to Manila – Underwhelming Inflight Meals on a Busy & Full Flight Back to Manila [December 2022]

Late last year, my friends and I went on a 3.5-week holiday around France, Italy and Spain. We visited and went around the cities of Paris, Rome, Florence, Milan and Barcelona. We took different flights to and from Europe.

I flew with Emirates from Manila to Dubai and Dubai to Paris to Europe and Barcelona to Dubai and Dubai to Manila (this flight) back to the Philippines. I have shared with you in the past on how the first 3 flights went in previous flight reports.

To complete the flights on this trip, allow me to share with you details about the last sector – Emirates Flight EK 332 from Dubai, United Arab Emirates to Manila, Philippines. Read on below to know why I believe this flight was the only underwhelming flight among all 4 sectors I took with the airline last year.

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 booked my Emirates ticket in January 2020 before all borders closed due to the pandemic. Back then, my ticket was from Hong Kong to Munich, Germany via Dubai & back to Hong Kong via Dubai from Budapest, Hungary. I wasn’t able to use this 2020 ticket, but I was so pleased that Emirates offered the most flexible airline ticket option.

Basically, they extended the ticket validity for 3 years & allowed passengers to rebook the ticket when they are ready to fly as long as there are seats available. The flights tickets should be used within the validity period. On top of this, they also allowed the passengers to change the airports of origin & destination as long as the airports are within the same Emirates region. Emirates also waived all fare difference, rebooking & change fees.

Fast forward to 2022, my friends & I decided to fly to Europe for a 3.5-week holiday. After getting my tourist visa from VIA Italy, 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 also changed from Budapest to Barcelona (both in Europe) & then back to Manila. I got my new ticket 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.

Believe it or not, I only paid HK$4,039 or ₱27,072.73 for this return ticket. This ticket includes inflight meals, personal entertainment screens & even baggage allowance both ways. Compared to the usual tickets to Europe, this one didn’t cost much. Thank you, Emirates, for this flexible ticket. I know I’ve booked tons of cheap tickets in the past, but I believe this was probably the best-valued to date.

TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS

At the time of the flight, the Philippine government still required proof of vaccination or negative test result (for those unvaccinated) for all incoming international passengers. On top of this, they also required the E-Travel QR Code which can be obtained from the E-Travel website.

As of July 2023, the government has removed all pandemic-related entry requirements. They retained the E-Travel QR code requirement to replace the previously required physical arrival forms.

Before The Flight

Emirates sent an e-mail and 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 getting this ticket so I did not bother checking or changing them during web check-in. I checked in for the flights to Manila immediately I received the check-in reminder. Take note that you will need your passport information and other necessary details to complete this early check-in.

Aircraft & Flight Information

This Dubai to Manila Emirates flight was operated by a 10.6-year-old Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. This plane, delivered to Emirates back in May 2012 has 3 cabin classes – first class, business class and economy class. The first class section has 8 enclosed private suites. The business class cabin has 42 lie-flat seats on a 2-3-2 configuration while the economy class area has 310 seats arranged in a 3-4-3 layout.

The flight took off from Dubai International Airport at 4:17am, flew around 6,900 kilometers, cruised an altitude of 35,000 to 37,000 feet and landed at Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila at 3:47pm. The whole flight took 7 hours and 30 minutes.

Ground & Airport Experience

Emirates fly out of Dubai International Airport Terminal 3.

CHECK-IN

I completed the check-in process for this flight in Barcelona, Spain when I checked in for the first flight to Dubai. I was only in Dubai for a quick 3-hour transit or layover. If you want to know how my Barcelona Airport check-in process went, feel free to check out my previous flight report about EK 256 flight from Barcelona to Dubai.

DUBAI TRANSIT & MARHABA LOUNGE EXPERIENCE

Upon disembarkation from my Barcelona to Dubai flight, I immediately went to the Connections Area, went through security check, took the airport train to Terminal 3 Concourse C and located the assigned boarding gate for this Emirates flight to Manila.

After checking out the gate, I went to the Concourse C Marhaba Lounge to get some rest and have some snack. My newly-acquired (that time) Security Bank Platinum Credit Card (not sponsored) came with 2 complimentary airport lounge access per year at any LoungeKey-affiliated lounge around the world. This is on top of the unlimited Marhaba Lounge access I have in NAIA Terminals 1 and 3 here in the Philippines. I used the 1^st complimentary access during my Dubai Layover on the way to Paris; I used the 2^nd free access during this layover on the way back to Manila.

Terminal 3 Concourse C’s Marhaba Lounge has almost the same size as that of Concourse A’s. The lounge was packed with people when I arrived a few minutes after midnight. Most of the lounge guests left after 2:00 am. The lounge served a wide range of food options; they have salad, bread, mains, desserts and fruits. They also have coffee, tea, juices, beers and some cocktails free of charge. The lounge had clean and well-maintained amenities. I left the Marhaba Lounge full, relaxed and ready for my 7.5-hour flight back home.

PRE-DEPARTURE

While at the lounge, Emirates notified me via the mobile application of the assigned boarding gate for my flight to Manila. The notification also included what time boarding will start and what time the doors will close. After about an hour, I got another notification advising that boarding is about to commence at our assigned gate. I finished my food, packed my stuff, left the lounge and walked to Gate C5.

Upon arrival at Gate C5, I saw a big bunch of people waiting to go inside the pre-departure area. Apparently, our flight was assigned to a smaller boarding gate which could barely accommodate a full Boeing 777 flight. I stayed outside the boarding gate and waited for our turn to board.

BOARDING

Boarding commenced at 3:10am. First class, business class and Skywards status holders boarded the plane first. Economy class passengers flocked the boarding area and started lining up even if their boarding class and zone has not been called.

Economy class passengers seated at the rear part of the plane boarded the plane next. They were followed by those seated in the middle economy section. Our boarding group, seated in the front economy section, boarded the plane last. The cabin crew gave out masks and hand sanitizers to all passengers once everyone was seated. The aircraft doors closed at 3:54am – 4 minutes behind schedule.

The boarding process was chaotic and disorganized. The ground staff were not able to control the influx of passengers wanting to enter the pre-departure area and wanting to board the plane first.

INFLIGHT HARD & SOFT PRODUCT

SEAT FEATURES

This Dubai to Manila Emirates flight was operated by 3-class Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. The first class section has 8 seats in fully-enclosed suites. According to SeatMaps, the first class seats on this plane has a seat pitch of 86 inches, a seat width of 23 inches and a 180 degree recline. The business class section has 42 lie-flat seats with 60 inches of seat pitch and 20.5 inches of seat width. The economy class has 310 seats on 3 (front, middle and rear) cabins. Each economy class seat has a pitch of 32 to 33 inches, a width of 17 inches and recline of 6 inches.

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

I got aisle seat 18C in the front economy class cabin for this 7.5-hour journey to Manila, Philippines. I found the seat features to be complete and comfortable 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 does not provide physical menus; instead, they ask passengers to access and browse the menus through their on-board portal.

The crew served a breakfast meal and a light meal on this 7.5-hour flight. 40 minutes after leaving Dubai, they started the breakfast service. They offered 2 breakfast options – scrambled eggs with creamed spinach, turkey rashers and rosti and dori yakisoba with vegetables and soy sauce. The meal came with fresh fruits, croissant with butter and jam, a granola bar and coconut mouse for dessert. It also came with a small glass of water and a drink of choice – coffee, tea, juice, soda, wine or alcoholic beverage. I went for the dori yakisoba and paired it with a glass of apple juice. After meal service, the crew went around for another round of drinks.

2 hours and 20 minutes before landing, the crew went around to distribute the light meals. They only had one option for the meal – chicken adobo with vegetables and rice. It came with a chocolate mousse for dessert, a small glass of water and a drink of choice – same options as above. The crew went for another round of coffee and tea after all meals were served.

Emirates made sure that passengers are well-fed on this 7.5-hour flight. In my opinion, both meals were underwhelming. The food portions were great but the food taste was not to my liking. I found the dory yakisoba too salty and the coconut mousse too sweet. The chicken adobo was alright but it was nothing compared to the superb breakfast tapa served in my Manila to Dubai Emirates flight. The meals on this flight were the least favorite ones of all the meals I took on 4 flights to and from Europe.

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 and series, documentaries, songs and even games which you can play together with your seat neighbor. It even has region-specific movies and television shows. ICE also offers live television coverage of news channels like BBC World News, CNN International, Sports 24 and Sky News Arabia.

ICE also offers access to 2 aircraft cameras installed in the front of and under this Boeing aircraft. It also shows the complete flight and aircraft details and 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.

The entertainment system on seat 16C worked well throughout the flight. I slept most of the flight and was not able to use it apart from the flight map shown in the screen. I noticed that the entertainment system on this aircraft was modern compared to the ones on my Manila to Dubai and Barcelona to Dubai flights but a bit outdated compared to the Airbus A380 inflight system on my Dubai to Paris flight.

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 did not try this service during this flight; I did not use it because I was mostly asleep in the 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 middle section lavatories on this flight were alright; they were not dirty but also not super clean. The lavatories had the right size; it also had the usual moisturizing lotion, perfume and loads of toilet paper. I did not find dental kits inside; I believe it would have been nicer if they provided some.

Cabin Crew Service

The cabin crew service on this flight felt normal and relaxed. The crew did not rush in distributing meals and giving away the second drink service. They catered to the needs of the passengers, helped them during boarding and served the passengers with their best smiles.

Disembarkation & Baggage Claim

Disembarkation was quick and organized. The first class and business class passengers left the plane first. Economy class passengers followed. I was seated in the forward economy section so I was one of the first economy class passengers to leave the plane.

I passed by immigration quickly and headed to the baggage claim area. I waited for an hour before I got my luggage. I do not know what happened but I heard that Emirates conducted an additional security check before releasing all the checked bags to the passengers.

Flight Experience

This pretty much sums up my flight with Emirates on their Boeing 777-300ER service from Dubai to Manila. It was not the excellent and ideal Emirates economy class flight experience but it was still a good one.

Some details of the flight stood out to me. First, the cost of this return flight to and from Europe is incomparable. This pandemic ticket, which had the best pandemic flexibility terms, only cost me HK$ 4,039 or ₱27,072.73 for all 4 sectors. It included a generous 25-kilogram baggage allowance, inflight meals and entertainment. This ticket was definitely a steal. It will take some time before we see Europe-bound tickets go low as this one.

Second, Emirates knows how to spoil their passengers. The seats onboard their planes are clean and comfortable. They have everything a passenger needs in a long-haul flight. The entertainment system is modern and has thousands of options to choose from. It is surely one of the best in the world right now. Third, the airline provides real-time flight updates through their mobile application. They notify passengers once the bags are checked in for flights, once boarding gates are assigned and every time boarding starts for flights.

Fourth, the cabin crew service on this flight was warmer and more relaxed. The service did not feel rushed like my experience on the outward flight to Dubai on EK 335. Lastly, Emirates hard and soft product is consistent even with different aircraft types. The seats types, entertainment system, lavatories and even onboard offerings are almost the same in all the aircraft types I flew with them – Boeing 777-300ER, Boeing 777-200LR and the Airbus A380-800.

Moving to the flight disappointments, this Emirates flight was probably the least favorite all 4 I took with them last year. First, the boarding process was chaotic. The ground staff announced boarding by class and groups but they were unable to control the crowd of passengers in the pre-boarding gate. The waiting area was hot, suffocating and was a mess. Everything came back to normal after most of the passengers have boarded the plane.

Second, the meals served on this flight were underwhelming. The meal portions were great but the taste was not to my liking. The dory yakisoba was salty, the coconut mousse was too sweet while the chicken adobo was alright. A friend who flew with Emirates to Manila weeks before my flight agreed with the underwhelming meals on the DXB to MNL flights.

Third, Emirates did not offer complimentary Wi-Fi access to their passengers. Maybe the airline can offer limited access to Skywards members like how Singapore Airlines offered it to their Krisflyer members. Just a few months ago, Singapore Airlines started offering unlimited complimentary internet access to all Krisflyer members onboard their flights. I hope Emirates provide the same perk in the future.

Despite all of these let downs, I still had a good flight with Emirates on their EK 332 service from Dubai to Manila. Will I fly them again? For sure! I will grab every opportunity to fly with them in the next few years. I cannot wait for the next one!

Allow me to share with you some details of this flight:

Airline: Emirates
Flight Date: 8 December 2022
Flight Number: EK 332
Route: Dubai, United Arab Emirates (DXB) to Manila, Philippines (MNL)
Duration: 7 hours & 30 minutes
Seat Numebr: 18C (aisle seat)
Aircraft: Boeing 777-300ER
Aircraft Registration: A6-EGP
Engines: 2 x GE GE90-115B Engines
Age (at the time of the flight): 10.6 years old
Delivered: May 2012

And that’s 4 out of 4 flights with Emirates in 2022. Have you flown Emirates in the past? How was your experience? Will you fly Emirates soon & or by any chance have questions about anything mentioned above? 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.

Thank you for joining me in today’s Emirates flight report. In case you missed it, I also flew with Emirates on their Manila to Dubai, Dubai to Paris CDG and Barcelona to Dubai routes. I hope you can also check out these flight reports as well as my previous flight reports with Singapore Airlines, Vietnam Airlines and Air France. All other previous flight reports can be found under the Flight Reports category. Feel free to check them out. Please look forward to more flight reports in the future.

PS. Photos were taken using my OnePlus 9 Pro.

Flight Report: EMIRATES EK 256 – Barcelona to Dubai – Impressive Intercontinental Flight on a Rare Long-Range Aircraft [December 2022]

After spending 3.5 weeks around France, Italy and Spain, my time in Europe came to an end. I eventually left the continent and flew back to my home country – the Philippines. My journey back to Manila started at Barcelona El Prat (BCN) Airport, Spain where I took an Emirates flight to Dubai, United Arab Emirates – Flight EK 256.

This BCN to DXB flight is the subject of today’s flight report. Join me as I share with you the details of this impressive intercontinental Emirates flight on a rare long-range aircraft.

Emirates

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 booked this Emirates ticket back in January 2020 with an original departure from Hong Kong to Munich, Germany and back to Hong Kong from Budapest, Hungary. The pandemic happened and it has restricted me from using this ticket on its initial schedule. This ticket from and back to Hong Kong back then cost me HK$ 4,039 or ₱27,072.73 in Philippine peso.

Luckily, Emirates offered the most flexible options for passengers who booked their tickets in 2020. The airline offered a ‘keep the ticket’ option, extended the validity of the ticket to 3 years from the time of booking (in my case up to 3 February 2023) and offered a ‘book when ready’ scheme where the passenger can just call the airline when he/she is ready to use the ticket and fly. On top of that, the airline also allowed passengers to change the airports of origin and destination as long as both airports are within the same region – in my case, Far East Region and Europe. All these options were offered free of charge – no additional cancellation, fare difference and change fees charged.

Fast forward to 2022, my college friends and I planned to fly to Europe for 3.5 weeks. Borders have been opened and pandemic-related requirements have been removed; traveling to another country was easier compared to how it was in 2020 and early 2021. After getting my visa from the Italian Embassy through VIA Italy, I called the Emirates hotline and requested for my ticket to be issued. I changed the airport of origin from Hong Kong to Manila (both in the Far East) and the airport of destination from Munich to Paris (both in Europe). My return flights were changed from Budapest to Barcelona (both in Europe) and then back to Manila. The ticket got issued in less than 2 minutes after the Emirates agent confirmed my preferred flight schedules and details. It even included a 20-25 kilograms check-in baggage allowance from previously 15 kilograms.

A massive thank you to Emirates for providing such generous options for pre-pandemic booked tickets. I never imagined I could fly to Europe and back to Manila for such an affordable flight ticket. I do not think that will ever happen again in the foreseeable future.

TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS

At the time of the flight, it was only the Philippines that required pandemic-related requirements upon entry into the country. The E-travel QR code was required for all incoming passengers. At that time, the E-travel page still asked for the passenger’s vaccination status. This pandemic-specific requirement has recently been removed. The E-travel QR code is still required but only with the usual details. Additionally, my transit country, United Arab Emirates, did not require anything during this flight to Manila via Dubai DXB.

Before The Flight

Aircraft & Flight Information

This Barcelona to Dubai Emirates flight was operated by a 13.9-year-old rare Boeing 777-200LR (long range) aircraft. The aircraft, delivered to Emirates in January 2009, has 2 cabin classes. The business class section has 38 lie-flat seats on a 2-2-2 configuration while the economy class section has 264 regular seats on a 3-4-3 arrangement.

The flight took off from Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport at 3:24pm local time. It travelled 3,333 miles and cruised an altitude of 39,000 feet to Dubai. The flight touched down at Dubai International Airport 12:10am local time ahead of the 12:40am schedule. The flight only took 5 hours and 46 minutes.

This daily Emirates service EK 256 flight originates from Mexico City (MEX) on the same flight number. The flight leaves Mexico (MEX) at night, takes a 12-hour flight to Barcelona (BCN), makes a 1 hour and 45 minute-stop to refuel, unload and pick-up passengers and continues another 6-hour flight to its destination – Dubai (DXB). Its counterpart EK 255 departs Dubai daily, lands in Barcelona to refuel, unload and pick-up passengers and takes another 12-hour flight to Mexico City. The long flight duration is one of the reasons why Emirates always assigns its Boeing 777-200LR aircraft on this route.

Ground & Airport Experience

Emirates flights depart from Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport Terminal 1.

CHECK-IN

Emirates check-in counters are in the far-left section of the terminal. Its check-in counters are classified according to flight classes. First class, business class and Skywards status passengers have dedicated check-in lanes while economy class passengers are divided into 3 check-in lanes – regular check-in, online check-in and those needing special assistance. Economy class passengers who have completed online check-in have a separate and faster queue.

I arrived in the airport exactly 3 hours before the flight and went straight to check-in. The check-in counters did not have people checking in – no queues! I completed online check-in before going to the airport and went to the online check-in counter. The ground staff, who happened to be a Filipina, checked my E-Travel QR code and vaccination details and checked me in for the flight. The whole process took less than 5 minutes.

PRE-DEPARTURE

After check-in, I passed by final security check and immigration. I also dropped by Duty Free and spent all my remaining Euro cash before leaving Spain. I walked to our assigned gate – Gate 18 – and waited for the boarding announcement.

BOARDING

Boarding by groups commenced at 2:39pm. Business class passengers and Skywards status holders were asked to board the plane first. Passengers with special assistance boarded the plane next. Economy class passengers boarded the plane by group. Our group, the forward economy class passengers, boarded the plane last.

The whole boarding process only took 23 minutes; the aircraft doors closed at 3:02pm. The aircraft pushed back after 7 minutes at 3:09pm.

Inflight Hard & Soft Product

SEAT FEATURES

This Barcelona to Dubai Emirates flight was operated by a rare 2-class Boeing 777-200LR aircraft. The aircraft has 38 lie-flat business class seats arranged in a 2-2-2 configuration and 264 regular economy class seats in a 3-4-3 configuration. According to SeatMaps, each business class seat has a seat pitch of 72 inches and a seat width of 22.5 inches. The seat can be converted into a lie flat bed during cruising altitude. On the other hand, each economy class seat has a seat pitch of 32 to 33 inches and a seat width of 17 inches.

Economy class seats on this aircraft 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 and aircraft safety card, a universal power outlet, a pillow, a blanket, a pair of headphones and an adjustable headrest. Every economy class passenger also has access to spacious overhead cabins, individual reading lights and air vents. The seats are almost identical with the Boeing 777-300ER we flew to Dubai from Manila last November 2022.

This Emirates economy class seat is very comfortable for a mid to long-haul route. The airline knows what the passengers want and need for such flights.

INFLIGHT MEALS

Emirates offered 2 meals on this 6-hour flight to Barcelona. The lunch service started an hour after take-off. The lunch meal had 2 choices – beef meatballs with roasted potatoes and chicken and mushroom pasta. The mains came with quinoa salad as appetizer, chocolate mousse as dessert, cheese and cracker, bread roll with butter, chocolate chip cookie and a small chocolate bar. It also came with water and a drink of choice. I went for the beef option and got orange juice as my drink. After the meal service, the crew went around for a second round of drink service.

1 hour and 45 minutes before landing, the crew handed out warm gouda pastry, a slice of lemon cake and a drink of choice for snack. The crew also offered another round of drinks after giving out the snacks. Emirates made sure that passengers are well-fed and satisfied meals-wise on this intercontinental journey.

INFLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT

No doubt, Emirates’ entertainment system is one of the best in the world. Passengers will never get bored and will never run out of choices during the flight. I encountered a minor issue with the entertainment system in Seat 16A. I found it too slow to load and unresponsive at times. I will give it 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 $4.99 & 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 middle lavatories in the economy class section were kept clean and tidy throughout the flight. It had amenities such as moisturizing hand lotion, perfume and tissues in it. I expected the lavatories to have toothbrush and toothpaste but I did not find any. It would have been nice to have them for flights like this.

CABIN CREW SERVICE

The cabin crew assigned on this flight was great. They catered to the needs of the passengers, served them with their best smiles and made sure everyone had a pleasant flying experience. They made sure announcements were played in English, Arabic and Spanish.

Disembarkation & Baggage Claim

Our landing gate was changed from Gate C1 to Gate B24 upon arrival at Dubai International Airport. Business class passengers deplaned first. Forward economy class passengers, including myself, came next and those seated at the rear section followed.

I did not claim my baggage in Dubai because I had a connecting flight to Manila on the same day. I went through the Connections area and immediately checked the assigned gate of my Manila flight.

Flight Experience

I had an impressive intercontinental flight with Emirates on this Barcelona (BCN) to Dubai (DXB) flight – EK 256. I am on my 3^rd flight with them and I am delighted to see the consistency in their product in the Boeing and Airbus aircraft.

Allow me to share with you the positive points of this flight. First, I got an affordable and rare deal with these tickets to Europe. I only paid ₱27,072.73 for an all-inclusive return ticket from Manila to Europe. I do not think we will get this price level in a long while so I would like to thank Emirates for the most flexible Covid-19 ticket options.

Second, the catering on this flight was superb. The food quality and huge serving sizes made me full on this 6-hour flight. The airline even offered a light snack before landing – something other airlines do not provide. Third, the ICE (Emirates’ entertainment system) content spread and choices are the best in the world. They have thousands of entertainment options to choose from.

Fourth, the aircraft seat amenities are comfortable and complete. The aircraft may be a bit old but the seat features are still at par with the current industry standards. Fifth, the lavatory was kept clean and tidy throughout the flight. It even had extra amenities such as hand lotion and perfume. Sixth, the airline is provided real-time flight updates (boarding gate information, boarding details, etc.) in the flight’s mobile application.

Seventh, Emirates’ inflight hard and soft products are consistent across various aircraft types. I have flown their Boeing 777-300ER, Airbus A380-800 and now their Boeing 777-200LR and I noticed that the quality of product offering is almost the same in all these aircraft types. Kudos to Emirates for providing an excellent product quality regardless of aircraft type.

This flight is not all praises; it also has some areas where Emirates can further improve. First, it would be nice if the airline will provide a limited complimentary Wi-Fi access to its Skywards Members. It does not have to be the whole flight; even complimentary 30 minutes to 1 hour will make a big difference. Second, the entertainment system hardware in Seat 16A is starting to show its age. It is unresponsive at times and it even took some time to load.

Nevertheless, it was still a great experience flying Emirates from Barcelona, Spain to Dubai, United Arab Emirates. I will grab every opportunity to fly the airline in the future – specially their flagship Airbus A380 aircraft. Thank you, Emirates, for this memorable flight!

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

Airline: Emirates
Flight Date: 7 December 2022
Flight Number: EK 256
Route: Barcelona, Spain (BCN) to Dubai, United Arab Emirates (DXB)
Duration: 5 hours & 46 minutes
Seat Numebr: 16A (window seat)
Aircraft: Boeing 777-200LR (Long Range)
Aircraft Registration: A6-EWI
Engines: 2 x GE GE90-110B1L Engines
Age (at the time of the flight): 13.9 years old
Delivered: January 2009

This practically sums up my Emirates experience on EK 256 from Barcelona, Spain to Dubai, United Arab Emirates. 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.

Thank you for joining me in today’s Emirates flight report. I hope you can also check out my previous flight reports with Singapore Airlines, Vietnam Airlines and Air France. All previous flight reports can be found under the Flight Reports category. Feel free to check them out. Please look forward to more flight reports in the future.

PS. Photos were taken using my OnePlus 9 Pro.