CEBU PACIFIC review : 19 June 2008 : by J Olfato
|
Customer Rating : 4/5 |  |
MNL-Zamboanga, MNL-HKG. Despite previous complaints of difficulty booking online, I actually found
it easy and comfortable. This is quite a comfortable airline for a budget airline, probably one of
the better budgets in Asia. The only thing missing is the extra service, PTV, and meal of the full-
service airline. For the cheap price I paid, I have no complaints. The only minus was the Domestic
Terminal and the Terminal 1 for international flights, which gives rival Philippine Airlines the
advantage. Also, sometimes their fares are similar or even more expensive than PAL. The airport
advantage can be remedied when the mothballed NAIA Terminal 3 opens reportedly this July for
domestic flights.
CEBU PACIFIC review : 13 June 2008 : by Edmund Carew
|
Customer Rating : 5/5 |  |
CEB-BCD-CEB. Checkin for both flights was uneventful although quicker on the return leg at the new
BCD airport because we arrived earlier. Both flights operated by the same ATR-500 aircraft, which
is unsurprising because this low cost carrier has only two of this type of plane at present. Each
flight had about 49 of the 72 seats occupied. The two stewards or hostesses spent the entire flight
strapped into a jumpseat - no items offered for sale due to the short flight duration, which was
quite scenic over the mountains. Each flight was less than 10 minutes late, although outbound the
similarly timed PAL Express flight left and arrived four minutes before my flight. Based on my
limited experience with this carrier, it is better than Australia's (or Asia's) JetStar with Cebu
Pacific not deserving the bad domestic press it appears to constantly receive.
CEBU PACIFIC review : 29 April 2008 : by T Chapman
|
Customer Rating : 1/5 |  |
BKK-MNL-BKK. Outbound flight initially posted as delayed then eventually cancelled. Agent in BKK
said a spare plane would take us at 9am. It didn't arrive. No firm time or date could be given for
travel so we rebooked on Thai as we had meetings in Manila that day. Check in on return at Manila
was shambolic and despite arriving at airport 3 hours early and having only 7 people ahead of us, we
waited an hour. Flight was OK if cramped. I have emailed CebuPacific 3 times and received no reply.
Inevitably they wont see my money again.
CEBU PACIFIC review : 6 April 2008 : by G Hillgartner
|
Customer Rating : 5/5 |  |
MFM-MNL and MNL-CAN. Cebu Pacific has an excellent web site and easy to book online. Clean and
comfortable planes. Both flights filled to capacity yet comfortable, with good space for hand
baggage. Would normally have travelled overland from Macau to Guangzhou but Cebu Pacific was very
inexpensive and allowed me to visit Manila for a day. Excellent value for money!
Cebu Pacific review - by J Flores
5 April 2008 Customer Trip Rating : 
Beware of the promo fares of Cebu Pacific Airline. In most cases there are hidden charges in their
promos. I was a victim of their last promo fare of PhP1.00+travel tax and fuel surcharges. I bought
t return tickets for Manila-Davao-Manila route thinking of availing for the supposedly PhP1.00 promo
in their office in Davao City Airport. To my surprised, instead of the usual PhP50.00 service fee
(even this is unimaginable, an airline company asking for service fee?-- only travel agencies should
do that), the airline increased the service fee by 100% per travel - which means that in truth I
paid PhP101.00+travel tax and fuel surcharges. Rubbing salt to the injury, I was not given a receipt
of the service fee transactions, which is against the law of the Philippines. I still have to spend
again for the taxi going back to ask for explanations and the receipt. This is not the only bad time
I had with the airline company. To cite another example, I had an occasion to have my tickets
rebooked while I was in Indonesia and asked my travel agent in Philippines to do the rebooking which
she did with addition charges of course. But upon checkin, I was told by the Cebu Pacific personnel
(also a travel agent) that “they don’t honor any rebooking from the Philippines and that I have to
buy new tickets in Indonesia which costs thrice of my original ticket. That made me pays four times
for my one-way trip (Jakarta-Manila). I tried having the original ticket reimbursed when I arrived
in the country but I was told that it is a non-refundable ticket.
Cebu Pacific review - by N Sutherland
2 April 2008 Customer Trip Rating : 
MNL-BKK-MNL. Outbound flight 1 hour late on departure, but made up 20 minutes en route with a better
gate allocation in BKK than Thai or PAL often get. Return flight on time and 0530hrs is the only
good time of the day to arrive in Manila - no queues. As a Budget carrier they are tight on excess
baggage, don't expect to haggle more than your 20kg allowance, but the price at PHP 300/kg was fair
I thought. The space was fine for somebody of average height. Cabin service was short and sweet
which is exactly what you want on a night flight. Snacks and drinks were on sale on board at
reasonable prices. No IFE. For around PHP 5000 lower than the next cheapest airline on the route
I'll be flying Cebu Pacific again - great service, they deserve to do well and I'm sure they will.
Cebu Pacific review - by Patricia Gatbonton
28 March 2008 Customer Trip Rating : 
Travelled last Dec 2007 via Cebu Pacific and will never fly this airline again! Plane leaving
Manila encountered an electrical problem and passengers were only informed after about an hour of
waiting inside the plane. They transferred us to another plane and we were able to leave the airport
after about 3 hours after the expected departure. The flight going back to Manila was 4 hours
delayed and no announcements or explanations - plus we were transferred some three times from one
gate to another that were at opposite ends of the huge HK International Airport. My daughter also
had a problem with her January 2008 flight to Bangkok, she was only able to fly the day after her
expected departure. Do not be tempted by their promotional fares as the cost of their delayed
flights far exceed the travel savings.
Cebu Pacific review - by D Maulana
17 March 2008 Customer Trip Rating : 
CGK-MNL sectors - new aircraft and very efficient service. My complain is the departure from CGK
which is very late at 00.30 and the seat pitch is not generous. However, it is worth with the money
you spend for the tickets.
Cebu Pacific review - by Fidelito Ty
2 March 2008 Customer Trip Rating : 
MNL-SIN, SIN-MNL. Well, the aircraft is fine, I almost didn't noticed that I am traveling in a
budget aircraft and the travel on the way to Singapore is almost on time but going back to Manila
was too delayed, almost half an hour! The problem I see is that the time of their flight, I really
think that it is a pain in ass to arrive in your destination almost midnight and to leave there
almost the same time also, I mean with all the success this airline is having they could have add
another flight or two to accommodate the people of the mass. In that way at least we can have our
choice of time. But generally, I would fly again with this airline since it appeals to me more than
the Flag carrier of the Philippines itself! I just hope if they cannot add a flight in Singapore
maybe they could consider changing the time, that way they could at least address some inconvenience
on the part of the customer, they deserve that!
Cebu Pacific review - by Geoff Wyndham-Jones
28 February 2008 Customer Trip Rating : 
MNL-ZAM-MNL: MNL-ZAM on time: ZAM-MNL one hour late, no reason given. Therefore if you are
connecting onto international flights at MNL (as I was), allow at least 4 hours on the scheduled
times, as Cebu Pacific domestic flights operate into the domestic terminal, and could be behind
schedule. Otherwise, smooth flights, clean aircraft, FA's friendly and efficient, and prices of
food and drinks sold reasonable. Cebu Pacific have better inter-island connections than Philippine
Airlines, which tends to route all flights to Manila only. Does what it says on the tin.
Cebu Pacific review - by Richard Walder
25 February 2008 Customer Trip Rating : 
I have had no problems with the internet booking and paid with a UK Visa card with no hitches. This
pair of flights from Hong Kong to Manila and return were full both ways but check in was painless in
Hong Kong. Shame NAIA managed to be is usual appalling airport especially after midnight. For the
return, having fought the traffic to the airport, and struggled to actually get into the Terminal,
Cebu's check in was painless, friendly and pleasant. This full flight to Hong Kong was fine,
although I find the full up lighting on the Airbus very bright for night flying. Would recommend
them for value.
Cebu Pacific review - by W Tan
21 February 2008 Customer Trip Rating : 
CEB-SIN round trip, the flights were relatively on time. The only problem I had was with the very
uncomfortable seats - not possible to relax, recline, or sleep. The back rest made my upper back so
sore. Most of the passengers had to alternate between sleeping with their heads on the tray table
and reclining. A real problem for 3.5 hour flights.
Cebu Pacific review - by G Cueto
7 February 2008 Customer Trip Rating : 
Manila to Puerto Princesa roundtrip. I posted earlier complaining about the poor handling of our
reservations - Cebu Pacific reservation center personnel took a week to process and confirm our
reservation - but after flying with them I feel that they deserve credit where credit is due. Check
in took less than 10 min both ways. Both flights departed on time, and planes were new, spotless
and well-maintained. Service was basic but all flight attendants and ground personnel were warm and
friendly.
Cebu Pacific review - by J van Marle
7 February 2008 Customer Trip Rating : 
KUL-Manila, Dumaguete-Manila, MNL-KUL. New planes, on time departures, friendly FAs, low prices - I
can't really complain about the flights. Making reservations however was hellish, and I won't be
trying it soon with Cebu again. My European credit card was refused for some reason, and after a few
times trying to call customer service and waiting up to 15 minutes (they hung up on me twice) I then
had to call my bank to check they hadn't charged my card before I could book the flights via their
call centre. But they can only book return flights over the phone and we had some single flights
planned. So we just flew into Manila and used Philippine Airlines instead from there. One ticket
booked in Cebu at their office, with fast courteous service though again they made a problem if I
wanted to pay by card, they demanded more than half in cash. I have never had problems booking by
card with AirAsia, I don't see why Cebu's IT incompetence should cause such problems for so many
foreign passengers. Manila's international terminal is nasty - security wouldn't let us into the
building without a printout of the ticket (we had booked by phone and were only given a code) so we
had to walk to the Cebu offices and wait for 30 minutes for someone to do so, and then security
hardly glanced at it - more incompetence.
Cebu Pacific review - by J Goldsmith
27 January 2008 Customer Trip Rating : 
Like the previous review I also have had so many problems trying to book and pay for tickets using
Cebu Pacific web site. I am trying to use Australian Visa card which is verified but still to no
avail. I keep getting message use another credit card as some USA cards not accepted. I emailed
customer service from Cebu Pacific web site about 5 times without even the courtesy of a reply, then
phoned Cebu Pacific and tried to book over the phone and again no satisfaction. At least with
Philipine Airlines they have got there internet booking site running and do reply to queries. Cebu
Pacific are a good airline to fly with, aircraft clean and staff friendly - its just a shame they
are let down by customer service.
Cebu Pacific review - by G Cueto
17 January 2008 Customer Trip Rating : 
Caution to those making reservations from the US. The 1-star rating reflects the poor handling of
reservations. We reserved two roundtrip tickets from MNL to Puerto Princesa online and received a
confirmation number. We made this reservation from the US using a US credit card. Two days later we
received an email stating that the credit card charge could not be processed and so the reservation
was on hold but not confirmed. We called the bank to authorize the charge and followed-up with Cebu
Pacific stating that the bank had approved the transaction. The reservation agent assured us that
we would receive an email confirmation. Two days later, we called back to check up on the status of
the reservation, and once again we were assured that "it is being processed". It is now a full five
days and four long-distance phone calls later (mind you, that each call consisted of a 20-min + wait
to get through to an agent - the Manila reservations hotline was often busy). I tried the Cebu
reservations number on the fifth try and was told that the best they could do was to email the
Manila reservations center to follow-up. We're one week away from our departure date and I still
don't have a confirmation from these guys. In the future, I will steer clear of Cebu Pacific to
save myself from all this hassle (and large phone bill).
Cebu Pacific review - by Uly Lao (Singapore)
8 January 2008 Customer Trip Rating : 
SIN-MNL-SIN. FA not friendly and has to be trained in how a FA speak to a passenger. The available
food for sale is poor. No rice meal, nor than the usual sandwiches and just a pepsi/ice tea and
instant noodles/coffee. Flight back late by 20 mins - FA more pleasant but still has a big room for
improvement. Still the same joke when it comes to merchandise sold onboard. With no amenities at all
since its a budget airline, the only way to beef up customer service onboard is variety of food
being sold and options like selling disposable blankets.
Cebu Pacific review - by Daniel Wilson
8 January 2008 Customer Trip Rating : 
KUL-MNL-BDD, DGT-MNL KUL. KUL- MNL flight on time but on a very uncomfortable plane (A320) with
little leg room and seats without a complete headrest. MNL-BDD flight on a more comfortable plane
(A319) with slightly more legroom and better seats. DGT-MNL 2 hours late but comfortable enough
although arriving at Manila in the middle of a storm led to 25 minutes circling before the pilot
would land, the pilot informing us that the radar system had been knocked out. MNL-KUL same
uncomfortable seating as the outbound leg and 90 minutes late on departure. Flight attendants busy
but adequate on all 4 full flights. Inflight magazine is meaty but I would like to see them improve
their menu and offer something more substantial than cup noodles, particularly on the 3.5hr flights.
Cebu Pacific review - by J Kirkman
8 January 2008 Customer Trip Rating : 
HKG-MNL return. Departed on time - older Boeing, cramped space for European. No sandwiches (never
is) but other food available. I dont think Cebu Pacific have realised that there flights are being
used as feeder flights to international carriers and people are hungry. MNL-HKG new Airbus - given
emergency exit seats so plenty of legroom.
Cebu Pacific review - by Ewan Barr
29 October 2007 Customer Trip Rating : 
CAN to MNL (return). New A319 and nice crews on both directions, with a quick and efficient in-flight
service. Flight timings are not great and teething troubles with 1 hour delay on both flights. I
have a feeling that the plane has a domestic flight before setting-off for China, therefore a bit of
a struggle to get it moved to the international gate on time. Hopefully they will get a routine
going and, at around CNY1200 return, a great value deal. Manila T1 still the usual shambles and,
frankly, a disgrace. "New" terminal, now 5+ years old, still sitting empty after legal wrangles and
now starting to fall apart.
Cebu Pacific review - by A Angelo
9 October 2007 Customer Trip Rating : n/a
MNL to SIN and back with Cebu Pacific. This budget airline service is already deteriorating, which is
depressing because they are just beginning to grow, and giving Philippine Airlines a good competition.
Cebu Pacific really needs to get its act together. Both flights delayed by at least one hour each.
Check-in lines at the NAIA airport chaotic. Flight attendants were inefficient.
Cebu Pacific review - by Simon Loh
25 August 2007 Customer Trip Rating : n/a
Singapore to Davao via Cebu and return on A319. Check-in at SIN's budget terminal is very slow. Need
to clear immigration and collect checked-in luggage at CEB and pay for domestic tax before flying out
to DVO. Legroom is just nice, but a bit uncomfortable sitting upright, and it would be tight if the
passenger in front recline its seat. FAs courteous and friendly, polo shirt is their uniform on-board.
DVO very smooth check-in, ground attendant identify you as a connecting passenger with a sticker, and
make sure you get the correct procedure of clearing immigration and paying international airport tax.
Very affordable fares if you buy during their promotions. Other than the slight discomfort in the
cabin, it's a great low-cost airlines.
Cebu Pacific review - by Paul Sanders
31 July 2007
BKK-MNL, redeye flight. On time, got a row to myself and stretched out. Baggage handling flawless.
MNL-Boracay - 2 hours late, unorganized boarding. Once inflight the head flight steward could not
stand to be off the PA for more than 5 minutes at a time! Boracay-MNL - 3 hours late, no
explanation, no jetways domestically and airline did provide umbrellas to all passengers. MNL-BKK,
5 hours late, no explanation. Complete confusion at the check in
counters. 2 girls checking in long lines of pax, and 5 girls on empty counters with closed signs in
front of them. Asked for exit row seat but was told they were all full. Once onboard all 6 exit
row seats in row 11 empty - luckily I grabbed one. I will echo before comment - if you are tall, this airline is not for you.
Cebu Pacific review - by Daniel Tan
3 January 2007
MNL-LAO on new A319. Although I prefer Cebu Pacific services onboard, I
prefer Philippine Airlines in terms of seat comfort. Cebu Pacific's seat
cushions are terrible. Very small leg room, not ideal for tall
passengers. Hence the aircraft is less than a year old, my seat was
slightly broken. A great domestic airline.
Cebu Pacific review - by Andy Healey
15 December 2006
Flown frequently this year, internally in the Philippines, no problem,
always on time. Internationally (mainly MNL-HKG return) very poor
timekeeping, and disorganised loading procedures, check in staff seem
slow in processing so arrive early, and if you are tall (anything over 6
foot) and are not in the exit row or the front row prepare for an
uncomfortable flight.
Cebu Pacific review - by Julian Montano
8 September 2006
MNL - KLO (Kalibo) roundtrip, both sectors on brand-new Airbus A319
aircraft. Check-in was smooth and fast both ways, boarding procedures
were well-organized, and flights departed and arrived on time. Service
consisted of a bottle of iced green tea for every passenger, but this
was adequate enough for the short 50-minute flight. Flight attendants
friendly. Baggage went out quickly upon arrival at both airports, and
ground crew at MNL distributed umbrellas for all disembarking passengers
to alleviate some heat while walking from the plane to the terminal.
Cebu Pacific review - by Andy Lachlan
18 March 2006
Hong Kong to Manila return and Manila - Cebu. HKG-MNL flights were
great - friendly FAs, some games, brand new aircraft (Airbus A320) and
clean cabin. They fit a lot of seats into these aircraft and tall people
would probably feel rather uncomfortable - I think the seats had only
28' leg room. The food comprised ice tea and chocolate cookies -
perfectly adequate on the short flight. Manila - Cebu aircraft was older
- a 757 with possibly more leg room. Everything else was the same.
Overall I'd rate them an excellent airline. Just bear in mind that if
want to refund your ticket you have to wait for 45 days for your refund
to come through and then pick it up in person. Still this isn't bad
considering very few airlines allow you to refund a cheap ticket at all
these days.
Cebu Pacific review - by Marcel Dijkstra
2
October 2005
In the past and this year I used Cebu Pacific for a return flights from
Manila to Bacolod. At any time I would prefer to fly them over
Philippine Airlines. They are affordable and indeed have a more punctual
record. Even when there was a slight delay upon departure in Manila this
year, we were kept well informed. Their service is good, planes are
clean and the flight attendants are friendly and helpful. There is
always a shuttle bus from Cebu pacific running from the international
terminal to the domestic terminal. The DC-9's are really ageing, though
you wouldn't say that from the interior. They are however being replaced
as I write this. I can't wait to see the brand new fleet.
Cebu Pacific review - by Cyril Franz
9
September 2005
Cebu Pacific was very efficient for me and my wife. Although the
aircraft used were old models such as DC -9's,the flight was very
comfortable and the promos were to good to ignore. I won during one of
the in-flight games and the food and services were pretty good all in
all. The flight attendants were very courteous, polite, and efficient.
Cebu Pacific review - by Corey Shreffler
29
August 2005
Cebu Pacific from Hong Kong to Manila, and then from Manila to Cebu. The
in-flight games provided a nice distraction from the flight itself, and were the
source of many smiles and laughter. Flying can be a nervous experience, but these
were about the most relaxed flights I've ever had. The flight attendants were very
friendly as well. The plane itself did seem to be a bit dated, but that was soon
forgotten once the games began.
Cebu Pacific review - by David Mann
30 August 2004
Manila-Tagbilaran, Tagbilaran-Manila was an excellent flight. The FAs were all young women and
enthusiastic. For only a hour flight, the FAs managed to give out a free drink and a snack to each
passenger, and even manage to play a game with us for prizes. The interior was plain but clean. I
was very happy with these flights and would not hesistate to use them again.
Cebu Pacific review - by M
J Scott
19 December 2003
Cebu Pacific in Nov. 2003 : Manila-Davao-Cebu-Manila and found them courteous, efficient
and punctual. You get only a packet of chips and a drink, but who cares on a 1 hour flight. I
liked the announcement en route to Davao re the 70% reduction in tariff at the [airline-owned] Apo
View Hotel in Davao - I happily took advantage of this offer.
Cebu Pacific review - by Aries Lo
1 October 2003
DC9 aircraft - not too noticable that it is 3 decades old - the interior is good.
Food is not very good - cabin crew very courteous. One thing very
fun is their FUN FLIGHTS - I really did enjoy. I hope that someday they will put business
class sections to all sectors, be it domestic or international flights - many passengers expect to
have hot meals on their air travel.
|
PAGE:
1
|
2
|
|
Customer Rating = from 1.0 (very poor) to 5.0 (excellent) |
IMPORTANT NOTE
Comments and opinions contained in these pages do not represent the views of Skytrax. All features contain unsolicited input from site visitors, and we
seek to exercise the minimum level of editorial control and censorship to ensure the widest debate and platform for customer opinions. We
will not publish submissions that contain abusive language. We cannot guarantee to publish all opinions submitted.
ADD YOUR COMMENTS HERE
These Review pages are designed to offer guidance and assistance to other travellers, and we ask
respondents to use an "informative" style of comment and share any travel tips for the
airline in question.
Your First Name (or initial) and Family Name, and E-mail address MUST be supplied.
When submitting comments, please DO NOT insert paragraphs.
Please check you use Upper and Lower case only - submissions made all in CAPITALS will
NOT be accepted.
Comment submissions that require extensive text editing CANNOT be published.
|