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Philippine Airlines review by J Olfato
5 May 2008 Customer Trip Rating : 
MNL-CEB-NRT, NRT-MNL business to Tokyo, economy to Manila. Although it is better than other options,
as it takes off from the much better NAIA Centennial Terminal, the service has gone from bad to
worse in the past years. During check-in, despite booking business, they did not check me all the
way to Tokyo, so I had to go down in Cebu, get my luggage, then check-in again. Unfriendly ground
staff told me it was standard procedure, but when I complained in Cebu, they told me there was no
such rule. Business seats not good, and entertainment options very average. Ground staff are
terrible! In Narita, the queue is a mess, and you have to wait for one hour to check-in. The
economy seats were bad, and the flight attendants on this leg was unprofessional. They spent most
of their time gossiping and ignoring customer requests.
Philippine Airlines review by R Ben
19 March 2008 Customer Trip Rating : 
MNL-HKG RT on PAL's ancient 744s. Typical PAL service, efficient but not too friendly. On
international flights, PAL seem to deploy the very senior flight attendants. Food was average.
Service on the ground was quick, given the small size of PAL's terminal in Manila. If flying on a
budget, PAL is worth the try.
Philippine Airlines review by L Balonan
17 March 2008 Customer Trip Rating : 
Business class Manila to Hong Kong. Acceptable Mabuhay class lounge, however not enough seats. Food
served was the same as those in domestic Mabuhay lounge, sufficient but nothing to rave about. No
shower facility. Business class is in the first class cabin of a refitted 747 from some other
airline - spacious cabin with cradle-type seat. Comfortable for the short flight. Food served is
not the same as that of economy class as was commented by some previous post. Food although plenty
was not remarkable, in fact I felt the fish that was served had a very strange taste (not rotten).
Service was above average.
Philippine Airlines review by G Hanson
12 March 2008 Customer Trip Rating : 
SYD-MNL 747 business - seats older style but comfortable, food quite enjoyable, service ok. MNL-MLB-
SYD economy seat fine, meals poor to average, Philippine airlines just cant get the service right.
Service is reasonably efficient but just not customer friendly.
Philippine Airlines review by W Pollitt
19 February 2008 Customer Trip Rating : 
LAX to MNL first class - comparable to business class on most Asian airlines. Seats are of the old
style but seem to be comfortable and easier to sleep in compared to the tilt of the shell type
seats. Excellent service which was a surprise. Food on both segments excellent Philippine dishes,
average Italian dishes. Amenities containing socks, toothpaste, toothbrush, cologne. I used the
first class perk of a free Limo service to my hotel. But to be honest, would have been better to
pay a taxi and get to my hotel instead of waiting 45 minutes which was a car similar to a taxi.
Return to LAX. Flew into MNL on a economy flight from BKK. Service from attendents on return
average, programmed meal breaks and checking on passengers - not like excellent service on my
arrival flight. Lounge at LAX was disappointing considering and others share the same lounge.
Finger foods and drinks. PAL lounge at MNL, less finger foods and can become crowded as departure
time nears. Considering the cheap prices compared to other airlines, I would use PAL again.
Philippine Airlines review by J van Marle
7 February 2008 Customer Trip Rating : 
Manila-Tagbilaran (Bohol). We just walked into the airport and asked for seats for this flight - the
flight was full but the booking office at MNL sold us seats on the waiting list and despite the
flight being overbooked by 8 seats we got on in the end. New plane, smooth flight. Food served was
inferior - sweet light nasty crackers and some gooey snacks in plastic, not really food. Flight on
time, and for 65 euros for a single last minute ticket I would use them again.
Philippine Airlines review by A Bauzon
10 January 2008 Customer Trip Rating : 
MNL-LAX-MNL. Philippine Airlines flies 747 and A340 for this route. It is advisable that you take
the A340 flight as it is gives better legroom and comfort - 747 is cramped. PAL offers moderate in-
flight service. Attendants do not offer drinks throughout the flight. PAL's advantage is its direct
service to Los Angeles and back.
Philippine Airlines review by U Lao
8 January 2008 Customer Trip Rating : 
A320 MNL-GUAM-MNL, aircraft looked new and modern, and they provide Inflight entertainment for the
3.5 hours flight to Guam. Food respectable and service average. Good pillow, blanket and reading
materials. Its cheaper than most airlines and is only a few dollars more expensive than budget
airlines like Cebu pacific but the service is like North and south.
Philippine Airlines review by R Jamison
1 January 2008 Customer Trip Rating : 
PAL sells its first class product for less than many airlines charge for business class. The seat
is basically a business class seat. The in flight entertainment is pretty basic. The seat is more
comfortable than United Airlines business seat and on par with Continental's and similar business
first products. The service was attentive and cheerful. First Class check-in in Manila was hassle
free and included a uniformed valet to carry my bags. It's not First Class on Singapore Airlines,
but dollar for dollar, it's a great value.
Philippine Airlines review by C Fonde
26 October 2007 Customer Trip Rating : 
LAX-MNL-LAX in Business Class. A340 in Business Class was clean and seats comfortable. The footrest
was a bit short, but not a major inconvenience. FA's attentive, food terrific on both flights. On
return, our connecting flight from Iloilo to Manila was delayed 24 hours prior to departure, which
seemed a bit puzzling to us. We re-booked an earlier flight to Manila, and spent 8 hours in the Manila
Mabuhay Lounge, which was comfortable, and served some nice snacks and drinks. This was my first
experience on an Asian carrier.
Philippine Airlines review by P Mallari
17 October 2007 Customer Trip Rating : 
Manila to Hong Kong. Arrived at airport to find they had cancelled flight without notifying
passengers. They transferred the 13 passengers to a Cathay Pacific flight in a different terminal. No
PAL official accompanied. Security refused to let us into terminal. PAL neglected to notify Cathay of
the transfer leading to much confusion and ill will. Last time we fly with these incompetents.
Philippine Airlines review by J Abarone
30 September 2007 Customer Trip Rating : 
MNL-SFO on business class. Checkin was fast but the Mabuhay Lounge in NAIA T2 was very crowded and
small, SFO mabuhay lounge was more comfortable. The plane was an old 747 and the seats were tired and
some features are not functioning anymore. The in-flight entertainment was comparable to the economy
class of other carriers. No AVOD and the screens were small. The food was great though. FAs were nice
but were lukewarm at best.
Philippine Airlines review by Ewan Barr
23 July 2007 Customer Trip Rating : 
HKG to MNL Business Class. All flights on time and a decent in-flight
service for a short flight. Outwards on a band new A319 and back on a
tired 744, albeit in the old First Class section. Nothing to fault
particularly as good value compared to Cathay Economy (much the same
price), but the in-flight entertainment is very poor. You do get to use
the newer terminal in Manila (T2), which is also a bonus compared to T1.
Good value overall but probably not that great for long-haul flights.
Philippine Airlines review by Allen Enriquez
20 June 2007 Customer Trip Rating : 
MNL-LAX on a tired 747, legroom was not very good. LAX-MNL return on an
Airbus 340 was better in terms of legroom and personal space. Flight
staff did not exhibit the level of service compared to other Asian
carriers. Flight attendants were only available when serving meals and
made themselves scarce thereafter. PAL's only advantage is it offers the
only non-stop flight from Manila to LAX, but service needs a lot of
improvement.
Philippine Airlines review by L Custodio
14 June 2007 Customer Trip Rating : 
KIX-MNL Economy class on Airbus 320. The last time I took PR was way
back November 2004 (MNL-SIN-MNL). Coming from Noumea, our connection was
in Osaka. Crew very polite, helpful and hospitable. Nice food. Good leg
room in economy class. Very good food and service.
Philippine Airlines review by Anthony Gob
1 May 2007 Customer Trip Rating : 
MNL to SIN return. Check-in took 20min due to number of passengers.
Cabin crew was efficient but some are serious doing their job. IFE was
not that good. On the Changi airport our luggage was delivered right
away with no hitches. On the way back was upgraded to Business class.
The legroom was very decent and seats roomy and comfortable though the
headrest is quite uncomfortable. This time cabin crew was better -
friendly, efficient and smiling.
Philippine Airlines review by J Olfato
28 April 2007 Customer Trip Rating : 
Economy on international flights, business on domestic flights. Very
mediocre. I feel very sorry for PAL, Asia's oldest airline, as they pale
in comparison to other carriers. But because of lack of choice, (PAL
operates from the tolerable Terminal 2, not the nightmare that is
Terminal 1), and because it offers the only direct flights to US and
some Asian cities, we are left with no choice but to endure this
airline. Meals are fine, service is generally good (but the selective
politeness is very noticeable - discriminative to non-affluent or OFW-
looking Filipino passengers!). Planes are old! Some newer planes (A320,
A319). If PAL does not address these problems, then they would continue
to lose passengers when the new Terminal 3 opens! Even their call center
is terrible, they would put you on hold for half an hour! If you would
claim your ticket in the PAL office, you have to wait for 2 excruciating
hours! On domestic business class, generally okay, but it matters not on
a one hour flight. Would take Philippine airlines again, because of the
terminal and price.
Philippine Airlines review by Gordon Hwang
15 April 2007 Customer Trip Rating : n/a
PVG to MNL in Business, return in Economy. Overall a pleasant
experience on clean Airbus planes. Business class seats are roomy with
decent legroom, but the footrest was too short. Seat pitch in Economy
is very tight; recommend booking exit row. IFE choices in Business were
limited to a few movies and TV shows, and the monitor was defective.
Headphones were old-style non-noise-cancelling. FAs were very friendly
on both flights, and repeated the drink service on the 3 hour flights.
Food quality in both classes of service was similar; nondescript Asian
flavors with pork or chicken and rice. Almond pudding in Economy was
tasty; Business offerred Haagen Daz vanilla ice cream. Duty-free prices
were reasonable. Both flights slightly delayed, and neither airport
will win any award. MNL waiting lounge has few shops and the seats are
hard metal. No outlets to plug in notebooks. Ticket price was very
reasonable, and will fly them again.
Philippine Airlines review by Thomas Auer
24 March 2007
SYD-MEL-MNL and Back. Airbus A330-300 near new and very clean. Crew
polite and nice. PAL's terminal 2 a bit crowded and didn't have as much
choice to shop and eat than T1, although it was clean and modern, we got
through on time and had no hitchs of any type. The Trip back was on a
more aged A330-300. The crew was very helpful, food was nice.
Philippine Airlines review by Anthony Gob
22 January 2007
MNL–PPS return. Check-in was a breeze. A330 was used instead maybe since
a big volume of passengers during the holiday season. Flight departed on
time. A domestic flight but still they provided a pretty generous Snack
Pack, you can choose your drinks from the trolley. Cabin crew, smiling,
hospitable and efficient.
Philippine Airlines review by Elwyn Mallari
19 January 2007
Manila-San Francisco in Business Class. There were no long queues in the
business class check-in, and the check-in agent was helpful but could
not muster a smile. Invited to the business class lounge which is
located at one end of the long terminal, therefore it could be quite
inconvenient if your gate is at the opposite end of the terminal
especially for the passengers with mobility problems. The business class
lounge was crowded, most of the comfortable seats occupied and seats
that were left were uncomfortable cafeteria-type chairs. The food
selection was limited and uninspiring but the hot Arroz Caldo soup was
quite tasty and very popular. B747-400 business class section is on the
upper deck. There were about 3-4 FA's assigned in the business class
section. The seats are quite comfortable but showing their age, and
PAL's Boeing 747-400's business class seats recline further than PAL's
Airbus A340-300 business class seats, which I found unacceptable on our
inbound flight. FA services were fast, respectful, but lacking in
interaction with passengers. The inflight meal was served an hour after
take off on white linen starting with a small tasteless appetizer,
followed by a salad, then delicious main dishes. The white wine was
just acceptable but after dinner mango shake drink very good. PAL is not
known for good coffee however. The Individual In Flight Entertainment in
business class was not AVOD, with 4-5 new Hollywood movies shown. The
headphones are not the noise cancelling type but the same cheap
headphones typically seen in coach class. PAL is at least a generation
behind its rival top asian airlines in terms of passenger IFE's. One FA
was assigned to regularly clean the two lavatories in business class and
greatly appreciated. The midflight snack is on demand only as this is a
night flight. The pre-landing breakfast was filling and tasty. My wife
had the eggs and Filipino sausage and she said her breakfast was very
good. My breakfast of pork and steamed rice was just OK. The flight
arrived about an hour late from the original schedule. First class and
business class passengers luggage came out within 15-20 minutes after
landing. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by PAL's business class
service and if they keep their business class fares lower than rival
airlines serving the same routes, I will fly with them again.
Philippine Airlines review by Gordon Halbersma
19 January 2007
Vancouver to Manila and return Fiesta Class. Traveled as a family of 3
with a 4-year old child on this Airbus 340. Had been promised bulkhead
seating to get the legroom but got the next row back instead. There just
aren't many seating options as far as a family is concerned as the only
place in the A340 that has 3 or more seats together is in Fiesta Class.
Forget about the window seats as there are only 2 seats along the
windows all the way down. The flight is an overnighter and although the
flight leaves Vancouver at 1040 at night, they obviously think
passengers especially kids don't need any sleep because they kept movies
playing the entire 14 hours to Manila and 11 plus hours back. The food
was good to Manila but lousy coming back. The child's meal that had been
specially ordered was just a different adult menu item not offered to
adults. The seat assigned to the child would not recline. We wondered
why this flight couldn't leave earlier in the day, even from Las Vegas,
its originating point going to Manila, to make it a day flight. The crew
was courteous in general although one in particular was somewhat
patronizing to the child. Call bells were ignored. Offering services and
picking up after the services was rushed so that some passengers were
missed. The one advantage for this route is that it is direct and for
that reason was willing to pay higher fare. However, whether we would
take this flight again is debatable.
Philippine Airlines review by Maulana Dickman
9 January 2007
CGK - MNL return with A330, Y Class. Friendly cabin crew although the
food served on both sectors is average. Surprised with the Ninoy Aquino
airport in Manila (Philippine Airline terminal), which does not
represent as International Airport or main gate to the Philippines,
since looks shoddy and crowded. Agree with the 3 star given to this
airline, and would fly Philippine Airlines again in the future.
Philippine Airlines review by Guy Behrick
3 January 2007
Business Class LAX to MNL and back. Bad start when the ticket agent said
the LAX lounge was closed for renovation until 2008. The outbound plane
was an old hybrid 747 in which the footrest was broken. Cabin attendant
tried for about five minutes to manually deploy it but was of no use.
Cuisine was acceptable if not exceptional. However we arrived on time if
a little the worse for wear. The lounge in Manila was crowded to
capacity but we were able to relax. Finger foods quite decent in the
lounge. On return flight one attendant was helpful while another was
poker faced the whole time. On both flights, cleanliness in the
lavatories was unacceptable. I don't think any attempt was made to deal
with this by the staff. Overall, PAL is lucky with the three-star
rating. Hopefully this will improve when First and Mabuhay Class are renovated.
Philippine Airlines review by Elwyn Mallari
3 January 2007
Business Class San Francisco to Manila return. Dedicated Business Class
check in counter in SFO, check-in took less than 10 minutes for me and
my wife. We spent a little more than two hours in the Philippine
Airlines Business Class lounge in SFO. The lounge has two adjacent
rooms, wide-screen tv., comfortable seats, and self-serve food and
drinks. They need to seriously reconsider serving Manhattan clam
chowder. As someone has mentioned on this forum, PAL is an Asian carrier
and I don't understand why it is serving Manhattan clam chowder. PAL's
Airbus A340-300's Business Class seats are wide, with enough space
between seats but seats are showing their age. The seats are hard, I had
to use my pillow as a seat cushion to make myself comfortable and I'm
not a heavy person. The seats are manually operated. The biggest
disappointment was the lack of recline of their Business Class seats on
Airbus A340 planes. I felt like I was flying in coach and consequently
did not manage to sleep the entire trans-Pacific flight from SFO to MNL
The inflight food was acceptable given the lower price of PAL's Business
Class tickets compared to other carriers flying the same route. The meal
was served on white linen, starting with the appetizers, main meal, then
2 desserts. Their coffee was awful. The mid-flight Arroz Caldo soup was
lukewarm and I had to return it. FA's service was fast, a little
robotic, they had little interaction with the passengers, and you only
hear occasional thank you. Returning, PAL's newish dedicated terminal in
MNL is modern. There were no lines in the dedicated Business Class
counters, check in took about 10-12 minutes. We went to the Business
Class lounge and was a big disappointment. I was expecting a bigger
lounge since MNL is PAL's hub. It was crowded. The food was just
acceptable, but their Arroz Caldo soup delicious. They have sofas, but
most of the seats are the uncomfortable cafeteria-style chairs. The
plane for this flight was a Boeing 747-400, and Business Class is
upstairs. 3-4 FA's serving this section. The seats look the same as on
PAL's Airbus A340 but the Boeing 747-400 Business Class seats lean
further thus giving more comfort. The individual in flight entertainment
is not on-demand. So if you miss the start of the movie, you'll have to
wait until it starts all over again. The inflight food was a little
better on the flight back to SFO. The service efficient, and FA's a
little friendlier. The pre-landing breakfast was filling and tasty.
First Class and Business Class passengers were allowed to leave first.
Our luggage came out within fifteen minutes of landing. Overall, I was
pleasantly surprised by PAL's Business Class service. If they keep their
price lower than their rival airlines, I would gladly fly with them
again in the future.
Philippine Airlines review by Rodel Abedes
15 December 2006
Business Class SFO to MNL and First Class MNL to SFO. Business Class to
Manila was ok. The seats are manual recline and seat cushions quite
uncomfortable at times. The food was good and most Flight Attendants
were courteous. On the way back to SFO, was upgraded to First Class. The
First Class seats on PAL are the same as those of Business Class except
First Class is not a manual recline, its electrical. The food was good.
Philippine Airlines review by Ian Taylor
7 November 2006
We only used Philippine Airlines for our domestic travel has they do not
yet fly direct to New Zealand. The flights were Manila to Cebu, and
Cagayan De Oro back to Manila. Airbus A320 were very clean, tidy. The
FAs were friendly, courteous and professional. The snack was ok, ( You
had only one choice of food, Banana cake ) water or juice. And on the
return cookies were offered. Because we had an infant, and despite the
travel agency in Manila holding copies of all our Passports, Birth
Certificates, the travel agent was not allowed to do any bookings for
our infant, so we had to find the official PAL offices both in Manila,
and Cagayan has only the mother can do these bookings (policy by the
airline). As a result we lost two days of our holidays in doing this.
My wife was also given the wrong information by a PAL official when it
came to baggage weight for our infant. Having been told that 20Kg
applies because we were transferring onto an international flight. Has
we found out at Cagayan Airport, this was not the case, and charged us
excess baggage including the babies stoller - very poor.W e are now
planning another trip to the Philippine in the New Year, and have
decided to cut out Philippine Airlines completely. We did write a letter
to the airline - however in the reply nothing was really said, and left
me feeling that if this is the best they can do, then I will spend my
money trying out another airline, its got to be all or nothing in my
book.
Philippine Airlines review by Norman Sutherland
13 October 2006
On schedule departure ICN-MNL. I didn't want the full meal service, but the Cabin Crew kept me
supplied throughout with Wine, Cheese and Biscuits. Pretty poor selection on the IFE, but otherwise
an OK flight.
Philippine Airlines review by Robbie Francisco
12 October 2006
MNL-PEK and PVG-MNL. Was a comfortable ride with food better than usual.
Drinks were my favorite. For my flight from Shanghai to Manila, the
video screen in the A320 was busted. Cabin crew professional and quite
friendly although very strict with the cellphone warnings, I felt as if
we were all being scolded by our parents, but it was understandable.
FA's vanished after service in both flights, seems to be a trademark
with this airline.
Philippine Airlines review by Peter Pomeranze
5 October 2006
Manila to Bangkok business class. A very pleasant ride in business
class. Although sched to be an Airbus 340 a 330 was substituted.No
problem, seats up front were comfortable and food more than acceptable.
Cheapest biz class on this route. Manila airport is quite unpleasant
though from all the security points to the tattered lounge.
Philippine Airlines review by Darryl Malonzo
13 September 2006
First Class San Francisco to Manila - Check In a breeze no lines with
special lane for First Class passengers. The Mabuhay lounge at SFO
okay but very crowded. Plane to Manila was an Airbus, Service with a
smile, food was okay. First Class Manila to San Francisco - Check also a
breeze, Mabuhay lounge at Manila also very crowded. Airplane was a
second hand 747, arabic writing all over the plane. Sound was not
working for video system not acceptable for First Class. Purser kept
apologizing. Service with a smile food was still okay. Overall
experience is not up to standard with Asian competitors. Business Class
with these carriers is better than First Class with Philippine Airlines.
However Philippine Airlines pricing is cheap, First Class Fare is less
than Business Class with competitors. You get what you pay for.
Philippine Airlines review by Anthony Gob
11 September 2006
MNL-CGY-MNL, Economy Class Airbus A320, check-in at the domestic part of
the NAIA Terminal 2 was a breeze. Ground staff very efficient too. Cabin
is okay. Flight attendants hospitable, smiling and very efficient. A
pretty generous snack for this flight. On the way back to MNL, no
problem again in checking -in, ground staff very efficient and
responsive again. I would definitely fly again with PR - value for
money.
Philippine Airlines review by Paul Lehmann
26 August 2006
SYD-MNL-MEL Mabuhay Business Class. A330-300 aircraft provided a
smooth, event free ride in both directions. SYD-MNL friendly, efficient
FAs; great lunch and generous beverage service (although it's trays all
the way - no service from the trolley here). IFE was basic but provided
a couple of good choices for the 8 hour flight (just as well - system
only offers 3 or 4 movies at a time). Cabin spacious and comfortable
(this cabin was never more than about one third full). The overnight
flight from MNL-MEL was rather less restful and relaxing. The inflight
service to a high standard but the seats are from the last generation of
business class offerings. They're fine for a day flight, but they seem
hardly to recline at all, so sleeping was more of an aspiration than a
reality. Even if you could theoretically fall asleep - the flight time
(7hrs between hours of 10pm and 5am destination time) and meal service
times will remove any room for practical application of the sleep
theory. Breakfast is served long before it needs to be - so you are
woken from what passes as sleep by blazing cabin lights and offered a
continental breakfast more than two hours before ETA. The meal is a
very quick one so you are left wondering why the last 100 minutes + of
the flight are reserved for this weird post-breakfast, pre-dawn twilight
zone. I would have preferred a bit more time in the dark and in the
almost restful position I had finally, exhaustedly contorted myself
into. I would fly with PR again - it does offer excellent value for
money and aircraft and crew are as good or better than most.
Philippine Airlines review by Colin Whitehouse
12 August 2006
Business class from Shanghai to Manilla in Early August 06. I was a bit
sceptical but it was OK. Business seats are the same as Economy (3x3)
but with the middle seat covered by a table. Leg and seat room is
therefore the same in both classes. Service from the crew was good and
the food very good both ways. Lounge service was good and A320 was in
good condition.
Philippine Airlines review by Rob Belbin
26 June 2006
Mabuhay class MNL to YVR Vancouver on Airbus. Easy booking on website.
Check in excellent and boarding good. Old style biz class seats (manual
operation) and IFE limited to a couple of movies on continuous repeat
inflight. Quality of the screens and headsets pretty ordinary. Meals
and beverage service okay, quality of food okay. Inflight service
attentive. Amenities kit high quality. Service of the bathrooms poor
and general condition of the plane shows heavy wear and tear. LAX to MNL
on a 747, Mabuhay class upstairs comfortable but again old style chairs
with limited recline and facilities. Sleeping not comfortable. Service
attentive, meal okay (reasonable presentation and quality/choice) but
again bathrooms not serviced - had to call for towels and tissue.
Overnight flight with no water distributed to ease the dryness and the 1
hour onboard wait for refuel not the best experieince at 2am. Not the
best Business class service more of a "comfortable" economy service but
pricing is midway between coach and other airlines' business class.
Based on this experience I can't see myself ever doing overnight long
haul with Philippine Airlines in coach but would consider a day flight
in biz class - because of the price.
Philippine Airlines review by Joel Pacis
24 May 2006
Mabuhay Class between San Francisco and Kalibo (Boracay Island) via
Manila. Airbus A340-300 outbound to Manila and 747-400 inbound to San
Francisco. Making travel reservations on PAL via the 1-800 toll number
can be taxing due to their inability to accept Credit Card information
over the phone. Check in at SFO was a breeze, not the chaotic zoo I had
expected with two PR flights to Manila within a span of an hour.
Mabuhay Lounge in SFO is roomy with lots of snacks and drinks. Catering
on the lounge is Western (not expecting Clam Chowder from an Asian
carrier). Boarding was orderly, with F, C and MabuhayMiles Elite
members going first and on separate airbridges. Was greeted nicely by
the Inflight Purser. Cabin was clean. Seats old style F class seats
with limited recline - wide and bulky but the recline was too limiting.
Flight attendants were professional, friendly - alert and efficient and
made countless beverage service throughout the ten hour stretch to Guam
and then the three onto Manila. Food was average, served on square
china that looked suspiciously like the same served in coach but in
porcelain form. IFE lacking. Flight departed and arrived on time in
both directions. Mabuhay Class is not the most luxurious Business Class
out there but worth the price.
Philippine Airlines review by Anthony Gerard
24 May 2006
MNL to SIN in Economy Class using Airbus A330. Nice and clean cabins,
good food and spacious legroom. FAs are very hospitable and friendly -
warm greetings, and they serve you with a smile. This airline is cheaper
compare to other airlines yet you'll experience great service.
Philippine Airlines review by Jon Veel
21 January 2006
Singapore - Manila return in Business class. The fare was almost exactly
half the SQ fare for the same route which seemed about fair for what was
actually provided! Good point (there is only one) was the seat. This was
a 2-2-2 config on the A330 which seemed very spacious and with a
generous seat pitch. It didn't feel cramped even with the seat in front
fully reclined. This seemed closer to SQ regional first class seating
rather than SQ regional Raffles class which always seems a bit cramped.
The negatives - both flights delayed. Food is okay rather than
sumptuous. More like an economy meal on a china plate and a basic
red/white wine choice. Nothing that will compare to SQ/CX/BA. Lounge at
Manila was so crowded with no seats available I ended up sitting out in
the main terminal anyway. Personal TV had only 1 other choice in
addition to the film being shown on the main screen. Chaotic check-in at
Manila. 45min queue just to go through street x-ray and enter terminal.
Then haphazard business check in with counter staff needing to make
phone calls, walk off with tickets etc taking an average 15-20 minutes
per customer to check in. My first time with this airline and maybe I
was unlucky with the flight delays., though they didn't seem either
surprised or apologetic so I suspect this is a regular occurrence! Given
the price I paid I would give them the benefit of the doubt and would
fly with them again.
Philippine Airlines review by Paolo Lim
4 January 2006
There are a few issues that need to be addressed. First, the
consistency with the inflight entertainment programmes, especially
Boeing 747-400. MNL-HKG featured a real-time airshow and safety video
but on the return flight, none of them were present - as for the latter
feature, we had to resort to a live demonstration instead. There were
short programmes on both sectors. The interesting thing with the return
flight was that there were personal monitors in economy class but it
only featured the mainscreen programmes (of course personal monitors are
not a feature of PAL). Most of its Boeing 747-400s look different from
each other - one has grey seats while the other has blue and green seats
while a third has blue-purple seats. Flight attendants are friendly.
Would I fly PAL again? It depends on the kind of aircraft, particularly
if the Boeing 747-400 is scheduled to be used.
I said that personal monitors are not a feature of PAL - that is in
economy class as they usually feature mainscreen programmes and personal
monitors are used in First and Mabuhay (Business) Class. Overall, I
don't have much problems about riding PAL, most of them are OK journeys.
Philippine Airlines review by Richard Turnley
30 December 2005
Sydney to Manila business class return over the busy Christmas-New Year
period with PAL and was more than happy with nearly all aspects of the
flights - very pleasant staff, good food and beverages, ok IFE and a
clean plane both ways. Maybe the only complaint is that the seats do not
recline very much and this is a bit painful on the overnight flight from
Manila. Ground service was very good.
Philippine Airlines review by Jean-Pierre Dijks
10
August 2005
SFO to MNL (and domestic onwards to Bacolod). This was my first time on PAL, and I
can state that it will be the last time as well. The attitude of the ground staff is just too much to take (both at
SFO, in Manila and in Bacolod). Our main issue started with a cancellation, we however did check in
and got to stay in a hotel around SFO. Not too bad, but we were apparently just lucky. Others stayed in a Best
Western with dinner vouchers for Denny's. Talk about cost saving! Our flight left eventually (15
hours later), and we got vouchers for lunch at SFO. The flight was smooth, but the plane so old. Because we were sitting exit rows we had
no problems with disappearing flight attendants. The food was not bad. So we were thinking, not
too bad afterall. But then, because of the delay we were stuck in the most dreadful
hotel in Manila (Traders by Shangria-La). Obviously there was not a peso to be spent on us any more.
The stay was horrible, the food was horrible, the rooms were worse. We were clearly economized out
of the picture by PAL. On the return flight we had many issues with our bagage. All of a sudden PAL
seemed to have a rule that your domestic flight must be within 24 hours of the international to get the
same bagage allowance. Plausible rule, just no one bothers telling you, and we even had our
flights confirmed at the PAL office at the Bacolod airport. So they knew our flight schedule, just
never bothered telling us until there was no way back. Then we had other bagage issues in Manila (on
the same bagage we brought from Bacolod). Got charged $600. All sorts of hassles again, talked to the
supervisors (again), no change. We finally got upgraded to business class and got a lunch pass, but it cost us $600 to get on the plane.
Mabuhay class - maybe we were unlucky, but we flew a very old 747-400. The seats are
20 year old things with no real comfort (wide, but that is about it). It is not
spacious, food is not much better than in economy (it is even served in similar size
and style "serving dishes", except they are porcelain). The flight attendants were not really
bothered and they run out of the meals rather quickly. So if you want your choice
pick the first seats. I would never pay for Mabuhay - I'll fly anything other then PAL next time!!
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Customer Rating = from 1.0 (very poor) to 5.0 (excellent) |
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