Cebu Pacific

I am not impressed by Cebu Pacific and doubt I will fly with them again. Was supposed to fly out from Caticlan (Boracay) to Manila but flight got cancelled and we were put on another flight out of Kalibo which is 2hrs away from Caticlan. I had to arrange for a transfer on my own terms. Then the flight out of Kalibo was over an hour late without notification. The boards did not show any flight status's. I had to ask to find out and I was told 30mins delay or more. I thought because Kalibo airport is small that's why it seemed so unorganized. I finally get to Manila where I have a connecting flight to Hanoi. And it happens again. Gate changes twice flight delayed without any notification. No one at the gate to assist. No communication whatsoever on why we aren't boarding at the time indicated on our boarding passes. My flight ended up being delayed by over an hour again. The staff are polite and helpful but they should be trained to be more proactive in updating passengers. The flight cabin is also tight not much leg room if you are 5'7" or taller. Planes are also quite loud. All in all my experience has been disappointing.

I flew Cebu last July from Manila - Cebu and back. I have nothing but praise for the airline. The return trip could have been a nightmare as I needed to get to Manila for connecting flight to Schiphol. My scheduled flight was delayed for some hours due to impending typhoon and I would have missed the connection. The wonderful staff at the desk pulled out all the stops and got me on the earlier flight with minutes to spare. I got on board just as doors were closing and made my connection in Manila. I cannot imagine this happening anywhere else.

Posted fares are deceptive and your actual fare may double. We flew Clark to Singapore connecting to Jakarta. There is a fee to connect fuel surcharge security charge web admin fee luggage $50 aviation levy and seat selection fee for each leg. My original trip was 14000 peso but I ended up paying 30500. You can take PAL or Garuda for the same price. There needs to be transparency in pricing and their advertising is deceptive. Aircraft was half full but you are not allowed to move to a seat with more space. I had middle seal in the last row with passengers on both sides. In spite of empty seats forward I was not allowed to move. Hand carry baggage was on the floor blocking egress as the overheads were jammed full. I kept briefcase at my feet.

I recently flew Cebu Pacific BKK-MNL red-eye flight which was fine (I paid for an exit seat). A few days later I flew MNL-PPS - being the day after the Manila floods the terminal was in complete chaos and the flight was 2 hours late but not bad in the circumstances and again the flight itself was fine. Cebu Pacific fares can look like a good deal but beware of their change fees. Due to the floods I needed to rearrange my travels and change my return flight from PPS. It would have cost me 1977PHP to change my CEB ticket - I chose instead to pay 1837PHP to buy a whole new ticket on Philippine Airlines. With PAL I was able to pay with my Australian Mastercard and avoid CEB's "web admin fee".

Flew on their new route MNL-SYD. As this is a low cost carrier you get what you pay for. There are no blankets pillows complimentary food and drinks or Inflight Entertainment. However the website was easy to navigate when making bookings the aircraft was clean cabin crew were friendly lavatories spotless throughout the flight and the flight was on time. Inflight entertainment consisted of complimentary wi-fi with movie and magazine choices for viewing. You need your own wi-fi enabled device to use the service. Internet access was also available for USD12.00 for the flight. The wi-fi service was stable and reliable. If all you are seeking is a cheap seat Cebu Pacific is the way to go. The fare cost AUD150.00. A competing carrier was offering a fare of AUD700.00. A nice touch was entering the aircraft into the cabin not via a galley which is standard of most aircraft designs. Entering directly into the cabin creates the impression of more space. The configuration of the Cebu Pacific A330-200 is tight with only 8 lavatories. However the cabin is all one class of service and there were no queuing issues with lavatories. Will fly them again for the cheap ticket cost and friendly service.

Flew SYD-MNL return for $144 (AUD) return bargain of a deal. Having flown AirAsia many times I knew the standards of a low cost airline it was pretty much the same. The planes were very quiet (new Airbus A330-300) seats were a little bit smaller and not as comfortable (harder) than AirAsia seats also the recline angle was not as generous but for the price and short distance who cares? A little over cautious on the final security check at the gate on our return flight from MNL total unnecessary (probably not their fault though but rather a requirement set by the Australian Government same thing happens in KL for example). This meant a delayed departure of about 40min they should have allocated more time prior to boarding. Would I fly with them again yes if you love the Philippines and don't care about 'proper airline' service then why not I could even see myself pay $600 for a flight beats flying to KL and then onwards. There are a few other operational procedures they should iron out but fairly satisfied.

If you are looking for a cheap easy flight look elsewhere. Cebu lists low rates to get you started on purchasing a ticket by listing a super low price. By the time you're finished making the reservation it might be quite a bit more and by the time they finish "nickle-and-diming" you for all the "extras" you will have paid more for the flight. In my case I got a round trip ticket from Japan to Manila for what I thought would only be about $300 USD. By the time I finished checking in for my return flight I will have spent more than $700 USD in total. For an international flight that provided no food or water without extra payment. Everything about the flight is cheap. There are no movies no pillows no blankets if buy food on the flight they hand you a hot aluminium case of food (street vendor style) without a tray like other airlines do which makes it all to easy for things to drop away under other seats. In my case I only had so many Philippine Pesos left so I could only afford a dish to eat but couldn't get any water or anything at all to drink. Take my advice if you want a well priced flight that has transparent policies provides food and water during long international flights has movies to watch provides comfort in the cabin (with bedding and providing liquids to drink) choose another airline: for example ANA Singapore Air JAL United. I've travelled to over 30 countries. Cebu was one of the more expensive flights I've taken (final price) and the value for money was the absolute worst.

DXB-MNL MNL-DXB - as what the brand suggests "Budget Airline" so don't expect a five star service. Nevertheless the cabin is clean staff are friendly food are good (Chicken Adobo and Beef Caldereta).

Flew Bangkok-Manila and return. This was my first flight with this airline and I was very impressed. Flight attendants were efficient and pleasant. I would most definitely use them again.

Flight from DUM-MNL on a A320. Nice flight without problems. The crew were really nice and polite.