Cebu Pacific

5J 805 MNL-SIN. First time to taking Cebu Pacific internationally and I was honestly a little apprehensive. PROS: Cheaper fare than PR or SQ. Online check in (not available in PR) allows me more time to do more things before heading to the airport. Use of T3 instead of surly T1 or stuffy T2. CONS: Tight seats and poor pitch (you get what you pay for). Poor selection of in flight meals for purchase. This is most pronounced in flights scheduled during the lunch or dinner hours. Will consider flying with them but will always give it second and third thoughts.

Every time I travel with Cebu the plane is either late or cancelled. If they weren't so cheap I would never use them. Customer service is appalling regard for international flight safety rules is scant (I have seen children allowed to sit in exit rows people standing up during taxi phones used prior to landing. My last trip has prompted me to write as my flight was cancelled (again) we were bussed 1.5 hours to another airport to find that the flight there was delayed too (no announcement only found out when we asked). We were given no water for the bus journey the bus driver was constantly on the phone and driving with one hand even when changing gear and the food offered (or 150 pesos instead - $3) was pathetic. I feel sorry for their staff who constantly have to deal with upset passengers like me because their employer is so hopeless. I worry that this airline is starting flights to Dubai in the Autumn - rather you than me!

Flew Cebu - Clark return flight check in was proficient and flight left on time. In flight service was good with provision of snacks and drinks for sale at reasonable prices. Staff were friendly and made flight enjoyable.

April 5 2013 we were scheduled to fly to Manila from Naga for our connecting flight to Bangkok. One hour before boarding we received an announcement that there was a delay of 3 hours. We didn't leave until after 5pm our flight on Philippine Airlines was scheduled to depart at 7.20 pm. Ended up arriving in Manila 6.50 pm. Prior to departing Naga we had told the crew of our situation and they promised us that they will talk to the captain and other crew and that they will assist us with getting our check-in bag immediately instead of getting it from the carousel. However we discovered was that no one had communicated with any other crew members about us. They did not allow us to take our baggage right after stepping out of the plane; we had to wait for our baggage like everyone else. When we finally gathered our belongings we needed to run to catch a taxi to Terminal 1. Ended up missing our flight to Bangkok. Ended up paying $630 + to book a Kuwait bound to Bangkok.

MNL-TPE v.v. Check-in was fast at NAIA however small confusion that the monitor is showing a wrong counter for the flight and were directed by the ground staff to the other side. Flight left on time on both sectors clean cabin but with a broken tray table legroom is restricted and uncomfortable for a red-eye flight since most PAX reclining their seatbacks so it was hard to move. FAs were mixture of smiling and cheerful ladies down to bored but still polite crew and I like that they were proactive in turning on/off the reading lights for the PAX. Buy-on-board choices are good and I think were in the right price too. Overall it was a good value for the money especially for short flights and I would recommend it to those travellers who are on a budget.

BKK-MNL. Flight left 1 hour late though that was beneficial to me. Staff really pleasant and helpful. Plane was clean and cabin announcements clear in both English and Filipino (sometimes I can never hear what's being said). Legroom bad but not unexpected for an economy airline. Food prices very reasonable at about 80p - £1.20 for soft drinks and the same again for snacks. £5 for a meal but didn't try. Only grumble is the shocking seat reclining pitch. If the passenger in front reclines then you can't even bring your tray down. It was a nightmare. Had to hold drinks in my hands in 20 years of flying never known anything like it!

Flew Cebu Pacific 5 times last month mostly on short-haul international flights (CEB-HKG MNL-HAN REP- MNL). All flights on time aircraft clean new aircraft lovely crews with even warm automated announcements.

MNL-CEB / CEB-MNL - Flight was on time it was pleasant nothing really special but generally OK. However we experienced a bit of inconvenience as the line for the check in counter at the terminal 3 in Manila was strangely slow. It might be due to the passenger volume but they could have done better service.

Very efficient and professional. All flights on time plenty of leg space for decent additional fee friendly staff.

HKG-MNL-HKG - first leg was during the busy Christmas period (flight was Dec 24). Excellent check-in experience in HKG. HKG has a well earned reputation as one of the best airports in the world. I love the fact that you can do web check-in with Cebu. It helps when you get to the airport and puts them above some other low cost airlines. Busy flight to MNL but flight on time and in-flight staff are excellent as I've experienced in the past with Cebu. Quick baggage delivery in MNL and terminal 3 is by far the best in MNL. Love the all over free wifi as in HKG. However the experience there during the return to HKG was not quite the same. Cebu staff managed to give us the wrong boarding card which we discovered after going through security (and the associated payment of airport fees). It got fixed but it was the first time I've ever experienced this sort of thing. Made for a stressful departure out of MNL. Better look closely at your boarding pass when flying Cebu. Inflight to HKG was exactly the same as before. Again a very busy flight but friendly in-flight staff and plenty of smiles. While you definitely get what you pay for and Cebu is a low cost option I wouldn't hesitate to fly with them again.