Philippine Airlines

Vancouver to New York on Philippine Airlines Boeing 777-300ER. High density 3-4-3 layout in Economy, very narrow seats. Interior feels worn and tired. Armrests on my seat row didn't go up. Cabin crew was accommodating and happily found me another empty row. Meals were fine, a few drink runs. The airline really needs to invest in the interiors of their planes and look after them better. Overall, this offering is fine compared to North American carriers, but it doesn't stand up to the service of Cathay Pacific on the same route.

PAL's inconsistent in-flight entertainment is a major weakness. Will there be one or not? The A330 flight from BKK-Manila never offered in-flight entertainment. This despite plane having signs saying "On-Air" entertainment. Passengers were advised to purchase internet service to access entertainment streaming. Meanwhile, the A320 flight from Manila-BKK has free inflight entertainment. Crew were efficient and approachable.

I cannot understand why Philippine Airlines has downgraded its flights between London and Manila. Our flight was barely half-full, and despite the convenience of being non-stop we will not be using Philippine Airlines again until they upgrade their planes and reliability. The inflight entertainment was terrible, and on a long-haul flight that is a serious drawback. Tablets were handed out on request, hours after the plane had left Manila. We had to show our boarding cards as an anti-theft measure, so the whole process was wearisome. The games didn't work on the device I was given. That one could use one's own device was small comfort. Not everyone has such an item and besides, there were no charging sockets in economy on our flight. We were 'put to bed' with indecent haste after lunch. The cynic in me can't help but wonder whether that was to mask the shortcomings of the plane's sorry excuse for inflight entertainment! This was not a budget flight - prices were comparable with other major carriers.

Manila to Abu Dhabi with Philippine Airlines - their A330 was an all economy class configuration. No IFE, no iPads were offered, not even a screen to show flight information. Food was okay - mostly Filipino dishes on the menu. I became unwell mid flight. I was dizzy and was having palpitations. I tried my best self-manage but 2 hours before landing I informed one of the cabin crew. A few minutes later the purser came and I was not happy at all with the way I was spoken to - said I may have to pay for medical services if I seek medical treatment when we land. I told her that I have a travel insurance so it was not a problem at all. She did not help me in any way - no extra pillow or even asking me how I was. We were given priority to land due to my symptoms plus another person in the flight was also unwell. I was taken by airport personnel from the aircraft to the clinic via wheelchair. Overall, although PAL has mostly good cabin crew, there are also some, like the purser on this flight, who gave a bad impression of the airline.

My wife and I flew Philippine Airlines business class non stop flight London to Manila. Check in at Heathrow was straightforward and easy as we had already booked in online. We continued on through security and after a short time in the duty free area we proceeded to the business class lounge which supplied good food, drinks, WIFI and a quiet place to relax before the flight. Boarding the aircraft again was straightforward as there was a dedicated line for business class passengers. As soon as we entered the business class section we found the service and attention to detail excellent. The food was great some of the best plane food I have had. The seat was so much better than I had expected, I was expecting just a good recliner seat but this went out flat. The IFE was okay but could have been better. My only negative about this flight was the headphones which were poor quality, I did expect better but that is only a small gripe as they did work. The cabin staff were brilliant throughout the flight. On arrival in Manila we were first off the plane this meant that we were first at immigration and first to the baggage hall Because we were business class priority labels had been placed on our cases our three cases were in the first ten to arrive on the baggage carousel we were out of the airport within 30 minutes of leaving the aircraft. I would definately use Philippine Airlines again the price was more than 50% cheaper that I had been quoted for other airlines for this class, I was a bit sceptical before the flight but very suprised and pleased with the service. Our return flight was just as good except the baggage handlers in London were no where near as efficient but that is not Philippine Airlines fault.

Melbourne to Manila return with Philippine Airlines. MEL-MNL flight was delayed by an hour and a half due to late plane arrival, no explanation was offered by ground staff and passengers only notified once onboard. Flight was almost totally full, A330-300 with PAL's new no-frills interior. Seat was cramped and quite uncomfortable. FA's friendly, courteous, and helpful - their service felt sincere, going off-script to chat with passengers. MNL-MEL flight departed on time. Flight path was riddled with turbulence, delaying dinner service. Again, my seat was uncomfortable and the plane interior was showing signs of slight wear and tear. I was impressed with the level of service they provided. I guess they had to work with what they had - overall,an average experience, but kudos to the FAs.

It feels like Philippine Airlines was having an identity crisis - full service airline or a low cost airline. Abu Dhabi is a nine-hour-flight from Manila, a long haul. IFE should be a standard but not with Philippine Airlines! No ipads were offered either. It was like a flying bus. I would understand if I was flying with a low cost airline but I was not. I commend their caring and attentive cabin crew. Although the flight was smooth, I found it boring. IFE could have made this a wonderful and enjoyable one.

Manila to Riyadh with Philippine Airlines and a disappointing experience. I had to make changes to my itinerary after purchasing my ticket and even though the change was free, I was charged the Philippine Travel Tax which did not apply to me. This was after telling the customer service people that I was not a Philippine citizen. They said it was blanket policy and to just refund it at the airport. The airport personnel did not know anything about it. They just refund the Terminal Fee and referred me to their Head Office. Other airlines board their aircraft with priority to those with high frequent flyer status or cabin class. PAL boards passengers starting from the back row regardless. Their premium economy seat on this A330 aircraft is possibly the worst premium economy product offering in the industry. It's essentially the same economy class seat plus a couple of inches of additional seat pitch. Food is not significantly better. The fare difference is significant but the passenger experience is disappointing over the economy class product. There is no entertainment in economy class. They have implemented a BYOD (bring your own device) system where you can access a plane server to watch movies. However, seats do not have a USB or power socket so if your device dies mid-flight be content to read the airline magazine or just go to sleep. The iPad mini provided in the premium economy section was filled with recent movies and proved adequate. Philippine Airlines was Asia's first airline and do not market themselves as a budget airline so you would assume they know how to run it and have systems in place to champion the customer experience.

Flew Philippine Airlines from Taipei to Manila. Check in fast and extremely professional and kind. Boarding times very fast. Departure delayed by about 25 minutes due to airport congestion. Plane was comfortable, spacious and with good legroom. No in-flight entertainment, but it is a short route so is not necessary. Flight staff very efficient, professional and caring. Served a meal not too tasty but more than edible. Cleaning of the aircraft excellent.

Second flight in a week with Philippine Airlines with both being delayed more than 45 minutes. Flew from Iloilo to Manila. Second flight was delayed 3 hours. Long check in lines that don't move and staff either stand there doing nothing or look like they have no idea what they are doing. They make too many irrelevant announcements and when they make an important one seem to whisper into in the microphone. They make blatently obvious statements such as the flight is delayed although do not state when the flight will depart. Some people might say well it's the Philippines although I noticed other airlines are making there flights on time and don't charge as much as PAL.