Philippine Airlines

Melb-Manila in Business on A340 Aircraft. Seated in front row of Business Class with more leg-room than I have ever had in my life. Seats more than comfortable but a little old fashioned. Service from the impeccably dressed crew was excellent with a wide range of food and wine on the menu. Flight departed on time and landed 10 minutes early. Just be prepared for the chaos that is Manila airport!. Overall a terrific flight which ticked all the things you need when traveling in Business Class. Can say I would certainly fly with them again if this flight is any indication.

Flew PAL from Bangkok to MNL 3 December. Food was good seats ok but major disappointment was the lack of in- flight entertainment. There were no videos nor audio entertainment. PAL has to be consistent with their service.

MNL-KIX-MNL. I was pleasantly surprised. It was my first trip on them and I would fly them again. For starters my ticket was very inexpensive so that is always a plus. It was actually less expensive on Philippine Air than some of the other local budget carries and I got to check a bag for free. Departed Manila on time and arrived in Osaka about 35 minutes ahead of schedule. Meal was Japanese Curry Beef which was tasty and the mango jelly that came with it was delicious. The one disappointing thing is only one drink service but they did give me the entire can of soda so can't complain about that. During my stay in Osaka I got the news of typhoon heading towards the Philippines so I decided to change the ticket last minute to get back earlier and the change fee was only 100 USD which in this day and age is amazing. There was also no increase in fare. The crew on the flight home did a really commendable job as the circumstances they were dealing with could have been trying. I have never been on a flight where the seat belt sign was on almost the entire time it was 4 hours of bumps turbulence and grabbing the seat handles but the crew despite being interrupted 3 times and having to return to their seats were able to complete their meal service clean up and duty free. I had the pork dish which wasn't bad and the fruit platter was refreshing and quite good. I am a big fan of their inflight entertainment concept - they don't have the usual movie screens (at least not on the A330) but instead you can stream from their library right into your tablet laptop or MAC however their library left a lot to be desired. I really think their system is the new way to go but they need to improve the selection of films. They also offer in flight WiFi but I did not use. I'm not sure what their selection is like on their long haul flights but they could upgrade to some more modern movies on the short international routes. They're not the best airline in Asia I've flown but they're not that far behind either. The food was good service good and planes clean. The inflight entertainment concept is cool but needs improvement. I would definitely fly them again.

PR 730 (MNL-BKK) economy and PR 737 (BKK-MNL) business. Outbound on a new A330-300. Tight seats no seatback entertainment but plane is equipped with streaming videos which you were supposed to be able to stream to your wireless devices after downloading an app (which we did not do). Since I pack my iPad with movies it really wasn't an issue for me. Seats were a bit cramped. FAs were friendly and helpful especially in trying to sort out the streaming issue. Food was good considering. Delayed out of the gate because of an interlock issue with the doors but arrived BKK on time. Inbound MNL in J class. Same if not friendlier service from FAs. Seat was a recliner with a personal video screen with an OK selection of entertainment options. Food was pretty good and the drinks were always refilled. Haagen Dazs ice cream for dessert was a nice touch. While I loathe taking domestic PAL flights they more than make up for it in their international ones. Now if only they can do something about the congestion in T2 which is exclusive for their use.

PR721 London to Manila 25 October PR720 Manila to London 12 November. A340-300 both ways. 2 hours late laving Heathrow but we arrived in Manila on time. The flight was only about 65% full and my son and I were lucky as we had all 4 seats in the middle section to ourselves. Seat recline seemed limited. The A340 is clearly an older plane - no seat back videos but passengers are issued with iPads for the duration of the flight which are pre- loaded with games and films. The staff were friendly and helpful. The catering was fine - 2 full meals and a snack. Getting to Manila non stop is a real selling point for PAL. Return - big plus point is that PAL uses Terminal 2 at NAIA which is a dream compared to Terminal 1. Again half empty flight and I had 4 seats to myself! Again 2 meals and a snack. Staff were good no complaints. I was a bit wary before I travelled as I had read some poor reviews of the PAL flight from London and I had always used Emirates / Cathay / Singapore / Thai before. The lack of seatback videos is solved by the iPads. The staff didn't come round with water that much. So long as the price is right I would certainly use PAL again.

MNL-LGP return. Problems with web check in. Website couldn't find my reservation. Although the call centre and airport ground staff were helpful and friendly PAL should improve the online check in portal. Service friendly on this short hop even if it was just biscuits and coffee/tea. Delayed both legs on the tarmac and landing in MNL due to congestion and issues on the ground at LGP but that's not PAL's fault. Overall a good experience.

Short Hop TAC-MNL and onwards AUH with codeshare partner Etihad. Arrived well ahead of time in the airport and bags drop off was a breeze given that it was a small plane - they use a Q4000. Bags was over weight but the fee was reasonable upon hearing that I have an onward flight they made sure my bags get to the destination and tagged as priority. Flight was slightly delayed due to bad weather in TAC. Boarding was swift and organized and cabin info was adequate. Snacks were served which is nothing to write home about but its the little things that count. Most other airline with the same fare don't even serve snacks. Flight was smooth and bags came out first. Transfer airside courtesy of PAL bus to T1 was a godsend. All in all was a good flight.

RUH-MNL-RUH on 2-Oct and return on 24-Oct. Both flights were on time. Food was ok especially on the return which served 3x on a 9.5 hrs flight 1 hot meal and 2 snacks. Seats were narrow and is not suitable for taller plus size people.

The service is good. Comfortable seats. Friendly cabin crews. Very good airport shuttle bus for connecting flight no need to get a taxi to transfer from terminal 2 to T3. Basic snacks provided. Good value for money.

Why have PAL started using old A340's on long haul flights to London? We flew Manila on September 29 2014 and frankly I was shocked when I got on board and saw no entertainment screens in the seats! Come on! This is long haul on a large scale! 15 hours. OK you gave out tablets to passengers that wanted them but to hold in your hand for hours on end is not good. Please get your act together PAL on this long laborious journey! Bring back the 777! Or we wont use you again.