Philippine Airlines

I flew to Manila Philippines with PAL last July 2013 and it was the worst airline experience I have had. The crew were not willing to help passengers. Inflight service was slow and did not even offer drinking water during the flight. I asked for one and the flight attendant said "in a while" and never came back. I will not fly this airline again.

MNL-HKG. Chaotic and long waits at Terminal 2. Very friendly check-in. Paying the terminal fee (not knowing why) is not possible to pay with credit card like in Terminal 1 and 3. Flight was delayed for nearly 2 hours. Staff onboard were very friendly few films only (compared to EK or TK) but very delicious food. Seats were ok! In HKG the luggage took a very long time to arrive. I will fly again with PR.

PR731 BKK-MNL Feb 27th. Online booking smooth as was online check-in. At BKK priority Immigration and lounge pass given direct down to THAI Business Lounge D. Far better lounge than the SATS that PAL uses at Changi. Onboard seated beverage requests taken asked for Champagne. 5 min later told they have ran out of Champagne. I ask how is this possible when we are still firmly at the gate. Purser explains PAL is not allowed to restock anywhere other than at home base in Manila. Since Feb 1st they are allowed to load only 2 bottles for Business class for 2 sectors. This A340 had 24 Business class seats 13pax. Outbound had 19 pax and all Champagne was consumed. Purser visibly frustrated by this policy but powerless. Same policy applies even to long-haul flights. Equally Economy is now limited to 120 cans of beer. Running out of Premium Class service items even before departure is ridiculous. This is regrettable because food was good and portions adequate and PAL Cabins Staff in Business is very friendly courteous and attentive. Seating was also comfortable as this was their long-haul A340 (Crew rest area in front Galley). Departure was delayed by about 20min arrival almost on time. Will fly again 2 weeks from now but if the same repeats itself I'm done with PAL.

MNL-BKK-MNL. Flew last summer on an A340. interior are old entertainment is poor (drop down tv monitor only) boarding is delayed by 15 min only (no problem) take off is again delayed by 10 min (not fault of the airline). Flight crew robotic (not consistent with their domestic crew). Return flight is same crew are robotic and not warm but they are professional. PR lags behind other Asian competitor. Will fly them again maybe after rehabilitation is finished.

Brisbane-Darwin-Manila return Mabuhay (Business Class) on Airbus A320. This is a very poor business class product. Seat was an old style recliner seat with a pitch comparable to economy class of other carriers. Seat reclines for about 2 inches and does not have any leg rest making it the most uncomfortable during a 7.5-hour journey. Entertainment is very poor no noise cancellation headphones and no amenity kits were given despite being advertised in the website. Service was attentive but food was very standard. Overall it was a very disappointing experience flying the Mabuhay Class product on this route. Unless they will upgrade their equipment the product is not worth the price.

I flew Bangkok to Manila once a month for business for almost one year unfortunately I don't recall having one single flight on time. The average delay on this route is about 1-2 hours. Whether morning flight or late flight you face the same issue missing your connection no compensation nor accommodation arrangements. I am a gold frequent flyer on Air France China Eastern and Thai Airways from now on I am going to stay away from this airline.

Flight from Cagayan de Oro to Manila plane was clean staff always friendly to the passenger. PAL is really a much better airline than the years before. Snacks coffee and water were offered. All in all a nice flight again with PAL.

YQT-YYZ-MNL-YYZ-YQT in May-June 2013. I had flown through HKG and NRT to get to the Philippines in previous trips. So much easier to make one connection in YYZ rather than having to make 2 connections. Staff were good plane was very good. I paid the $20 for premium economy. Was a newer Boeing 777-300ER with a fair bit of room. (Pro tip: Sit on one of the sides not the middle section.) The warm cloths towards the end of the trip are a nice touch as I usually only get those when I fly in Business Class. Only complaint was not enforcing carry-on restrictions which can get out of hand. Ample baggage allowances. Terminal 2 is better than Terminal 1 but not as good as Terminal 3 IMHO but it's good enough and certainly not the fault of the airline. Immigration and Baggage was probably about an hour but again not the fault of the airline. Flight is overnight which means you arrive early the next day and can start your business or whatever immediately. I have another trip booked on the same route this May 2014 so yes I will be flying again.

YVR-Manila Dec 2013 return in Business class. As always the service was exemplary and we were made to feel welcome by the 2 crew members assigned to us. This was our third time in Business Class with PAL. The food was faultless. I do not know why people complain about their lie flat beds they are comfortable. The new business class lounge in Manila is a huge improvement and is very welcoming airside. The cabin on the 777 was spotless though there was an issue with my pillow not being clean as we boarded in Vancouver but this was changed. The purser approached me to apologise.

I flew business class round trip from LAX to MNL in January/February 2014. The 747 and A340 were older models. The service was excellent and made up for the older generation aircraft. The pilots were also very good with smooth landings. There was moderate turbulence on the way back to LA but the pilots handled it very well.