31,000 ft over the China Sea (December 25, 2004)

I just want to talk a little more about the excellent in-flight service that I experienced on the DTW-NGO flight. Since I had a lot of stuffs in mind, I couldn’t sleep and constantly drinking green tea. Throughout the entire flight, the crew always stopped by my seat and made sure that I had enough tea. Also, I asked Bernard, the lead purser, to send a message to my parents regarding my situation. After getting up from a quick nap, Bernard informed me that he sent a text message to both NRT and BKK stations and he would let me know once he received confirmation that the message was delivered to my parents, who expected to see me on their NRT-BKK flight. As I left the plane at NGO, Bernard apologized to me for not being able to confirm that the message was delivered. He even remembered my name, a name that is not easily remembered.

We finally landed in NGO at around 6:40 p.m. local time, 40 minutes behind scheduled arrival time. NGO is a relative small airport, with less than 10 gates. Unlike NRT, I didn’t have to go through security like I normally do in NRT. NW 71 final segment, NGO-MNL, was now scheduled to depart at 7:55 p.m., or 30 minute delayed. There was really nothing to see or shop at this airport. I looked for a Northwest agent to straight out my rerouting schedule. However, there were only contracted agents, and they could do anything for me. Oh, one thing that was kinda amusing is looking at some Japanese gate agents in Santa Claus costume. That was just not the image of Santa Claus I had in mind.

Boarding for the continuation of NW 71 was eventful. WBC customers were invited to board first, which I did … and reclaimed seat 4A, which is not a good seat, lot of gallery noise and light, making it near impossible to sleep. In-flight service was … how do I put this? … minimal, very similar to domestic First. FAs basically disappeared after the meal service, and started chatting right behind my seats. During the flight, I asked the lead purser about my situation, whether Northwest would pay for my accommodation and why I was booked in coach for MNL-BKK segment when I bought the WBC ticket. I was told that Northwest ground staff at MNL was aware of my situation and would handle the situation once I got on the ground. Four-hour flight flew by rather quickly. We finally landed at MNL around 11:10 p.m., which was about 30 minute behind the scheduled arrival time. I talked to a Northwest supervisor once I got inside the terminal building. He said that Northwest would provide accommodation at Manila Hotel, meal, and roundtrip transportation to/from the hotel. However, he would agree to rebook me in Business class for my MNL-BKK. Twenty minutes later, he reappeared and told me that my MNL-BKK was a coach-only flight, and for my inconvenience, he gave me a $50 TCV or 2,500 miles. I found that amount to be inadequate for a 3-hour flight on Philippines Airlines. However, I just wanted to go to the hotel and rest.

So, at midnight, on December 24, 2004, I walked out of the MNL terminal building waiting for my ride to the hotel. I waited, waited, and waited. The hotel representative said that all drivers were gone because of Christmas, and I would have to wait for a Northwest car. Ok, fine. Forty-five minutes later, the car showed up and I shared the car with two others Northwest passengers who were on their way to Saigon. Now, I don’t mean to complain about everything, but 45-minute wait for a Northwest car is just unacceptable. Anyway, I should just be graceful that I have a bed to sleep for the night.

Manila Hotel turned out to be a 5-star, government-managed hotel, according to the car’s driver. The hotel has its own history and played host to numerous dignitaries. The receptionist was kind enough to give me a room on the club floor. The room is relatively large and dated. However, I have an incredible view of Manila. The breakfast buffet was nice presented, but the tropical fruit was not that good. Check in/out was painless.

Philippines Airlines uses the new Terminal II at MNL. Checkin was quick and the agent asked for your seat preference. Terminal fee can be paid in either 550 pesos or $11 USD. Immigration was quick since there were not a lot of passengers today.

Terminal II is bright and features all-glass building. Boarding for the flight was extremely organized: boarding by row, and people only lined up when their row was called. It was a total surprises, considering boarding at other Asian airports that I have witnessed. Coach seats appear to have about 30” pitch. In-flight services were decent, nothing to write about. However, a deck of playing cards were given to each passenger.