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HELP! Flights NRT to CEB

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Old Jul 25, 2013 | 6:52 am
  #1  
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HELP! Flights NRT to CEB

My first thread, here goes.

Any advice on when to purchase flights from NRT (Tokyo) to CEB (Cebu)?

We are planning to go in early January for about two weeks. Right now, they are about 600 USD a piece. Will this go down or up? Is this a good price. We are looking for direct flights.

I realize this is prime travel time to PI, but am hoping that right after the holidays means it wont be so busy.

I have followed and liked every possible website and PAL to try to get promos, but I have anxiety when it comes to booking, always worried it will go up and we missed our chance. ANY help is greatly appreciated!


Thanks!!

(That wasn't so bad)
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Old Jul 25, 2013 | 7:47 pm
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Your problem is a lack of an LCC flying the route. Cebu Pacific could do Osaka-CEB with a connection in MNL and be affordable if booked well enough in advance, but Japan-Philippines LCC links are still in short supply. This is one of those cases where a 2-ticket strategy is likely cheaper, albeit with more hassles. An interline, inter-terminal connection at MNL isn't exactly fun.
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Old Jul 27, 2013 | 8:22 am
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Try to transit to CEB at any airport other than MNL.

NRT HKG CEB or NRT KIZ CEB. I am not sure whether there is direct ICN or TPE to CEB.
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Old Jul 27, 2013 | 9:59 am
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Originally Posted by tentseller
Try to transit to CEB at any airport other than MNL.

NRT HKG CEB or NRT KIZ CEB. I am not sure whether there is direct ICN or TPE to CEB.
There is ICN-CEB nonstop on 5J.
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Old Jul 29, 2013 | 3:40 am
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There are people on here who have PR miles that would be happy to trade with you in the Coupon Connection. The nonstop really is the way to go.
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Old Jul 29, 2013 | 6:11 am
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Originally Posted by moondog
There are people on here who have PR miles that would be happy to trade with you in the Coupon Connection.
OP is a complete newbie (join date: July 25th, 2013) who is NOT eligible for Coupon Connection.
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Old Jul 29, 2013 | 1:07 pm
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Barring a major PAL promotion (which would most likely exclude this route anyway), don't expect the prices to go down. Some days are more expensive than others but ~600USD is about the going rate.
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Old Jul 29, 2013 | 11:21 pm
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Originally Posted by RustyC
Your problem is a lack of an LCC flying the route. Cebu Pacific could do Osaka-CEB with a connection in MNL and be affordable if booked well enough in advance, but Japan-Philippines LCC links are still in short supply.
Jetstar flies NRT-MNL. I've flown them last year MNL-NRT shortly after route launch and it was pleasant.

Peach flies to HKG and TPE, but that's from KIX, I believe.

Originally Posted by kkjay77
There is ICN-CEB nonstop on 5J.
And others including some LCC. But all international flights straight into Cebu are higher-priced when compared to their MNL counterparts even on routes where there is some competition.

In a nutshell: NRT-CEB is for lack of competition a premium route. A number of options exist when breaking it down to two flights. You'll have to consider which pill you can accept to swallow, the one on price or on convenience.

Last edited by L4ibsch; Jul 29, 2013 at 11:27 pm
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Old Aug 3, 2013 | 12:14 am
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Thank you everyone for your help and advice. Looks like I will be booking soon, as we would rather pay more and fly less, rather than paying less and spending 10 - 15 hours on planes and airports.
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Old Aug 4, 2013 | 5:15 am
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This route is expensive due to lack of competition . Actually, connecting through MNL isn't THAT horrible as long as you stick to one airline (basically Cebu Pacific or PAL) and don't have to change terminals.
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Old Aug 4, 2013 | 2:41 pm
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Try KAL or Asiana via ICN

Just checked the matrix website and flights from Tokyo via ICN and then direct to CEB VIA MNL are $542 on KAL and $563 on Asiana.

Both airlines offer flights between ICN and both NRT and HND, which may be an advantage.

Layover times in ICN can be from 2 to ten hours so you need to check exact times.

If you haven't already done so it is well worth checking the matrix website where you can refine everything exactly as you want.

For the small price difference ($624 vs $542) it may be worth it from both time and convenience to go direct on PAL NRT-MNL-CEB.

It's been decades since I've been in MNL so I have no idea regarding how easy international<>domestic connections are there now.

See: matrix.itasoftware.com

Last edited by TemboOne; Aug 4, 2013 at 3:09 pm Reason: more info
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Old Aug 14, 2013 | 3:13 am
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NRT-ICN-CEB is your best bet.
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Old Aug 19, 2013 | 5:22 am
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As mentioned by others, for lack of competition, the PAL direct flight is not cheap. There are numerous ICN-CEB flights, so that leg is cheaper. Cebu Pacific can go as cheap as $400 or even less for that leg. You can also try JetStar from NRT to MNL for about $450, and MNL-CEB is often less than $100 round trip and can go below $50 if you grab a promo. For about $550, I would go with Korean Air (via ICN), Asiana (via ICN) or Cathay Pacific (via HKG). Yeah, there's a layover, but service of these airlines surely beats PAL.
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Old Aug 19, 2013 | 12:50 pm
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Originally Posted by Wuxia
As mentioned by others, for lack of competition, the PAL direct flight is not cheap. There are numerous ICN-CEB flights, so that leg is cheaper. Cebu Pacific can go as cheap as $400 or even less for that leg. You can also try JetStar from NRT to MNL for about $450, and MNL-CEB is often less than $100 round trip and can go below $50 if you grab a promo. For about $550, I would go with Korean Air (via ICN), Asiana (via ICN) or Cathay Pacific (via HKG). Yeah, there's a layover, but service of these airlines surely beats PAL.
IMHO I would forsake KE CX OZ to go directly to CEB without transiting in MNL.

CX does HKG CEB direct if that is an option for you.
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Old Aug 19, 2013 | 5:38 pm
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Originally Posted by tentseller
IMHO I would forsake KE CX OZ to go directly to CEB without transiting in MNL.

CX does HKG CEB direct if that is an option for you.
KE and OZ routing I am referring to is NRT-ICN-CEB. CX routing I am referring to is NRT-HKG-CEB. No transit in Manila.
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