Flying to MNL
 

A mate of mine is off to Manila from the UK later this year. Having got prices from LH, KL and QR, which airline would you recommend as the best? I know I can earn M&M on QR too.

Not sure what class or FFP your friend is considering.

Physically, assuming Y cabin:
- LH: 1 short haul + 1 nonstop long haul, full pax 744, tight pitch, no PTV, probably many German tourists
- KL: 1 short haul + 1 longhaul with stop in KUL, combi 744, average seats, no PTV, codeshare with PAL so probably a mix of Filipinos and Europeans; flight is often full.
- QR: 2 medium hauls, A330 (read: better chance of getting aisle seat), PTV, probably many Filipino overseas workers.


I would pick KLM for its superior FFP, otherwise LH or QR for the shorter flightime. Depends whether your friend feels more comfortable with a cabinful of Germans or Filipinos, although the QR 330 sounds more comfortable.


Unless miles are the prime consideration here, I suppose this thread will be moved to TravelBuzz.

I think that is what the poster had in mind, the relative merits and demerits of the LH, KL and QR frequent flyer programs.

What does QR stand for?

What is the airline code for Philippine Airlines? Where is a good place to look up airline codes?

Airport codes are easy enough.
See http://www.webflyer.com/travel/milemarker/

QR is Qatar Airways, PR is Philippine Airlines.

I use the first site off Google when in doubt about airlines codes (had to look up QR), in this case http://www.kaigailink.com/airlinecode.html

To my knowledge PR does not have any flights to Europe these days, AMS-KUL-MNL is their first post-restructuring code share to Europe. KL's AMS-KUL leg has often been booked solid since KL stopped flying to Australia, and handing over Australia-bound passengers to MH in KUL.

Not sure if it has changed, but PR only gives 50% of miles flown. That was several years back when I flew them from SFO to MNL. The flights do get very full.

I'd probably go with the Filipinos; they usually take up less seatroom (all the bulk is in the baggage hold!) and fewer are likely to go the sudsy route for trying to make the hours pass more quickly. Though they've probably got a lot more relatives to tell you about if you show any interest there. And you'll probably have a longer wait at the baggage belt as an impossible number of boxes spin by. But I've been the middle seat before in a 2-5-2 cabin full of Germans and it was forgettable.

On FF benefits, would concur that KL is the best choice. Don't even think about PR.

[This message has been edited by RustyC (edited 05-06-2003).]