108912

Check in: Philippine Airlines departs from T3 at 21:50 and check in is handled by DNATA. I arrived at 20:15 and there were separate lines for Business, Premium and Economy customers although the entire area was quiet. Check in was quick and perfunctory, both boarding passes were issued and I was directed to the Club Aspire lounge. Fast Track security was quick. I found the lounge relatively easy and provided my boarding card. The lady at the desk told me they offer a special Filipino dish for PAL guests called 'arroz caldo' and would I like to order it. I had no idea what it was (ended up being rice porridge with chicken) but I thought it was a very cute touch for PAL to arrange this. The lounge is fine, it was busy but not overly so. It was quite modern and had friendly staff. It had a full service bar (I have no idea what the deal is with complimentary/paid drinks) and I was happy with water. I would have had a coffee as well but their espresso machine was broken and they had another kind of machine that dispensed an instant powdered type coffee so I passed. Food consisted of a salad bar, a soup, pasta and some sweet and savoury pastries. There was also a 'premium menu' where you could pay for other ordered food items. Wifi was good thankfully as I could get no phone signal at all in the lounge. Time passed relatively quick and as the lounge was next to gate 9 and my flight was departing gate 7 I was in no rush. Then when leaving the lounge I realised I made a rookie mistake. I was looking at my Manila - Hong Kong boarding pass which was departing gate 7 - Manila. I checked the correct LHR-MNL boarding pass and my heart skipped a beat when I saw my gate was actually 42 - about as far as you can get from where I was. Run Forest run.

I got to the gate while boarding was still underway and it was a very organised affair. I noticed they even had 'reserved' signs on some of the gate seating for their Business Class passengers and top tier FF's which was a nice touch. I'd done my research before flying being a dedicated avgeek but was still impressed by the cabin as I entered the A350. The cabin contains thirty seats located in the front section in one cabin of eight rows and the absence of overhead lockers over the middle seats gives such a feeling of openess and space. I was warmly greeted at the door where one of the crew offered to show me to my seat (I declined) and I quickly found my pew for the flight - 3K.

Philippine uses the Vantage XL seat on their new and recently refurbiched long haul aircraft which is the same staggered seat you will find on Qantas (A330/787) and many other airlines. It's a 1-2-1 deal and all seats offer a good degree of privacy and reasonable storage. I chose 3K as on Philippine the 'odd' numbered A/K seats are the ones where the seat is closer to the window with the large table counter to the aisle. Even numbered seats are the opposite - the seat is closer to the aisle and the table surface closer to the window. The bed reclines fully and your feet basically end up under the table top of the seat in front of you. These are not my favourite seats out there. I'm not a fan of the feet-in-cubbyhole thing and would much prefer the likes of the CX herringbone or my personal favourite the JAL Apex suite. But I have to say the footwell on the A350 seems larger than the A330 offering the same seating I have flown and I was comfortable. The seats at row 1 have extra large footwells but they are also VERY close to the toilets (one on each side of the aircraft at the front) so no thanks. The padding of the seat was great. I often find that new plane seats are often rock hard. I just wish the seats had indvidual air nozzles. At the seat was a good size pillow and duvet (a mattress pad would have been a nice addition), the menu, and headphones.
Pre departure drink was offered once I was settled in. And I say 'drink' in the singular form as it was champagne or champagne. This was not the case on further sectors where the usual 'juice, water or champagne' was offered. Hot towels were offered on the other side of the cabin but that task was abandoned where the 'arm doors and cross check' call was made and it wasn't picked up again later.

The door was closed 10 minutes prior to our departure time and we pushed back five minutes later.

The crew were all exceedingly welcoming and most seemed quite young. Filipinos are known for their hospitality and they want to show that off on their national carrier - PAL's tag line is 'the heart of the Filipino'. They do a very sweet thing before the safety video plays each flight. They stand in front of the cabin and a welcome announcement is made and they do this kind of two hands on top of each other covering their heart gesture. It's a little difficult to describe but I guess it's intention is similar to the bow you get by the crew on a japanese carrier.

The safety video played in english only (with awful awful voice over dubbing) and the cabin was prepared for take off. And this I say with a raised eye brow. There didn't seem a massive focus on safety from the cabin crew. There was no presence in the cabin during the video. And a cursory walk through was done at the end but no safety related tasks were performed. The gentleman across the aisle had his glass flute of champagne throughout take off. Other peoples seats were partially reclined. Hand baggage where it shouldn't be. It was similar for landing. No real securing of the cabin at all. On another sector as soon as the plane turned off the runway a passenger stood up and started faffing around in the lockers during taxi. An announcement was made about staying in seats when the crew saw this. To be honest I don't think this gent understood english and he just kept going about his business. And the crew who were literally metres away just sat and watched passively. I know it can be a fine line between trying to be customer service focused and safety focused at the same time. And I cringe when I see cabin crew bark orders at customers but it is a big priority and there's no harm at all in asking someone pleasantly to stow their baggage, pop their seat in the right position etc.

Another thing I found interesting at PAL is the enthusiasm for the crew to take a meal order which is done pre take off. Menus are at your seat when you board and within about a minute of being sat down you are likely to have a very friendly crew member wanting to know what you'd like for starter, main, drink for the first meal and main for the second! The meals are 'dine on demand' when you like throughout the flight and this is clearly stated in the menu. This was never proactively offered though and when I requested to eat later on the MNL-LHR leg (I wanted to sleep straight after take off for a few hours due to the timing of the flight) the F/A seemed a bit taken back.

Back to LHR, the lightes were dimmed for our roll and we took off into the night sky. After take off the crew came through the cabin offering newspapers (only on the LHR-MNL sector) and then L'Occitane washbags (judging by the contents I assume they are unisex) as well as slippers. A glaring omission from the washbag for me personally was earplugs.

Drinks were then delivered with a side plate of two canapes and things got a little lost in translation here. When my meal order was taken and I was asked what i'd like to drink i'd said just water on the assumption there would be the offer of pre dinner cocktails after take off. But my canapaes were delivered with the water. Of course my lovely crew member was more than happy to get me a glass of the Aussie Riesling to go with when I admitted my error. Then followed the first meal which was beautifully presented and the service flow was wonderful. Table cloths were laid then each individual table laid up with the cutlery pack, side plate, butter, balsamic dressing and glassware none of this tray business. It was no Qatar lay up (no faux flickering candle) but far better than CX/MH/QF. One noticible omission (from each sector) was salt and pepper although I did hear it being offered by the crew on the MNL-LHR leg. Starters and bread selections were hand run and then the mains which are plated in the galley delivered. Glasses were constantly topped up. I had the terrine to start, fish for main followed by cheese. The portions were perfect and the presentation great.

I had a muck around with the IFE system. The screen is a great size and the definition very good. You can control it via touch screen or this weird little mouse like remote control. I found both very unresponsive and actually navigating to find what you wanted to watch was a real effort. Once you got where you needed to go the movies played effortlessly. There were 148 movies and 120 episodes of TV programs. On the return flight my touchscreen was thankfully more responsive. One thing I found really surprising about the programing was the censorship. I mean bleeping out words in episodes of 'Modern Family' and 'Big Bang Theory'? I was so curious to know what these offences were that when I got to HKG I youtubed the episodes I watched that were censored. 'Damn it' and 'oh lord' were two examples that didn't make the cut. On the flipside the content was quite liberal - even two gay romcoms.

The A350 is equipped with OnAir wifi and to my absolute delight despite what the instructional video said the network was open and was free the whole LHR-MNL flight. Unfortunately on the return the wifi wasn't working at all. In any case, normally everyone gets 30MB and business class an extra 100MB for free. After that there are paid plans.

The second meal was served a couple hours out of Manila and followed exactly the same process as the first. Proper laid up table, food presented course by course. Great tasting food, beautifully presented by charming crew.

Once everything was cleared in preparations were made for landing and as we disembarked at MNL T2 we were warmly thanked for flying PAL by the crew.

The return MNL-LHR flght departs MNL at 13:30 and lands at LHR at 20:30 and i'd arrived in transit into MNL earlier that morning. So my game plan was to get on the plane, sleep the first four or so hours then eat my main meal and stay awake for the remainder of the flight and hopefully feeling ready for bed again around midnight UK time. So on this sector my choice of starter (soup) and main (pork - my second preference as the prawns had run out) were delivered all on one tray which suited me just fine.

After that I was kept on a drip feed of caffeine (served with powdered creamer yuk but happily changed to milk) by the friendly crew and also indulged in the warm chicken and chorizo sandwich (more out of boredom than anything) whilst whiling away the time.

The crew constantly patrolled the cabin and passed a few times with a snack basket of crisps, fruit and chocolate offering it to anyone awake.

Just under two hours to landing the lighting was gently illuminated at the breakfast service started. I'm not quite sure why it's a breakfast service as it isn't breakfast time in either London or Manila. Hot towels were offered followed by the crew passing through with a tray of fresh orange juice or mango smoothie. Tablecloths were laid and the trolley was rolled out laying the tables and pouring tea and coffee. Breakfast breads and pastries were also offered at this time. A starter of a tropical fruit plate were distributed then the main course. I chose the Filipino dish 'beef pares' and it was one of the tastiest meals i've had on board a plane in a long time.

The cabin was cleared, immigration cards for the UK distributed and at forty minutes to landing the Captain made a decent PA.

Some words on the service particularly the cabin crew. They are probably PAL's biggest asset. Any airline can get new planes, new seats, install wifi, roll out new meal routines but it is the crew that can really make the difference. And at PAL they do. Yes there were some mild inconsistencies - some introduce themselves by name some don't. Newspapers offered on some sectors not others. Half the cabin getting hot towels and forgetting the other side. But the common theme is they ALL seem to take pride in the job they do and the company they work for. And IMHO this is rare. Just some examples - you know you never have to ring a call bell because guaranteed you'll wait no longer than a few minutes for one of the crew to pass through the cabin checking on everyone - yes even in the dead of night. They seem genuinely interested - 'how did you sleep' ' how was your stay in Manila'. And everytime I would go to the galley to wait for the loo or such instead of the crew looking busy or averting your gaze (CX/MH) they would proactively offer you something. A big smile and 'can I get you something to eat'? On he short MNL-HKG flight I nodded off after take off and one of the crew had draped a blanket over me. And I know this is terribly un-PC to say but they all looked immaculately presented from the start to the finish of the flight. In comparison to their regional neighbours i've flown (and i'll include the ME3 why not) I find them friendlier and more engaging than CX, JAL, QR, EK, less aloof and more consistent than MH, less robotic than SQ. Oh, and if reincarnation is a thing - I want to come back as a PAL Purser. Lol. I'm absolutely not sure what their job actually is. They just seem to 'be there'. Be at the door for boarding and then they are just...around. On two of the four sectors they didn't give a personal greeting. They aren't involved in ANY aspect of the cabin service (although my heart did skip a beat when I saw the Purser on the LHR-MNL leg passed a bread basket from one crew member to another). Even on the short MNL-HKG flight they are just there. Saying that, I probably had the friendliest welcome on board i've ever had from any crew member on the MNL-LHR leg. Tbh I had no idea who the guy was - he was the first male Purser I had seen and he wore a different uniform. Not just like a different coloured suit but it was a kind of traditional Filipino shirt, no tie, no jacket, no name badge hence my initial confusion. But he stuck out his hand warmly shook mine and was such a nice genuine welcoming guy. He was smiling everytime you saw him and he was one of those crew that when they say 'let me know if I can get you anything' he genuinely means it (often it's rehearsed and through clenched teeth).
I just wish they would put a little more focus into the safety aspect. To Joe Public if they are ignoring X Y and Z safety requirements you could easily think 'what else are they ignoring'?

I'll just quickly touch on the Manila to Hong flight as this was a short flight of just 80 minutes on an A321. The Business Class cabin consists of just 12 recliner seats upholstered in a beige leather. I guess it's similar to US domestic F class although the seats feel 'thicker'. Legroom is probably around 38" and there is no legrest. There was a pillow and blanket on the seat and the exceptionally friendly crew member also loaned my a PAL iPad mini for IFE although you can also stream it to your own device.
I was offered a pre departure drink as well as a hot towel. There was a menu at the seat which detailed both Manila - Hong Kong and Hong Kong - Manila choices. There are three choices of main (all hot meals) and it is a one tray affair with the exception of dessert (cake or ice cream served separately afterwards). I noticed PAL have three products on the A321 on short intra-asia flights. There was a small curtained off cabin begind business class with the same seats as economy but 'reserved' head rests on them.

So PAL is very proud of their Skytrax four star rating (and they should be it's well deserved!) so soon enough as they take delivery of more new aircraft and reconfigure more old ones we will see airlines vying for PAL to join their alliance and they will really be a force to reckon with, right?

No. Unfortunately.

Why? Their hub. It is B.A.D. Really bad. Apart from being like something out of the 1980's and a facility that PAL has far outgrown it is just not set up as a transfer hub. I'd been issued both my boarding passes at LHR so thought it would be a pretty slick transfer operation in MNL. No no no. Even though you have your onward boarding pass you need to follow the signs to the PAL Transit Counter where a PAL employee looks you up on the system then stamps your onward boarding pass. Then it's off to the transit security lane (i use the term in the singular - there is one security lane) and then up a lift back to departures. You actually arrive at the airside of a departure gate from the terminal. So this leads to a situation where if there happens to be a flight boarding from that gate, no transit passengers can pass through security until the boarding from that gate is complete (to avoid chaotic confusion of people departing and people arriving). So you can wait downstairs in the transfer lounge for anything up to thirty minutes as I did on my return. I dunno, maybe the transit hub thing isn't the angle PAL is going for. But I did notice quite a few aussies in transit on PAL flights to from SYD/MEL/BNE. To a lesser degree it reminded me of my flight in Saudia Business Class. On the first leg from europe my thoughts were 'wow their product (sans booze) is great why don't they market themselves better and fill up these 20% occupied premium cabins '. When I arrived in Jeddah for transit I was like 'Oh OK I get why now'.

So back to Manila NIAI Terminal 2. Next stop, PAL's flagship lounge at its hub, the Mabuhay Lounge. Can't be too bad? Jeez. Knock this terminal down and start again!
OK, maybe I am being harsh. The lounge was.....OK. Again, adorable staff. And in fairness the food selection wasn't terrible - a few hot dishes, a small salad bar, a choice of two noodles made to order. And there was a good coffee machine and the smallest tended cocktail bar you've ever seen (it reminded me of the one in Lagos Airport). But the decor and general ambiance was circa 1994. On the plus side there were plenty of power outlets. But the entire lounge basically consists of: you enter and pass the reception desk. The first area is a kind of relaxation/TV room. Then through to the main dining area which has the buffet, bar, some table seating. Beyond that was more standard seating. The lounge was heaving when I arrived from London in transit (around 18:40) yet was much quieter on the return (around 11:00). The gents was relatively clean but with two stalls and two urinals (only one working) there were often waits. Want some peace and quiet? Forget it. Every flight boarding is announced and preceded with a 'bing bong'. Outside the lounge the terminal just seems rammed with people and there is little room to navigate your way past the lines of people queuing for their departing flights. The one plus (if you're into it) is there are smoking rooms.

Would I fly PAL Business again? In a heart beat. However remember that the seating offered on board is quite variable. Their 777's are old school seven seats across (yep a dreaded middle seat in Biz) and the A330's come in a mix of new style seating (thumbs up) and old style (thumbs down). They also have A321's with fully flat beds. I guess over time they will have more and more aircraft delivered with the new products and phase out or reconfigure the old ones (I didn't see a single PAL A340 on the ground in MNL - do they still operate them?). Their food service is fantastic, their onboard cabin crew service is up there with the absolute best and their fares competitive.

Cabin, seat, meal, menu and lounge images are posted on my instagram - avgeek108912

endet

Thanks for the trip report, much appreciated.
Hopefully one day MNL will be relocated into a different spot where there is space for additional runway and a better terminal operation.

dave31

Thanks very much for your extensive trip report. Have decided to give them a try and will fly next weekend.

dvs7310

Interesting report, it's been a while since I've flown PR and I still won't long haul due to lack of alliance benefits. I remember one time sitting in the old 'First Class' on a business class ticket after first was phased out. It was a 747-400 and the upper deck lav leaking something which came straight through the floor creating a waterfall in the 'First' seating area. Lovely experience.

I really have to agree, I don't understand why airlines always want to serve breakfast when the arrival time isn't breakfast at either the arrival or departure locations. Seems a time appropriate meal would better aclimate one's body to the new time, plus I hate omelets and typical breakfast food.

The terrible international transfer experience at MNL has nothing to do with the current airport or runways, they just don't care enough to 'do it right' like every other major airport in Asia. The only other major airport in Asia that I can describe as being similarly absurd is PVG in T2 where you have to still clear immigration, customs, and re-check in for INT-INT transfers (most airlines, a very few are exempted). At MNL, having to re-enter at a gate instead of in the main terminal is just plain stupid and lack of planning, having to wait if the gate is occupied with a departing flight is plain asinine.

endet

Do you really think they route you through a gate intentionally? Is it not because T1 is so old back then they hadnt in mind what MNL is now?

In China you always have to go through immigration. It is the same as the USA. No real international to international transfer.

A new airport in Manila would give them the opportunity to design an airport that is up to the tasks a head. While the current barely can handle what was required 10 years ago.

headforflights

thank You for review, I was transferring in MNL last Year but it was in Terminal 3, where is also mess,

Fyd

Great review. Would love to try out their new A350 in Biz.
Sometimes the purser does work: On my last flight, she came around to serve water after the meal. I complimented her on the food and said the Filipino dried mangoes and chocolates were a nice touch. On deplaning, she smiled and handed me a bag with a few chocates and mangoes - how is that for caring srrvice?
ANA is planning to buy 20% of PAL, hopefully that'll help becoming a StarAlliance member.
MNL is operating 30% above design capacity, so it's just crammed. PAL has proposed an expansion/modernization of T2 - not sure how long this will take

dvs7310

False point on China, CAN, SHA, and PEK have full Int-Int facilities, PVG does as well at T1 and a few select Star Alliance airlines at T2.

I remember when T2 at MNL was new, it hasn't been all that many years ago and PR was happily selling connecting tickets at that time as well. You're claiming in the late 90's no one could envision an airport terminal where people connect to other international flights and just go through security for those connections? Funny how Japan, Taiwan, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia all seemed to understand the concept back then, lol.

endet

After reading up on the immigration procedures admit that for some airports in China you do not need a visa. Your information will still be collected by the immigration officer but is provided by the airline. This is only applicable if both airlines use the same terminal. If you have to change the terminal it is the full immigration procedure including stamping the passport. This is no comparison to a transfer in Singapore or Amsterdam for example.
Please let me know if I am correct in saying that passengers have to go through border formalities within US airports when transferring International to International?

You are also trying to compare Manila with airports that are on well established flight routes. Manila is out of the way for most flights from the US or Europe to Asia.
You are also comparing relatively rich countries and their possibilities with the Philippines. And the difference was even larger 30 years ago.

Finally, I do not like the tone of your replies. I am here to exchange knowledge and learn from others. But the tone of your messages seems to be more like an 19th century headmaster with a "know it all" attitude.

exwannabe

In the US you always go through full immigration processing on transit. Reason is because the US there is no separation of departing int pax from pax already in the US. In the past there have bee a few airports that set up transit pens (like what MNL has from my read), but there is so little transit relative to O/D that airports do mot want to allocate space for this. And no US airports have an "international departure" that precludes a pax from existing or walking to a domestic flight.

In China, PVG for example, the process (assuming T1-T1) is that you go to a transit immigration that is nothing more than a kiosk (if you have a BP). CAN was also easy. Of course, they can easily stop you from walking out after clearing transit :-)

dvs7310

Different airports in China have different procedures. CAN and PEK no longer have an immigration officer present at the transit area, the whole procedure is now handled by an airline employee. (actually it's been a few years for me at CAN but I have heard that there isn't even a security check for int-int transit now, that seems odd to me but have heard from more than one person.). With the exception of PVG T2 it's a really simple streamlined procedure for the major 3 cities. T2 is ridiculous for anything other than the few *A airlines that they offer it for, and that too is simply a lack of will do implement it, the facility is there. I have a feeling those airlines are paying for it rather than the airport authority which is why they won't let everyone use it. Correct as well, terminal changes require going through immigration in China, there's no airside transit at any of the airports that I'm aware of.

Correct, the US has no facilites for international transit, so everyone has to go through immigration as exwannabe pointed out. At US airports you can have a flight going to Detroit from gate 52 and to Frankfurt from gate 54 right beside it, there's no separation at all. The US immigration system is unique in the world regarding airport arrivals and departures, I can't think of any other countries I've seen quite like that.

Ethiopia has proper international transit at ADD, certainly not what I'd call a rich country. That airport (the current one, not the one they are about to open) is an absolute dump too, makes MNL T1 look nice, but they do have hassle free international transit where someone had the foresight to include a couple sets of escalators from international arrivals to the international departures hall. Lack of a "normal" transit facility at MNL T2 seems to be a lack of will rather than anything else. Whether the designers saw in the mid-90's or not that they needed it, it'd certainly be possible now to construct a small room for some security equipment (more than 1 lane) and add an escalator leading up to departures (airside). A lot of countries far less wealthy than the Philippines seem to have managed to implement a more streamlined procedure for int-int (some by design, some retrofitted), it's not a really good excuse unfortunately.

Akiestar

For those complaining about the design of MNL T2: I'm hoping you all don't forget that initially, that terminal was designed as a domestic terminal, so they never would've imagined putting in full transfer facilities. T3, on the other hand, has full transfer facilities, but with 5J using much of the space for domestic flights, obviously those facilities would be underused.

endet

Thanks for your reply, much appreciated.
For the Beijing immigration procedure I believe you are only allowed to stay without the usual stamp-in and stamp-out if your flights are from the same terminal. Which makes me believe that authorities defined the terminal as a large holding pen. And the airlines registers you with immigration for staying there.
https://www.travelchinaguide.com/cit...t-transfer.htm
This is no comparison for a real transfer Int to Int transfer without immigration check in many other airports.

Is the security check maybe done at the Gate? If not they might follow the concept of no security check if the originating airport is rated as safe. I personally have left the plane arriving at IST from DUB and be let directly into the transit area.No security check at all. Only boarding pass check by airline employee to make sure I am heading the right way.

On Manila airport:The terminal was designed as domestic first. And I doubt there is now space to implement proper transfer facility. At the below link you will find the Jeppesen chart for MNL,
Page 39 shows the restriction of the parking bays for terminal 2. There is exactly 1 parking bay that has no restriction in size of aircraft (B747-400). They don't even have the space to solve the one or more restrictions. I doubt that they have the space to solve the transfer issue. I wish they would actually do that. But I strongly believe it can only be done by building a proper new airport.
I also would think that there is at least 1 capable architect / construction engineer in the Philippines available that could have come up with a proper solution.
http://uvairlines.com/admin/resources/charts/RPLL.pdf

On Ethopian: This airline is a well run airline owned by the government. Location wise they are in a much better position than MNL. Right at the crossroad between Europe, Middle East and Middle and Southern Africa. As it brings in positive revenue the government is making sure the airline is getting as much support as possible (that's just my opinion).

fairhsa

Thanks for the review. I've done several long haul trips with Philippine airlines since they upgraded the business class seat and I would have to say I agree with pretty much the whole review - and particularly the part about transit in Manila. Its archaic. And for anyone not familiar with Manila, it's T2 and not T1... T1 is possibly worse! And if you are ever on a flight that requires you to change terminals... leave at least 4 hours between flights is all I can say!

Anyway, if you can live with the terminal (and I fly to Manila a lot, so I guess I'm used to it!) then Philippines Airlines is one of the best kept secrets in the business. Long may it stay that way.

davistev

Sounds exactly like every airport in the USA