PAL business class....any good? why so cheap?
Apr 6, 2016, 12:02 pm
#31
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: YYZ
Programs: A3&O6 Gold,IC AMB & HH Diamond
Posts: 14,132
I just flew PAL this week both Trans-Pac and Asia.
YVR-MNL 777
MNL-SYD 330
The legroom on the 777 is outstanding. I'm tall and could not touch the seat in front. It's an angled lay flat seat. I've been on these before and was not impressed. But the PAL version has good length and the angle is slight. Even with completely lay flat suite, I will angle it slightly so my head is raised. The PAL angle was perfect. I got a good night sleep, no problem at all.
As for the 333, it is a true lay-flat seat. But it has a weird configuration where one side of the 2 seats is higher than the other... and your feet are confined to a cubby hole. Frankly I preferred the 777 seat.
Food and service is ok. Don't expect CX or SQ standards. And they don't proactively offer any wine ... you have to request it. Nothing is ever poured at your seat (except water). It's as if they are trying to hide the bottles so other passengers don't decide to order some wine as well.
Having said that... their inflight champagne is simply outstanding!
YVR-MNL 777
MNL-SYD 330
The legroom on the 777 is outstanding. I'm tall and could not touch the seat in front. It's an angled lay flat seat. I've been on these before and was not impressed. But the PAL version has good length and the angle is slight. Even with completely lay flat suite, I will angle it slightly so my head is raised. The PAL angle was perfect. I got a good night sleep, no problem at all.
As for the 333, it is a true lay-flat seat. But it has a weird configuration where one side of the 2 seats is higher than the other... and your feet are confined to a cubby hole. Frankly I preferred the 777 seat.
Food and service is ok. Don't expect CX or SQ standards. And they don't proactively offer any wine ... you have to request it. Nothing is ever poured at your seat (except water). It's as if they are trying to hide the bottles so other passengers don't decide to order some wine as well.
Having said that... their inflight champagne is simply outstanding!
You get what you pay for.
Jan 28, 2017, 5:13 pm
#32
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: GVA (Greater Vancouver Area)
Programs: DREAD Gold; UA 1.035MM; Bonvoy Au-197; PCC Elite+; CCC Elite+; MSC C-12; CWC Au-197; WoH Dis
Posts: 52,140
YVR guy's review looks pretty good for the YVR-JFK flight. Does anyone else have any other comments on PR's Mabuhay Business Class?
The other only viable option with a good seat is UA's p.s. to EWR via SFO or LAX. AC's non-stop to EWR is way too expensive and they never offer award seats, and CX's schedule is terrible (plus, no award seats there either).
The other only viable option with a good seat is UA's p.s. to EWR via SFO or LAX. AC's non-stop to EWR is way too expensive and they never offer award seats, and CX's schedule is terrible (plus, no award seats there either).
Jan 29, 2017, 12:25 am
#33
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: HK
Programs: Qantas (Lifetime Gold), PAL (Elite), British Airways (now sadly blue), Cathay MPO DM
Posts: 647
I flew on PAL from Manila to London two days ago. I go back tomorrow. It's Chinese New Year right now - and I live in Hong Kong (CX Diamond) so while it takes a lot to shift me off Cathay, a combination of a last minute urgent personal trip + CNY + PAL being 1/3 of Cathay did it. I also do a lot of business in Manila so the company paid for the HK-MAN portion....
So - is it 1/3 the quality of Cathay? No.
Is it great? Not really.
Is it value for money? Absolutely.
Not sure exactly which aircraft we had (it was 2-2-2 in Business) with the older angled flat beds. The cabin looked scruffy and old. The seats were fine though. The only downside with the seats was that where the metal bottom of the leg-rest folded out, there was some velcro-ed material where the hooks and eyes did not line up, meaning that my (bare) legs were resting on the hook side of velcro (which is nasty). I put a spare blanket on the seat and the problem was solved.
The food was horrible. Poor choices, a lot of Filipino options. (There is a reason Filipino food is not global like Thai or Italian LOL!). Not much food either. We took off (on time) at 12:15pm and had lunch shortly afterwards. Adequate but not extensive. Next mean was about 8 hours later (2 hours before landing). Before that, you could get a sandwich or nuts or "chicken porridge". I went for the sandwich. The final meal (breakfast) served at 2am Manila time or 5pm UK time (i.e. not breakfast time in any location!) was absolutely revolting. And I would have preferred to stay asleep but it was too hard. Left the plane hungry and went off to find something to eat at Heathrow!
Re entertainment, this plane had PAL FLYER on board which is wifi based entertainment. Bring your own phone or laptop. If you bring your own phone/ipad, you have to download an app (which I did). But my phone is quite small (7 inch) so I tried their iPads they offered .... but a) they were exactly the same size as my phone (iPad mini) and b) they didnt have the same selection so I couldn't finish the film I had started.
So I got out my laptop. Yes there is power (but only for 2 prong, cannot fit UK plugs, in an odd location and cannot fit an adapter of any size). But the laptop didnt work - apparently you just open a browser and the PAL Flyer works. It didnt. Tried a few browsers, tried rebooting etc etc. No joy. Asked the staff - they all looked like rabbit in headlights; no clue. Gave up and watched stuff I already had downloaded in my laptop (THIS IS THE BETTER OPTION TO BE HONEST!).
I tried to buy a noise cancelling headphone from the duty free - as mine was not working (no battery) and the plane was VERY noisy. I don't normally notice aircraft noise (I think cathay have been buying newer, quieter jets) but this was bad. Given the battery issue, I though the one in their book which was USB based so i would never run out of battery again was perfect. Good price. Purchased it. Opened it. NOT USB BASED. Didn't have the extra cables mentioned in the book - basically it was a different product. Not good. Returned it.
One final irritation, which may seem petty but it really bugs me... the hand towels in the toilets were tissues (you know, face tissues). Which just disintegrate when you try and dry your hands on them. VERY PHILIPPINE!
For my return flight, I have packed snacks, spare batteries for my noise cancelling headphones and downloaded more video content on my laptop. Its a night flight so more sleeping and I found the seats actually very good for sleeping - best bit of the flight and, frankly the main reason I fly J.
So, even given the above, I would consider using them again.
So - is it 1/3 the quality of Cathay? No.
Is it great? Not really.
Is it value for money? Absolutely.
Not sure exactly which aircraft we had (it was 2-2-2 in Business) with the older angled flat beds. The cabin looked scruffy and old. The seats were fine though. The only downside with the seats was that where the metal bottom of the leg-rest folded out, there was some velcro-ed material where the hooks and eyes did not line up, meaning that my (bare) legs were resting on the hook side of velcro (which is nasty). I put a spare blanket on the seat and the problem was solved.
The food was horrible. Poor choices, a lot of Filipino options. (There is a reason Filipino food is not global like Thai or Italian LOL!). Not much food either. We took off (on time) at 12:15pm and had lunch shortly afterwards. Adequate but not extensive. Next mean was about 8 hours later (2 hours before landing). Before that, you could get a sandwich or nuts or "chicken porridge". I went for the sandwich. The final meal (breakfast) served at 2am Manila time or 5pm UK time (i.e. not breakfast time in any location!) was absolutely revolting. And I would have preferred to stay asleep but it was too hard. Left the plane hungry and went off to find something to eat at Heathrow!
Re entertainment, this plane had PAL FLYER on board which is wifi based entertainment. Bring your own phone or laptop. If you bring your own phone/ipad, you have to download an app (which I did). But my phone is quite small (7 inch) so I tried their iPads they offered .... but a) they were exactly the same size as my phone (iPad mini) and b) they didnt have the same selection so I couldn't finish the film I had started.
So I got out my laptop. Yes there is power (but only for 2 prong, cannot fit UK plugs, in an odd location and cannot fit an adapter of any size). But the laptop didnt work - apparently you just open a browser and the PAL Flyer works. It didnt. Tried a few browsers, tried rebooting etc etc. No joy. Asked the staff - they all looked like rabbit in headlights; no clue. Gave up and watched stuff I already had downloaded in my laptop (THIS IS THE BETTER OPTION TO BE HONEST!).
I tried to buy a noise cancelling headphone from the duty free - as mine was not working (no battery) and the plane was VERY noisy. I don't normally notice aircraft noise (I think cathay have been buying newer, quieter jets) but this was bad. Given the battery issue, I though the one in their book which was USB based so i would never run out of battery again was perfect. Good price. Purchased it. Opened it. NOT USB BASED. Didn't have the extra cables mentioned in the book - basically it was a different product. Not good. Returned it.
One final irritation, which may seem petty but it really bugs me... the hand towels in the toilets were tissues (you know, face tissues). Which just disintegrate when you try and dry your hands on them. VERY PHILIPPINE!
For my return flight, I have packed snacks, spare batteries for my noise cancelling headphones and downloaded more video content on my laptop. Its a night flight so more sleeping and I found the seats actually very good for sleeping - best bit of the flight and, frankly the main reason I fly J.
So, even given the above, I would consider using them again.
Jan 29, 2017, 3:51 am
#34
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Auckland
Programs: NZ Elite Partner/Silver (in own right), PR Classic, QF Bronze, UA Member, VA Red
Posts: 1,551
I flew on PAL from Manila to London two days ago. I go back tomorrow. It's Chinese New Year right now - and I live in Hong Kong (CX Diamond) so while it takes a lot to shift me off Cathay, a combination of a last minute urgent personal trip + CNY + PAL being 1/3 of Cathay did it. I also do a lot of business in Manila so the company paid for the HK-MAN portion....
So - is it 1/3 the quality of Cathay? No.
Is it great? Not really.
Is it value for money? Absolutely.
Not sure exactly which aircraft we had (it was 2-2-2 in Business) with the older angled flat beds. The cabin looked scruffy and old. The seats were fine though. The only downside with the seats was that where the metal bottom of the leg-rest folded out, there was some velcro-ed material where the hooks and eyes did not line up, meaning that my (bare) legs were resting on the hook side of velcro (which is nasty). I put a spare blanket on the seat and the problem was solved.
The food was horrible. Poor choices, a lot of Filipino options. (There is a reason Filipino food is not global like Thai or Italian LOL!). Not much food either. We took off (on time) at 12:15pm and had lunch shortly afterwards. Adequate but not extensive. Next mean was about 8 hours later (2 hours before landing). Before that, you could get a sandwich or nuts or "chicken porridge". I went for the sandwich. The final meal (breakfast) served at 2am Manila time or 5pm UK time (i.e. not breakfast time in any location!) was absolutely revolting. And I would have preferred to stay asleep but it was too hard. Left the plane hungry and went off to find something to eat at Heathrow!
Re entertainment, this plane had PAL FLYER on board which is wifi based entertainment. Bring your own phone or laptop. If you bring your own phone/ipad, you have to download an app (which I did). But my phone is quite small (7 inch) so I tried their iPads they offered .... but a) they were exactly the same size as my phone (iPad mini) and b) they didnt have the same selection so I couldn't finish the film I had started.
So I got out my laptop. Yes there is power (but only for 2 prong, cannot fit UK plugs, in an odd location and cannot fit an adapter of any size). But the laptop didnt work - apparently you just open a browser and the PAL Flyer works. It didnt. Tried a few browsers, tried rebooting etc etc. No joy. Asked the staff - they all looked like rabbit in headlights; no clue. Gave up and watched stuff I already had downloaded in my laptop (THIS IS THE BETTER OPTION TO BE HONEST!).
I tried to buy a noise cancelling headphone from the duty free - as mine was not working (no battery) and the plane was VERY noisy. I don't normally notice aircraft noise (I think cathay have been buying newer, quieter jets) but this was bad. Given the battery issue, I though the one in their book which was USB based so i would never run out of battery again was perfect. Good price. Purchased it. Opened it. NOT USB BASED. Didn't have the extra cables mentioned in the book - basically it was a different product. Not good. Returned it.
One final irritation, which may seem petty but it really bugs me... the hand towels in the toilets were tissues (you know, face tissues). Which just disintegrate when you try and dry your hands on them. VERY PHILIPPINE!
For my return flight, I have packed snacks, spare batteries for my noise cancelling headphones and downloaded more video content on my laptop. Its a night flight so more sleeping and I found the seats actually very good for sleeping - best bit of the flight and, frankly the main reason I fly J.
So, even given the above, I would consider using them again.
So - is it 1/3 the quality of Cathay? No.
Is it great? Not really.
Is it value for money? Absolutely.
Not sure exactly which aircraft we had (it was 2-2-2 in Business) with the older angled flat beds. The cabin looked scruffy and old. The seats were fine though. The only downside with the seats was that where the metal bottom of the leg-rest folded out, there was some velcro-ed material where the hooks and eyes did not line up, meaning that my (bare) legs were resting on the hook side of velcro (which is nasty). I put a spare blanket on the seat and the problem was solved.
The food was horrible. Poor choices, a lot of Filipino options. (There is a reason Filipino food is not global like Thai or Italian LOL!). Not much food either. We took off (on time) at 12:15pm and had lunch shortly afterwards. Adequate but not extensive. Next mean was about 8 hours later (2 hours before landing). Before that, you could get a sandwich or nuts or "chicken porridge". I went for the sandwich. The final meal (breakfast) served at 2am Manila time or 5pm UK time (i.e. not breakfast time in any location!) was absolutely revolting. And I would have preferred to stay asleep but it was too hard. Left the plane hungry and went off to find something to eat at Heathrow!
Re entertainment, this plane had PAL FLYER on board which is wifi based entertainment. Bring your own phone or laptop. If you bring your own phone/ipad, you have to download an app (which I did). But my phone is quite small (7 inch) so I tried their iPads they offered .... but a) they were exactly the same size as my phone (iPad mini) and b) they didnt have the same selection so I couldn't finish the film I had started.
So I got out my laptop. Yes there is power (but only for 2 prong, cannot fit UK plugs, in an odd location and cannot fit an adapter of any size). But the laptop didnt work - apparently you just open a browser and the PAL Flyer works. It didnt. Tried a few browsers, tried rebooting etc etc. No joy. Asked the staff - they all looked like rabbit in headlights; no clue. Gave up and watched stuff I already had downloaded in my laptop (THIS IS THE BETTER OPTION TO BE HONEST!).
I tried to buy a noise cancelling headphone from the duty free - as mine was not working (no battery) and the plane was VERY noisy. I don't normally notice aircraft noise (I think cathay have been buying newer, quieter jets) but this was bad. Given the battery issue, I though the one in their book which was USB based so i would never run out of battery again was perfect. Good price. Purchased it. Opened it. NOT USB BASED. Didn't have the extra cables mentioned in the book - basically it was a different product. Not good. Returned it.
One final irritation, which may seem petty but it really bugs me... the hand towels in the toilets were tissues (you know, face tissues). Which just disintegrate when you try and dry your hands on them. VERY PHILIPPINE!
For my return flight, I have packed snacks, spare batteries for my noise cancelling headphones and downloaded more video content on my laptop. Its a night flight so more sleeping and I found the seats actually very good for sleeping - best bit of the flight and, frankly the main reason I fly J.
So, even given the above, I would consider using them again.
Agree on the alcohol though; it doesn't flow freely and ran out of beer on my last flight.
Feb 1, 2017, 2:49 pm
#36
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Jersey City, NJ
Posts: 2
My biz-class PAL itinerary JFK to SYD
I am old guy. The specific age is not important, but to give context to my questions, my first flight was on a Military Air Transport, from Ft Dix to Fort Knox in a 14 pax D2 with curtains at the square windows. In memory it seems like we didn't fly higher than 1500 ft and I think I've been in faster automobiles on the German Autobahn.
Back in the day (60s and 70s) my corporate job, and then my own importing business, had me almost living on planes. A flight every two or three days was not unusual. I'm speaking of Capitol TurboProps and a fantastic French-made jet that United flew for a while, and tri-tail TWA Connies with a semi-circular, leather seat lounge at the back and early 747s with a piano lounge in "standard" class. I even had a few Concord rides on BA.
Then, for many years, while service went to hell, I was spared all the early cattle car treatment.
In about two weeks I am flying PAL - all biz class - as follows:
JFK / YVR layover about 7 hours (Boeing 777)
YVR / MNL layover about 12 hours (Boeing 777)
MNL / SYD (Airbus 343)
Staying in AU a month to visit family before a similar return itinerary. The only significant difference is my MNL layover will be from Saturday 5pm through a 3pm deaprture Sunday.
I would welcome comment on what can I expect in biz class on that equipment?
May I assume biz class will get me access to a comfortable lounge at each layover?
Suggestions as to what to do during the layovers, especially the 23hrs in MLN on the way back, would be appreciated?
Back in the day (60s and 70s) my corporate job, and then my own importing business, had me almost living on planes. A flight every two or three days was not unusual. I'm speaking of Capitol TurboProps and a fantastic French-made jet that United flew for a while, and tri-tail TWA Connies with a semi-circular, leather seat lounge at the back and early 747s with a piano lounge in "standard" class. I even had a few Concord rides on BA.
Then, for many years, while service went to hell, I was spared all the early cattle car treatment.
In about two weeks I am flying PAL - all biz class - as follows:
JFK / YVR layover about 7 hours (Boeing 777)
YVR / MNL layover about 12 hours (Boeing 777)
MNL / SYD (Airbus 343)
Staying in AU a month to visit family before a similar return itinerary. The only significant difference is my MNL layover will be from Saturday 5pm through a 3pm deaprture Sunday.
I would welcome comment on what can I expect in biz class on that equipment?
May I assume biz class will get me access to a comfortable lounge at each layover?
Suggestions as to what to do during the layovers, especially the 23hrs in MLN on the way back, would be appreciated?
Feb 3, 2017, 9:46 pm
#37
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Auckland
Programs: NZ Elite Partner/Silver (in own right), PR Classic, QF Bronze, UA Member, VA Red
Posts: 1,551
for the 23 hour layover in MNL on way back, I would suggest not try and cram too much in given potential issues with traffic. I am always very conservative and allow a lot of time (4 hours minimum if leaving from Makati - I am conservative though).
Have not been in the lounge at Terminal 2: but it does not look that promising from the outside. The terminal is generally poor in regards to food, toilets etc. Typically it is very busy. Make sure you have either boarding passes or a printed itinerary to allow entry into the terminal. If you cant produce those you will have difficulty entering the terminal.
I would suggest a nice hotel and dinner Saturday night (I love Filipino food) and walk around Sunday morning before heading to airport.
Potential areas:
Resorts World (casino, shopping, theatres etc) near the airport. At best 20-30min taxi ride.
Hotel near Greenbelt, Makati which is relaxing shopping and dining precinct. Legaspi Village market is on Sunday mornings and worth a look if you're into that sort of thing.
Hotel in Bonifacio Global City area.
I love the Henry Hotel, but nothing in the area really, would just be a hotel stay.
Highly recommend you take a Coupon taxi from the airport. Uber has worked well for returning to the airport although a friend is currently in Manila and has had issues with them. Failing that hotel will be able to access you a reliable taxi.
Have not been in the lounge at Terminal 2: but it does not look that promising from the outside. The terminal is generally poor in regards to food, toilets etc. Typically it is very busy. Make sure you have either boarding passes or a printed itinerary to allow entry into the terminal. If you cant produce those you will have difficulty entering the terminal.
I would suggest a nice hotel and dinner Saturday night (I love Filipino food) and walk around Sunday morning before heading to airport.
Potential areas:
Resorts World (casino, shopping, theatres etc) near the airport. At best 20-30min taxi ride.
Hotel near Greenbelt, Makati which is relaxing shopping and dining precinct. Legaspi Village market is on Sunday mornings and worth a look if you're into that sort of thing.
Hotel in Bonifacio Global City area.
I love the Henry Hotel, but nothing in the area really, would just be a hotel stay.
Highly recommend you take a Coupon taxi from the airport. Uber has worked well for returning to the airport although a friend is currently in Manila and has had issues with them. Failing that hotel will be able to access you a reliable taxi.
Last edited by jeffrocowboy; Feb 3, 2017 at 9:58 pm
Feb 5, 2017, 2:17 pm
#38
Join Date: Jun 2008
Programs: TK*G (E+), IHG Plat Ambassador
Posts: 7,884
looks like new C-class is coming to A330's. Link:
https://www.ausbt.com.au/philippine-...dney-melbourne
https://www.ausbt.com.au/philippine-...dney-melbourne
Feb 7, 2017, 1:22 am
#39
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: OZ, Perth
Programs: QF QR Silver, DJ,TG,MH
Posts: 509
Have any of you had a chance to spend time in their T2 lounge ?
I have a 5 hour PAL cross connect coming up in a month or so.
Food options. Best to eat the plane offerings or lounge offerings ?
Drinks. Do they offer nice brands, lounge or plane ?
Does the Lounge offer showers and somewhere quiet to rest/sleep ?
I have a 5 hour PAL cross connect coming up in a month or so.
Food options. Best to eat the plane offerings or lounge offerings ?
Drinks. Do they offer nice brands, lounge or plane ?
Does the Lounge offer showers and somewhere quiet to rest/sleep ?
Feb 27, 2017, 10:28 pm
#40
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: sna
Posts: 8
for the 23 hour layover in MNL on way back, I would suggest not try and cram too much in given potential issues with traffic. I am always very conservative and allow a lot of time (4 hours minimum if leaving from Makati - I am conservative though).
Have not been in the lounge at Terminal 2: but it does not look that promising from the outside. The terminal is generally poor in regards to food, toilets etc. Typically it is very busy. Make sure you have either boarding passes or a printed itinerary to allow entry into the terminal. If you cant produce those you will have difficulty entering the terminal.
I would suggest a nice hotel and dinner Saturday night (I love Filipino food) and walk around Sunday morning before heading to airport.
Potential areas:
Resorts World (casino, shopping, theatres etc) near the airport. At best 20-30min taxi ride.
Hotel near Greenbelt, Makati which is relaxing shopping and dining precinct. Legaspi Village market is on Sunday mornings and worth a look if you're into that sort of thing.
Hotel in Bonifacio Global City area.
I love the Henry Hotel, but nothing in the area really, would just be a hotel stay.
Highly recommend you take a Coupon taxi from the airport. Uber has worked well for returning to the airport although a friend is currently in Manila and has had issues with them. Failing that hotel will be able to access you a reliable taxi.
Have not been in the lounge at Terminal 2: but it does not look that promising from the outside. The terminal is generally poor in regards to food, toilets etc. Typically it is very busy. Make sure you have either boarding passes or a printed itinerary to allow entry into the terminal. If you cant produce those you will have difficulty entering the terminal.
I would suggest a nice hotel and dinner Saturday night (I love Filipino food) and walk around Sunday morning before heading to airport.
Potential areas:
Resorts World (casino, shopping, theatres etc) near the airport. At best 20-30min taxi ride.
Hotel near Greenbelt, Makati which is relaxing shopping and dining precinct. Legaspi Village market is on Sunday mornings and worth a look if you're into that sort of thing.
Hotel in Bonifacio Global City area.
I love the Henry Hotel, but nothing in the area really, would just be a hotel stay.
Highly recommend you take a Coupon taxi from the airport. Uber has worked well for returning to the airport although a friend is currently in Manila and has had issues with them. Failing that hotel will be able to access you a reliable taxi.
Download app 'GRAB'. This is Philippines' Uber. You can choose grabcar, grabtaxi, grabpremium. Lots of transpo available now. Pay like Uber. Has also Resorts World shuttle fronting arrival area. Schedule is like every 30min-1hr.
Hotel:
Marriott by Resorts World; IHG by Makati/Greenbelt area; Hyatt and Conrad by MOA area. This is if you're a hotel points collector.
Feb 28, 2017, 1:51 am
#41
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: SFO, MNL, SIN, HAM
Programs: UA GS, SQ PPS, IHG Plat Amb, Marriot Gold, Hilton Gold, Club Carlson Gold, Accor Plat
Posts: 488
Have any of you had a chance to spend time in their T2 lounge ?
I have a 5 hour PAL cross connect coming up in a month or so.
Food options. Best to eat the plane offerings or lounge offerings ?
Drinks. Do they offer nice brands, lounge or plane ?
Does the Lounge offer showers and somewhere quiet to rest/sleep ?
I have a 5 hour PAL cross connect coming up in a month or so.
Food options. Best to eat the plane offerings or lounge offerings ?
Drinks. Do they offer nice brands, lounge or plane ?
Does the Lounge offer showers and somewhere quiet to rest/sleep ?
The lounge gets pretty busy and while there is a decent separation between a TV area, buffet/bistro area and seating area, it's often too noisy to sleep and there are no loungers or sleeping cubicles.
There is a more detailed review of the lounge here!
Feb 28, 2017, 1:54 am
#42
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: SFO, MNL, SIN, HAM
Programs: UA GS, SQ PPS, IHG Plat Amb, Marriot Gold, Hilton Gold, Club Carlson Gold, Accor Plat
Posts: 488
The uber of the Philippines is... uber! Same app as anywhere else in the world. Airport pickup is possible; more cars than Grab...
Mar 2, 2017, 5:47 am
#43
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: MNL / SFO / NYC
Programs: IHG Spire | Marriott Plat | UA Plat | AA Plat Pro
Posts: 533
I flew on PAL from Manila to London two days ago. I go back tomorrow. It's Chinese New Year right now - and I live in Hong Kong (CX Diamond) so while it takes a lot to shift me off Cathay, a combination of a last minute urgent personal trip + CNY + PAL being 1/3 of Cathay did it. I also do a lot of business in Manila so the company paid for the HK-MAN portion....
So - is it 1/3 the quality of Cathay? No.
Is it great? Not really.
Is it value for money? Absolutely.
So - is it 1/3 the quality of Cathay? No.
Is it great? Not really.
Is it value for money? Absolutely.
Mar 3, 2017, 1:47 am
#44
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: SFO, MNL, SIN, HAM
Programs: UA GS, SQ PPS, IHG Plat Amb, Marriot Gold, Hilton Gold, Club Carlson Gold, Accor Plat
Posts: 488
I believe PAL uses A340s they got from Iberia for this route so some people may find the J cabin familiar since it has the old J seats. I hope that they expedite the A330 re-furbish with the newer seats a la Qantas with all aisle access for business class an then expand it to the A340s. They should also try putting in a reverse herringbone on their 777.
I wouldn't expect the A340 to be upgraded either, probably will be phased out! It's PAL's worst Business Class seat...
And no seat layout for new A350 on order has been announced - but as PAL wants to become a 5-star airline, I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a configuration similar to the A330!
Mar 9, 2017, 7:58 pm
#45
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Indonesia
Programs: GarudaMiles (most active), Asia Miles (most active), Kris Flyer, Flying Blue, Royal Orchid Plus
Posts: 79
Once I've tried their regional business class from MNL-CGK in their A320. It was a red-eye flight so after meal service, I just dozed off. The recliner seat was good enough for sleeping actually.
The meal itself was quite OK for my Asian tongue, with appetizer like chicken cold cuts and rice with prawns for the main. They did not offer any dessert.
One thing amused me was that the chief purser slept at back seat behind me probably almost the entire flight. Not sure if it is proper, but I think at least he should not sleep in front of passenger. I was the only one in business though.
So for me, PAL business class product is OK. I would take it again when the price is right.
The meal itself was quite OK for my Asian tongue, with appetizer like chicken cold cuts and rice with prawns for the main. They did not offer any dessert.
One thing amused me was that the chief purser slept at back seat behind me probably almost the entire flight. Not sure if it is proper, but I think at least he should not sleep in front of passenger. I was the only one in business though.
So for me, PAL business class product is OK. I would take it again when the price is right.