Dimming the lights when landing at night is a safety protocol in case of a crash, your pupils have adjusted to the lighting so in case of an emergency evacuation, your eyes do not have to adjust to the brightness/darkness of the environment. Conversely this is done opposite when landing the day, when the window shades are asked to be kept open
Thank you so much Patrick for pointing out positives and negatives on this vlog. I hope PAL and NAIA T1 management view your vlog and make the necessary adjustments for the better because much is to be desired. Hopefully, by 2028 or 2029 the New Manila International Airport in Bulakan, Bulacan will be ready for use. PAL will have a run for its money on head-on competition from United. Competition is healthy and gives potential passengers options to choose what airline to fly, price wise, service, comfort, and convenience of flight schedule. Great vlog and keep up with your excellent work.
My wife flew round trip on PAL Business Class from Manila to Los Angeles a few months ago. She said PAL Business Class was terrible and was just like premium economy. It was a waste of money. Also, had a broken seat that she told the flight attendant about. They said they couldn’t change her seat because the flight was full. So she couldn’t sleep the entire flight because the seat cushion kept sliding and had to be frequently adjusted. PAL was not very helpful afterwards and has poor customer service. I would avoid PAL at all costs.
You are correct on that one as a matter of fact my mother have to argue about her luggage being offloaded even though her final destination is Osaka Japan
I been taking PAL in any level of classes, the business class is not bad at all compare to other airlines. Since early 90’s we been taking Business Class every time we travel to Asia and if there’s some unusual with the services all you have to do is communicate with their customer service, they promptly response and pacify you with some rewards in exchange to the inconveniences you had. Try something else and find any airline that goes straight to your destination without the hassle of stopping to another country and wait for a couple hours to resume your destination…
@deedeeseyer3263 you are correct and talk to the customer service. You're going to deal with a lengthy conversation about it happened on my mother's flight from New York to Japan via Manila. EWR/JFK-KIX PR worst option better options are ICN Asiana/Korean Air UA via SFO NRT/HND JL/NH. Towards CEB from LAX,SFO,EWR,JFK, the better choices are BR CI🇹🇼 KE OZ🇰🇷 CX🇭🇰 SQ. Of these 5 star carriers, CX has the same exact jet-powered fleet as PR starting with the B-HSx A320-232s, which are equal to PR A320-214s B777-300/ER B-KPx = PR RP-C7771-7782 fleet A350s B-LRx B-LQx A359s = RP-C3501-RP-C3508 PR B-LXx A35Ks = upper RP-C35xx PR🇵🇭
i've been told by a former commercial pilot that if you're sitting on the window side, IT IS YOURS - i.e. no matter how charming the FA, you could say that you'd rather have the window open while in flight. however it is de rigueur to have the window open during take off and landing. the former pilot also mentioned that this close-windows thing, esp during night time, might have been due to passenger reactions. some passengers may think they 'saw' something outside the plane and become hyped. it could potentially cause concern or make the other passengers panic..
Good points. I just never want to be the only one letting light into the cabin. That’s usually why airlines at least have the mood lighting or something to give the cabin some lighting
What’s the point of giving a mobile pass if they’re not gonna honor it. Damn this airline is stuck in the 70’s when they were “world class!” So damn happy that United is finally flying directly to Manila!
From about Dec last year to middle of this year, only US bound PAL flights were transferred to T1 from T2. It was a much more pleasant experience with hardly any waitlines prior to check-in. The Paggs lounge was a bit full & I opted to go the smaller one which I enjoyed almost entirely to myself for nearly 2 hours. Not much in the way of amenities but it was quiet. I see from your video the situation has gone back to the chaos before T2 even opened with all PAL international flights back in T1.
If I remember correctly, T2 has the only Philippine Airlines lounge? Either way, it wouldn’t hurt for them to take a look into renovations to the terminal
Nice video Patrick, I just returned with my family Wednesday night on basically same flight and time. Once you experience traffic in Manila, you won't complain about traffic in the US. Food and service were exceptional on our flight, for us the extra cost for business class is well worth it especially having 2 young kids.
Very informative as always Patrick. And it's not just you - if light outside the aircraft, I want my shade open, if dark outside I would prefer to close it.
It looks like I’ll be flying LAX to BKK this December. I’m sure that it will be economy and to reduce the cost, as I’m originating from Kansas City, I’ll fly Southwest on points to LAX (I’ve done this at least 15 times). On the return, the plane is supposed to land at 8:15 AM. I would normally give myself 3 hours to make the Southwest flight to MCI. As PAL has a reputation for being late, how much time should I allow to make my Southwest flight to MCI?
If you have to clear immigration on arrival, it can take an hour or so, but being in the morning does make it a bit better usually. I typically allow 3 hours at a minimum when I have to clear immigration and recheck my bag
So add 3, perhaps 4 hours then. BKK is usually pretty go for on time ( or close to on time ) departures. Which airline is flying direct between LAX- BKK ?
Coming soon! Hopefully the -1000s will be seen at SFO/LAX. They’ll have to be able to support the capacity of the current 777 flights since the A350-900s are a bit small for what they need
This will definitely come in handy should we decide to take Philippine Airlines from NAIA to LAX instead of our usual Cebu-Mactan direct flight to LAX. Thanks a lot for your review, Patrick!
That’ll be a great trip, and if it’s after October 29, you will also be able to fly United through SFO. It’s the first time there’s been another option coming from North America
@@PatrickSheaAviationAbout two decades ago I used to travel quite a bit between LAX/SFO and Manila. Back then there were three choices for direct flight: PAL, United, and Northwest (which later became Delta).
PA is a government owned airlnes...any other carriers will be better even though prices may be cheaper...this guy never even talked about it being a government owned airlines...
Sadly Delta discontinued it's Manila service since 2021. I've flow with Delta thrice from Manila to the USA before and has been the best for me so far.
Patrick, you are so right on flying in a darked out cabin for that long. Drives me crazy. I need to see out to maintain any level of sanity. On a recent flight to Hawaii, a lady with a window seat refused to put her shade down so I was able to look out her window. She was staying in same hotel as I so I made sure she knew how appreciative I was. I'm a foodie so I think I could put up with the mechanical issues if the food is wonderful. But that airport is a mess and don't think I could easily deal with it since I'm older now and less tolerant of unorganized crowds.
Good recent video and seems likes things still have not changed with PAL. They are so behind the times and wow, wifi and seat issues is not a good start. You made it safely so thats the main thing! Thanks for the share!
Thanks! Yea… the 777 needs a bit of a facelift. I will say that the A350s appear to me much better, they just don’t have the capacity for SFO/LAX. Hopefully in a year or so when the A350-1000s arrive, we will see those on these high density routes 🤞🤞
I personally never flew PR. However, two of my sons traveled on PR from MNL to HNL, and their gripes included late departure (scheduled 6pm departure; 715pm actual departure) and closed window shades. Admittedly, the closed window shades AND dark cabin do annoy me. The late MNL departure for SFO is interesting.
The dark cabin for 12 hours is just a lot. I get wanting to adjust people to their arriving time zone, but they didn’t even do that since we arrived well rested, but it was 10pm in SFO 🤷♂️
Flew that flight, yes in Bus, in March 2019. I got the last seat available in Bus. While I found things, including the terminal, as you said, very crowded, I guess that's the main negative point of that experience. And yes, the whole setting seemed old, like you, I chose PAL mainly because of the direct connection from California and the food. Good to hear that United will be offering direct service starting in Oct 2023. I would pick them. In 2000 and 2004, I flew United to HKG and then just switched to PAL or Cathay to Manila. Those United flights on 747s were really superb. Unfortunately, my flying days to Asia are pretty much over.
@@patriciaandrada4 I have no plans of flying to Asia anymore but obviously you're looking at PEAK, HIGH-SEASON times. And when I flew United 20 years ago, I did Upgrades to business using my FF points. You get what you pay for.
@@mylesgarcia4625 FYI: that fare is not peak season rate. I don’t like United, they were not helpful at all when my flight was canceled, also happened to my sister and her companion. I would rather fly Delta but their route has too many layovers and change of planes unlike before it was only via Tokyo where we change planes.
@@patriciaandrada4 Sorry to hear that you do NOT like United. And you are of course, entitled to your opinion w/ good reason. Well, I can only speak of my positive expriences with United. It's worked for me in the past. Best of luck.
It looks like the aircraft that you rode on is an older model. The aircraft that we rode on last December from Honolulu to Manila (RT) is the Airbus A330-300. The Business Class seating configuration was 1-2-1. And our seats were pretty big. A pod like style. Very nice! My family and I are traveling to the Philippines again this December 2023, and all nine of us are all seated in Business Class. Excited for our flight!
Philippine Airlines does have their new business class on the A330 and A350 but unfortunately those aircraft don’t have the capacity required for San Francisco. The newly arriving A350-1000 should help with that
I must agree with the light situation, I flew one of their A350s to North America 2 months ago, and the stewardess told us to shut our windows down prior to takeoff. Since then, the whole cabin has been dark till landing. It was kind of awkward to open our window shade as it will become the only source of light in the cabin.
This was a great video! Nice to see more flight reviewers/reporters covering PAL (Philippine Airlines). More about the Lounge though: I think I know why there is two lounges for PAL. Firstly, since the move of all international operations to Terminal 1, the airline dosen't have its own lounge in terminal 1. It was a very fast move with poor planning (For the "premium" experience atleast) and the airline is still in the process of finding space for the Mabuhay Lounge in Terminal 1. Secondly, the two lounges for PAL flights is because the PAGSS Lounges are not only for PAL but also for other International Carriers flying to Manila. Also, all of the lounges in NAIA are small and cannot accomodate all passengers. Also, the lounge that you stayed in was (Dont Quote me on this) a makeshift lounge so that more PAL passengers could use the lounge. l'm dissapointed seeing this as this makes PAL take a step behind its already bright future. I'm happy to see though, that they are upgrading these 777s to much more modern A350-1000s in 2025, in fact two 777's are leaving the airline's fleet next year. However economy on these -1000's are rumored to be a 10-abreast seating for Economy. Which I am not looking forward for. I'm hoping that Business Class atleast becomes the industry standard direct-aisle access seating.
Yea T1 is a bit of a zoo, but I am excited to see if the growth of the airline will also be met with growth at the airport. As of now though the airport experience is just kinda sad. I am excited for the new airplanes, and I’m assuming business class will look like what they’ve got on the A350-900s or A330s, but economy will probably have to be in a 3-4-3 to maximize capacity as the routes currently served by the 777 are of such high capacity that a smaller aircraft just can’t handle the demand
I can't believe how you managed to keep your cool with the litany of hassles you experienced throughout your "business class" nonstop flight. Sadly, "you get what you pay for" is so true. But crew and food were the saving grace of the day. Still, as a Filipino, I appreciate how you ended your video on a positive note by still flying PAL despite it all.
The seat was unfortunate but I had to think that if I was in literally any other seat it would have been a much better experience so I decided that since Philippine Airlines finally offered me some compensation for that, it wasn’t worth holding it against them entirely
Good Job Patrick, appreciate your take on this flight and its value at $1,100 especially if it's seat worked? What aircraft type do you personally pilot?
Thank you! I think the value is totally worth it. Its an older seat, but in a year or so there will be a whole new fleet with new seats and all. I am excited to try that, and hopefully it will still be at the same price point
Terminal 2 was an exclusive pal terminal with international and domestic flights. Then recently, they moved the pal international flights to terminal 1. and terminal 2 is no longer exclusive to pal. That was one of pal’s selling points is you won’t have to transfer airports if you were coming from North America or other international pal flights since your connecting domestic flight was also on terminal 2. Terminal 1 only caters to international flights. If I’m not mistaken the only pal flights on terminal 3 were “pal express” flights.
I typically use all different sites. Sometimes booking with the airline directly is cheaper, but other travel agencies around the world can typically give deals for these tickets. I could talk though the process for a while as each ticket I buy usually takes about a month of daily flight searches with a ton of city pairs to find the absolute cheapest deal. One of the usual rules: direct flights are almost always more expensive. For this flight, for example, I booked JJN-MNL-SFO with a long layover in Manila
Planning to try out United polaris non stop to MNL on our trip early next year. Hope you or someone posts a review after this service comes online later this year.
@@PatrickSheaAviationInaugural will be Oct 29? Ughh sux I already bought SFO to Manila PAL Business Class ticket for December.. Didn’t know United will have this route starting end of this year 😢 Will wait for your vid tho 😊
My son and I flew with PAL on a round trip from SFO to MNL and back on an economy seats. We opted for the seats next to the Exit door for a better leg room. Unfortunately, the pullout trays as well as the head phones weren't working. During meal time we used our laps to improvised. When we landed in Manila I submitted a written complaint to fix the problem. Thirty days later on the way back home we had the same seat numbers but the issues weren't resolved. I kept the tickets as souvenir for the bad experience. A year or two later, PAL was barred from entering the USA until PAL complies with the FAA maintenance requirements. Since then I refused to fly with PAL.
Great video! Have me flashbacks back to 2015-2016 when i was flying regularly to MNL on UA… i have flown PAL in economy from LAX to MNL and back before because it is the only non-stop bit after moving to the was coast in the U.S., now i fly there on Qatar Airways that flies to terminal 3 which is a tad bit nicer that old and worn out terminal 1. That mosh pit area you were flying out of is where they used to have Kuwait airways flying from but i can’t remember extra checkpoints for US flights as i also thought PAL was only flying out of terminal 2 before.
I agree that there should be more light in the cabin during daylight hours. It's not just this flight - even on domestic flights within the US I find that most passengers close their window shades. It's a shame especially with such beautiful scenery below.
I guess you have no idea what your idea is doing to your body. Jet Lag. And most people rest before they go off board the plane because they go straight to work. That's why most carriers in the US prefer closing the windows and dim the lights even if it's a day flight. I hope you understand why these are the norms.
I liked how you narrate the details of your trip report, professional and use of kind words to express your frustration and dislike. Other vloggers make use of brutal words on their unpleasant experiences with either hardware or software products directly highlighting those crap, Very well presented with honest, well researched, balanced and fair reviews. Nice Bro!
Thanks so much! The way I see it, any chance to travel is a good experience, and there can be aspects that make it a bit tougher or less enjoyable, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad experience altogether
@@PatrickSheaAviation True and highly appreciate your quick response. With regards to your question on making cabin completely dark for daylight flight it depends on the pax and type of aircraft. New A350 feature LED mood lighting onboard which most vloggers highly appreciate and noticed but older 777 doesn"t have. It is a hit and miss affair with PAL as 3 out 9 B777-300ER reg"n rp-c7778, 7779, 7782 have lay flat Recaro seats compared to the rest with inclined flat seats only. Repairs on seats functionality glitch are put on hold as demand for travel forced them to maximized aircraft utilization to cope up and have to wait for new fleet 2 to 3 years from now for A350-1000 with all new Biz, premium economy and standard econ seats to serve USA. The two A350-900 left with them usually ply the ultra long route to JFK or Toronto. This oldest airline of Asia still operating is known to travelers for cheapest biz class to Australia and the Middle East to fill up the front cabin with no expectation to be par with so called 5 star carriers like Asiana, EVA not to mention ANA Cathay and Singapore Airlines as long as they still making little profit rather flying empty Biz seats and not making money at all. Their A321NEO have fully flat Biz seats same offered by AA on their Transcon SFO/LAX to JFK
The reason why T2 has Mabuhay lounge is because T2 was exclusively PAL's terminal for the longest time. It was only this summer when they forced PAL international flights to move to T1 making T2 all domestic flights. I'm sure they'll eventually have a Mabuhay lounge in T1.
I have heard of them possibly constructing a T1 lounge which I am excited for. Although T1 has some other things that need fixing for sure, although that will fall in the responsibilities of the airport and not the airline
@@PatrickSheaAviation which is also being worked on. The gov't is privatizing operations of the airport and the largest corps of the PH already submitted their proposal. It's just the waiting game for it to get approved.
PAL is currently building a new business lounge in terminal 1. Think they started during the pandemic. They have one room that fills up for 42 business class to LAX. Food is terrible. Very crowded. Food is good and service is good on the LAX flight. PAL just order 9 A350. To be delivered every six months starting in late 2025. To be used flying to USA. That should help mechanical problems inside the plane.
I know the T3 is new at MNL airport, but I’ve only ever arrived at that terminal. T1 is in desperate need of attention, and although I haven’t seen it in person, it sounds like T2 is as well
Another excellent video, Patrick. Extremely informative. I have no plans to go the Philippines or take Philippine Airlines, but if I were to your video would have been amazingly helpful. You brought up some items few others do. Keep it up! 9.25
PAL business class used to be my go to flight to MNL because it was the only direct flight from SFO, I hate layovers. It wasnt bad service. But now there is United Airlines direct to MNL, im giving that a go with the Polaris class and better seat layout/design.
Good luck on paying double the price on United. I just talked with my friend who decided not to buy a USD$8000 that United was charging for a Mnl/SFO/Mnl ticket on business class
@patriciaandrada4 that's not my experience. My United App was showing 5-6k RT. Timing the booking will definitely influence the price. But my point is, if one's a UnitedPlus Mileage member with Premier status, ( I have been forever) and United's credit card, no-brainer there to Fly United then. It's such a better points program than PAL's Mabuhay miles in my case..I can even book Polaris for $5.60 using just my points. 👍 or bookk premium economy and upgrade with points. like anything else, you gotta see what works best for you.
@@porksisig1860 I would rather pay USD$1500-2000 less on PAL, for as long as I can sleep and have a good meal I am happy with it. I am not a picky person and would rather use our own airline than give the business to a USA airline. That’s just my opinion. I also get better service on PAL from my experience as a premier elite member. I had a premier status on United and got this from flying domestic flights from California to New York and Chicago twice to three times a year for business, but I decided to stop flying this airline due to terrible service.
Really good point remember one can actually book IAD/ORD/EWR to MNL on UA Polaris service. Sadly you lose the lounge access under domestic leg which is why UA fliers get Air Canada or Avianca star alliance mileage to get the lounge access on UA domestic.
Great video on your experience--those airline seat beds look great but I'd like to see them fix the power problem so one doesn't get stuck with the seat in one particular position.
@@PatrickSheaAviation Had the same problem when I returned Aug 20th, exact same issue in the last row with Seat B Where did you find the $1000 tickets though, which site? PAL proper?
I flew July 31 to LAX. It was exactly as you described. Heavy turbulence most of the flight and i couldn't get a cup of coffee served to save my life. I even asked in the galley during a restroom run. But again was ignored. Meanwhile a male flight attendent was delivering coffee to the passengers in his section. We didn't see our flight attendent for at least two hours.Not trying to be petty. But when you treat yourself to business class,you just assume a cup of coffee would be easy. Instead getting ignored compounded the issues with my chair not recliner having issues and the entertainment system kept turning on by itself.Its a long flight either way,but springing for Business class doesn't seem really worth it.
I just got back from MNL and was sitting right next to where you were (I was seated at 6D). There was another passenger who sat in the same location where she was having issues with the seats. It was so bad that 2 flight attendants had to work together to put her seat back from sleeping position to eating manually. Wifi didn’t work and my remote wasn’t working. I wasn’t able to turn off the overhead lamp. I had to ask the flight attendant to manual turn it off from the main panel. Loved the food overall. After watching this video and saw the de-lamination on the wall, I knew those were the seats. I also saw the light flickering from the seat controls to confirm.
I agree I sat in the same area and also saw the light on their arm rest panel flashing through the time everyone was sleeping. Also, my headphones didn’t work 😅😂
I don’t know if anybody said this but not to spook you but if there’s water in the wall there’s a lot of stuff there including the window itself that can be damaged in an unsafe deadly way. That’s just my analytical mind saying but I don’t know for a fact. What I do know is when you have power problems like that that could lead to a fire that plane should’ve never been flying. Seats being removable it could’ve been a loose plug between the seat and aircraft but that’s also a fire hazard. I might choose a different airline even though I kinda like that one. Loved your video.
Thanks for the video. I've been curious about Philippines Airlines for years, and now I know. You have an incredible way of weaving a multitude of detail into your fast-paced videos. As to the issue of being required to keep window shades closed throughout flight, I agree with you and it's a pet peeve of mine as well. I want to see the sky, at least some of the time, and especially when we are flying over interesting terrain.
Totally! Glad you found the video informative. I hope to get a video on their A350s once the -1000 variants arrive as the cabins should be brand new. Now we just have to hope MNL airport can figure itself out
Philippines Airlines is already at a disadvantage since it's stuck using the old Terminal 1 for International flights. Awful. But the Philippines is broke, so no money to rehab it.
Thanks for this review, I used PAL in 2018 and did not have a problem but since last year with so many complaints, I don’t think I will travel with them again. Hoping to fly Emirates from Orlando and stop in Dubai for few days then Manila.
It’ll be great to have the competition on that route. Hopefully forcing Philippine airlines to make some much needed improvements, although the A350s seem to be heading in a positive direction. Now we just need to fix the MNL Airport
Thank you for this video. You saved me money. There's no advantage in paying extra for a business class fare. IF PAL wants to compete with other airlines, they need to up their game.
What was the name of the food you enjoyed both for dinner and the other meals? I would like to know for future reference in case I ever travel on PAL. Thanks and keep up the great work man you are killing it with great videos out there!
Dinner was a Tuna Tataki salad with the Pork Adobo main course. The mid flight snack was the stir fried shrimp noodles. Then Breakfast was a Chicken Sisig burrito
@@PatrickSheaAviation thank you so much for responding, it means so much to me when a RUclipsr has time to sit down and read all the nice comments people leave for you on a video.
My return flight from Manila to NYC was cancelled due to weather so I had to stay overnight in a nearby hotel and then return to the airport at 5AM for my flight. I enjoyed the Paggs' lounge early morning breakfast. The economy customers were given Jolibees for breakfast.
I was on the MNL-LAX flight...delayed for passengers from davao...there were irate passengers..anxiously waiting for UNITED to begin direct service from SFO...
Sounds like they are usually delayed so I’m sure it happens for all kinds of reasons. Things like that can be overlooked if it’s the only airline on the route. I am excited to see how it changes with United’s competition
@@WRic86 Only if they can meet / beat the price. Pinoys/ays are penny pinching aficionados and if United's cost is too much more above PAL's, we'll stick with PAL.
Overall a good video about a PAL flight I took several times before finally reaching the "enough is enough" point with both PAL and NAIA back in 2018. A fair and balanced assessment of the absolute mess that is NAIA along with a reminder of how PAL earned the nickname "Plane Always Late". I hope you are able to do a video on the United direct route in the near future now that their SFO to NAIA route is active. For my wife and I, we made the decision to avoid NAIA and only use international flights that go directly to and leave from Cebu since that is where our family is located. Yes, we have paid more at times, BUT the "you get what you pay for" statement is very evident. It is still puzzling how PAL was ever able to earn and maintain a Skytrax 4 Star rating given they only have a 5/10 passenger rating on Skytrax. Oh well. Thanks again for taking the time to provide this video and safe travels!
If you’re willing to pay more then go ahead and use another airline. PAL had improved a lot with their new aircrafts and time management before the pandemic, I was flying PAL all the time within Asia, USA, Canada and Australia. Had not much problem at all. Of course nothing is perfect inside the aircraft, I have experienced also broken monitors, seats, and broken trays on other airlines where I paid a premium price🤔
I also flew on pr104 last year, 2A, the functions on my seat did not work and made creaking sounds (I'm 5'6 140lbs) . I usually fly with Cathay Pacific from SFO but decided to try something different. For me, I paid a little over $2k for my business class ticket, and service was meh. Would I fly again? No. I'll stick with Cathay from now on. Nice video !
Good point, have you also considered JL/NH via HND/NRT from SFO ICN KE/OZ TPE BR/CI SQ SIN as options to avoid PR105/115. The same also applies to JFK/EWR with SQ offering SQ21 to SQ918 towards MNL from JFK it's SQ25/23, then SQ910.
I had the exactly same experiences as you this January from Manila to Sydney. I don't think I will flight with them again. However, to be fair, It was pretty good for our earlier flight from Sydney to Manila. the flight attendants were so nice though.
I hope that with the current Secretary of the Department of Transportation (and former PAL president) Jaime Bautista, renovating the terminals in NAIA would be a top priority. I have visited the PAL Mabuhay Lounge in Cebu International Airport a few times and that lounge is something Filipinos can be proud of, and hopefully PAL can make a bigger version of that in Manila.
Hello again Patrick. On 12:21 of your video you will see the metal tab with the round indentation on the lower right corner of the tray table. You pull on the tab and the tray releases to swivel out of the way so you can leave your seat even if laden with the meal. Unfortunately malfunctioning business class seats are a common occurrence on those old 777s of PR. One solution is to ask the crew to manually crank it into bed mode, a bit of a hassle but better than trying to sleep upright. Congratulations on a balanced report. I enjoyed it.
Thanks for your video, it has helped me decide to avoid PAL Business Class after seeing the very old style seat layout. Also travel through Manila airport is a struggle with 1.5 hours to get through check in and security, my average time on this when travelling biz class is 20 minutes except on one trip during the pandemic. Also PAL is quite near the lowest in biz class fares but the differences in the fares you mentioned for comparing to other major airlines are not always that excessive. Registering for emails with airlines that fly your route can often give a decent bargain fare, I have just booked a great deal from Cebu to London with Cathay and British Airways with 2 x 32kg checked bags plus hand carry. The offer price was £640 less than previously listed on their app It was cheaper than Qatar, Emirates, Singapore and many others and has quite comfortable seat layout.
Good choice and when it comes to Cathay Pacific they actually have the same airplanes as Philippine Airlines and fitted with much better products than their Philippine Airline versions. 16:01 Korean Air also has a good service from Cebu to London via ICN
I flew Philippines airline with my eight month old and my three-year-old child in 2018. We got the bulkhead seats in economy class. We had an amazing experience my daughter who is three still remembers it so sad to see everyone’s experience we’re going back in 2025 and I’m starting to think that maybeI will choose another airline because we are flying business or first class this time
I honestly appreciate you doing this review. Made it easy for me to rule them out and man that airport and its layout! 😬 not sure I want to fly there 😅
Great review. I agree with your observation of PAL's ground experience. Recently flew through T1 and swear I will never ever opt to fly PAL again because of the experience at T1.
Great review and pretty much agree here with your experience. I was thinking about the cabin lighting too but it looks like its not going to be super helpful as that 777 may not have like a 'night light mode' with a blue or other tint than yellow compared to other airlines that have it or other cool stuff like the starry effect on the ceiling like Emirates or something. Personally if I didn't have an important appointment the next day in SFO, I'll just sleep it out the whole day when I get home. A little sad to see things haven't really improved since I last flew with PAL. I flew a similar flight as yours MNL-SFO back in July 2022 but it departed earlier around 9pm from their original Terminal 2 (they since moved intl. flights to T1 as you saw since it was to improve the logistics in T2 which is really cramped). It was a different 777-300ER with a slightly newer business class seat product that went fully flat but the same 2-3-2 config. The funny thing is on my return flight home to MNL the 777 was old like yours, but I was seated in the forward cabin and my seat had a broken IFE. Similar situation they tried to reset it but couldn't help me out. Good thing I'm not too nitpicky with movies but considering the ticket cost, I really hope PAL tries sprucing up their hard product more for their aging 777s, even as we patiently wait for their A350-1000s in a few years. At least the food I agree is more or less pleasant still. Go for the arroz caldo next time 😄.
Great notes! I am excited for newer airplanes to arrive, as their SFO and LAX routes are super popular, and therefore currently demand the capacity of the 777. Now we just have to hope that new aircraft might mark the beginning of a new push towards better things, hopefully including a new T1 if they do plan to use that one for their US bound flights
After living in Makati for 5 years NAIA Terminal 1 has to be the worst airport I've ever had to depart from. I purposely avoided any airlines that departed from T1 and even T2, and chose Cathay/ANA/Singapore Airlines from T3 instead. Also in my 5 year of living in PH I can't remember a single time my flight was on time after 100+ flights out. MNL airport only has 1 runway for wide body planes so you're either circling the city for 30mins+ waiting to land, or you're waiting on the ground for flights to come in, then waiting for your turn to take off. As for Philippine Airlines, I avoided them at all costs and would even take a stopover in HKG, NRT, or TPE to get back to North America. I'd rather pay a bit more vs settle for below standard service/airline. I'm not surprised about your review at all in fact it makes me cringe bringing back bad memories. And why would you ever WANT to fly home on PAL? lol
Spot on and for CX they have a rivalry with PR on HKG-MNL for 77 years now. Easy way to tell apart CX versions from PR versions of A321neo A330-300 A350-900 A350-1000 B777-300/ER are the power plugs in economy class. for A359 A35K B77W CX versions are always equipped with exterior camera views while PR versions omit them. Have you also considered ICN KE/OZ🇰🇷 TPE BR/CI🇹🇼 those airlines beat PR too. In the case of HKG-MNL PR gets the Nannies that work in Hong Kong🇭🇰 back to Manila🇵🇭
If you had that much of a problem with seating I would ask for a refund or at least partial refund. Terrible part of Philippine airlines. I like how calm you are with you video though. Good and honest review
I have been on one of the ex Philippine airlines A350's from Mumbai to Munich, the A350 was bought by Lufthansa and retains the Philippine airlines A350 cabin as of august 2022.
I will be going with Asiana Airlines for the first time next month to Maynila....but in the "Sardine Section" 😆 but as former army i can fly even in cargo section 😆 Nice info vlog...one of the best i have seen...and i seen many...thank you :)
If you’re just looking to Manila it’ll be more expensive. Every time I’ve got it for around $1k it’s been transiting Manila and then on to other parts of Asia
I used PAL's internet negotiation email system to get reduced price Business Class flight from Manila to JFK. I'd come there using their Premium Economy. As I'm 6'6" and a former Defense Noseguard, I needed more space. Business Class suits me perfectly. Firstly: I enjoyed being given a red carpet and expedited service for checking in while the rest of the people on line watched me move ahead. The PAGGS lounge was very nice. Very comfortable and quiet. The Food was good, but not perfect: a lot of dried out or emptied trays. The drink service was great tho. The flight was 16 hours. I was very comfortable, but I was seated ahead of the engine. A lot of high frequency vibration noise unlike the A380. Overall, I can't complain: economy and premium economy were far less comfortable and business class made my entire stay in Manila much more comfortable.
Pretty accurate but I flew out of Manila just in July. There were power ports at each seat that were against the wall. There were center table with ports also
On the lower right corner of your tray table is a silver tab with a round indentation. This tab pulls out and allows the tray table to swing and be moved away so you can easily get in and out of your seat.
It does twist a little bit but it doesn't give that much space to get out due to the design. There's just not much room for the table to go forward at all.
I may have to reconsider flying PAL internationally as they operate out of Terminal 1 - i actually prefer Terminal 2 (where they use to operate international flights before) or even 3.
Regarding luggage,even the CX counters are delayed as domestic helpers seem to get a generous box allowance and I Have 1 hpur at J checkin several times.
I did the LAX to MNL business round trip, LAX to MNL, no entertainment system and no charge port Departed 3 hours late Was offered miles but only got half MNL to LAX no entertainment working, and the seat in-op and was stuck in full uptight for 14 hr, No offer for compensation Really a sad experience for me
I don't find them a good deal at all. They have a monopoly on all of their NONSTOPS across the Pacific, and they charge a premium for that. They are always the most expensive to/from Manila.
Well that May change in October once United becomes the only other airline with direct service from North America to the Philippines on this same route
I will say, getting the authorization to fly to the US is tough and so if maintenance was lacking too much they could lose that certification so you have to think they are okay on that front (enough at least). Upkeep of the cabin may be a different story, but who really knows what’s going on behind the scenes 🤷♂️
Dimming the lights when landing at night is a safety protocol in case of a crash, your pupils have adjusted to the lighting so in case of an emergency evacuation, your eyes do not have to adjust to the brightness/darkness of the environment. Conversely this is done opposite when landing the day, when the window shades are asked to be kept open
Totally… I am more referring to it being a problem in cruise when they are asked to be kept down the whole flight with no cabin lights
interesting...
Thank you so much Patrick for pointing out positives and negatives on this vlog. I hope PAL and NAIA T1 management view your vlog and make the necessary adjustments for the better because much is to be desired.
Hopefully, by 2028 or 2029 the New Manila International Airport in Bulakan, Bulacan will be ready for use.
PAL will have a run for its money on head-on competition from United. Competition is healthy and gives potential passengers options to choose what airline to fly, price wise, service, comfort, and convenience of flight schedule.
Great vlog and keep up with your excellent work.
My wife flew round trip on PAL Business Class from Manila to Los Angeles a few months ago. She said PAL Business Class was terrible and was just like premium economy. It was a waste of money. Also, had a broken seat that she told the flight attendant about. They said they couldn’t change her seat because the flight was full. So she couldn’t sleep the entire flight because the seat cushion kept sliding and had to be frequently adjusted. PAL was not very helpful afterwards and has poor customer service. I would avoid PAL at all costs.
That’s unfortunate. I wonder if it was my same seat or if there are more that have this same issue with the seat controls
You are correct on that one as a matter of fact my mother have to argue about her luggage being offloaded even though her final destination is Osaka Japan
I been taking PAL in any level of classes, the business class is not bad at all compare to other airlines. Since early 90’s we been taking Business Class every time we travel to Asia and if there’s some unusual with the services all you have to do is communicate with their customer service, they promptly response and pacify you with some rewards in exchange to the inconveniences you had. Try something else and find any airline that goes straight to your destination without the hassle of stopping to another country and wait for a couple hours to resume your destination…
I heard that alot from other people...they are terrible.
@deedeeseyer3263 you are correct and talk to the customer service. You're going to deal with a lengthy conversation about it happened on my mother's flight from New York to Japan via Manila. EWR/JFK-KIX PR worst option better options are ICN Asiana/Korean Air UA via SFO NRT/HND JL/NH. Towards CEB from LAX,SFO,EWR,JFK, the better choices are BR CI🇹🇼 KE OZ🇰🇷 CX🇭🇰 SQ.
Of these 5 star carriers, CX has the same exact jet-powered fleet as PR starting with the B-HSx A320-232s, which are equal to PR A320-214s B777-300/ER B-KPx = PR RP-C7771-7782 fleet A350s B-LRx B-LQx A359s = RP-C3501-RP-C3508 PR B-LXx A35Ks = upper RP-C35xx PR🇵🇭
i've been told by a former commercial pilot that if you're sitting on the window side, IT IS YOURS - i.e. no matter how charming the FA, you could say that you'd rather have the window open while in flight. however it is de rigueur to have the window open during take off and landing. the former pilot also mentioned that this close-windows thing, esp during night time, might have been due to passenger reactions. some passengers may think they 'saw' something outside the plane and become hyped. it could potentially cause concern or make the other passengers panic..
Good points. I just never want to be the only one letting light into the cabin. That’s usually why airlines at least have the mood lighting or something to give the cabin some lighting
What’s the point of giving a mobile pass if they’re not gonna honor it. Damn this airline is stuck in the 70’s when they were “world class!” So damn happy that United is finally flying directly to Manila!
From about Dec last year to middle of this year, only US bound PAL flights were transferred to T1 from T2. It was a much more pleasant experience with hardly any waitlines prior to check-in. The Paggs lounge was a bit full & I opted to go the smaller one which I enjoyed almost entirely to myself for nearly 2 hours. Not much in the way of amenities but it was quiet.
I see from your video the situation has gone back to the chaos before T2 even opened with all PAL international flights back in T1.
If I remember correctly, T2 has the only Philippine Airlines lounge? Either way, it wouldn’t hurt for them to take a look into renovations to the terminal
@@PatrickSheaAviation in their new adver PAL is launching new Mabuhay lounge in T1 set to open later this year
@@PatrickSheaAviation Yes because PAL has just started since april to move international flights from t2 to t1
Fair review. Thanks for sharing!
Nice video Patrick, I just returned with my family Wednesday night on basically same flight and time. Once you experience traffic in Manila, you won't complain about traffic in the US. Food and service were exceptional on our flight, for us the extra cost for business class is well worth it especially having 2 young kids.
Awesome! Totally agree!
I disagree organized chaos is one thing, and it seems to work better then the crap here in the US which has so much garbage and worse...
Very informative as always Patrick. And it's not just you - if light outside the aircraft, I want my shade open, if dark outside I would prefer to close it.
I mean to a certain extent, I understand that they want to help with jet lag for the arriving time zone, but 12 hours of darkness is a bit eerie
I flew PAL Economy class last June of this year and I promise myself I won’t do it again. Period!
Thanks for your honest review.
Thanks!
Thanks for the thorough review!! This is great video!
Thanks a bunch!
Well- chronicled about flight information.Very informative.Good.
Thanks!
It looks like I’ll be flying LAX to BKK this December. I’m sure that it will be economy and to reduce the cost, as I’m originating from Kansas City, I’ll fly Southwest on points to LAX (I’ve done this at least 15 times). On the return, the plane is supposed to land at 8:15 AM. I would normally give myself 3 hours to make the Southwest flight to MCI. As PAL has a reputation for being late, how much time should I allow to make my Southwest flight to MCI?
If you have to clear immigration on arrival, it can take an hour or so, but being in the morning does make it a bit better usually. I typically allow 3 hours at a minimum when I have to clear immigration and recheck my bag
So add 3, perhaps 4 hours then. BKK is usually pretty go for on time ( or close to on time ) departures. Which airline is flying direct between LAX- BKK ?
Excellent TR again, your narration & explanations were superb
Thanks a bunch!
Great video! Love how patient you are! I agree PAL definitely needs those A350s!
Coming soon! Hopefully the -1000s will be seen at SFO/LAX. They’ll have to be able to support the capacity of the current 777 flights since the A350-900s are a bit small for what they need
@@PatrickSheaAviation Agreed!!
I love this ❤
Very good review. Thank you.
Thank you! Glad you liked it!
I love your videos Patrick, well done!
Thank you!
This will definitely come in handy should we decide to take Philippine Airlines from NAIA to LAX instead of our usual Cebu-Mactan direct flight to LAX.
Thanks a lot for your review, Patrick!
That’ll be a great trip, and if it’s after October 29, you will also be able to fly United through SFO. It’s the first time there’s been another option coming from North America
You are correct. However, there are better options from CEB to LAX it's going via Taiwan CI and BR South Korea OZ and KE and SQ via SIN
@@PatrickSheaAviationAbout two decades ago I used to travel quite a bit between LAX/SFO and Manila. Back then there were three choices for direct flight: PAL, United, and Northwest (which later became Delta).
PA is a government owned airlnes...any other carriers will be better even though prices may be cheaper...this guy never even talked about it being a government owned airlines...
@@lutomson3496 PAL is owned by a holding company owned/controlled by Lucio Tan. It has been privately owned since 1992
This is why I fly Delta. I have been flying to Philippines for a while now . Never have I had any problems. It will always be Delta Airlines for me.
Well now United’s got the nonstop to Manila so you don’t have transfer in Asia to another carrier
Sadly Delta discontinued it's Manila service since 2021. I've flow with Delta thrice from Manila to the USA before and has been the best for me so far.
Patrick, you are so right on flying in a darked out cabin for that long. Drives me crazy. I need to see out to maintain any level of sanity. On a recent flight to Hawaii, a lady with a window seat refused to put her shade down so I was able to look out her window. She was staying in same hotel as I so I made sure she knew how appreciative I was. I'm a foodie so I think I could put up with the mechanical issues if the food is wonderful. But that airport is a mess and don't think I could easily deal with it since I'm older now and less tolerant of unorganized crowds.
Yes!! 🙌 that’s awesome! And I do agree, that food is a big thing that can totally change the mood of a flight
Good recent video and seems likes things still have not changed with PAL. They are so behind the times and wow, wifi and seat issues is not a good start. You made it safely so thats the main thing! Thanks for the share!
Thanks! Yea… the 777 needs a bit of a facelift. I will say that the A350s appear to me much better, they just don’t have the capacity for SFO/LAX. Hopefully in a year or so when the A350-1000s arrive, we will see those on these high density routes 🤞🤞
I personally never flew PR. However, two of my sons traveled on PR from MNL to HNL, and their gripes included late departure (scheduled 6pm departure; 715pm actual departure) and closed window shades. Admittedly, the closed window shades AND dark cabin do annoy me.
The late MNL departure for SFO is interesting.
The dark cabin for 12 hours is just a lot. I get wanting to adjust people to their arriving time zone, but they didn’t even do that since we arrived well rested, but it was 10pm in SFO 🤷♂️
Why would late departure be the responsibility of the airline . Most of the time it’s not .
Flew that flight, yes in Bus, in March 2019. I got the last seat available in Bus. While I found things, including the terminal, as you said, very crowded, I guess that's the main negative point of that experience. And yes, the whole setting seemed old, like you, I chose PAL mainly because of the direct connection from California and the food. Good to hear that United will be offering direct service starting in Oct 2023. I would pick them. In 2000 and 2004, I flew United to HKG and then just switched to PAL or Cathay to Manila. Those United flights on 747s were really superb. Unfortunately, my flying days to Asia are pretty much over.
Well I hope you get the chance to travel back there. Sounds like you had a similar experience
United airfares are ridiculously expensive, I just checked it’s USD$4000 - 8000 for business class😬
@@patriciaandrada4 I have no plans of flying to Asia anymore but obviously you're looking at PEAK, HIGH-SEASON times. And when I flew United 20 years ago, I did Upgrades to business using my FF points. You get what you pay for.
@@mylesgarcia4625 FYI: that fare is not peak season rate. I don’t like United, they were not helpful at all when my flight was canceled, also happened to my sister and her companion. I would rather fly Delta but their route has too many layovers and change of planes unlike before it was only via Tokyo where we change planes.
@@patriciaandrada4 Sorry to hear that you do NOT like United. And you are of course, entitled to your opinion w/ good reason. Well, I can only speak of my positive expriences with United. It's worked for me in the past. Best of luck.
It looks like the aircraft that you rode on is an older model. The aircraft that we rode on last December from Honolulu to Manila (RT) is the Airbus A330-300. The Business Class seating configuration was 1-2-1. And our seats were pretty big. A pod like style. Very nice! My family and I are traveling to the Philippines again this December 2023, and all nine of us are all seated in Business Class. Excited for our flight!
Philippine Airlines does have their new business class on the A330 and A350 but unfortunately those aircraft don’t have the capacity required for San Francisco. The newly arriving A350-1000 should help with that
The A350 is only from Honolulu. LAX flights also use the 777
I must agree with the light situation, I flew one of their A350s to North America 2 months ago, and the stewardess told us to shut our windows down prior to takeoff. Since then, the whole cabin has been dark till landing. It was kind of awkward to open our window shade as it will become the only source of light in the cabin.
Totally!
Patrick
The most extensive and objectives reviews.
Well done
Thanks a ton man!
This was a great video! Nice to see more flight reviewers/reporters covering PAL (Philippine Airlines). More about the Lounge though: I think I know why there is two lounges for PAL. Firstly, since the move of all international operations to Terminal 1, the airline dosen't have its own lounge in terminal 1. It was a very fast move with poor planning (For the "premium" experience atleast) and the airline is still in the process of finding space for the Mabuhay Lounge in Terminal 1.
Secondly, the two lounges for PAL flights is because the PAGSS Lounges are not only for PAL but also for other International Carriers flying to Manila. Also, all of the lounges in NAIA are small and cannot accomodate all passengers. Also, the lounge that you stayed in was (Dont Quote me on this) a makeshift lounge so that more PAL passengers could use the lounge.
l'm dissapointed seeing this as this makes PAL take a step behind its already bright future. I'm happy to see though, that they are upgrading these 777s to much more modern A350-1000s in 2025, in fact two 777's are leaving the airline's fleet next year. However economy on these -1000's are rumored to be a 10-abreast seating for Economy. Which I am not looking forward for. I'm hoping that Business Class atleast becomes the industry standard direct-aisle access seating.
Yea T1 is a bit of a zoo, but I am excited to see if the growth of the airline will also be met with growth at the airport. As of now though the airport experience is just kinda sad. I am excited for the new airplanes, and I’m assuming business class will look like what they’ve got on the A350-900s or A330s, but economy will probably have to be in a 3-4-3 to maximize capacity as the routes currently served by the 777 are of such high capacity that a smaller aircraft just can’t handle the demand
You are correct on that however the 3-4-3 A35K 29 in seat pitch chosen by PR makes them lose out to Oneworld Alliance JL and CX 3-3-3 economy class
I definitely agree. When its daytime windows must be open.
Flew to Philippines on pal and Loved it!
I think that United route starts in October right? I'll be flying in from either Vancouver, or Toronto shortly on PAL. Looking forward to it.
Yep, October 29 is the set launch date for the United route from SFO
I can't believe how you managed to keep your cool with the litany of hassles you experienced throughout your "business class" nonstop flight. Sadly, "you get what you pay for" is so true. But crew and food were the saving grace of the day. Still, as a Filipino, I appreciate how you ended your video on a positive note by still flying PAL despite it all.
The seat was unfortunate but I had to think that if I was in literally any other seat it would have been a much better experience so I decided that since Philippine Airlines finally offered me some compensation for that, it wasn’t worth holding it against them entirely
I never try PAL yet, I always fly with United Airlines. Thanks for sharing your experience with PAL. 😊
Well soon United will be at Manila too!
Good review 👍🏴
Thanks!
Good Job Patrick, appreciate your take on this flight and its value at $1,100 especially if it's seat worked? What aircraft type do you personally pilot?
Thank you! I think the value is totally worth it. Its an older seat, but in a year or so there will be a whole new fleet with new seats and all. I am excited to try that, and hopefully it will still be at the same price point
#Philippineairline#aimglobal#thankyou Good morning and GOD BLESS ❤️
Terminal 2 was an exclusive pal terminal with international and domestic flights. Then recently, they moved the pal international flights to terminal 1. and terminal 2 is no longer exclusive to pal. That was one of pal’s selling points is you won’t have to transfer airports if you were coming from North America or other international pal flights since your connecting domestic flight was also on terminal 2.
Terminal 1 only caters to international flights.
If I’m not mistaken the only pal flights on terminal 3 were “pal express” flights.
Good to know. Thanks!
@patrick shea. Can you share where you get your plane ticket? 'A little over usd1k ' is a great price. Normally it is 2k-3k each way in pal biz'
I typically use all different sites. Sometimes booking with the airline directly is cheaper, but other travel agencies around the world can typically give deals for these tickets. I could talk though the process for a while as each ticket I buy usually takes about a month of daily flight searches with a ton of city pairs to find the absolute cheapest deal. One of the usual rules: direct flights are almost always more expensive. For this flight, for example, I booked JJN-MNL-SFO with a long layover in Manila
Planning to try out United polaris non stop to MNL on our trip early next year. Hope you or someone posts a review after this service comes online later this year.
I’m booked for that inaugural!
@@PatrickSheaAviationInaugural will be Oct 29? Ughh sux I already bought SFO to Manila PAL Business Class ticket for December.. Didn’t know United will have this route starting end of this year 😢 Will wait for your vid tho 😊
My son and I flew with PAL on a round trip from SFO to MNL and back on an economy seats. We opted for the seats next to the Exit door for a better leg room. Unfortunately, the pullout trays as well as the head phones weren't working. During meal time we used our laps to improvised. When we landed in Manila I submitted a written complaint to fix the problem. Thirty days later on the way back home we had the same seat numbers but the issues weren't resolved. I kept the tickets as souvenir for the bad experience. A year or two later, PAL was barred from entering the USA until PAL complies with the FAA maintenance requirements. Since then I refused to fly with PAL.
Damn. That’s a crazy story
Great video! Have me flashbacks back to 2015-2016 when i was flying regularly to MNL on UA… i have flown PAL in economy from LAX to MNL and back before because it is the only non-stop bit after moving to the was coast in the U.S., now i fly there on Qatar Airways that flies to terminal 3 which is a tad bit nicer that old and worn out terminal 1. That mosh pit area you were flying out of is where they used to have Kuwait airways flying from but i can’t remember extra checkpoints for US flights as i also thought PAL was only flying out of terminal 2 before.
That’s awesome! I believe you’re correct about T2, but not it seems like PAL has flights from each terminal
I agree that there should be more light in the cabin during daylight hours. It's not just this flight - even on domestic flights within the US I find that most passengers close their window shades. It's a shame especially with such beautiful scenery below.
Lll
I guess you have no idea what your idea is doing to your body.
Jet Lag.
And most people rest before they go off board the plane because they go straight to work.
That's why most carriers in the US prefer closing the windows and dim the lights even if it's a day flight.
I hope you understand why these are the norms.
I liked how you narrate the details of your trip report, professional and use of kind words to express your frustration and dislike. Other vloggers make use of brutal words on their unpleasant experiences with either hardware or software products directly highlighting those crap, Very well presented with honest, well researched, balanced and fair reviews. Nice Bro!
Thanks so much! The way I see it, any chance to travel is a good experience, and there can be aspects that make it a bit tougher or less enjoyable, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad experience altogether
@@PatrickSheaAviation True and highly appreciate your quick response. With regards to your question on making cabin completely dark for daylight flight it depends on the pax and type of aircraft. New A350 feature LED mood lighting onboard which most vloggers highly appreciate and noticed but older 777 doesn"t have. It is a hit and miss affair with PAL as 3 out 9 B777-300ER reg"n rp-c7778, 7779, 7782 have lay flat Recaro seats compared to the rest with inclined flat seats only. Repairs on seats functionality glitch are put on hold as demand for travel forced them to maximized aircraft utilization to cope up and have to wait for new fleet 2 to 3 years from now for A350-1000 with all new Biz, premium economy and standard econ seats to serve USA. The two A350-900 left with them usually ply the ultra long route to JFK or Toronto. This oldest airline of Asia still operating is known to travelers for cheapest biz class to Australia and the Middle East to fill up the front cabin with no expectation to be par with so called 5 star carriers like Asiana, EVA not to mention ANA Cathay and Singapore Airlines as long as they still making little profit rather flying empty Biz seats and not making money at all. Their A321NEO have fully flat Biz seats same offered by AA on their Transcon SFO/LAX to JFK
Too many words. He loves his own voice
@@halitosis75 it's a review. He's supposed to talk.
Very nice video and very well explained…good job young man….
Thank you!
You’re on point
Thanks!
The reason why T2 has Mabuhay lounge is because T2 was exclusively PAL's terminal for the longest time. It was only this summer when they forced PAL international flights to move to T1 making T2 all domestic flights. I'm sure they'll eventually have a Mabuhay lounge in T1.
I have heard of them possibly constructing a T1 lounge which I am excited for. Although T1 has some other things that need fixing for sure, although that will fall in the responsibilities of the airport and not the airline
@@PatrickSheaAviation which is also being worked on. The gov't is privatizing operations of the airport and the largest corps of the PH already submitted their proposal. It's just the waiting game for it to get approved.
PAL is currently building a new business lounge in terminal 1. Think they started during the pandemic. They have one room that fills up for 42 business class to LAX. Food is terrible. Very crowded. Food is good and service is good on the LAX flight. PAL just order 9 A350. To be delivered every six months starting in late 2025. To be used flying to USA. That should help mechanical problems inside the plane.
The positive thing about 4 terminals is that it can go wrong 4 times. Great to have a lot of material to write about .
I know the T3 is new at MNL airport, but I’ve only ever arrived at that terminal. T1 is in desperate need of attention, and although I haven’t seen it in person, it sounds like T2 is as well
I decided to fly in and out direct from Cebu this past July and that was very smooth and fast. I didn’t fly PAL though.
I heard Cebu’s new terminal renovation was great as well
Another excellent video, Patrick. Extremely informative. I have no plans to go the Philippines or take Philippine Airlines, but if I were to your video would have been amazingly helpful. You brought up some items few others do. Keep it up! 9.25
Thanks a ton! Glad you liked it
PAL business class used to be my go to flight to MNL because it was the only direct flight from SFO, I hate layovers. It wasnt bad service. But now there is United Airlines direct to MNL, im giving that a go with the Polaris class and better seat layout/design.
Good luck on paying double the price on United. I just talked with my friend who decided not to buy a USD$8000 that United was charging for a Mnl/SFO/Mnl ticket on business class
@patriciaandrada4 that's not my experience. My United App was showing 5-6k RT. Timing the booking will definitely influence the price. But my point is, if one's a UnitedPlus Mileage member with Premier status, ( I have been forever) and United's credit card, no-brainer there to Fly United then. It's such a better points program than PAL's Mabuhay miles in my case..I can even book Polaris for $5.60 using just my points. 👍 or bookk premium economy and upgrade with points. like anything else, you gotta see what works best for you.
@@porksisig1860 I would rather pay USD$1500-2000 less on PAL, for as long as I can sleep and have a good meal I am happy with it. I am not a picky person and would rather use our own airline than give the business to a USA airline. That’s just my opinion. I also get better service on PAL from my experience as a premier elite member. I had a premier status on United and got this from flying domestic flights from California to New York and Chicago twice to three times a year for business, but I decided to stop flying this airline due to terrible service.
Really good point remember one can actually book IAD/ORD/EWR to MNL on UA Polaris service. Sadly you lose the lounge access under domestic leg which is why UA fliers get Air Canada or Avianca star alliance mileage to get the lounge access on UA domestic.
Great video on your experience--those airline seat beds look great but I'd like to see them fix the power problem so one doesn't get stuck with the seat in one particular position.
Totally! I was nervous it would get stuck reclined and I’d have to move to economy (or worse… a FA jump seat) for landing in SFO for safety reasons
@@PatrickSheaAviation Had the same problem when I returned Aug 20th, exact same issue in the last row with Seat B
Where did you find the $1000 tickets though, which site? PAL proper?
I flew July 31 to LAX.
It was exactly as you described.
Heavy turbulence most of the flight and i couldn't get a cup of coffee served to save my life.
I even asked in the galley during a restroom run.
But again was ignored.
Meanwhile a male flight attendent was delivering coffee to the passengers in his section.
We didn't see our flight attendent for at least two hours.Not trying to be petty.
But when you treat yourself to business class,you just assume a cup of coffee would be easy.
Instead getting ignored compounded the issues with my chair not recliner having issues and the entertainment system kept turning on by itself.Its a long flight either way,but springing for Business class doesn't seem really worth it.
I just got back from MNL and was sitting right next to where you were (I was seated at 6D). There was another passenger who sat in the same location where she was having issues with the seats. It was so bad that 2 flight attendants had to work together to put her seat back from sleeping position to eating manually. Wifi didn’t work and my remote wasn’t working. I wasn’t able to turn off the overhead lamp. I had to ask the flight attendant to manual turn it off from the main panel. Loved the food overall.
After watching this video and saw the de-lamination on the wall, I knew those were the seats. I also saw the light flickering from the seat controls to confirm.
I agree I sat in the same area and also saw the light on their arm rest panel flashing through the time everyone was sleeping. Also, my headphones didn’t work 😅😂
Looks like we are seat friends!! It is unfortunate to see it in this state, and I do hope to see the improvement in the new fleet when it arrives
I don’t know if anybody said this but not to spook you but if there’s water in the wall there’s a lot of stuff there including the window itself that can be damaged in an unsafe deadly way. That’s just my analytical mind saying but I don’t know for a fact. What I do know is when you have power problems like that that could lead to a fire that plane should’ve never been flying. Seats being removable it could’ve been a loose plug between the seat and aircraft but that’s also a fire hazard. I might choose a different airline even though I kinda like that one. Loved your video.
Good notes. Thanks!
The two big requirements for me are reclining seats and wifi. I find it incredible that you had to struggle with those.
It’s unfortunate to have that when paying extra for a premium experience. They have since reached out to help me get some form of refund at least
Thanks for the video. I've been curious about Philippines Airlines for years, and now I know. You have an incredible way of weaving a multitude of detail into your fast-paced videos. As to the issue of being required to keep window shades closed throughout flight, I agree with you and it's a pet peeve of mine as well. I want to see the sky, at least some of the time, and especially when we are flying over interesting terrain.
Totally! Glad you found the video informative. I hope to get a video on their A350s once the -1000 variants arrive as the cabins should be brand new. Now we just have to hope MNL airport can figure itself out
Philippines Airlines is already at a disadvantage since it's stuck using the old Terminal 1 for International flights. Awful. But the Philippines is broke, so no money to rehab it.
Thanks for this review, I used PAL in 2018 and did not have a problem but since last year with so many complaints, I don’t think I will travel with them again. Hoping to fly Emirates from Orlando and stop in Dubai for few days then Manila.
That should be a great flight! Enjoy!
Good for United to fly direct to Manila. Good luck PAL. Please more options for us.
It’ll be great to have the competition on that route. Hopefully forcing Philippine airlines to make some much needed improvements, although the A350s seem to be heading in a positive direction. Now we just need to fix the MNL Airport
Thank you for this video. You saved me money. There's no advantage in paying extra for a business class fare. IF PAL wants to compete with other airlines, they need to up their game.
Agreed. It does seem like that is coming soon with new aircraft showing up. The airport may still be a mess for years to come though
What was the name of the food you enjoyed both for dinner and the other meals? I would like to know for future reference in case I ever travel on PAL. Thanks and keep up the great work man you are killing it with great videos out there!
Dinner was a Tuna Tataki salad with the Pork Adobo main course. The mid flight snack was the stir fried shrimp noodles. Then Breakfast was a Chicken Sisig burrito
@@PatrickSheaAviation thank you so much for responding, it means so much to me when a RUclipsr has time to sit down and read all the nice comments people leave for you on a video.
My return flight from Manila to NYC was cancelled due to weather so I had to stay overnight in a nearby hotel and then return to the airport at 5AM for my flight.
I enjoyed the Paggs' lounge early morning breakfast. The economy customers were given Jolibees for breakfast.
Did you get any compensation for the seat malfunctioning? Also this ticket was started from where. Ex mnl-sfo can’t be $1k usd one way in J
I’m working on getting some form of compensation, but they aren’t making it easy…. And it was booked as JJN-MNL-SFO
I was on the MNL-LAX flight...delayed for passengers from davao...there were irate passengers..anxiously waiting for UNITED to begin direct service from SFO...
united is going to hurt PAL
Sounds like they are usually delayed so I’m sure it happens for all kinds of reasons. Things like that can be overlooked if it’s the only airline on the route. I am excited to see how it changes with United’s competition
@@WRic86 Only if they can meet / beat the price. Pinoys/ays are penny pinching aficionados and if United's cost is too much more above PAL's, we'll stick with PAL.
Great sharing...
When was this flight?? (date) I just check Manila to SFO business class. (1 way) price was $2669.00
This was mid-July
Overall a good video about a PAL flight I took several times before finally reaching the "enough is enough" point with both PAL and NAIA back in 2018. A fair and balanced assessment of the absolute mess that is NAIA along with a reminder of how PAL earned the nickname "Plane Always Late". I hope you are able to do a video on the United direct route in the near future now that their SFO to NAIA route is active. For my wife and I, we made the decision to avoid NAIA and only use international flights that go directly to and leave from Cebu since that is where our family is located. Yes, we have paid more at times, BUT the "you get what you pay for" statement is very evident. It is still puzzling how PAL was ever able to earn and maintain a Skytrax 4 Star rating given they only have a 5/10 passenger rating on Skytrax. Oh well. Thanks again for taking the time to provide this video and safe travels!
You should check out my most recent upload 😉
If you’re willing to pay more then go ahead and use another airline. PAL had improved a lot with their new aircrafts and time management before the pandemic, I was flying PAL all the time within Asia, USA, Canada and Australia. Had not much problem at all. Of course nothing is perfect inside the aircraft, I have experienced also broken monitors, seats, and broken trays on other airlines where I paid a premium price🤔
I also flew on pr104 last year, 2A, the functions on my seat did not work and made creaking sounds (I'm 5'6 140lbs) . I usually fly with Cathay Pacific from SFO but decided to try something different. For me, I paid a little over $2k for my business class ticket, and service was meh. Would I fly again? No. I'll stick with Cathay from now on. Nice video !
Good point, have you also considered JL/NH via HND/NRT from SFO ICN KE/OZ TPE BR/CI SQ SIN as options to avoid PR105/115. The same also applies to JFK/EWR with SQ offering SQ21 to SQ918 towards MNL from JFK it's SQ25/23, then SQ910.
I’ve heard of plenty of those stories as well since this video went up. I’ve never flown Cathay but it’s on my list for sure!
the big boxes is because filipinos love bringing things back for friends to and from the philippines!
I had the exactly same experiences as you this January from Manila to Sydney. I don't think I will flight with them again. However, to be fair, It was pretty good for our earlier flight from Sydney to Manila. the flight attendants were so nice though.
Well I am hoping that new cabins on the a350s will make it all a bit better. Now they just have to fix the MNL Airport
@@PatrickSheaAviation wait until they open the new Manila international airport in Bulacan, opening soon.
I hope that with the current Secretary of the Department of Transportation (and former PAL president) Jaime Bautista, renovating the terminals in NAIA would be a top priority. I have visited the PAL Mabuhay Lounge in Cebu International Airport a few times and that lounge is something Filipinos can be proud of, and hopefully PAL can make a bigger version of that in Manila.
Hello again Patrick. On 12:21 of your video you will see the metal tab with the round indentation on the lower right corner of the tray table. You pull on the tab and the tray releases to swivel out of the way so you can leave your seat even if laden with the meal. Unfortunately malfunctioning business class seats are a common occurrence on those old 777s of PR. One solution is to ask the crew to manually crank it into bed mode, a bit of a hassle but better than trying to sleep upright. Congratulations on a balanced report. I enjoyed it.
Thanks for your video, it has helped me decide to avoid PAL Business Class after seeing the very old style seat layout.
Also travel through Manila airport is a struggle with 1.5 hours to get through check in and security, my average time on this when travelling biz class is 20 minutes except on one trip during the pandemic.
Also PAL is quite near the lowest in biz class fares but the differences in the fares you mentioned for comparing to other major airlines are not always that excessive.
Registering for emails with airlines that fly your route can often give a decent bargain fare, I have just booked a great deal from Cebu to London with Cathay and British Airways with 2 x 32kg checked bags plus hand carry. The offer price was £640 less than previously listed on their app
It was cheaper than Qatar, Emirates, Singapore and many others and has quite comfortable seat layout.
Good choice and when it comes to Cathay Pacific they actually have the same airplanes as Philippine Airlines and fitted with much better products than their Philippine Airline versions. 16:01 Korean Air also has a good service from Cebu to London via ICN
PAL also has business class in a 1:2:1 config which I flew and found it to be one of the best business class flights of my life.
@ohnene4936 that would be there Airbus A350-900 and selected A330-343X fleets. Keep in mind the Hong kongers will still have a better version of it
Very helpful as I am flying from San Fransico to Manila Oct 2, gives me alittle as to what to expect.
Hopefully you’ve got better luck with your seat workin 🤞. Hope you enjoy the flight!
I flew Philippines airline with my eight month old and my three-year-old child in 2018. We got the bulkhead seats in economy class. We had an amazing experience my daughter who is three still remembers it so sad to see everyone’s experience we’re going back in 2025 and I’m starting to think that maybeI will choose another airline because we are flying business or first class this time
I honestly appreciate you doing this review. Made it easy for me to rule them out and man that airport and its layout! 😬 not sure I want to fly there 😅
lol yea it’s tough right now. Their A350-1000s should be here next year though !
@@PatrickSheaAviationthat fixes one problem but that airport! 😂seems like they need a brand new one
Great review. I agree with your observation of PAL's ground experience. Recently flew through T1 and swear I will never ever opt to fly PAL again because of the experience at T1.
T1 is a bit messy. A renovation would be nice, but it seems like there isn’t a ton of money being directed that way at the moment
Great review and pretty much agree here with your experience. I was thinking about the cabin lighting too but it looks like its not going to be super helpful as that 777 may not have like a 'night light mode' with a blue or other tint than yellow compared to other airlines that have it or other cool stuff like the starry effect on the ceiling like Emirates or something. Personally if I didn't have an important appointment the next day in SFO, I'll just sleep it out the whole day when I get home.
A little sad to see things haven't really improved since I last flew with PAL. I flew a similar flight as yours MNL-SFO back in July 2022 but it departed earlier around 9pm from their original Terminal 2 (they since moved intl. flights to T1 as you saw since it was to improve the logistics in T2 which is really cramped). It was a different 777-300ER with a slightly newer business class seat product that went fully flat but the same 2-3-2 config. The funny thing is on my return flight home to MNL the 777 was old like yours, but I was seated in the forward cabin and my seat had a broken IFE. Similar situation they tried to reset it but couldn't help me out. Good thing I'm not too nitpicky with movies but considering the ticket cost, I really hope PAL tries sprucing up their hard product more for their aging 777s, even as we patiently wait for their A350-1000s in a few years. At least the food I agree is more or less pleasant still. Go for the arroz caldo next time 😄.
Great notes! I am excited for newer airplanes to arrive, as their SFO and LAX routes are super popular, and therefore currently demand the capacity of the 777. Now we just have to hope that new aircraft might mark the beginning of a new push towards better things, hopefully including a new T1 if they do plan to use that one for their US bound flights
While Singapore AL, Lufthansa, Qantas are using A380.
That is why PAL stands for “Pal Always Late”. Not only that Inefficiencies are the norm.
That definition is recursive! Lol
You should definitely try United Airlines' upcoming non-stop service to Manila starting this October and see how it compares to Philippine
Yep. I’ll be on the inaugural for that one
@@PatrickSheaAviationcan't wait for the flight review. Today's the day
i love u so much patrick 😘😘😘
After living in Makati for 5 years NAIA Terminal 1 has to be the worst airport I've ever had to depart from. I purposely avoided any airlines that departed from T1 and even T2, and chose Cathay/ANA/Singapore Airlines from T3 instead. Also in my 5 year of living in PH I can't remember a single time my flight was on time after 100+ flights out.
MNL airport only has 1 runway for wide body planes so you're either circling the city for 30mins+ waiting to land, or you're waiting on the ground for flights to come in, then waiting for your turn to take off.
As for Philippine Airlines, I avoided them at all costs and would even take a stopover in HKG, NRT, or TPE to get back to North America. I'd rather pay a bit more vs settle for below standard service/airline. I'm not surprised about your review at all in fact it makes me cringe bringing back bad memories.
And why would you ever WANT to fly home on PAL? lol
Singapore airlines worked out great for us! Live the lounge right above the gate! Definitely made for an easy trip out of Manila!
Spot on and for CX they have a rivalry with PR on HKG-MNL for 77 years now. Easy way to tell apart CX versions from PR versions of A321neo A330-300 A350-900 A350-1000 B777-300/ER are the power plugs in economy class. for A359 A35K B77W CX versions are always equipped with exterior camera views while PR versions omit them. Have you also considered ICN KE/OZ🇰🇷 TPE BR/CI🇹🇼 those airlines beat PR too.
In the case of HKG-MNL PR gets the Nannies that work in Hong Kong🇭🇰 back to Manila🇵🇭
If you had that much of a problem with seating I would ask for a refund or at least partial refund. Terrible part of Philippine airlines. I like how calm you are with you video though. Good and honest review
Thanks! The refund is a work in progress. The airline is making it nearly impossible to even get a refund request in to them
I have been on one of the ex Philippine airlines A350's from Mumbai to Munich, the A350 was bought by Lufthansa and retains the Philippine airlines A350 cabin as of august 2022.
That’s interesting! I didn’t know about Lufthansa acquiring ex-PAL a350s
Welcome to the Philippines try living here for 14 years
Another great review. Yes bugs me that the cabin is kept dark the entire flight!
Thanks!
I will be going with Asiana Airlines for the first time next month to Maynila....but in the "Sardine Section" 😆 but as former army i can fly even in cargo section 😆 Nice info vlog...one of the best i have seen...and i seen many...thank you :)
Ha! I’ve been in their “sardine section” before 🤣. Still not bad of an experience. Enjoy your flight!
@@PatrickSheaAviation Thanks :)
i looked for 2 diff sets of dates and they were all in the 5k ish range. nothing in the 2k as mentioned. was there a special going on? LAX-MNL. thanks
If you’re just looking to Manila it’ll be more expensive. Every time I’ve got it for around $1k it’s been transiting Manila and then on to other parts of Asia
great review of NAIA. All of their protocols are superfluous and airport itself is as old as the country 😅!
PAL was described the Filipinos I worked as Plane Always Late.
I used PAL's internet negotiation email system to get reduced price Business Class flight from Manila to JFK. I'd come there using their Premium Economy. As I'm 6'6" and a former Defense Noseguard, I needed more space. Business Class suits me perfectly.
Firstly: I enjoyed being given a red carpet and expedited service for checking in while the rest of the people on line watched me move ahead.
The PAGGS lounge was very nice. Very comfortable and quiet. The Food was good, but not perfect: a lot of dried out or emptied trays. The drink service was great tho.
The flight was 16 hours. I was very comfortable, but I was seated ahead of the engine. A lot of high frequency vibration noise unlike the A380.
Overall, I can't complain: economy and premium economy were far less comfortable and business class made my entire stay in Manila much more comfortable.
Pretty accurate but I flew out of Manila just in July. There were power ports at each seat that were against the wall. There were center table with ports also
On the lower right corner of your tray table is a silver tab with a round indentation. This tab pulls out and allows the tray table to swing and be moved away so you can easily get in and out of your seat.
Interesting! I couldn’t get it to work, so maybe it was just jammed 🤷♂️, but it was tough to get around without that
It does twist a little bit but it doesn't give that much space to get out due to the design. There's just not much room for the table to go forward at all.
Bro really loves his Tiger😊
I may have to reconsider flying PAL internationally as they operate out of Terminal 1 - i actually prefer Terminal 2 (where they use to operate international flights before) or even 3.
PAL is now spread across all terminals in Manila. T3 definitely being the best, but has the least amount of PAL flights
@@PatrickSheaAviation I think they're no longer there as of this time. 1 and 2 only. But we used Terminal 3 to fly PAL to Caticlan in 2017.
When i checkin online.....will they give me a printout of the boarding pass in the baggage drop????
I’m not sure… I would guess that you’d just print a boarding pass at home and bring that to the counter
Regarding luggage,even the CX counters are delayed as domestic helpers seem to get a generous box allowance and I Have 1 hpur at J checkin several times.
I did the LAX to MNL business round trip,
LAX to MNL, no entertainment system and no charge port
Departed 3 hours late
Was offered miles but only got half
MNL to LAX no entertainment working, and the seat in-op and was stuck in full uptight for 14 hr,
No offer for compensation
Really a sad experience for me
I don't find them a good deal at all. They have a monopoly on all of their NONSTOPS across the Pacific, and they charge a premium for that. They are always the most expensive to/from Manila.
Well that May change in October once United becomes the only other airline with direct service from North America to the Philippines on this same route
When I came to America the first time I flew with United via Seattle, Washington to San Francisco.
@@maelestepa9252 Fascinating story.
@@maelestepa9252When I first flew into the USA, I flew with Continental Airways. 😁
Shit food, uncomfortable seats loud children I'm done!!! Oct 29 United nonstop to Philippines!!
I wish PAL could get their act together. They must do maintenance. It gives people a bad impression.
I will say, getting the authorization to fly to the US is tough and so if maintenance was lacking too much they could lose that certification so you have to think they are okay on that front (enough at least). Upkeep of the cabin may be a different story, but who really knows what’s going on behind the scenes 🤷♂️