Hi Guys, this is my first flight report, please bear with me and your comments are highly appreciated.
This report covers my New Year Celebration in my home country Philippines. Originally i booked for a Fiesta Class (economy class) ticket for around SG$400 round trip during this peak holiday period, this is the cheapest fare even LCCs are more expensive that this. Then an Email prompt me and ask me to bid for an upgrade to Mabuhay Class (Business Class), then i try and enters the minimum bid of $100 (if im not mistaken) and shows that i have a lowest chance of being upgraded. So few months past, a day before my flight, an email informed me that they accepted my bid for an upgrade to Mabuhay Class, i was laughing as i dont expect it as i bid for the minimum rate and on the back of my mind that most likely nobody bid for an upgrade… except the lucky me.
This is my second business class, thou my first experienced was 2014 (MNL-SIN in PR also) and i slept most of the flight so i did not enjoyed it.
I was so excited going back and experience the Business class, so 3.5 hours before departure im already at the airport. the check in counter is still close but the queue is already long and snaking for economy passenger. i was first on the Business Class lane, my bags tagged as priority, i got my boarding pass and my Lounge Invite in less than 5 mins.
Another 5 mins i was on Airside and headed immediately to SATS premium Lounge.
I was warmly welcomed by the 2 ladies at the front desk and showed the way going inside the Lounge. Its not a peak hours and i would say it was less than half full and there is a part section is closed.
view of my lounge from my seat…
I would say that food selection is good from noodles to friends rice, vegetables to meats, fruits and desserts and a wide selections of beverages.
My selections…
Wifi is fast enough. There are some TVs for you to watch and several FIDS thou they also make an announcement. There is a sleeping area, massage chairs, toilets for you to take a bath.
Toilets are clean. if you want to take a shower just asked the person in charged for your toiletries and towels.
I headed to my gate 15 minutes before its opens, when i arrived at the gate, they are letting passengers to board immediately after security checks, so no priority call for boarding done.
PALs A31 has 3 rows of 2x2 recliner seats. 8/12 pax count for J. The Mike is the only Crew that handles J class, he asked for my pre-departured drinks, selections are water, apple juice and smoothie, i chose the latter. hot towels were also distributed
another lady crew shows and asked me what i want for dinner, i asked if i can replace some dish from other set of offering but politely declined as it was already plated.
the Menu…
The Chefs…
i was excited about the Beef Bulalo but i was looking at the wrong page…
Then i choose Beef Brisket…
Beverages…
Champagne and wines
Since PAL dont have seatback IFE, they provided iPads with a normal earphone with their myPal sSuite apps for Business Class Passengers. They were pre loaded with a decent movies, shows, musics and magazines. Not to worry for economy passengers, PAL is now stalling their aircraft with their myPAL player, an app where they can stream their entertainment content trough their personal device, they just have to download it before boarding. I prefer using the myPAL as it has more content that the iPads. streaming is fast enough and buffering is not an issue, myPAL has air show while iPads is none.
After an hour of departures, Mike starting to prepare the table for the meal, starts with a setting the table with cloth, then gave me some nuts while waiting for my appetizer. Appetizer came and offer some warm breads from the basket and i opt for garlic bread, he also checks for any thing that we might need and kept my Champagne and ale always full. Shrimps cooked well, the thai greens is not looks appealing but tastes OK.
after i finished my salad the main dish is served… Beef is tender and delicious, mashed potato is well seasoned and vegetable is cooked perfectly.
then desserts comes in and choices are ice cream or chocolate pudding, i cant decide so i have them both. the chocolate pudding is OK, its a bit too bitter for me and not that smooth in texture. Ice cream is the usual hagen daz, but who cares i eating ice cream 35000 ft above the earth.
the Chocolate Mango Coin is the best way to end a meal, i dont see this in Manila but i heard it was from Cebu. the sweetness of dried mango plus the bitteness of the chocolates make this small food so delicious, delicious enough to ask for 2 more.
their china and utensils are all consistent with branding…
after my meal i checked whats inside a Business Class Toilet… heres what i found…
it was a typical size lavatory, with some generic handwash, lotion, mouth wash, cup, toothbrush and toothpaste and a cologne, i like the scent tho.
here is my seat…
with pillow and blanket (same as Y)
backseat content
table
i found it weird that they put a long button for recline but only one is working.
decent recline, good and comfortable enough for a short 3.5 hours of flight.
i only stands 5'6 and on a bigger built but still managed to cross my legs, seat pitch is also acceptable with this short flight.
before arrival, Mike asked me if i want coffee or tea and i chose the former, plus 3 mango chocolate coins,
Mike cleared my table and prep us for landing, we left Singapore a bit late but still managed to land in Manila 5 minutes earlier.
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Verdict
Philippine Airlines
8.8/10
Cabin8.0
Cabin crew10.0
Entertainment/wifi8.0
Meal/catering9.0
SATS Premier Lounge
8.8/10
Comfort9.0
Meal/catering9.0
Entertainment/wifi8.0
Services9.0
Singapore - SIN
10.0/10
Efficiency10.0
Access10.0
Services10.0
Cleanliness10.0
Manila - MNL
7.8/10
Efficiency9.0
Access7.0
Services7.0
Cleanliness8.0
Conclusion
PAL is trying their best to improve their image.
they should improve their hard product, they must compete with other legacy carrier if they want to win the hearts of passengers. Seatback IFE is better than iPads, as you dont have to hold it every time you are using it, you may use the table but small enough if meal service is on going. Catering is a good plus, i liked their food. the cabin crew is their best assets, they are polite attentive and very professional.
Singapore Changi is, as always, would be the best airport. very efficient and you would not notice time flies as there are a lot of things to do airside, if not take a nap on their snooze lounge.
Terminal 2 in NAIA is the home for Philippine Airlines, is small terminal that serves it purpose, check in-wait-fly, they are small Duty free shops and few food kiosk. its an early arrival so any form of congestion is not a problem.
3 LIKESLIKE TO THANK THE AUTHORTHANKS ! FLIGHT-REPORT LIKED
Thanks for sharing this FR and welcome to the site! This is a rare look at PR's narrowbody fleet, so thanks for sharing it!
For the price paid for the upgrade, this certainly is a good value given what I know of PR's Y product. $100 is well worth it on a 3-hour flight.
The menu looks extensive and the attempt to draw from local chefs is a good effort from PR, but the presentation of the meals looks pretty average so execution by PR seems to be an issue. I find it hilarious they offer Cold 45 as a drink, malt liquor on a plane, hope they serve it as a 40oz can^^
The cabin looks decent for a narrow-body, looks on par with what most other carriers offer for hard product and no seatmate definitely makes the flight more comfortable since you can get in/out without disturbing anyone. Given the distance of MNL from most of the rest of Asia, it's nice that they offer streaming media in all classes and offer iPads in J.
Sounds like the crew was good and very attentive. Hospitality goes a long way to make up for some of the other areas PR is lacking.
Did they offer any amenities for sleep? I'd imagine most people would just pass out on a brutal flight like this. I can't imagine taking a 3-hour red-eye, you are a brave soul^^
no kits were given out, only the usual pillow and blanket. this red eye flight is best option for me, after work get my bags, go to airport and im on my destination first thing in the morning, so still have the whole day.
Thanks for sharing this report . It's not so often that we read reports on PAL. The overall impression is very positive with a good seat , good catering and a very attentive crew. I must say that the flight schedule is hard but i understand it unables you to enjoy a full day in MNL.
Thanks for sharing! There aren't many reports on PR's regional business class. You definitely got lucky to be able to pay such a low price for an upgrade. Service looks good overall. Welcome to Flight-Report
service is their best point for PR, there are still room for improvement as they are aiming for a 5 star status, it is still a long way but they are improving...
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7 Comments
For the price paid for the upgrade, this certainly is a good value given what I know of PR's Y product. $100 is well worth it on a 3-hour flight.
The menu looks extensive and the attempt to draw from local chefs is a good effort from PR, but the presentation of the meals looks pretty average so execution by PR seems to be an issue. I find it hilarious they offer Cold 45 as a drink, malt liquor on a plane, hope they serve it as a 40oz can^^
The cabin looks decent for a narrow-body, looks on par with what most other carriers offer for hard product and no seatmate definitely makes the flight more comfortable since you can get in/out without disturbing anyone. Given the distance of MNL from most of the rest of Asia, it's nice that they offer streaming media in all classes and offer iPads in J.
Sounds like the crew was good and very attentive. Hospitality goes a long way to make up for some of the other areas PR is lacking.
Did they offer any amenities for sleep? I'd imagine most people would just pass out on a brutal flight like this. I can't imagine taking a 3-hour red-eye, you are a brave soul^^
The overall impression is very positive with a good seat , good catering and a very attentive crew.
I must say that the flight schedule is hard but i understand it unables you to enjoy a full day in MNL.
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