introduction
Hello everyone!
Its another great day to fly!
As they say, all good things may come to an end, after several days on that beautiful islands, it's now time to head back to the city.
Flight routing
- 1
- 2
- 3PR2876 IAO - CRK
- 4PR507 MNL - SIN
before flight
as i expected a day before of this flight PR sent me an email to do an web/mobile check in for this flight, however, when i click the link, its stated that web check-in is not available for this flight, i also tried doing it manually through their website but still shows this error. so i dont bother doing that/
on the day of my flight, As i prepared myself going to the airport, i received an email informing me to that my flight will be delayed, from 12:40 to 13:45 departure. with this i am able to stay a little bit longer. i canceled my land transfer and instead hire motor bike going to aiport, it was around 40 minutes drive, it was good choice so i can be explore and feel closer to siargao as i may say =>.
del carmen siargao sayak airport - iao
Del Carmen Airport is just a small airport, currently only turboprops and small jets can land on this airport, tho there is on going upgrading to this airport to accommodate A320s series plane.
there is nothing special on this airport, it just doing it job to be an AirPort, plane come in and go. You don't need 2 hours before your flight to be there as you will be at the boarding gate in 15 minutes tops!
as you enter the terminal, there will be initial security check. bag go through x-ray. then few steps the check in counter, anther few steps back is the final security check and after that, its the waiting area.
Check-in counters are empty even for Cebu Pacific that has Cebu flights around the same time as ours. PRs counter is on the further rights, with a very low ceiling. you can see from the check in area the final security check and the waiting area. thats how small the terminal is.
the building is really small and making it very efficient. there were no shops for food or souvenir for you to shop. if you want to eat or shop, you may do that outside the building, there where some establishments opposite the terminal. it was not busy on that afternoon, as you can see staffs are also making some slacks on their work.
as you are inside the waiting area. there are some decent number of chairs which i think can accommodate 2 full turboprops. Terminal is air-conditioned and temperature is very comfortable compared outside temp. Charging station are also available. Water dispensers is located on some area within the terminal. restrooms are maintained clean. TV set to keep passengers entertained.
as our delayed plane landed, after the passenger disembarked, the crew prepares us for boarding by explaining the procedures. Passengers with assistance and with kids can board first then, frequent fliers tier status holder and the rest of the passengers from the back of the plane to the front. this time, only the front door was used for embarkation. boarding by seat number was not follwed for the rest of the passengers, tho it was not chaotic and in orderly manner.
some photo of 5J going bound for Cebu and our plane that will take us to CRK. it was the same plane that flew us from CRK. PR is really proud on their 4 star rating by skytrax. you may see it from all of their plane.
in-flight
it was a quick boarding in less than 15 minutes all passengers are already boarded the plane. after all passengers are all settled in, cabin crew starts for departure and doors are closed.
5J/DG ATR is using RP-C7282, that plane flew us last time from USU to MNL, i felt sorry to all passengers who are taking that flight. if you want to know why i said that, you may refer to my previous report with 5J/DG 6048.
While taxing the runway, cabin crew did a safety demo.
we are aligning to runway.
the last glimpse of Siargao island.
as the plane is at cruising altitude, i start exploring the the seat back pocket, which contains, La Isla the in-flight magazine of PAL Express, safety card and a blow bag. did not bother go to the lavatory as my seatmate is already taking a nap and there is only 1 at the front part of the cabin. Seat pitch is decent enough for a 2 hour flight and comfortable too.
i took this flight last july but magazine is outdate and it was a June issue.
Cabin crew with their tray, starts distributing bread with hazelnut filling, nothing fancy about the 3-bite bread. still good as its FOC, also comes with water. Cabin crew walks around and refills passengers glasses.
some view along the flight. Islands of Visayas and Luzon
you will know that you are already approaching your destination when you see the lush greenery of Central Luzon's fields. Landing gears are lowered.
Diosdado Macapagal international airport - crk
as we landed, the plane taxi to the parking bay, it was a long taxi. as we disembarked, we are shuttled by bus from the bay to the main terminal. it was a very free and quite afternoon as we are the only flight that arrives and no departing flight schedule that time. as we alight from the bus you will enter this hallway going to the baggage claim area, it took around 10-15 minutes before the first bag showed up, all passengers are already waiting for their bags. few meters from the belt is already exit.
Just opposite the terminal, there is Clark airmall, which has several food chain if you wish to eat some thing, dutyfree shops and souvenir shops as well.
some aircraft that was parked at CRK.
And that concludes to my third flight instalment from my recent holiday, hope you enjoy my review. and if you have time, please see the bonus section to see the beauty of Siargao in the Philippines.\
Stay tune for my last part of this flight report series.
Hi Jaytot,
Despite larger aircraft being unable to land at IAO, a 2 hour flight from IAO to CRK does not seem that comfortable to me in a turboprop, especially not on a Q400.
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Usually I'm not a fan of those type of snacks, however does PR only offer water on domestic flights or were you able to opt for a different choice? Crew seems to be pro-active to re-fill your drinks, which is a good thing.
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And in regards of your bonus, I guess I have to add another place to my long list of places I want to travel too haha. It looks great.
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Thanks for sharing and keep them coming!
Hi Thomas, thank you for your comment.
IAO soon to be upgraded to accommodate bigger aircraft, at most A320s,
Unfortunately, there where no choice of snack nor drinks, and no BoB offer as well.
Yah, Siargao is very beautiful with their laid back ambiance is very relaxing, and a lot of places to check too. If you have got a chance to visit Philippines, i really urge you to visit Siargao.
Thank you.