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**ycp81** · 6 May 2011, 12:42 AM

Crew performing buy-on-board service. Hot meals were available for purchase too. Not many takers on this late night flight.

Lets take a look at the BOB menu.

Not much choices though...

Midflight, with most pax sleeping.

Landed in Manila T1 15min early! Overall a smooth flight. No complaints.

SQ bird night-stopping.

JAL B763 in new "old" livery

Arrival airport internal shuttle pick-up point. I would be transferring to T3 for my Cebu Pacific flight.

**inkoherent** · 6 May 2011, 10:03 PM

Boracay! I want to go to there. Looking forward to the rest of your report

**ycp81** · 7 May 2011, 11:51 AM

The free shuttle bus ride from T1 to T3 took about 15min, making stops at T2(PR Terminal) and T4 (Domestic Terminal). Most passengers on the shuttle bus were transferring to T3 for Cebu Pacific flights, including quite a number on my Tiger flight. T3 was a complete contrast to T1, new and felt a bit like Bangkok's Sumbvarnabumi, but a bit sterile. Half the terminal was still closed off (with the only International airline being ANA) with the other half operating Cebu Pacific(5J) and Airphil Express(2P) flights. 5J was the major carrier though with long queues at the check-in counters.

Terminal 3 5J morning peak

Common check-in for 5J domestic flights. Quite a long wait even with all counter opened. Check-in agents were all sweet young things (no one above the age of 40 in sight at the check-in desks) and all seemed happy performing their duties.

Receipt type boarding pass again.

I proceeded to explore the terminal after check-in. Not much facilities except for some eateries at the public area. The other other international airline, ANA, is also beginning its check-in process.

One interesting thing observed: All passengers on flights to Caticlan have to go to the Body Weight counter before proceeding through security. There, agent will weight each passenger together with their hand luggage. This is due to the extremely short runway in Caticlan (only about 900m) and so aircrafts takeoff/landing there are severely weight restricted, which means calculating the exact weight of the plane is extremely crucial for a safe takeoff or landing. Check-in bags on Caticlan flights were also restricted to 10kgs and handcarry luggage at 5kgs.

After this, I went to pay my 200pesos terminal charge (no airport tax included in tickets from Philippines) and through security. Security checks are done my gender, with each line specified for either males or females. Shoes have to be put through the xray machines too!!

Inside the departure area, the facilities are quite basic. Majority of the terminal remained closed though.

The 2 airlines operating from T3. Have a fun flight, everyone.

As we were flying turboprops, our plane would be parked at the remote stand. And so, the departure gate was a bus gate. Several other flights were also departing from the bus gates.

28 April 2011
Cebu Pacific
5J 895
Manila (MNL) - Caticlan (MPH)
ATR72
RP-C7257
Budget Class

My 5J flight to Caticlan was only about S$70, which was relatively cheap considering how airlines normally charged astronomically high prices to Caticlan. Boarding was announced right on schedule. We were ferried by bus to our ATR72 aircraft parked on the tarmac with other props. Most passengers were also beach goers to Boracay

Boarding the ATR72.

We received a friendly welcome by a crew at the door and proceeded to our seats. There was another crew member at the front of the plane assisting in the boarding process.

Cabin still being boarded.

One of the aspects of 5J being a "fun" airline, pop songs were playing during the whole boarding process. Everyone were in a relaxed mood and some kids were even singing with the songs!
Katy Perry's Fireworks being played!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-h23pyO5wk

**ycp81** · 7 May 2011, 12:19 PM

One of the 2 well-groomed and friendly crew.

Seat pitch is reasonable. Slightly better than the earlier Tiger flight. But the leather upholstery looked quite worn.

At the stand with 2P planes beside. I would be flying the albino 2P Dash8 when returning!

Safety card.

With inflight mag and airsick bag.

A 5J A320 taxied past behind.

Boarding was completed on time and the flight was totally full!! Flight time was announced to be 1hr. Crew then did a live safety demo. No dancing though, haha.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulqdSZC7cso

Engines started up and our ATR72 taxied to Rwy13 (the shorter of the 2 MNL runways) for takeoff.

5J ATR72 and 2P DH8-400

The taxi, though only a short distance, took quite a while as many planes were queuing for takeoff. We passed the domestic terminal, T4, which is right at the end of Rwy13. Lots of Zest Air planes parked there too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtUXnV5oU3A

Holding at the start of Rwy13.

Takeoff to Boracay!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgR94Jjkryc

Making a right turn.

Over southern suburbs of Manila.

Into the clouds.

**ycp81** · 7 May 2011, 01:01 PM

Shortly after takeoff, seatbelt signs were turned of and service started. It was a great sunny day for flying with hardly any turbulence!

Second point why 5J is a "fun" airline, the crew started playing a game with the pax!! The crew announced that they would name some items and the first pax to raise up the item would get a prize, which is a 5J toiletries-type bag. 3 prizes were given out!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y30ZpOu9YHQ

Following the game, the crew came down the aisle with 5J collectible items for sale. No offers of any BOB food/drinks though. I just while the flight away staring out at the window and catching a short nap.

Cabin view inflight. Note the 2 rear-facing passenger seats right at the front?

Nice blue skies.

Over some clouds, but flight was still smooth.

Some Philippine islands in the middle of the open sea.

We soon started a steep descent into Caticlan. The approach into Caticlan was spectacular!!

Flaps down and approaching back to the coast.

Flying beside hills.

Passing a small seaside town.

The landing to Caticlan was amzing! Beautiful scenery before touchdown and hard braking on the short 900m runway! A few aircrafts had either landed short or overrun the runway in the past. Watch the video for the landing!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RsDSfu4mGg

Parked at the tarmac, with the 2P albino prop just landed after us.

Albino prop parked beside us. I think the tarmac can only allow a maximum of 4 planes to be parked.

Disembarking.

Last look at the ATR72. Baggage being unloaded.

The arrival "hall" is just a sheltered shed. Passengers will wait there for their check-in bags to be delivered directly to them from the plane on carts.

Overall a short and interesting flight on Cebu Pacific. Not much service except for the inflight "entertainment" but this is expected for the budget airline. Start of my beach retreat!

**ycp81** · 7 May 2011, 01:22 PM

Scenes of Boracay!

**ycp81** · 7 May 2011, 01:31 PM

**ycp81** · 8 May 2011, 03:06 PM

After 3 wonderful nights in Boracay, we again had to hop onto another flight to Manila. I had booked on Airphil Express (a wholly owned subsidiary of Philippine Airlines) as it offered the cheapest fares from Caticlan to Manila. However it was still not cheap at about S$120 per person. Also, the airline has also changed by earlier booked flight departing at 1pm to an earlier flight at 1150am without seeking my consensus! To make things more absurd, my original booked flight at 1pm is still operating!! But I am too lazy to complain though... To note, it seems that airfares out of Caticlan are significantly higher than from Manila to Caticlan. I can only guess that it is due to the props unable to carry full load of pax to depart from Caticlan due to the short runway. Therefore, they might have to charge more for the return flight to offset the empty seats. Some travellers would also fly back to Manila via Kalibo (a 90min bus ride from Caticlan) as it is much cheaper than from Caticlan,

After a short boat ride across to Caticlan and a 5min van ride to the airport, we arrived at the terminal building about 1.5hrs before departure. A new departure hall has been built to replace the old one and we would be checking in from the new hall. There are also plans to extend the runway of Caticlan to enable A320s to land.

New Terminal building

Check-in counters. One check-in counter was allocated for each of the 3 airlines (Cebu Pacific, Airphil Express and SEAir) flying to Caticlan. Cebu Pacific operates the most flights, with more than 10 flights a day departing from Caticlan! Fyi, Caticlan airport only has daytime operations and therefore no flights would operate in/out during the night.

Got my boarding pass. A proper boarding pass is used!! As usual, only 10kg check-in luggage allowed and passengers would need to be weighed individually. Just stand on the weighing scale used to weigh luggage during check-in!!

After check-in, we proceeded to one of the cafes opposite the terminal building to grab a drink before proceeding to the departure gate area. A terminal fee of 20 pesos has to be paid (much lower than the 200 pesos for domestic flights at NAIA). The waiting area is open-air with rows of seats, a cafe and a souvenir shop.

A portion of the runway could be seen from the waiting area. Some plane-spotting could be done, even though there is not much variety. Throughout my half hour wait, a SEAir Do328 departed while 2 5J ATR72s landed/departed.

SEAir Do328 taxiing to end of runway foe departure.

5J ATR72 taxi for departure

Our flight was slightly delayed due to the late arrival of aircraft. Boarding process only started at 1145hrs. We had to walk out onto the tarmac and to the aircraft parked near the arrival shed.

A 5J ATR72 taking off

01 May 2011
Airphil Express
2P 56
Caticlan (MPH) - Manila (MNL)
Dash 8 Q300
RP-C3017
Budget Class

The albino Airphil Express Dash 8 Q300 that would fly me back to Manila. Not sure why the plane was not repainted in 2P's livery though.

Boarding the plane. My first time on a Dash 8.

Boarded the 58-seater prop. Welcomed by a cheerful crew member in 2P's orange-coloured polo-tee and beige shorts. Really casual uniform!! A male and a female crew on this flight. The seats are upholstered in blue.

Boarding in progress. The flight was about 80% full (even though it was sold out on the net). Weight restrictions perhaps?

**ycp81** · 8 May 2011, 03:51 PM

Seat pitch was surprisingly good.

In the seat pocket were a safety card..

.. and the inflight magazine.

Parked at the tarmac. Boarding was completed within 10mins and engines were started. The flight time was announced to be 50min.

Manual safety demo was performed by the female crew with voice-recorded instructions.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhxNH3RKeIc

We immediately proceed to taxi to Rwy06. Passed a decommissioned Yak aircraft which had overran the runway some time ago.

Turning onto the runway and backtracking to the end.

Backtracking down the runway and making a u-turn at the end. Note the public road at the end of the runway with no fence between it and the runway. All traffic across the road at the end of the runway is also stopped by guards at the gantry posts beside the runway.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joMOT1_-L6o

As mentioned that the runway is very short at only 900m, the plane then actually reversed right to the end of the runway to maximize the available takeoff length! Every meter counts!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHMMRqTcze4

Then brakes were locked, engines spooled to full throttle, brakes released and we blasted down the runway fighter-jet style and being pushed back into our seats!! Awesome!! Island of Boracay can also be seen after takeoff.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H48NLvrOJ9A

Bye, Boracay!

Another island above Boracay.

More beautiful scenery during ascend. It was another beautiful day for flying.

After seatbelt signs were off, a crew member went down the aisle with a BOB menu card offering BOB service, but no takers for any food or drinks on this flight. Then the 2 crew disappeared into the galley behind to have their meals. No other service or entertainment on this flight.

Cabin view.

Cruising.

Cabin view again.

**ycp81** · 8 May 2011, 04:10 PM

Very soon, the pilot came onto the intercom with some flight information and announced our approach into Manila.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shAEHnYNTA4

Start of descend into Manila.

The crew then reappeared from the galley and prepared the aircraft for landing. Approaching the southern suburbs of Manila.

As there were some arrival traffic, we had to fly out to sea and stay in a holding pattern for a while.

After circling for a few minutes, we resumed our approach. Gears down!

Final approach into Manila.

The approach was a bit bumpy and landing was rough. Probably due to strong winds.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_K9kXr_-26s

We parked at a remote stand at T3 and disembarked. Ferried by bus to the terminal building.

Last look at the albino Q300.

Another Airphil Express Q400.

Airphil Express A320

Cebu Pacific A319

Very empty baggage reclaim area of Terminal 3. Half of it was closed off.

Airphil Express baggage belt.

Airphil Express is just like any other budget airline, bringing you from one destination to another and thats it. Nothing much to comment about (other than the rescheduling of my original booked flight). 2 nights in Manila before my first SQ business class experience!

**ycp81** · 8 May 2011, 09:51 PM

Hotel H2O in Manila and local Pinoy food. Warning! Some of the local delicacies are not for the faint-hearted.

**ycp81** · 8 May 2011, 10:29 PM

As mentioned earlier, I had initially redeemed economy tickets for the flight back on SQ. But recently with the 50% off redemption miles applicable for my flight, we cancelled our economy tickets and booked on business class instead for almost the same number of miles! It would be my first SQ business class experience, even though it would be on the old regional business class seat (if I had returned 1 day early, I would have scored a spacebed as SQ sent a B744 to MNL on SQ910/917 the day before due to the high loads in economy).

On the day of departure, we took a cab to NAIA T1, the crappiest terminal of NAIA (imagine going back to the 70s) and as expected, was stuck in a slight jam. We arrived 2hrs before departure time and proceeded to check-in after security checks at the entrance.

NAIA T1 Check-in hall

SQ's check-in counters were located at a corner. First and Business queues were non-existent but Economy was long (not seen in photo). There were about 8 check-in counters opened for the flight.

My first ever SQ Business Class boarding pass!

After check-in, all pax have to pay a 750pesos terminal fee (why does the crappy T1 charges the same as the much newer T2 or T3?) followed by security and departure immigration. Through that, I proceeded to the Silver Kris Lounge located beside Gate 7.

Singapore Girl welcoming us to the lounge.

The lounge has 2 sections, First and Business, but was quite small, however with a reasonable selection of food and drinks. No shower facilities too but there was free wifi and a work area. The lounge filled up with quite a number of passengers.

Hot food selection

Sandwiches and cakes.

Some of the food I had.

Coffee after refreshments.

As the lounge faces the active runway, it offers a great view for plane-spotting!

Cathay B744 parked just beside the lounge.

TG A333 arrived from BKK

KE B773 taxi for takeoff to ICN

**ycp81** · 8 May 2011, 10:50 PM

SV B744 landing.

CX B744 push back. This aircraft is an ex-SQ plane! (PW4056 engines)

PR B744 landing

JL B763 arrived.

Arrival of 9V-SQC. 3rd oldest B777 in SQ's fleet. Almost 14yrs old!!

Of course, there were also lots of other local airlines (5J, 2P etc) departing and arriving.

About half hour before departure time, we left the lounge for our aircraft at Gate 9.

Shops in the terminal building. Felt like a shopping center in the 80s.

At the gate.

Gatehold room. The flight was pretty full! I was so glad to have upgraded to Business Class! Found out that the load is 3F/31J/222Y. Chock-a-block in economy today!

SQC still being refueled.

03 May 2011
Singapore Airlines
SQ 917
Manila (MNL) - Singapore (SIN)
B777-200
9V-SQC
Business Class

Boarding started quite late at about 1400hrs for a 1410hrs departure. No reasons given for the late boarding though. I was welcomed aboard (but not greeted by name at the door, opposite of my last 4 SQ flights where I was greeted by name even though I was flying economy). Proceeded to my seat at the first row of the aft business cabin. A big pillow and a blanket were already on the seat. Menu and headphones were preset in the magazine rack at the seat.

Boarding in progress.

**ycp81** · 8 May 2011, 11:16 PM

At the gate.

Legroom at Row 15. Nice! Newspapers were also offered but not magazines.

Following that, hot towels and welcome drinks were offered. What better way to start my first Business Class experience than a Bollinger Special Cuvee champagne!

Boarding was completed quickly and we started our pushback 10min late. Flight time was estimated to be 3hrs.

Safety video was shown and we had a short taxi to Rwy06.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y07AJL3e9T0

There was no queue for takeoff! Unlike an hour ago when I saw a long queue of planes waiting for takeoff, some even waited for almost half hour!
Takeoff from Rwy06. Downtown Makati can be seen!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zly96lvloZY

Office towers in Makati can be seen!

Making a right turn towards Singapore.

Climbing

After seatbelt signs were off, the crew came around with the Business class amenity kit of sockettes and eyeshades.

Noise-cancellation headphones.

All the inflight mags and menu.

Lets take a look at the beverages available:

Champagne and Wines

More Wines and Port

Announcement

Budget vs Business to Boracay (TR, 5J, 2P, SQ)

Budget vs Business to Boracay (TR, 5J, 2P, SQ)

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