Cebu Pacific (CEB) vs Philippine Airlines (PAL): Travel Cheap or Travel Comfortably?
Cebu Pacific vs Philippine Airlines (PAL), how do you like to compare the two? Since I started working in the corporate world, I traveled a lot to different places in the Philippines. And I can remember that in my 14 years of working, I flew with Cebu Pacific most of the time. Yet in those rare moments I flew with PAL, I really cherished the experience. I will tell you why in the next few paragraphs. Here is my personal comparison of the two leading airlines operating in the Philippines:
FARE
Forgive me if I start with the fare. It’s the Accountant in me that triggers this fare comparison. Is Cebu Pacific the cheaper airline? Most of the time, YES! And that is if you are not carrying more than 15 kgs of luggage, and that you booked ahead of time and perhaps, you booked it on a promo period. CEB has more promo fare offers than PAL.
Under normal days, the fare difference is only minimal. Then you also have to consider the free snacks, and the flight schedule. If you ride with PAL’s bigger planes, chances are, the fare is more expensive.
Travel tip: If you plan to travel on a date outside the promo days, consider buying the tickets two weeks ahead. The closer the flight date, the more expensive it becomes. Also, take the first or last flight out, as the fares of these are normally cheaper than the day flights.
LUGGAGE:
If you are carrying luggage, make sure that you are within the required limit. If you purchase a promo fare, it is more likely that you are not allowed a checked-in luggage. Your free handcarry load will only be 7kgs. For checked-in luggage, limit for CEB is 15kgs while it’s 20kgs for PAL. If booking at CEB, don’t click on the GoLite fare if you carry a large bag exceeding 7kgs. The P100 difference is negligible.
For the excess luggage, it is P100/kg for CEB and P40/kg for PAL.
Travel tip: If you have excess on your big luggage, and you have no hand-carry bag, transfer some of your luggage content into a carry bag, whether it is a cheap knapsack or a large plastic bag. It will save you some money.
FLIGHT SCHEDULE AND DELAYS
Delayed again? I’ve experienced delays in both. But in my latest trip, CEB arrived 20 minutes ahead of schedule. The PAL flight of my colleagues, scheduled on that same morning, was delayed by 30 minutes.
On the other hand, a friend swore that she’ll never fly with CEB again because of these delays. But she could not ignore the low fares. So I guess, one can actually risk the hour or two delay.
Travel tip: If you have an early next day meeting, it is safe to travel the day before. But if you don’t want to spend for a hotel accommodation, leave very early in the morning. For example if you are coming from Cebu and you have a very important meeting in Makati at 9am, don’t fly on the 6am flight. Take the flights leaving between 4am to 530am. The trip is only an hour and 15 minutes. By 8am, you’ll be in Makati. Or if the flight is delayed by 30 minutes, you will still be on time. Based on my experience, the early morning flights are seldom delayed.
E-TICKETS (Online bookings)
Unless you have the patience to wait for 30 minutes before your call gets into their system, go call their hotlines. If you have the patience to wait for 2 hours, go their ticketing office. But if you have a credit card with enough balance, and you have patience that can only last for 10 minutes, it is better and more convenient to book online. For CEB, you can easily book online, and pay thru Credit Card, Bancnet ATM, and even, pay thru any BDO branch. For PAL, only VISA and Mastercard are accepted as payment for online bookings. Also, for CEB, online booking can be done 24 hours before your planned flight. For PAL, it is 2 days before travel date.
Travel tip: It is cheaper if you purchase through credit card. If you have none, you can ask a willing friend who have those acceptable plastics. But be sure to have a photocopy of his card and valid ID when you travel. Airline personnel may ask for it anytime.
AIRPORT CONVENIENCE
Except in Manila, the two airlines share the same facilities in all airports. In Manila, the PAL airport is in T2, while CEB operates at T3. The latter is the newer of the two, but it does not mean that it is better than the other. You still go to the same hassle of x-ray machines, and walking a distance to your boarding area.
Travel tip: Wear casual shoes.
CUSTOMER SERVICE – On-Flight and Service Crews
I never experienced a grumpy attendant at PAL. Ground crews were pleasant as well. Flight attendants of CEB are courteous so far, but not so with the ground crews. I witnessed first hand how a ground crew was so rude at two foreigners who mistakenly fall in line even if their numbers were not yet called. That same girl also raised an eyebrow at one guy who wanted to board the plane ahead of the others. She may be an exception though.
Travel tip: Don’t provoke or annoy the crews. Smile when they smile at you.
ON-FLIGHT CONVENIENCE
My first plane ride was on a large PAL Airbus. We were on Mabuhay Class and it was the same comfort and flight experience that I was looking for in every flight. I never had like it in any of CEB flights. Obviously, CEB planes are smaller. The PAL planes have bigger leg rooms.
Travel tip: Travel first-class at least once. That is if you can afford it.
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Related posts which you would also like to read:
- Free Cebu Pacific Airlines Tickets and Travel Vouchers
- Cebu Pacific Flight Promos and Discounted Fares
- Budget Travel: Manila-Cebu and Vice Versa
- The Cebu Pacific Experience
- Latest Cebu Pacific Seat Sale and Fare Discounts
Tags: Cebu Pacific, PAL, Travel Posted in
Ceblogger is a CPA trapped in his cubicle while his mind wanders outside watching the world, and exploring possibilities his mind conceived.
February 17th, 2010 at 1:20 pm
hello everyone! have a good day!
February 18th, 2010 at 7:05 am
Hmmmm, first, just wondering why this post is under “uncategorized”.
Second – PAL can be cheaper too. When you book, just book in advance and ask for the promo seats.
Third – Better stick with one travel agent. You’ll love the service and the extras they give. Plus good ticket rates…
Fourth – I don’t mind getting delayed with a PAL flight. They don’t suck as much as CEB.
Fifth – If not traveling for business (like you go to a mtg straight from the airport), wear sandals…
I’ve said it before, I prefer flying with PAL. When you fly out of Manila 3 to 4 times a week, you will probably feel the same. Most of the time CEB’s rates are just as cheap as their customer service. Pardon for the words but I know lots of friends and even relatives who fell victims of such lousy, in most cases, insensitive service.
February 21st, 2010 at 5:31 am
have a good day too, cebu info blogger!
bloggista, thanks for pointing out. i was in a hurry to publish this post. i corrected the category already.
February 23rd, 2010 at 11:22 am
Very informative post. I was thinking about this topic but you have made a very comprehensive article so I think I have to refer my friends to this link.
Cebu Pacific will definitely have cheaper fares because of their current issue.
February 24th, 2010 at 11:02 am
What this post fails to mention are Cebu Pacific’s draconian policies. They will charge you for rebooking or a refund even if they are the one’s to cancel a flight.
Just search for “cebu pacific sucks” on Google and you’ll find a huge number of horror stories of people who were simply ripped-off by Cebu Pacific.
February 24th, 2010 at 9:42 pm
thanks ronald! most of the time, it’s the cheaper fare that matters.
james, both PAL and CEB impose fees. for CEB, if they’re the ones cancelling the flight, they’ll give you a travel voucher of equivalent value as your canceled flight. PAL also gives the same, or even round trip tickets. CEB sucks, PAL sucks, whatever. We don’t have much choices, do we? Try a passenger boat instead.
February 25th, 2010 at 12:00 pm
Nice comparison Bro…I’ve tried the two and I would say both have their own strengths and weaknesses.
I love PAl kaso I really hate their not being on time, it sucks, always more than an hour late!!!
February 26th, 2010 at 1:57 pm
Thanks for the comparison. I badly need this for I would be traveling to Naga via airline this coming September. We were really after Cebu Pacific’s promo. But at the back of my head, I am also considering PAL despite the expensive tickets.
I had already a flight with PAL and CEB, but my experience is much fun with PAL.
March 3rd, 2010 at 11:25 am
Thanks for the review. I haven’t tried PAL yet but as of CEB Pacific, everything is OK except they don’t have a seat belt for infant.
April 28th, 2010 at 3:43 pm
Thanks for this post fellow-Cebuano
I hope both PAL and CEB will compete in giving better services and not just in price…
August 6th, 2010 at 5:23 pm
hi! im travelling to hongkong with cebu pacific airlines & i want to change my departure choice to”with checked bags” since i just realized tht my hand carry might excess d 7kgs allowed & tht my bag might b too big for their 56x36x23 measurement…can i rebook my flight instead? how much would they charge me?or do i just ask @ d airport to have my bag checked in…hw much wud it cost too? or what do i do instead? any1?:(
August 10th, 2010 at 6:22 pm
I’ll never fly with Philippine Airlines again. Once the flight begins, the staff disappear. You can press the signal button till your finger falls off but they never come. One flight I was on made an unannounced landing at Cebu. No explanations were given as all the staff and pilots left the plane. The plane was almost full of passengers but the electrical was switched off so there was no aircon in the heat of the mid-afternoon sun for almost 2 hours. People were getting frantic for drinks and we had to resort to raiding the fridges ourselves for something to drink. The cabin must have been nearly 50 degrees inside by the time the crew returned. We felt like we were suffocating. The power was restored and the plane resumed the flight to Manila. No apology or explanation were ever given. No complaints to PAL were ever responded to. Their customer service is non-existent. All they will ever do is quote policies at you and if you ever request a refund, they will NOT give it… EVER!!! It’s all policy policy policy. Once your money has left your account, you will never see it again under any circumstance.
October 21st, 2010 at 2:26 pm
If you’re on for lower fare, you should travel during Tuesdays or Thursdays, that’s when the fares are really cheap.
I’m laughing at those P888 or P999 promos of Cebu Pacific published on daily newspapers. It’s like they’re rounding your head perfectly, since the P888 or P999 fares does not yet include other surcharges… LOL…
January 18th, 2011 at 12:24 pm
Hi Ceblogger,
I know that this is a matter of personal opinion. Not trying to bash CEB or PAL. I have flown both airlines and do have experiences with both that maybe biased towards one or the other.
I’m a constant traveller. I roam around the Asia-Pacific rim at least 24 times a year. Looking at my collection of boarding passes, I must say that I have flown both local carrier with almost the same number of times.
Experience with CEB. I must say that the cheap fares in CEB are a bit misleading in some ways. Their promo fares are really cheap but comparing it to PAL’s fare, sometimes it’s just a matter of 500-1000 pesos. Of course, there will be those times that they are really really cheap, but you will have to book it under their promo period of just 2 days and way way in advanced. This will fall under those planned vacations. With normal circumstances that business travelers like me has, cheap promo fares just don’t cut it.
Comfort is another thing for me. I really don’t feel comfortable in CEB’s aircraft. I find it too cramped because of it’s mono class configuration. if you sit on the row before the exit rows, you’ll find yourself suffering from claustrophobia. Legroom is too short, elbow room is not there.
Customer service. I guess with me frequently flying, I already mastered the art of being patient and courteous in talking to customer service agents and telling them how wrong they are in a very nice manner. I have a few run in with CEB’s agents where they are really arrogant. In those times, I really have to step back an think why they’re like that. CEB’s mono class is the main culprit. CEB’s agents and attendants doesn’t care about your social status or the amount of money you carry. To them you are just one of the passengers. It’s both good and bad. Nobody get’s special treatment, and those who needs special treatment, don’t get special treatment. There are some instances as well on board that he attendants tends to favor foreign nationals than locals.
Experience with PAL. Let me start also with the fare. PAL do give out promo fares. and if you look at their fare tables online, you’ll see that the promo fares are always there. There will be specials from now and then, but there will always be cheaper fares available all year round within PAL. Also, when you look at comparing fares with PAL and CEB, you need to take into account that PAL offers 5kg more for checked-in luggage and that snacks or meals are offered on board. I’ve even encountered agents in their check-in counters giving passengers leeway as far as weight is concerned. 15.5kg, CEB will charge you excess baggage; 21.5kg, PAL can skip it.
Comfort. I have to say that I really feel comfortable in PAL’s aircraft. Whether I sit in Fiesta or in Mabuhay, I don’t feel stressed whenever I fly. I guess the 3-5 inches of legroom does have an effect to one’s state of mind. I can sit in between two other passengers and still have the elbow room to use my 17 inch laptop on board. And this is on the same Airbus 319/320 that CEB has.
Customer service. Be it on the phone, in their ticketing office, at the airport or even on board, the attitude of PAL’s agents are the same. I guess being our nation’s flag carrier, they have this attitude of being accommodating even to your simplest request. I have booked my flights on the phone several times and the agent doesn’t even sound irritated even if I had to ask him or her to revise my flights on that same call. Ground staff and counter staff always greets you with a smile. You can even chat with them casually while waiting for them to finish checking you in. On board attendants recognizes you if they have encountered you on a previous flight and gives you a warm welcome. They will even make you feel comfortable on long haul flights as if you are traveling with a close friend.
Lastly, talk about delays, in my 5 years of constant travel, I have experience delays with both. I guess the worst one was with CEB flying out of Singapore to Manila. I had an hour delay on that flight. My flights with PAL have been delayed for 10 mins at most.
Apologies for this long post. Again this is based on my personal experience and does not intend to bash any of the carriers.
Cheers!
January 21st, 2011 at 4:54 am
this one is a very helpful comment! thank you very much!