Any experience of flying with Philippine Airlines long haul?

[Alan Medic]

I want to book a flight from Hong Kong for the nipper to visit us in July. Cost is a factor and this airline appears to be the best option so far. However I've read mixed reviews so wonder has anyone personal experience you would tell me about?

[Nigello]

Cathay has a sale on at the moment so it may be that the fares from HK are similarly low. No idea about Philippine Airlines but if there is a stopover it will add a couple of hours to an already long flight.

[Jeremy]

Never flown on Philippine, but as long as they have the standard in-flight movies, etc, I'm sure it will be just fine.

How old is the kid? Do you think they'll be OK with the interchange at Manila?

[Alan Medic]

He's 25............I'll check Manila.

[Lazero]

Philippine Airlines are fine - certainly not as good as Cathay or Singapore but fine for long haul flights. There can be differences between routes. London-Manila is fairly high profile/ prestigious so they put some effort into it. Manila - Hong Kong may not be as nice, but that flight isn't particularly long.

Punctuality and customer service are both in line with most airlines. But for me one of the most important things on that length of flights is the entertainment system. The best SQ and Cathay routes have on demand movies and TV shows. Helps to pass the time. I believe PAL only has shared overhead screens. All depends on the price difference of course! I would definitely consider them (unlike some of the non-flag carriers from Indonesia or China, or most of the US airlines!).

[Jeremy]

Alan Medic Wrote:

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> He's 25

Suspect he'll get by then...

[Alan Medic]

Am considering Shenzhen (where he's at Uni)- Shanghai- Amsterdam - City Airport

Long flight with KLM and stops not too long. Costs a bit more but in flight entertainment should be better than PAL which Lazero pointed out is a bit old fashioned. Also won't have to make his way to HK for an early flight.

I've had a look at Cathay 'sale'. If that's a sale I wouldn't like to see their normal prices.

[Loz]

Long haul flights can vary quite considerably and, if you can be a little flexible, you can get some great deals. I use the Kayak site and turn on the "+/- 3 days" feature and it gives you a nice table showing you the best price on each particular day. You can also turn off certain airlines you shudder at the thought of flying with (yeah, that's you, China Southern).

Generally Tuesday flying, both ways, is your best day for a cheapie. But, I booked some to Oz earlier in the year and the day had no bearing on price, so YMMV.

Obviously Cathay will be good as it flies direct, but the best service at the moment is on the Middle East airlines - Emirates and Qatar. And you can get some rather tasty prices on them at the moment.