The Pinoy Guide to Japan Travel: Flights

Happy New Year! It's the first month of 2015, and if you're Pinoy and planning a trip to the Land of the Rising Sun this year, well, there's no better time to start than now. Trip planning always starts with a little research, and here I am joining the number of blogs that have shared their insight on which airline to take and which room to get.

Flights

There are a number of airlines that fly direct to Japan from Manila, and here's what I think of the most popular ones.

Cebu Pacific is the budget airline famous for its piso fares that have made it possible for the average Pinoy to travel. They run out quickly, but if you're fast and extremely lucky, your round-trip will only amount to four whole numbers, which gives you room to book extra baggage for the trip back. Even if you don't get the cheapest fare, anything below 30,000php (which is the usual price for a Japan trip) already saves you money, although personally, Cebu Pacific is only a steal if I pay 12,000PHP below. Anything above that and I look to other airlines.

Pro: Cheap if you're lucky. Their web check-in function seems to work. They also have more schedules to Japan compared to Philippine Airlines.
Con: Ride tends to get bumpy. No in-flight entertainment. No food or snacks, unless you bring your own. All this is just par for the course because it's a budget airline. But for the most part, CP is known for lousy customer service, flight delays, and destroyed or lost luggage. We were victims of the latter, so we only consider using this if there's no choice. A tip if you want to use CP: always ask for a luggage ticket, always keep an eye on your carry-ons, and make sure not to stash important or expensive items in your luggage you don't want to lose, because, honey, you will never get them back.

Philippine Airlines or PAL is the flag carrier. It has a long way to go to compete with other countries' flag carriers, but it's still more comfortable than budget, has an airport all to itself (which could also be a con, depending on who you're asking), and the ride is less bumpy. PAL also has the Mabuhay Miles reward program which is tied to certain credit cards, like Allied Bank/Philippine National Bank (1 mile for every 33PHP), and Citibank. But I only recommend this for responsible credit card owners.

Pro: Better ride. Friendly staff. In-flight meals. Has web check-in, though make sure you're on a good connection.
Con: Also known for flight delays. In-flight entertainment isn't free and has to be accessed via mobile, which tends to be slow. Has a very limited schedule to Japan, and usually at inconvenient times for Pinoy travelers, e.g., their MNL-KIX (Osaka) flight leaves in the afternoon while their KIX-MNL flight leaves in the morning. MNL-Tokyo has a flight that leaves in the morning, but their returns are also in the morning, which doesn't give you much time to enjoy that extra half-day before you have to go to the airport.

Japan Airlines or JAL is one of two Japanese carriers that fly to and from Manila. Unfortunately, I haven't taken JAL yet as I've found it to be too expensive, and have not chanced upon a sale. (Or if I have, I still found it too expensive.) My sister has flown with JAL though. She raves about their free peanuts. LOL.

Con: Kind of expensive? As far as I know, is still based in NAIA Terminal 1.

All Nippon Airways or ANA is the other Japanese carrier that flies to Manila. We took this airline on a last-minute whim, spring of last year, when we lucked out on a base fare of 200 dollars. (The total with taxes cost about $404, which was still cheaper compared to PAL's rate at the time which averaged $420.)

Pro: In-flight meals, usually Japanese fare on the return trip. In-flight entertainment. Comfy ride. Aside from online check-in, they have self-service check-in machines at the airport in Japan which make the check-in process faster. They're one of the airlines that are originally based in NAIA Terminal 3.
Con: Nothing much except that I think their website is very messy.

Cathay Pacific is our favorite and the first airline that took us to Japan so it has a special place in our hearts. However, the carrier is based in Hong Kong, so flights are not direct, and you have to enjoy/suffer through a 2-hour flight and a layover before making the 4-5 hour trip to Japan. Depending on the schedule, this could take an entire day. There are people like me who would welcome the brief stop--Hong Kong International Airport used to be voted World's Best and the outlets are just one train ride away from the airport--but the time it takes could have been spent already breathing the clean Japan air and settling into a hotel.

Pro: Comfy ride. In-flight meals. In-flight entertainment even for economy. Very good service. Web check-in sends you a digital boarding pass through email. No more printing! Just save it and show it to the airport counter. I must also mention that they're one of the airlines that have moved to NAIA Terminal 3, which means you don't have to make your way through all that traffic going to the first two terminals.
Con: Does not fly direct. Most flights will have a brief layover at Hong Kong International Airport. Tickets are also expensive unless you book months beforehand or take advantage of the promos they have with Citibank credit cards.

Before you get on that plane, let's talk insurance.

"Statistically speaking, flying is still the safest form of travel," Superman said in Superman Returns. That may be true, but I still recommend getting travel insurance, just in case. It won't cost much, and most airlines will offer it to you for a fee when you book a ticket. And if you somehow got a discounted rate with Cebu Pacific (ESPECIALLY if you're taking Cebu Pacific), the small fee, to pay for additional travel insurance, should be no sweat.

I know some people, my husband included, think that paying for insurance is a waste of money. Some people think it's like inviting disaster. "Why get something for nothing? Why get something for the eventuality of nothing?" But it's not nothing. It's paying for peace of mind "just in case" something happens. We are not inviting disaster. We are trying to prepare for it, in case Murphy's Law tilts toward the negative. (Digressing: Note that applications for a Schengen visa require you to have travel insurance beforehand... and this is even BEFORE you're granted permission to travel.) And maybe this isn't enough to convince you. I know I never really thought about getting travel insurance before, that is until my husband flew back from Singapore and his luggage somehow didn't fly back with him. Then the customer service rep who entertained us told me "Oh, Ma'm. Kaya nga dapat may insurance kayo eh." Like it's only their JOB to entertain people with lost luggage IF said people paid for insurance. Like it's not their JOB to make sure things that are ENTRUSTED to them make it back to their rightful owners.

And now I'm ranting. Isn't it better to just rave about your travels online instead of ranting about the sucky things that happened because you weren't prepared? Get insurance, please.