Philippine Airfare: When it is Worth to Pay More
Three Reasons Why I Choose to Pay More instead of Opting for the Cheapest Fares
I hated it. I already checked in my luggage in the Washington DC airport and I thought I will claim it in Manila. No way. I was asked to claim it in the New York airport for the flights towards Philippines went through another security gate. My luggage and I had to go through inspection again. From then on, I resolved to pay a few hundred dollars more than choose the cheapest flights to the Philippines. In this post, I will share three reasons to pay more for your airfare from the USA to the Philippines and back.
1 - Convenience
Direct flights from the USA to the Philippines may be 18 hours or more if it will start from New York or California. If you reside in other states, you need domestic connecting flights and spend more. I am in the DC area so I used to travel by bus or train to NYC to catch cheaper direct flights there. Later, I realized I just need to add a few hundred dollars if I choose to fly from any of the three DC airports. Here’s how I choose what airlines to fly on:
look for a list of international airlines that fly to Manila’s NAIA (Ninoy Aquino International Airport).
look for the same airline that fly in my local airport.
look at customer reviews and find which I prefer.
chose three airlines and sign-up with their free online membership program to receive promos - I still want to get bargains with convenience.
pick one where I do not have to travel with “partner airlines”
I know. It is a lot. However, if I travel with only one airline, there is less probability for luggage loss and missed connection issues.
2 - Time Efficiency
Compared to NYC time, Manila is 12 hours advanced (13 during daylight savings time). When you cross the ocean, you not only get jet lag, your internal clock gets messed up. That is why direct flights or flights with shorter layovers are valuable. Here are what I look for in the flight details:
Total Flight Time - are there shorter flights with the same or lower price?
Layover Time - will I catch the next flight if my first flight is delayed? What can I do during layover time?
Departure/Arrival Time - is it too early or too late
I will pay more if the total flight time is less and the departure and arrival time will not give me extra stress.
3 - Flexibility
This is a biggie. I was thankful I chose a flexible airfare the last time I went to the Philippines in 2022. My planned 2-week trip became two months and I had to change my return flight twice and did not pay extra fees. The extra dollars I paid for travel dates flexibility paid off.
Other Perks and Tips
During my flight to the Philippines, I saw that a lot of seats were empty. I noticed that some passengers moved seats during lunch and wondered why. Well, they moved so they can sleep horizontally - they moved the armrests up and were able to made three seats their temporary beds. Before my flight back to the USA, I chose priority seats online - the ones where the other passengers moved to and slept. During my flight, I got lucky and got three seats for myself and was able to sleep. I do not know if this will work again but it worked last year. Other tips are:
Bring an airplane blanket or heavy scarf or coat - for some reason, airlines make the air colder. I assumed all airlines give blankets but one flight, I was so cold but the stewardess said there are no blankets.
Choose a meal type online (sugar-free, no dairy, etc.) even though you are not in a special type of diet. They will serve your meal first then the rest of the passenger.
See the official travel advisory about of the country where you will spend some layover time and decide base on your comfort level.
Next week I will share how I handled arriving in Manila late at night by resting in a capsule hotel inside the airport and then riding a 200 pesos ($3.61) bus ride.