Philippines Domestic Flight Ticket Purchase

[kev_n_jena 89]

Hi,

It's been awhile since we were in Phils and we're wondering about purchasing domestic flight tickets ahead of our trip. Can we buy tickets online by credit card from the US still? I thought I had read something about a rule change at one time.

Thanks for any input,

Kevin & Jena

[Greenbaum 12,260]

You can buy your domestic tickets online without any problems. Have fun and safe travels.

[Al422 221]

Sure. Air Cebu sells them online and is a really nice airline. I used them to get between Manila and Tugegaro. Round trip was about $250, and I booked it all from New York with my credit card.

[kev_n_jena 89]

Thanks!

[biaobiao 40]

Sure. Air Cebu sells them online and is a really nice airline. I used them to get between Manila and Tugegaro. Round trip was about $250, and I booked it all from New York with my credit card.

Wow $250 roundtrip for. Domestic flight is expensive ...

[novedsac 355]

I don't know where Tugegaro is, but round trip between Manila and Cebu and/or Tacloban and/or Palawan can be had for less than $100, sometimes as little as $40 RT all in.

[Teripid 5]

There are a number of special fares available if you check online. Typically you can pay under 500 peso + fees and end up paying about 1,500 PHP for a flight. OP just make very sure you have your credit card with you when you're at the airport. They rarely ask but it can come up.

Right now Cebu Pac has the following specials for 399 PHP + fees so you're looking at around 80 USD for a round trip.

• Manila to Cauayan (isabela), Naga, Tuguegarao, Virac, San Jose (Mindoro) or Legazpi
  
  Cebu to Camiguin, Pagadian, Legazpi, Ozamiz, Butuan, Clark, Tacloban, Iloilo, Davao or Siargao
  
  Davao to Cagayan de Oro

[teddy k 35]

Hi i would only use cebu airlines cuz PAL is the worst ive ever flown on, plus at a good price for tickets

[Al422 221]

Maybe it was not $250. I need to check. And it was Cebu Pacific. They charge more than PAL, but PAL is horrible and Cebu is nice, so well worth the extra money.

[sweet cakes 326]

Domestic flights in PH can definitely reach up to $250 if you buy it last minute and if your flight is later or tomorrow. I did have an experience buying for a next day 2-way trip to Davao from Manila. I paid Php 9000, which is about $200. Worst timing would be during holiday seasons such as Christmas and holy week.

My experience of flying for the last 15 years with both Cebu Pacific and PAL is somewhat similar. There's no telling who will have a delayed or postponed flight at a point. I did have more delayed flights with Cebu Pac. In terms of pricing, Cebu Pac does have promo prices, but if you don't catch it, you'll pay about double the price from the initial published price by the time you're going to pay, which includes fuel surcharge, etc. Unlike PAL, their initial price would be the same from start to finish unless you add insurance or get larger baggage limits. A domestic flight on the average costs about PhP2000 or ~$45, one way for one person, if your flight is 2 weeks from booking or later.

IMHO, forget about Zest and other small airlines.

To Kev_n_Jena, you definitely can buy tickets online. You can always compare prices anyways for your desired trip dates. Have a good one!

[VOL 425]

Hi i would only use cebu airlines cuz PAL is the worst ive ever flown on, plus at a good price for tickets

You must of not flown very much

Cebu Pacific, PAL, Zest, They all seem about the same to me flying domestic.

[kev_n_jena 89]

We flew Zest from Manila to Catarman Samar three years ago. I was pretty concerned because their website was down for about a week and I thought maybe they went out of business. After they site came back we booked tickets and all went well.

I read that they closed down Catarman airport about a year ago because people were parking on the runway and the directors son was giving his girlfriend driving lessons while a plane was trying to land. The pilot had to abort the landing! There were also animals on the runway frequently and I witnessed that first hand. They blow a siren before the plane lands to alert everyone and scatter any animals. Crazy stuff huh?

This time we'll be flying from Manila to Cagayan De Oro. It looks like tickets will be under 2000php.

Kevin

[bendinlar 16]

If flying in to CDO, be aware that the new airport is quite a ways from the city. If you don't have someone to pick you up, you could be looking at about P800 to get a taxi to CDO.

Wife's aunt flew into there about a month ago, we read there was cheaper ground transportation available, but she said there was none to be found. And walking out to the highway to catch a bus, well, let's just say you better be ready for a hike.

Fair warning.

[Tahoma 2,298]

The last couple of times Chinook and I visited the Philippines, we bought domestic PAL tickets online before we left the U.S. Chinook did the same when she made a solo trip last October.

Have a great trip!