curiousgeorgina

Delta will take care of putting you on any missed flights if anything happens, if you have other flights booked with Delta. I have flown Delta the last 10 trips to and from Philippines.

their next flight after that 1:30 pm is a 10 pm one.. I love Delta and they have not failed me once.. but..

I am not willing to wait almost 9 hours for the next flight though all their flights ny to phl are 9am, 130pm and 10 pm

I would deffinately say that that is not enough time.

You never know what will happen on the day you fly.

And I always use my story as an example.

Booked my tickets a week before and left 4 hours in between thinking that'd be perfect, which it was! My Poe only took half an hour.

The problem was my flight to America was delayed by 3 hours before I even checked in....

Got to the airport and the checkin desk sign was telling us it was delayed by 3 hours.

When we finally started checking in we sat in the plane waiting to move for a further hour because the airport was so busy.

So by the time I finally landed, I was over 4 hours delayed, and deffinately missed my flight.

If anything take my story as a warning that you shouldn't predict how fast you'll get through the airport.. Because you don't know what other outside factors may slow you down.

wow, sorry you missed your flight! yeah I am scared of maybe my first leg of flight will have some delay and I can't do anything about it but to spend more money and not get a refund on the missed one...

We are leaning towards more now of taking the train or my husband picking me up. As it's cheaper and New York isn't too far from Philly.

Thank you everyone will keep your tips in mind and discuss this with my husband he did offer to pick me up a while ago but I said it was fine not considering the fact 2 hours has a 50/50 chance of me missing the flight. Thank you so much everyone!

I have left my luggage at POE and not picked them up different trips and they (I assume airlines) just send it on to my final destination..

oh, interesting I just called Delta (domestic one I was going to take).. and the operator told me I might not make it in time and told me a different solution. Either get my husband to pick me up, a bus, a train or a taxi.

I might do the "husband please pick me up, thank you very much" or.. My first bus ride to Philly.

Keep in mind tho, if you have a bunch of bags, you will have to go get your bags from baggage claim and re-check them because you're coming from overseas, and go through the whole overseas check-in line. So it really depends on how busy that international area is at the time of your flight. I have flown internationally three times and it has never taken me two hours to get through, but I've never gone through JFK, I have always gone through MIA. I would buy the ticket because I am an avid traveler. If you aren't comfortable navigating through the airport alone, I would opt for more time if I were you. (I am assuming you are traveling alone).

yes I will be alone.. I have flown to the US 3 times but my POE was always LAX so I knew where to go.. I am not quite familiar how far apart international and domestic terminals are with JFK.. I might just buy my international one first, and if I don't make the domestic one.. I'll just buy a bus ticket to Philly. Or, have my husband drive to New York though that will be quite a drive for him

mmmmm If I understand correctly, you were right, that is a connecting flight even though it's a different part of the airport. That's normal. It is very rare that you will stay on the same plane for a connecting flight. You should be fine. Like I said earlier, just be ready to ask questions if you don't know how to find your way and you should be fine.

thank you! I guess I'll take my chances then, they're two different airlines, I will be purchasing them separately.. Just worried that if I get a bit delayed they won't wait for me or even let me in on the next flight

Two hours sb fine. Just keep moving along on your layover.

I agree with previous member. That's plenty of time to get to your next gate and relax. Just don't be afraid to ask flight attendants on your flight, what your connecting gate is and ask how to get there if you need to. Most airport staff are pretty friendly and are willing to help you find your way. Also double check with the agents at the counter once you de-board the airplane. They should have the most current information. They will, and the many TV screens that display all connecting flight info! good luck!

I am sorry, I used the wrong term...

it's not a connecting flight, what I was going to do was, take an international flight to JFK and then transfer to PHL using a domestic flight, meaning I will have to transfer to a different area at the airport..

will that still be enough?

was wondering if it's cutting too close, if I arrive at jfk at 1130 am and then a connecting flight to philly that is 1:30 pm?

trough their website.. u can send him the copy of the cc u used plus copy of DL of the card owner, and authorization letter. my mom used to book me ticket at the airline website when im still studying in the phils and thats all what i show at the check-in counter..

thank you!

I used Delta Airlines for my wife. A one way to JFK in NYC was like $840.00.

But we also now use EVA Airlines to go round trip to Asia. That's like $900 per ticket. EVA is a very safe airline too, something to also consider. Had I known about EVA sooner, I probably would have booked her on EVA.

thank you for this, will check EVA then too!

ived booked asiana air for may F for june 15, and its 558 all in.. :-)

nice!

how did you purchase the ticket for your F? through their website? or at a branch? I was wondering what their policy is regarding if the credit card used was of a relative and not a passenger..

to everyone who has commented and given me tips, and have offered to help, I really appreciate this. I have seen asiana airlines, better review than the Korean Air I normally take, it has a stopover and some bad layovers but I have endured it and I'm alright with it if it happens..

Their tickets are around 500-600 usd.. and hopefully by the time I book it it's still the same price.. if not, Japan Airlines is my next choice and then PAL.

@Sir Greenbaum, that Matrix site is awesome!!! Really awesome! thank you.

AGAIN, THANK YOU!

Hi. Me and my wife ismaylita live in the roxbough section of phila

I just googled it, are you close to Manayunk? I am not sure as I am not good with places, but I believe I have eaten the best wings in Manayunk area.

Try asaptickets.com. They are a ticket consolidator and many times they can save you a lot of money. Use them to compare from other ticketing sites you have visited.

Ask for Sage (A nice guy to deal with & delightful):

Travel Agent | International Travel Network

Direct Phone: 855-975-9223 | General Line: 800-677-2943 Ext #22776

Fax: 800-677-1449 | Email: sage.t@airconcierge.com mailto:sage.t@airconcierge.com

Customer Support Hotline: 800-750-2238

Through data combed by Kayak, they have found that if you book 5 months ahead and travel on a Wednesday you will find the best prices for travel to Asia. Of course you can't use that bit of information when you don't know when you are getting your visa, but just for thought.

Other sites to check for fares:

https://www.google.com/flights/

http://www.kayak.com/

http://www.skyscanner.com/

http://www.seatguru.com/

https://www.hipmunk.com/

These are the people who write the software for most major air carriers that use for their reservation systems.

http://matrix.itasoftware.com/

I often use the ITA Software Matrix, which is one of the most useful tools to search for available flights and low fares. ITA Matrix is awesome, in that you can type in all kinds of commands like which airline you want to fly, certain dates, specific airports and whether you will change airports to get a better price. After you click Search you will be taken to a calendar displaying the lowest fare departing each day. Clicking on a particular date will bring up the lowest prices departing on that date.

Unfortunately the ITA Matrix is only for finding airfares. You dont have the ability to book directly through this site. Write down the dates and flight numbers that work for you, and book directly through the airline site or online travel agency you prefer. I hope this helps.

For advance instructions in using ITA go here for a great article: http://travelcodex.com/2012/01/advanced-routing-language-in-ita/

oh thank you sir Greenbaum! I like searching and searching and looking at different sites, matrix sounds fun to use to canvas prices.

Thank you!!!

If your flying to the west coast then you should have the cheapest and most options of flights from MNL to LAX. Only issue I see is summer just started here so I am sure airlines have increased prices until September

Thank you I do hope the prices won't be over 1000 and tickets around 750 would be awesome

This is true. Cheapest fares are ranging from 700 - 800 nowadays. I tried looking for a cheaper fare and failed. Haha ended up using staff ticket.

I'd be very happy if I get to book that kind of price! What is a staff ticket?

Hi congrats first of all, you can try asap.com for their prices to see what kind of deal they have going for this month and when you reach phila you can PM me if you need any help my would be glad to help you

Thank you! I'll check that site are you also in PA area?

When I fly in and out of the Philippines I fly Qatar Airlines. They fly from Angeles City to Doha, Qatar and then straight to Philadelphia. The one way price has always been below 1000 dollars for me. There is usually a 10 hour layover in Doha and you can ask Qatar Airlines to provide a complimentary room and they usually provide at their cost. Philadelphia immigration was very pleasant for my wifes arrival at POE. Good luck on your new journey to the USA.

Thank you I'll check the airline then

It all depends on which part of the United States your final destination is. USA is very big compared to Philippines.

I think Philippines has 3 International Airport and most every flight arrives in Manila, In USA we have I would guess hundred of International airports.......

I'll be from Mnl to Lax.. I normally get my domestic flights separate so I can adjust and visit my relatives in LA.. And then fly to Philadelphia.

I normally use Korean air but it seems pricey right now...

You can check this out - http://www.orbitz.com/flights/from-Manila-to-Los_Angeles.o31686.d4309/. My husband told me it's also okay to buy here from Orbitz if you're going to Calif. There are prices under $1000 depending on the dates that you'll choose Have a safe trip!

thank you!

When I booked it , it was 2 months in advance plus it is one way ticket too so it's less than $1000..I'm not sure right now but you can always call them anytime and it's direct from Delta as well (no third party) so they can better assist you with your queries

okay thank you. hopefully not too expensive.

I'll be buying Philippine Airlines as it's non stop to San Francisco. It depends where your going. You can check on google flights or Expedia.

thanks, i was gonna take MNL to LAX then LAX to PHL.. will be visiting my aunt first. So my main concern is the MNL to LAX... hope it's really under 1000!

Hi curiousgeorgina

Congrats and Bon Voyage What I did was I directly called the office of Delta Airlines in Makati -http://www.delta.com/content/www/en_US/traveling-with-us/planning-a-trip.html. The agents there are very friendly , they assisted me on all my queries. I had a smooth and on time flight schedule as well.

thank you if you don't mind me asking how much was their ticket?

Hi Everyone,

I just checked my status on the CEAC site and my visa says now "Issued".

So I am preparing to canvas for ticket prices.. what is the cheapest and safest airline right now? If everything goes smoothly I might leave end of June.

Any tips would be of great help.

Thanks!

Does the U.S. Embassy in Manila, Philippines require us to have an NSO marriage certificate if we were married in the U.S.? We already have a U.S. marriage certificate issued by the State of Hawaii. Can that work in its stead? We were married while in college in the U.S. and had to come back to the Philippines because of the J-1 two-year requirement.

My wife and I are currently living in the Philippines trying to get back to the states. We have been sent to more "government" offices than I can count. It seems like reporting our marriage here in the Philippines is going to be an absolute nightmare. We would rather not do it now if we don't have to.

Thanks in advance for your experiences and replies!

I still reported out marriage at dfa consular affairs, only took two months and after two months you call them to get the dispatch number and another code so you can go to nso main to get the nso certificate. It only took us two weeks.

I now pushed through with getting it for my cfo seminar as when I called them up they said they will need the nso version If our report of marriage.

But another vj member here wasn't asked for it and accepted the U.S. One when she went for her seminar at cfo

Woops, I forgot to provide more info. Yes we are doing the IR1/CR1 route. Her interview was rescheduled two months ago because of the TB test. After we got the result (negative), we ended up rescheduling ourselves.

Thanks for the info, I will definitely make sure my wife will have all the necessary paperworks and pictures.

Now a friend mentioned that the US embassy may ask for my most recent income tax return (2014) but the transcript is not yet available from the IRS (filed my taxes through snail mail and filed it late). Would it cause any problems if we do not have the most recent transcript? I have my W-2 if they need proof of my income.

My husband didn't get his irs transcript online and so he got me his 1040/1099 form.. The embassy accepted that one from me when I was interviewed last week.

KC concepcion was at the embassy during my interview, there was no special treatment at all, she fell in line like we did, waited and even sat on the pavement while waiting for her turn.. she stood as long as we all stood to wait for our turn

she was pretty down to earth, accommodated people who asked for her signature and even chatted with people next to her.

Well, we are almost at the end, just have to pick a date for the interview (Manila US Embassy). Now the available dates are at the last week of June. If an earlier date pops up, can we reschedule to the earlier date?

Also, any tips that you could give for my wife when she goes to the interview? Any do's and dont's, etc. I am a US citizen currently in the US and she is in the Philippines and she will be going to the interview alone.

Thanks.

tip would be to relax, take a deep breath and practice answering sample questions.. Consuls were really nice, there's nothing really to be worried about.

review the documents you have submitted as they just ask questions that's on the paperwork you guys submitted.

goodluck!

oh and please remind her to not forget the DS260 confirmation page and 2x2 picture.. (the picture wasn't asked but the ushers would mention to prepare some 2x2 pictures for some reason) this is so she wouldnt be talked into paying a crazy amount of money outside the embassy (she will be in line before the embassy opens) the ones I was with in line forgot their confirmation page and were talked into paying php 400 for just one piece of paper.. and for the picture, one lady was charged around php3000 for pictures and a piece of that confirmation page...

It can just be slow, if it switches back and forth from AP and ready before it goes to issues don't worry it's normal, and sometimes a few days in AP is normal too.

thank you!

You were only interviewed yesterday.

Give it a couple more days for them to process the paper work and change your online status.

thanks!

I am just wondering why I was still Ready for interview when their update status was of today.

I was interviewed last May 27, but up until now this is still the status, is this normal? It says it was updated, but why am I still ready for interview when i am done with my interview? Getting a little worried.. any enlightenment would help.. thanks!