Airline Review: Cathay Pacific

For a trip to Europe, I decided to opt for another Asian airline because from experience, Asian airlines tend to 1. have better stopovers (eg. Singapore or Hongkong) with 24-hour stores and amazing airport facilities; 2. offer Asian meals in-flight; and 3. have more attentive staff. I was excited to fly via Cathay because it was my first time to do a long haul flight using this airline and it had a track record for good customer service.

I withheld making a review until I did the trip back and forth because going to our destination, I was quite disappointed. While it started out promising, with the crew handing out menu cards, my expectations were quickly lowered when they did not distribute toiletries. The crew were not very attentive, my daughter was not given a kit (which I would eventually learn was for those 6 years old and below–this is probably a Cathay rule), the bathrooms were filthy midway and the entertainment choices were limited.

On the flight back, the staff were a little friendlier (especially the ones in the check-in counter), they gave my daughter a kit (upon request. As mentioned earlier, they only gave kits for those below 6), and the food was slightly better. The restrooms were also a bit cleaner, although there were times I went to the bathroom and there was no tissue paper available. The entertainment choices were still not as good as other Asian airlines (eg. Singapore Air, Thai Air and even PAL have better options, with more current movies on deck).  The only upside is they served ice cream, which sadly, does not last the entire flight.

While this carrier is okay for short flights, I think that I may have to try other airlines for trips over five hours. If I had to rank my experience with Cathay, I’d probably place it lower than Emirates, but slightly higher than Qatar.

Hope this helps future travelers out there make wise decisions on your next trip!

Airline Review: Philippine Airlines

Yes, this will come off as biased because I am from the Philippines, and Philippine Airlines happens to be our country’s flag carrier. But let me tell you, I wouldn’t have been as kind a couple of flights back.

For a short trip to Hong Kong, I was debating on whether to just pay for a Cebu Pacific ticket or to use my Mabuhay miles to get an “almost-free” trip. Having to book using points before, I dreaded the hassle it entailed because I would have to go to ticketing office and then have them compute for how much I still needed to pay. But lo and behold, learning from how Getgo points are applied, Mabuhay Miles upgraded their website to include booking using the points and it was so convenient. I still paid about Php 5,000 per person, but this would also have been what I would’ve paid on a seat sale in Cebu Pacific, so I thought it was a pretty good deal.

Immediately upon boarding the plane, I knew that was a lot different about it. My child was so surprised because she’s used to no-frills airplanes. This was definitely a newer plane, with wider TV screens, which was a far cry from our previous PAL flights where we’d have to bring our own iPad if we wanted access to their movies. The entertainment selection was impressive, with a lot of new films available. For those traveling with kids, you will find it comforting to know that there are a lot of kid-friendly shows and games on board as well.

I was also very impressed with their new in-flight safety video which managed to showcase the beautiful islands of the Philippines. Their magazine was also updated so it looks more appealing to a younger audience. It was also in the magazine that I found out that Philippine Airlines was the winner of the Most Improved Airline award according to AirlinesRating.com for 2018.

The meal was pretty standard, but it was a short flight, so my child was satisfied. Overall, it was a big improvement for PAL, and for those who have been turned off before, now’s a good time to give them a second chance.

Airline Review: Emirates

Although not intentional, I’m glad that I got to try a lot of different airlines this year, making it seem like my posts are cohesive and well-planned =). 

For a family trip to Germany, we opted to take Emirates. When we were scouting for airlines, we originally planned on getting Singapore Airlines again. But, since we are a big group and Emirates was cheaper, we decided to give it a go. I was dreading it a bit because I really didn’t like the Dubai airport we stopped over in our trip to Greece, but thankfully, I was proven wrong because Emirates apparently had its own terminal, which was much better than the one we landed in the first time around. All the shops were open 24 hours and there was even a live band playing at one point.

On to the good stuff: First, I noticed that the Emirates crew made an effort to be friendly. They gave warm towels before the plane took off, which in my opinion is always a good sign.The stewardess even tried to chat with my daughter. Unfortunately, it was not reciprocated because once she is strapped in, she is in entertainment-mode and is primarily concentrated on how to figure out the screen in front of her. Speaking of entertainment, Emirates had enough movies to keep me busy and not bored with the very long travel time (7 hours MNL to DBX and another 7 from DBX to Germany). The meals were quite edible, with my daughter enjoying her kid’s meal and snack pack; and daddy giving his thumbs up on the double chocolate chip cookies. By the way, my daughter’s freebies included a lunch kit, a travel blanket and a strapped bag loaded with stuff to read and craft. And while this is a small thing, it was very relaxing for me to see that when the crew dimmed the lights, the plane had a lot of pin lights overhead, mimicking a very starry night. Maybe it was to comfort the kids, as the plane was never completely dark, but for whatever reason, it looked quite beautiful. Hubby was also pleased with the leg room (he’s about 6 ft tall). I, on the other hand never seem to notice leg room because I fit anywhere! Hahah, the benefits of being tiny.

But, in spite of all those good things, Emirates would not make it to my Top 3 because of the following reasons: First off, while daughter is happy with her freebies, mommy was not happy at all because she didn’t even get a free toothbrush! They didn’t give away a basic hygiene kit, and they didn’t stock their restrooms with any either. A good airline would either have a basic kit, or have some stocked in their restrooms. A great airline would have both =). Second disappointment was the restroom. I don’t know if it was just coincidence with Middle Eastern airlines, but just like Qatar Air, the bathrooms in Emirates weren’t very well-cleaned. 

Overall though, I’d still recommend Emirates, especially when they have a good deal on the price of the ticket =)

Airline Review: Qatar Air

I don’t know why, but I’ve always had the impression that Qatar Air was a quality airline. And so, I was pretty excited when I found out that we would be riding Qatar Air from Athens to DOHA, and from DOHA to Dubai. Sadly, after experiencing the service and amenities of Turkish Air, Singapore Air and Thai Airways, I can say that riding Qatar Air was a bit disappointing. They didn’t give vanity kits, they had fewer entertainment options, and the service wasn’t as good either (the toilets were filthy when I used them). The stewardesses looked dowdy in their outfits, and one of them even spent an inordinate amount of time entertaining a male passenger, bordering on unprofessional. The only plus point for me was that they gave a nice kid’s activity kit for my daughter.

Mommy liked the Monopoly play money sticky notes so much that she kept it for herself =)

But other than that, I don’t think I’d pick Qatar for a future flight. DBX isn’t the best airport either (for shopping nor for other activities). Apart from the stores being open 24 hours a day, there isn’t really anything spectacular about the airport itself. For lack of a better description, it doesn’t have any personality. It could have looked much better if there were more greenery, like the airport in Changi, or if they infused some cultural bits here and there. Qatar Air is not the worst airline, but I know I have much better options out there with the same rate as Qatar, but can provide better service.

Airline Review: Singapore Air

On our trip to Rome, we flew via Singapore Air. The flight was from Manila to Singapore and then, Singapore to Rome. Upon entering the aircraft, you were greeted with smiling and svelte stewardesses (yes, that’s the correct plural form of it, according to Wiki =), wearing the traditional Sarong Kebaya. Before the flight even began, we were each handed a hot towel, which I thought was quite relaxing. Leg room was adequate, the entertainment was good (better on the newer planes) and the staff provided a basic vanity kit (socks, toothbrush and toothpaste). Plus points for Singapore Air is that the stopover is always at Changi, which is probably one of the best airports in the world. If you have enough time in between layovers, I seriously suggest you take advantage and go around. From now until some time in 2017, Singapore Air is also giving passengers 20 SGD shopping money at Changi, which is enough to buy quite a lot of chocolates, as I found out. It’s also a perfect stopover for kids because the airport had indoor playgrounds. And if you love shopping, Changi is a good place to buy branded items at a discount.

Kid’s packs included Zootopia kits

Now, going back to the airline, another thing I liked is their activity packs and meals for kids. My daughter always seemed to eat what they served. I liked the meals as well (on 2 occasions, they served ice cream for dessert, which I think my husband enjoyed thoroughly). For long flights (6 hours and upward), I would definitely recommend an airline of this calibre.

Airline Review: Turkish Airline

We were planning a trip to London and scouting for good, but reasonably priced airlines via Sky Scanner. Turkish Air came up as an option and when my husband researched on it, he found out that the airline provided an optional city tour to Turkey. I was psyched! I’ve wanted to visit Istanbul for a while now (Hagia Sophia!) so I really wanted to see how we could make it happen. We only had an 8-day leave from work so we had to squeeze our schedules to fit everything in. Alan found a connecting flight to London that had an 11- hour gap, which was perfect for the half-day free city tour.

Once we had boarded the plane, I immediately checked out its entertainment facility. It was a 12-hour trip from Manila to Istanbul so having a good selection of films is a must. Thank goodness Turkish Air delivered with individual touch screens per seat and a remote/game controller. The movies and Tv content were current, making it possible for me to watch many new releases that I had missed in the cinema (Incidentally, check out Fresh Off the Boat–funee!). Each economy class passenger was given a care pouch with slippers, toothpaste, toothbrush, socks, eye masks and lip balm. Kids have their own activity magazine and their very own care kit as well. At the start of the trip, they give each passenger a sweet treat (Turkish Delight), which is pretty addicting (bought a couple of boxes)!
We arrived in Istanbul at 5 am, but the counter for the city tour signup opened at 8 am so we had to find somewhere to sit in. Luckily, the shops in their airport opened early. We ate some bread and had coffee in a local bread shop. Then, we walked around to see the products of Istanbul. 
When the counter opened, they informed us that we would be having a boat tour of the Bosporus River, Golden Horn and Black Sea. But before that, we were treated to a free (yes, Free!) Mediterranean breakfast, which consisted of bread, three kinds of cheeses, a cold cut and Turkish tea. Then, the bus took us to the dock. The guide explained to us that Turkey has an Asian side and a European side divided by the seas. He also pointed to us the many beautiful structures in Istanbul, such as the Blue Mosque and the Sultanahmet. It was a beautiful sampler of the country. After the mini cruise, we got back to the restaurant for free (yes, it’s free again) lunch consisting of grilled chicken (a little reminiscent of our own inasal) served with rice and very tasty chicken soup. The guide told us that since our flight was at 6 pm, we couldn’t join the group for their walking trip to the different mosques. Not wanting to miss out, Alan asked how to get back to the airport via commute. Since it was easy and convenient, Alan said we could visit the Hagia Sophia on our own. While walking to the mosque, we passed by the Arasta Bazaar which is a definite must-visit place for anyone who wants to get authentic Turkish products. How I wish I could bring home the woven rugs and beautiful covers that I saw, but I didn’t want to burden Alan so I contented myself with a box of Turkish Delight, Turkish coffee and small souvenirs.
Finally, we made it to the Hagia Sophia, and what luck! We spotted the tour group so we got spared paying for the entrance fee. Going there was really an experience because you could see there the merging of Islam and Christian art– fascinating! 
All in all, our only expenses consisted of getting a Turkish visa online, the bread we bought and shopping. 
So for the free trip alone, I give Turkish airline high marks for promoting its country to first timers such as myself. Points for improvement: Food during the flight could still be better (on the bland side) and toilets could be cleaner. But overall, thumbs up to Turkish Air!