Flying to Australia in Cebu Pacific
It all started with the promo fare of cebu pacific to sydney australia.
May 24, 2015, cebu pacific s website announced a promo fare for manila to sydney for PHP 2888! Being a frequent visitor of the airlines website, it was the lowest drop I have seen. Since the return route ( sydney to manila) was not on sale, I decided to simply buy one way and wait until the return airfare drops. Fifteen months old Zeeh will be travelling with us and i initially chose the option of infant without seat but when the computation was completed, I noticed I was paying more for Zeeh as a lap infant than as an adult with seat. I decided to get 3 adult seats and chose the seat with the bassinet. The seats were first in row, nearest the CR and with the best legroom in the plane. Selecting these seats required payment of PHP 4,500. Getting a 20 kg allowance for 2 required an additional PHP 2,600. Overall, for the Manila to Sydney fare, we paid PHP 12,698 for 3 good seats and 20 kg baggage x 2.
What Happened:
The flight was scheduled to depart from T3 NAIA at 12:15 AM Sept 8. When I booked for our flight from Dumaguete to Manila I chose the earliest flight on Sept 7 with the plan of relaxing overnight in Manila before our flight. I only realized that 12:15 AM was midnight of Sept 7 or more accurately it was 0:15 hours Sept 8. Our flight from Dumaguete arrived at T3 at 10 AM. Since we needed to retrieve our baggages as check-through from dumaguete was not possible and the earliest time the check in counter for sydney will open was 4 hours before 12 MN, we needed a place to at least leave our baggages. T3 has a baggage storage area but to store our 2 luggages including our 2 knapsacks until check in will cost us almost the price of a hotel. Luckily, we noticed a sign of a newly opened lounge. The lounge named Wings offered us a bunker bed for PHP 1,800 for 9 hours stay. The whole place smelled nice. The room and sheets were clean. For that price, we got unlimited access to coffee, tea, juice, hot and cold water and finger pastries. It was most convenient especially since I needed hot water for Zeeh s milk bottles. Included also was a clean towel, soap, shampoo and even a toothbrush and toothpaste. It was better than getting a hotel room because we were within T3 itself plus we had access to the numerous coffee shops and restaurants in T3. We took hot showers before we went to the check in counter which was simply one level down.
If you are traveling with an infant, you cannot check in online. Lucky for us that night, we were allowed to cue in the web check in line since we were carrying Zeeh. We were allowed to bring our umbrella stroller with us which was very convenient and had it deposited at the gate of the plane. The plane took off on time.
The seats i selected did not have a bassinet and even if they had one, Zeeh was laready too heavy for it. The infant seat was smaller than the adult seat. Since it was well into the night, our Zeeh was already sleeping. We could not lie her down nor can we strap her to the infant seat. As it turned out, she remained a lap seat infant. The only advantage was the legroom because we can stretch our legs fully. The disadvantage came when passengers started using the toilets and would pass in front of us sometimes inconveniently hitting our legs.
How to do things better: Book the latest afternoon flight to Manila, that way you only have a few hours to while away in the airport. If you want to relax, do try Wings.There is no need to pay extra for seat selection. Chances are, if you come early and you re with an infant, the airline will seat you together. On the other hand, for this midnight flight the large legroom really made things more convenient.
Sydney to Manila: On jul 3 2015, the price from Sydney to Manila dropped. I m not sure if it was the lowest but it was definitely lower than in May. The total cost was AUD 441.00 for 2 adults. Infant fee was AUD 65 which was cheaper than 2 adults. Since this was a day flight, we thought there was no need for zeeh to have her own seat. For a total of AUD 441 ( approximately PHP 15,000) we got 20 kg baggage allowance x 2. We opted not to pay extra for seat selection.
What happened.
Our flight from Sydney was scheduled to depart at 11:35 am. We were at the airport before 8 am and saw a long cue of passengers, 99% of whom were Filipinos. This time, we were not ushered to the shorter and seemingly faster web checked in cue. When it was our turn, we were told we could not be checked in! The night before our flight, I checked if I can increase our baggage allowance to 30 kg since I wanted to decrease our carry-on weight. After entering my credit card details, the website showed an error and that my payment could not be processed. After i tried another credit card and still encountered the same problem, i decided to see if the other option of paying at cebuana will work. I was given 24 hours to pay or else my request for additional baggage allowance will not be processed. Since it was impossible to pay at cebuana, we assumed the transaction was canceled. Unfortunately, the computer could not cancel out that transaction and even when we were willing to pay AUD 17 at the counter, the lady assisting us had to go up to the cebu pacific office to fix whatever computer glitch that did not allow us to be checked in. We waited for about an hour in the counter. Finally, we were allowed to pay AUD 17. Our bags were checked in and we were told to leave Zeeh s stroller in front of one counter together with other strollers, crutches etc from other passengers. We barely had an hour before our flight and Gate 59 was a little far away after customs clearing. Our flight departed late and we arrived in Manila almost 2 hours late. It took us around an hour to clear immigration and when we got to the baggage counter, we were told that our stroller was left in Sydney. ALong with several passengers who also had luggages left in Sydney, we filled up a report and told our stroller will be delivered in Dumaguete for free.
Lessons Learned. When you book your flight, it is best to get 30 kg luggage allowance since it will give you the luxury of not having to handle carry-ons. I m not sure if it s just my BDO and BPI cards that wont be accepted for payment in their website or there was really a system error at that time, but definitely do not attempt to choose payment centers if you cannot push through with the payment because cebu pacific computer will make it difficult to cancel the request.
You dont have to come very early if you have no plans of purchasing anything at the duty free area because apparently the counter opens past 7 am and a long line will be waiting for you if you come 2 hours from ETD as recommended. You ll end up standing on cue for hours .
Summary of Cebu Pacific Airline tickets: 2 adults and 1 infant
Dumaguete to Manila. Manila to Dumaguete: PHP 3,735.60
Additional luggage fee 369.60
Manila to Sydney: 12,698.00
Sydney to Manila: AUD 441 15,000.00
Additinal luggage fee AUD 17 600.00
TOTAL PHP 32,403.2
Terminal fees and Philippine travel tax not included.
May 24, 2015, cebu pacific s website announced a promo fare for manila to sydney for PHP 2888! Being a frequent visitor of the airlines website, it was the lowest drop I have seen. Since the return route ( sydney to manila) was not on sale, I decided to simply buy one way and wait until the return airfare drops. Fifteen months old Zeeh will be travelling with us and i initially chose the option of infant without seat but when the computation was completed, I noticed I was paying more for Zeeh as a lap infant than as an adult with seat. I decided to get 3 adult seats and chose the seat with the bassinet. The seats were first in row, nearest the CR and with the best legroom in the plane. Selecting these seats required payment of PHP 4,500. Getting a 20 kg allowance for 2 required an additional PHP 2,600. Overall, for the Manila to Sydney fare, we paid PHP 12,698 for 3 good seats and 20 kg baggage x 2.
What Happened:
The flight was scheduled to depart from T3 NAIA at 12:15 AM Sept 8. When I booked for our flight from Dumaguete to Manila I chose the earliest flight on Sept 7 with the plan of relaxing overnight in Manila before our flight. I only realized that 12:15 AM was midnight of Sept 7 or more accurately it was 0:15 hours Sept 8. Our flight from Dumaguete arrived at T3 at 10 AM. Since we needed to retrieve our baggages as check-through from dumaguete was not possible and the earliest time the check in counter for sydney will open was 4 hours before 12 MN, we needed a place to at least leave our baggages. T3 has a baggage storage area but to store our 2 luggages including our 2 knapsacks until check in will cost us almost the price of a hotel. Luckily, we noticed a sign of a newly opened lounge. The lounge named Wings offered us a bunker bed for PHP 1,800 for 9 hours stay. The whole place smelled nice. The room and sheets were clean. For that price, we got unlimited access to coffee, tea, juice, hot and cold water and finger pastries. It was most convenient especially since I needed hot water for Zeeh s milk bottles. Included also was a clean towel, soap, shampoo and even a toothbrush and toothpaste. It was better than getting a hotel room because we were within T3 itself plus we had access to the numerous coffee shops and restaurants in T3. We took hot showers before we went to the check in counter which was simply one level down.
If you are traveling with an infant, you cannot check in online. Lucky for us that night, we were allowed to cue in the web check in line since we were carrying Zeeh. We were allowed to bring our umbrella stroller with us which was very convenient and had it deposited at the gate of the plane. The plane took off on time.
The seats i selected did not have a bassinet and even if they had one, Zeeh was laready too heavy for it. The infant seat was smaller than the adult seat. Since it was well into the night, our Zeeh was already sleeping. We could not lie her down nor can we strap her to the infant seat. As it turned out, she remained a lap seat infant. The only advantage was the legroom because we can stretch our legs fully. The disadvantage came when passengers started using the toilets and would pass in front of us sometimes inconveniently hitting our legs.
How to do things better: Book the latest afternoon flight to Manila, that way you only have a few hours to while away in the airport. If you want to relax, do try Wings.There is no need to pay extra for seat selection. Chances are, if you come early and you re with an infant, the airline will seat you together. On the other hand, for this midnight flight the large legroom really made things more convenient.
Sydney to Manila: On jul 3 2015, the price from Sydney to Manila dropped. I m not sure if it was the lowest but it was definitely lower than in May. The total cost was AUD 441.00 for 2 adults. Infant fee was AUD 65 which was cheaper than 2 adults. Since this was a day flight, we thought there was no need for zeeh to have her own seat. For a total of AUD 441 ( approximately PHP 15,000) we got 20 kg baggage allowance x 2. We opted not to pay extra for seat selection.
What happened.
Our flight from Sydney was scheduled to depart at 11:35 am. We were at the airport before 8 am and saw a long cue of passengers, 99% of whom were Filipinos. This time, we were not ushered to the shorter and seemingly faster web checked in cue. When it was our turn, we were told we could not be checked in! The night before our flight, I checked if I can increase our baggage allowance to 30 kg since I wanted to decrease our carry-on weight. After entering my credit card details, the website showed an error and that my payment could not be processed. After i tried another credit card and still encountered the same problem, i decided to see if the other option of paying at cebuana will work. I was given 24 hours to pay or else my request for additional baggage allowance will not be processed. Since it was impossible to pay at cebuana, we assumed the transaction was canceled. Unfortunately, the computer could not cancel out that transaction and even when we were willing to pay AUD 17 at the counter, the lady assisting us had to go up to the cebu pacific office to fix whatever computer glitch that did not allow us to be checked in. We waited for about an hour in the counter. Finally, we were allowed to pay AUD 17. Our bags were checked in and we were told to leave Zeeh s stroller in front of one counter together with other strollers, crutches etc from other passengers. We barely had an hour before our flight and Gate 59 was a little far away after customs clearing. Our flight departed late and we arrived in Manila almost 2 hours late. It took us around an hour to clear immigration and when we got to the baggage counter, we were told that our stroller was left in Sydney. ALong with several passengers who also had luggages left in Sydney, we filled up a report and told our stroller will be delivered in Dumaguete for free.
Lessons Learned. When you book your flight, it is best to get 30 kg luggage allowance since it will give you the luxury of not having to handle carry-ons. I m not sure if it s just my BDO and BPI cards that wont be accepted for payment in their website or there was really a system error at that time, but definitely do not attempt to choose payment centers if you cannot push through with the payment because cebu pacific computer will make it difficult to cancel the request.
You dont have to come very early if you have no plans of purchasing anything at the duty free area because apparently the counter opens past 7 am and a long line will be waiting for you if you come 2 hours from ETD as recommended. You ll end up standing on cue for hours .
Summary of Cebu Pacific Airline tickets: 2 adults and 1 infant
Dumaguete to Manila. Manila to Dumaguete: PHP 3,735.60
Additional luggage fee 369.60
Manila to Sydney: 12,698.00
Sydney to Manila: AUD 441 15,000.00
Additinal luggage fee AUD 17 600.00
TOTAL PHP 32,403.2
Terminal fees and Philippine travel tax not included.
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