Philippine Airlines - A Small Rant!

[Tommy T.]

3 hours ago, OnMyWay said:

Have you ever used Seat Guru?  Great website for us tall folks!  This link is for the A330-300 Layout 2 that we will be on, direct MNL-AKL.  Economy seat pitch is 34 and width 18, which is not bad compared to others.

https://www.seatguru.com/airlines/Philippine_Airlines/Philippine_Airlines_Airbus_A330_V3.php

If you go to Comparison Charts you can see the seat sizes and amenities, by class.  One that same aircraft, Premium Economy is 38 and 19.5.  These days, Premium Economy is out of my reach on most airlines.  On this PAL flight to Auckland, it is 2 to 3 times more than economy.

Thanks for that OMW. I will give that a try next time I fly somewhere.

Make sure you practice your Kiwi language - it's a bit different from Aussie or Brit or American... And a good beer there is Lion Red (which they pronounce as Lion Rid!).

[OnMyWay]

On 9/17/2019 at 12:41 PM, OnMyWay said:

PAL rant continued!....

They raised the price of all these premium seats.  Aisle seat $15, first 5 rows $40, more legroom $70.  I looked at the flight in 2 days on the 19th, MNL-AKL.  Look at the picture.  The gray seats are booked.  The blue seats are available.  The premium seats are available and everyone has booked the middle seats and window seats that are still "free"!

Rant continued, a little bit!  However, mostly good with PAL.

Our flight Manila-Auckland was yesterday.  A grueling day!  Wednesday my wife and I were super busy since 6 am doing final prep, errands, etc.  The kids went to school.  Our PAL flight was at 0655 Thursday AM, so we had out ride to NAIA pick us up at 11 pm.  Ended up driving at 1130 PM and arrived at 0230 AM.  I couldn't believe it, but there was quite a bit of traffic at the NLEX and on EDSA!  Perhaps some due to the end of the SEA games.  Flight arrived Auckland early but we didn't get to the house until after midnight and then stayed up a few hours.  I don't sleep much on planes so I was up the better part of 48 hours.

I was pleasantly surprised with the PAL A330.  The economy legroom was not bad.  Seats are ok but I got my usual tailbone pain that I get on long flights.  What really worked for us is that the row in front of us was empty so we used it.  The two little ones were able to lay down and both got 6-8 hours non-stop sleep.  That was wonderful!  We had and uncle and two aunts travelling with us, and they were a great help with the kids.  That PAL crew was good with the kids too.  Not super strict like SQ was on out last Auckland trip.  PAL food was not bad and I had plenty as the kids didn't really want much.  The PAL seatback entertainment was OK but most of the content was old.

So, now the rant part.  Back to the previous post about extra charges for seats.  They now charge $75 for exit rows.  Obviously that strategy is not working.  Here is the exit row in front of us.  Empty.  The crew put the tray tables up so that nobody would sit there.  

  

[stevewool]

Every airline that we use charges for any seat now and I just refuse to pay, I wait until the 24 or 48 before our travel time and then I try to get the seat I wanted and most of the time it works, Manchester to Hong Kong one way they wanted £150 for exit seats on top of the price I had already paid.

[OnMyWay]

1 hour ago, stevewool said:

Every airline that we use charges for any seat now and I just refuse to pay, I wait until the 24 or 48 before our travel time and then I try to get the seat I wanted and most of the time it works, Manchester to Hong Kong one way they wanted £150 for exit seats on top of the price I had already paid.

That sucks!  I hate the way airlines always follow each other when it comes to fees

[Marvin Boggs]

F that.... I'm paying extra for exit row or aisle or whatever.  I just factor it into the overall cost of the ticket, same as if they are charging for meals or extra baggage weight.  The listed pricing is just a veneer. 

[Dave Hounddriver]

17 minutes ago, Marvin Boggs said:

I'm paying extra for exit row or aisle or whatever.

I accidentally found it that is needless in many cases.  I bought a couple of tickets a couple days before my flight and they wanted me to pay extra to choose my seats.  I didn't.  However I immediately did the Online Check In and got to choose the exact same seats for free.  So you go ahead and pay.  I like free.

[Marvin Boggs]

Actually I assign the seat picking duties to my wife coz I hate the website interface.  I think she may use your method, not sure.  But the absolute worst is getting stuck in a middle seat somewhere for 14 hours by not ensuring the better seat. 

[OnMyWay]

12 minutes ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

I accidentally found it that is needless in many cases.  I bought a couple of tickets a couple days before my flight and they wanted me to pay extra to choose my seats.  I didn't.  However I immediately did the Online Check In and got to choose the exact same seats for free.  So you go ahead and pay.  I like free.

Last minute booking and seat selection may be fine for single travellers but is not a good option for a family of 5.

[stevewool]

36 minutes ago, Marvin Boggs said:

Actually I assign the seat picking duties to my wife coz I hate the website interface.  I think she may use your method, not sure.  But the absolute worst is getting stuck in a middle seat somewhere for 14 hours by not ensuring the better seat. 

That is a worry for me too, but I just make sure the wife sits there, she’s smaller then me , can sleep on a washing line and when she needs a pee, her smile gets the person to move without the huffs and puffs I get.

[stevewool]

27 minutes ago, OnMyWay said:

Last minute booking and seat selection may be fine for single travellers but is not a good option for a family of 5.

You will be surprised how the airlines can be accommodating if there is a large booking, I have seen this many times even once family members are in there seats the stewards will do there best to move people about so they are together,