Cebu Pacific to Fly to Honolulu, Hawaii in 2015

Low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific is slated to fly to Honolulu in 2015 according to the Department of Foreign Affairs.  Although a launch date has not officially been set, the Gokongwei-owned carrier hopes to launch the US route by the middle of next year.

Image by: Angelo Agcamaran/PPSG
Sales officials for Cebu Pacific were in Hawaii's largest city from November 16 to 20 in order to meet with the Philippine consul, Gina Jamoralin, travel agencies, the local Filipino community, business groups, and airport officials in an effort to survey the market.  Officials from Cebu Pacific said that Jamoralin "expressed appreciation Cebu Pacific’s announcement, which will open up more opportunities for business and tourism travels for the Filipino and American people."  

Image by slowking4/Wikimedia
If the launch pushes through, Honolulu could become Cebu Pacific's first destinations in the United States.  The carrier has also recently expressed interest in starting passenger flights to Guam.  Since last year, Cebu Pacific has been launching flights outside the East Asia region flying to cities such as Dubai.  It also recently began flights to Sydney, Kuwait, Riyadh, and Dammam.

The announcement comes amidst expansion of Philippine carriers into the United States market, following the reinstatement of its Category 1 rating by the US Federal Aviation Administration. Without the Category 1 rating, local carriers are not able to expand their operations in the US or substitute newer aircraft on existing US routes. Philippine Airlines has been taking full advantage of the recent upgrade by deploying its Boeing 777-300ER aircraft to its San Francisco and Los Angeles. PAL also announced a gradual increase in its Honolulu flights to daily service, which is expected to commence in December. 

53 comments:

  1. Hallelujah! What a relief that Cebu Pacific is finally starting its move to come to the U.S. of A. This will ensure neck to neck competition with perennial PAL which has been setting uncompetitive air fares for decades. As a FilAm, I will gladly patronize Philippine carriers and make comparison and contrast as a decent way to gauze or apprise how these two airlines would capture the FilAm market. And if the prices are right, I will prioritize to go home to RP every now and then. PAL and Cebu Pacific, I am one of those thousands of FilAm retirees (from the USA) who wants to escape boredom. Therefore, prepare yourselves to present your "best price" forward. Seriously!

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  2. I may say goodbye to KE and OZ (after flying them for 2 decades) to make sure Cebu Pacific will establish its market share here in the states. I am also confident that this airline will meet my travel expectations irrespective of its status as low-cost carrier. Welcome to USA!!!!!!!!

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    1. Yuck. Cebu Pacific coming to U.S? Just no.
      This Airline is the WORST.

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    2. I don't know. Still KE/OZ/SQ over PAL/Cebu Pacific

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    3. @ 11/27 5:30 AM Why do you dislike Cebu Pacific? Did it fire you from your job? Give decent reasons, as I presume you have not flown any airplane as of yet!

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    4. @ November 27, 2014 at 11:55 PM
      This piece of SHIT airline is nothing, but bad experience. It was my first time flying with them and i was treated badly on that Airline. When i asked for drinks, they accidentally spilled it on my Tux. Then of course i get angry at them for this. Later on, when i wanted to use the Restroom, i hear them talking about me and as soon as i left the CR, they gave me an odd stare. What the fuck?

      After arriving to Manila from Hong Kong, i decided to cancel my Ticket with Cebu Pathetic. Never again flying with this retarded Airline. Not to mention its bad safety record. I used to fly PAL years ago, but they are sure hell better than flying with CEBU PATHETIC.

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    5. @Anon 11/28 1742H

      You wear your tux while flying in a LCC? No wonder you're not comfortable.. Hahaha!

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    6. One of those weird episodes! Must be a comedian!

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    7. @Anon 11/28 2:17 PM

      What makes you think this is funny? I needed to fly to Manila for an emergency related to our Business. I needed a cheap and quick Flight to Manila, so i took Cebu Pacific. Just because i wear a Tux does not mean i can't fly an LCC?

      On the return trip, i went with Philippine Airlines since i've always flown with Cathay Pacific. I wanted to see how they manage their Customers and its far better than Cebu Pathetic. Not the best services around, but they hell treat you better than Cebu Pathetic.



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    8. Hongkong to Manila on CX does not pose a problem for you because CX is a prestigious and award-winning airline. You are a businessman and you fly an LCC? Next time, insist on flying business class with CX, its only an hour or so away from HKG to MNL, so your company must be able to afford it. And do not blog in this site anymore because you may get a heart attack! Your psychological well-being should come first, OK? Good!

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    9. Mr. Hongkong, open your two eyes, fly your flag carrier CX so that you'll not have heartaches and complaints. From Mr. Laoag with love!

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    10. Aww, look at these Two anons hating on me. I forgot to mention why i didn't fly with CX and its because the Flight was full. Like i said i needed a cheap and quick Flight to Manila and i was lucky to score a seat with Cebu Pacific.

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    11. You must be a comedian then if you had to wear a tux. Business attire is a suit, not a tux... unless your business was making a stand-up comedy appearance on TV!

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    12. You make me laugh. Indeed, this is a comedian show on Philippine Flight Network. I had to wear a Tux, for a Business Dinner. And why are we going to start fighting over of me wearing a Tux over a Suit? Isn't this Article suppose to be about Cebu Path- i mean Pacific?

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    13. @tux wearing anon

      I don't care about you flying CX/PR or 5J. I care about your comfort rushing to an emergency business meeting that later became a dinner. Wanted to fly premier but left with a budget airline with cramped seating. And a story with no consistency. That must have been very stressful!

      My common sense will tell me given that situation and knowing i'd be flying in a LCC. While seated, I would let go of that tux and relax a bit in that 2 hours of flight. (Simple)

      You complicate things too much.

      You need a vacation. Enjoy life.

      -the laughing anon

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  3. This website is full of Cebu Pathetic and RSA apologists. PAL is not exactly that great anymore but I'd still pick them over CebPac, especially for long haul.

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    1. Long haul flights... pax packed like sardines without freebies...good luck!

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    2. If the air fare price is right, why not? Just spend your extra money with souvenirs, local travel, sumptuous food and exciting "day and night life" It does not bother me flying 10 hours nonstop in a jampacked aircraft but with hefty savings in my pocket, I prefer having fun on land than in the air!

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    3. Frankly, the problem is that CebPac's service is absolute shit. I know it's a low-cost carrier so I have no complaints paying for extra. But the customer and passenger service has a lot to be desired.

      As for RSA, it was nice that PAL finally went into profitability, but by essentially turning PAL into a low-cost carrier with poor service as well. Come on, who wants to fly on an all-economy A330 with a 3-3-3 configuration without IFE for six or more hours? Even Air Asia X at least has a small premium cabin. Plus, getting more A340s instead of ordering more 777s or even 787s or A350 was stupid. I know that the latter was mostly because of Tan, but let's face it, RSA was a failure of a COO and doesn't deserve to be in the airline industry. I'd rather have Ethiad or ANA take over PAL than let RSA keep it as a laughing stock.

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    4. Go find Mr. Lucio Tan and offer him your services and additional capital investments so that you can help PAL stay out of financial disaster. Remember, time is running out!

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    5. shhhhhhhhhh Lucio Tan might come here and call you out.

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  4. If Cebu Pacific introduces its PISO fares from MNL to HNL, I will go home to RP every quarter. In this way, I will be able to help RP's economy by spending my dollars in Philippine businesses as I plan to visit the places I have not seen yet especially Mindanao and Sulu. Isn't it a better idea than going to lose my dollars in Las Vegas casinos? Makes sense, right?

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    1. That's another thing wrong with CebPac. False advertising. Their advertised fares are different from their actual fares. They keep claiming that their fares are just a few thousand pesos, but that excludes taxes and the all important fuel surcharge. They don't even specify exactly how much the surcharge is in ads, you only find out when you book the ticket. At least PAL fares, while higher, are all-inclusive. CebPac may be cheaper, but they're also liars.

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    2. That's common practice in the industry. Try booking with Cathay Pacific online & they also add the taxes after you've selected your fare. PAL just chose a different way of presenting its fares, more like US carriers. At the end of the day, no one is lying. There are just some who are ignorant and refuse to understand the fine print & nuances of airline pricing, and complain about everything on social media.

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    3. >Fine print
      Now there's your problem. CebPac apologist detected.

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    4. The problem these days is that the public has lost its intelligence. You don't have to buy the ticket from Ceb Pac or the majority of other airlines around the world that have the same practice. When u click online & see the total price & you don't like it, close the bloody browser & shop from other airlines who you "think" are not lying. You're not being forced to buy with a gun on your head! The point is different airlines have different pricing strategies. That's the decision these airlines have taken. If you think they're lying, think again. The competition bureaus, complaints comissions, fair business practice watchdogs of all the countries they operate from/to would have reigned in on them already. And they have in the past. But the current business practices have already been scrutinized by the courts & ruled as fair & just. It used to be that the customer is always right. These days, especially on social media, some people just have rabid mouths with no brains. And no matter what the airlines do, they can't please these imbeciles. And this is very typical here in the Philippines. How sad.

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    5. Um, Cebu Pacific itself now presents all-in fares. Flights to Sydney are presented at ₱6,999 (one-way). What is not included are optional things (e.g. seat selection, hold baggage) which you don't have to pay if you are a frugal traveller; and things you need to pay at the airport but at least it's not Cebu Pacific itself collecting it from you.

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    6. And those who complain too much are not real frequent fliers. Que pena!

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    7. Si cierto! Que pena para los cabrones!!

      Why don't CebPac offer Jollymeals on preorder basis for this long flights.

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    8. I'm referring to all their fares, not just Sydney. Their other fares are still false.

      Never thought that this site was full of people who worship CebPac. They're acceptable for domestic and short haul, but flying on an LCC for more than five hours is a stretch.

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    9. Must be apologists? Honestly, this word means a lot of things, so why not simply use lover or hater instead! In journalism, you must "express" and not "impress"!

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    10. We are not Cebu Pac worshippers. We are people who have brains & know how to use them. We do, however, worship competition in the free market, which benefits the traveling public in our capitalist system. But I guess that's beyond your comprehension skills. If you really believe that Cebu Pac's fares are "false", then by all means go ahead and be a fool. I'm starting to think that people should not have freedom of thought & speech because it's making the human race look bad. Again for the "nth" time, Cebu Pac's fares are NOT false. They've just chosen to break it down first without the taxes and fees, just like at a restaurant before adding the service charge at the end, and is a common practice among other airlines like CX, etc... But I don't see you calling those other airlines "liars". Sus Ginoo ang bobo ng mga Pinoy minsan! Nakakahiya!

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    11. Sometime in 2012 or earlier, the U.S. DOT penalized PAL for false and misleading advertising. Apparently, PAL was advertising its UNBUNDLED (just the base fare) fares in the U.S., and the U.S. DOT found this as a violation of passenger rights.

      Going by the decision and definition of the U.S. DOT, if 5J advertises their fares the way to use to here in the Philippines (i.e. advertising base fare only), then yes, there may be an argument for false/misleading advertisement.

      And that is why I believe that for their SYD flights, they have no other choice but to advertise it as ALL-IN. And if you would notice, its only the SYD flights thats advertised as ALL-IN fares due to stricter consumer protection laws.

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    12. This is the ruling that penalized PAL for violation of unfair and deceptive practices:

      http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=DOT-OST-2012-0002-0031

      "Applicable Law
      On April 25, 2011, the Department issued a set of rules designed to enhance protections
      for air travel consumers that, among other things, required airlines to comply with the
      Department’s full-fare advertising rule as written, which requires that the prices
      advertised include all government-imposed taxes and fees and all airline- and ticket
      agent-imposed fees."
      1

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    13. I have just read an advertisement in Las Vegas' Philippine Journal, a local Filipino newspaper in the West Coast USA. Low season round trip fares LAX to MNL: $814 on Asiana; $835 on Korean and $1,045 on PAL.

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    14. Since year 1988, I have worked as travel agent for a big Filipino airline consolidator in Los Angeles which served Korean, United, Northwest and PAL. Filipinos and Americans loved the lowest air fares on KE and NW. Now, look at Korean and Northwest (Delta) - they are now super carriers because they know how to manage an airline business. The bad part of it is that my employer has been out from its airline consolidator business. What a volatile market!

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  5. I like these blogs! Finally, you can detect people with brains from people in the streets! Ha ha ha ha ha

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    Replies
    1. And I can detect travel agents from Bombay explaining the booking "fine prints & nuances". Welcome "brodders!"

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  6. Nice. Meron na naman bagong destination ang Cebu Pacific. Let's go

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    1. LAX/SFO/CHI/LAS/NYC. Better do your homework PAL If CebuPac starts to takeoff like Aer Lingus and Air Berlin (both LCCs), it is over for some legacy carriers serving the Philippine market!.

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  7. Exciting times ahead for air travel. How soon can the airlines lower the fuel surcharge now that fuel has gone down in the world market by 40%?

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    1. Do not expect that (lower fare adjustments) anymore. Two weeks ago, the big legacy United States carriers commented that they are not ready to make adjustments as they have just took off from financial hardships.

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  8. Just a question. For those who have flown with Cebu Pacific long haul and Air Asia X, which is better in terms of service, seat pitch and on-board amenities?

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    Replies
    1. AirAsia is called the world's best LCC for a reason.

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  9. I hope Cebu Pacific will offer hot meals that has competitive prices like Air Asia. like P200 per meal... P25 for the bottled water.

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  10. tip: bring your own IFE and battery bank or your book to avoid boredom on flight.

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  11. Let's talk about this article on CebuPac's new destination to Honolulu, a ten-hour non stop flight from MNL. If PAL flies daily (very soon) and CebuPac matches such daily flights, that becomes very interesting! We will definitely see a "fare war" on that very small market. (I should know, I visit my relatives in Hawaii every now and when there are chances to do so, as I am a working class "Angeleno" who loves to travel). I can foresee the so-called PISO fare from one of these airlines. If so, travelers from mainland USA can utilize domestic LCCs to HNL (Allegiant Air, for example) to make connections for MNL. Definitely, you will save money from this type of scenario. It is also a double whammy for those who have relatives in Hawaii because they could adjust their flight schedules and stay in Hawaii for a short visit, tour and reunion. On the other hand, Hawaii is different from Hongkong in terms of these airlines hauling local Filipino passengers. Most Filipinos who want to visit Honolulu (for the first time) would have to face hassles/struggles in obtaining visit or tourist visas to the USA, remember that! This is the dilemma that PAL and CebuPac would face in this scenario of dealing with empty seats. We will see the winner of the air fare battle! I wish that all Pinoys are able to fly freely to Hawaii without US visa hassles! Hey, I am not apologist; I am a fan (not hater) of anything Filipino like airlines, buses, nightclubs, etc. I am not classy either, just an ordinary Juan de la Cruz! Keep smiling! Remember, life is short!

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  12. To those who bash Ceb Pac, if not for them you all probably could not afford to travel anyway! And you can thank them for PAL matching the low fares. It's usually the inexperienced travelers who like to complain. Business travelers & frequent flyers will never complain on an amateur website like this. This is for people who have nothing better to do. And besides, those that can really afford will traveler the world's best. Or if they're frugal, will still travel with 5J & PAL, but will have the good breeding not to say stupid stuff.

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    1. I am the Anon that was supposedly named "Mr. Hong Kong" by another Anon.

      I've flown many Airlines such as Korean Air, Asiana Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, All Nippon Airways, Singapore Airlines, etc;

      Why i disliked Cebu Pacific? Because of the terrible experience i had with them. You see, i had a very important Meeting that i had to attend in Manila. I couldn't score a Business class seat with CX since it was full and i needed to be there by the next day. Cebu Pacific was the only choice i got and it was the wrong choice. I had my Tux spilled with water and i hear their Flight attendants murmuring about me while i was in the Restroom. After arriving in Manila, i decided to go cancel my return Flight with Cebu Pacific and fly with Philippine Airlines.

      Cebu Pacific is the worst LCC carrier i have ever been on.

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    2. Muchas Gracias! You nailed it!

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    3. Good bye Mr. Hongkong! We hope you'll not be too excited with Cebu Pacific of the Philippines!

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  13. Either cebu pacific is cheap or not, either the customer is businessman or not, either your traveliing just for fun or for business purposes, any airline or any businesses should provide an excellent customer service, they should exceed people's expectation. Because either way... what we pay them is what make their business possible. And whatever this anonymous person had was just his bad experience he wanted to share to everybody that might other consider in choosing their airlines. He is not telling you guys not to choose Cebu Pacific! Just like everyone else here!!! he is also entitled to his own opinion and he is free to speak for himself!!! If you guys prefer to travel with cebu pacific then you guys are free to do so!! nobody's stopping you!!! but don't question other people's comments! That's his opinion, that's what he had!!! so beat it!! and just drop the case!!!

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    ReplyDelete

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