Philippine Airlines Flight Review: Manila to Incheon (Economy Class)

It was the first back-to-work day of 2015 and it seemed the entire Manila was bracing for "trafficgeddon" as people started flocking back to the nation's capital from their holiday vacation. If the point of the media was to scare everyone into leaving earlier to get to their destination, well, let me congratulate them for it surely worked as I arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 almost five hours before my flight to Incheon. I was so early that our designated counters were not even yet opened. I lined up at the Shanghai check-in counter instead.

The counter was so slow that some passengers transferred to another line while the Caucasian behind me was muttering expletives under his breath. As I had all the time in the world, I was probably the only one whistling although I was kind of concerned for a moment in fear of an ugly scene when one official told the person in front of me as well as the rest of us to transfer to the back of the line of another counter because ours was now closed. Good thing the person in front was insistent that they accommodate us especially since he was already told to transfer from another counter.

I spent the rest of my waiting time online and chatting on the phone when our boarding was announced right on schedule. However, we were late in departing by half an hour because we were missing some passengers.

After take-off, Philippine and Korean newspapers were offered as well as customs declaration forms for those who missed taking them at the gate counter.

Throughout the flight, I felt like I was at a day care center with so many babies and toddlers on board so an occasional scream was to be expected.

I then inquired whether the InAir service was available as there were no video screens visible but I was simply told to wait for an announcement. However, the purser never made any such announcement so I just tried to open the app to see for myself. And what do you know? It was available and I saw some titles that appealed to me but first things first---chow!

"Care for some drinks?"

Drinks? We haven't been served our meals yet. "What about our food?" I asked.

The attendant looked at me for two seconds as if I had asked the oddest thing. I gestured with my hands to indicate that my table tray was empty. She then said it will follow and repeated her question.

Some minutes later, I was offered a choice between beef or fish. I opted for fish and wasn't expecting much so I was kind of surprised how it tasted like real food. In my experience, most airline food tastes like those bland microwavable meals. The ube pudding was delicious but the green salad was tasteless.

After my meal, I went to the washroom and was dismayed at how messy it was. The tissue bin was turned into a trash bin by the previous users while some used cups were left at the counter. I reported the mess to the crew.

It then started to get chilly so I requested for a blanket to keep me warm while I watched "Major Crimes" and "The Big Bang Theory." It was during this time that the duty free cart was rolled out.

I must say that I prefer watching using the slowly-being-phased-out in-flight entertainment (IFE) because for one, it's eye level or above the head. With my vertigo, I cannot look down for a long time. Propping up my iPad using my arm is tiring which defeats the purpose of watching for relaxation. Not to mention, it drains my battery.

The only thing I like about the InAir service is the ease of seeing and choosing your titles. Whereas with IFE where you had to scroll through all the channels, with InAir, you see all your options in one screen and just tap.

The flight was smooth until the final hour when we had some slight turbulence but over-all, it was a relaxing flight. When we were about to descend, a Korean woman got up and sat on the purser's seat. She was there quite some time until the head purser saw her. He asked one of the crew about her real seat and asked her to return. The woman smiled sheepishly and said something in Korean before complying. It was only then that I noticed she had her belongings with her. I guess she just wanted to be first in line to disembark.

It was a long walk to the immigration area which included a brief train ride. Anybody who is just coming from a long flight might appreciate the stretch but maybe not the likes of the Korean woman in a hurry.

If the walk to immigration was long, the clearance took longer as they only had two counters open for foreigners. They opened more only after all the nationals had been cleared but still it took a while. Ironically, the monitors beside the counters were boasting how fast clearance was because of their technology.

When it was finally my turn, the officer wondered why I was alone. I explained that I have a friend based in Korea who was waiting for me outside. He then asked why I was visiting and I gave the only honest answer I had: "I have never been to Korea." *Smile so sweetly*

He responded in laughter and let me off.

---THE PARANOID TRAVELER---

Philippine Airlines Flight Review: Manila to Incheon (Economy Class)

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