Cebu Pacific Flight Review: Manila to Dumaguete (Round-Trip)

This is Part 2 of my non-flight review to Tacloban. As you can deduce from the headline, it is still not about Tacloban because my friend and I got tired with all the (understandably) cancelled flights due to bad weather and airport repairs. So we decided to just head out to Dumaguete using our travel fund with some additional payment.

We had a seven o’clock flight but as you can see from the photo above, we were real early to give us time to have an enjoyable breakfast. This is something that I can always expect at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 (NAIA T3). There are a lot of affordable and delicious restaurants and kiosks to choose from unlike Terminal 2 where the objective of the food stalls there is to try to recover their exorbitant rent expense from their hapless customers.

Anyway, check-in was fast especially since I was web checked-in but I still had to queue for my baggage.

The only reason my friend and I were going to Dumaguete was because of an old friend who used to live in Manila but has since relocated himself back to his home province gave an open invitation. I didn’t know much about the place except for the famed Siliman University so I was kind of surprised to see so many passengers. Not only that, probably a third was foreigners---Americans, Europeans, Koreans and Chinese that it felt like an international flight. My friend had the same observation and recalled reading how popular Dumaguete indeed is to foreigners for its beaches, quietness and retirement-potential.

Boarding commenced on time.

The A320 taking us to the “city of gentle people.”

Boarding may have been prompt but we took off half an hour later due to “congestion.”

After the meals and the patented fun game, I had to contend with a passenger seated behind me sneezing his head off. Although I couldn’t see him, I could tell he did not bother covering his mouth and just let his saliva fall where they may. I felt sorry for the European lady seated beside him with whom he tried to strike a conversation in futility.

When he wasn’t sneezing, he was stretching his legs underneath my seat, never mind if he kept bumping my ankles. I saw him earlier making his way to his seat and I do remember how he was just average in height so I didn’t understand why his legs would stretch that far. If he had his way, his feet would probably be protruding from under my seat.

We finally landed a little over an hour later from what had to be the bumpiest flight I have ever been on. There was turbulence all throughout albeit mild. But when you’re on a plane, you always want it to feel stable and steady.

Our baggage retrieval took quite a bit of time making me feel like I was already back at NAIA.

But unlike NAIA, I could see from the window whether my luggage was up next so I didn't need to crane my neck every time something came out of the flap (or whatever it is called). My bag was on the last delivery batch, btw.

BYE, DUMAGUETE!

After taking in what Dumaguete had to offer which included an all-terrain vehicle adventure, it was time to head back to reality.

There were several counters opened so checking in was quick.

As soon as we stepped inside the departure lounge, there was a call for Philippine Airlines passengers making it less crowded. This enabled my friend and I to find good seats near the air-conditioner as it was hot inside.

There were some special cushioned seats available, which may have been more comfortable but were far from the air-conditioner.

The average-sized departure gate had to share space with pasalubong and souvenir stalls…

…as well as a restaurant with only one table.

When you’re done shopping, you can sit back and enjoy informercials showcasing the beauty of the islands.

Or you can sing along with the visually-impaired guitarist which the French guy seated behind me did.

For all the crowded space and hot temperature inside, I have to commend the airport’s fast wi-fi service. How efficient was it? You could watch videos online with no buffering and waiting time at all. Dumaguete is probably the only local airport I have been to with working wi-fi service---including (and especially) Metro Manila.

While my friend enjoyed the Internet access, I spent time watching the planes come and go.

This was our aircraft which arrived at the time we were supposed to be flying out.

Boarding came minutes after.

And once again, our flight was delayed by almost an hour due to “traffic congestion.”

While waiting, a flight attendant tapped my shoulder. Turning to her, I was surprised to see her holding my purse which I had stored underneath my seat. After confirming that it was mine, she said that the passenger seated behind me didn’t want my purse there.

“What does she mean she doesn’t want it underneath MY seat?!” I tried to turn to look at the complaining passenger but the attendant placed her hand on my shoulder to stop me from turning and to listen further.

She said it was against airline rules for front-row seat passengers to store them there and that all our belongings should be in the overhead compartment. That got me to shut my mouth and just comply with a soft growl but it got me wondering. As much as possible, I always opt for front row seats for domestic travels be it Philippine Airlines or Cebu Pacific and have always stored my stuff underneath. This is the first time I had heard about such a policy.

Finally, we took off to enjoy a smooth flight but with no wins for the game which my friend had mentally prepared for.

Upon arriving, I checked the baggage claim announcement and got confused for a second. Of course, I knew we flew from Dumaguete but when I didn’t see the name there, I thought I was having a “senior moment” thinking we came in from Tacloban! (Oh, Tacloban!)

I waited for the screen to be refreshed to indicate Dumaguete but after a bit, it still remained the same so I looked for the information counter which was left unmanned. Fortunately, there was a Cebu Pacific staffer holding a sign and said we were sharing the carousel with General Santos and Iloilo.

Although there was a lot of luggage that had to be unloaded, surprisingly, the wait for me wasn’t that long.

Until next time!

---THE PARANOID TRAVELER---

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10 comments:

AnonymousApril 15, 2015 at 1:13 PM
For someone who travels quite a bit, I'm surprised the blogger does not know the rules. "Carry-on baggage must be placed in the overhead bin or under the seat IN FRONT OF YOU." This is written in the safety instruction card, and depending on the airline, also mentioned in the safety demonstration either live or via video. It's also mentioned during the pre-recorded and/or live announcements during boarding. Obviously being in the front row, there is no seat in front of you so your bags must go to the overhead bin. The space under your seat belongs to the passenger behind you, either as legroom or stowage.
AnonymousApril 15, 2015 at 7:58 PM
You are lucky to still be alive. Cebu Pacific has the worst safety culture and lacks proper crew training.
AnonymousApril 16, 2015 at 7:30 AM
The public doesn't know what goes on behind the scenes at CP. Their illustrious "Chief Executive Adviser" who is actually the defacto CEO has made the statement "Safety is a waste of money". Airbus has tried to get them to bring up their training standards, which they refuse. LYG insist on filling management roles with "yes" people who will not question his CEA.
AnonymousApril 16, 2015 at 7:57 PM
Those "Profits" that you brag about at CP are off the backs of the hardworking underpaid employees. Those profits are gained by reducing training, reducing safety and working crews to and beyond limits. Those profits are realized when a company skims on maintenance and forces the pilots to accept airplanes with problems. Those profits are also derived from a Flight Operations Dept that reduces items such as required charts from the cockpit.
callmebbNovember 24, 2023 at 2:31 AM
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Cebu Pacific Flight Review: Manila to Dumaguete (Round-Trip)

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