I have to go up to Manila at the end of the month to go abroad on holiday on May 1. I checked direct flights to Manila on 27, 28 and 29 April - nothing available and the flights before and after were horrendously expensive. For 2 adults and 2 kids almost P30k to fly ONE WAY on 30 April!! Having been in Manila for a couple of months I'd missed the hype on the Games here, which is the reason for this. What a great opportunity for CebuPac and Phil Air to rip off travellers. I just spoke to someone flying up to Manila today (April 23) urgently who'd paid P11k. So, I'll be going to Cebu for that flight, but no small hassle. So be warned.
A friend paid P2,500 Manila to Duma a week ago or so, and today to return to Manila cost an extra p6k on a pre booked flight to go back a few day earlier yes they certainly rip when they can
My husband arrived on the 12th of april this month, the plane was packed with student athletes for the palarong pambansa and he paid more than 10,000 pesos from manila to dumaguete plus he had to stay for 2 nights in manila from sydney because flights were booked out!
Airfares are based on the "Whatever the market will bear" rule. In the US a direct flight from LAX to Denver can cost more that a one stop flight LAX to Boston even though the stop over is in Denver. If you make a reservation a week before the flight, you must be desperate, the airlines nearly double the cost, even if the plane is empty. Cebu-Pacific can be cheap if you buy their most discounted seats in advance, but they charge for baggage and even seat selection. They have zero customer service. I was stuck in Puerto Princesa last year and had to return to the States for my mother funeral. The girl at the Airport Cebu-Pacific counter could only sell us additional tickets. There was no refund possible. Hell she only had a hand carry lock box with cash for change, a few receipts and a clipboard with boarding info. She had no electronics at all. She only took cash. Guess I was lucky to get 4 seats. China-Air on the return to the states comped us half the price of the return tickets. In the Philippines one should expect cheap prices if you know what your doing but no service especially with the airlines. But the rest of the worlds airlines aren't much better.
