Saturday, February 4, 2012

FLYING: More Fun in AirPhil Express!

AirPhil Express (IATA: 2P / Call sign: ORIENT PACIFIC), formerly known as Air Philippines, is the country's third largest airline in the Philippines in terms of passengers flown. From January to September 2011, it had flown at least 3 million passengers.


AirPhil Express Airbus A320 taxiing at Davao International Airport


AirPhil Express is Philippine Airlines' solution to Cebu Pacific Air's dominance on the low cost travel market in the country.

I had my first flying experience with AirPhil Express last November 14, 2010 and it was also my first time to ride a Q400 turboprop plane enroute to Cagayan de Oro City. My first experience with AirPhil Express gave me a good impression since my 20-minute flight was smooth and hassle-free. 


Since the company's rebranding last 2010, AirPhil Express had given reliable services to its passengers at a very affordable price.



AirPhil Express with its major competitor, Cebu Pacific Air (Taken at Davao Intenrnational Airport)


Online Booking

Like any other budget airlines, AirPhil Express also gives promo fares periodically. I tried their online booking when they had their piso fare promo several months ago. I booked a round-trip DVO-MNL ticket and it only took me five minutes or less to finish the process. Unlike its major competitors, online booking at AirPhil Express is fast and efficient, even during seat sales. Hassle free! You don't have to worry about losing your seat due to server errors.

Although, AirPhil Express has limited payment options. They only accept major credit cards (Visa and Mastercard only) in their online booking system.



Customer Service

I hate calling the customer service hotline (be a telecommunication or airline company) because it takes time and effort. More so, problems are usually (but not always) left unanswered, leaving us, the customers, clueless of what is really happening.

Since everyone's online, AirPhil Express delivers customer service/support via Facebook 24/7! You can also reach them via Twitter (@airphilexpress). Talking about convenience.


Brothers and Sisters



Check-in at Airport

AirPhil Express, like any other airlines in the country, requires its passengers to check-in two hours before their flight (three hours if it's an international flight). However, if you are not bringing any check-in baggage, you can always try their web check-in service. Through web check-in, you don't have to undergo the usual check-in procedures inside the airport. Even if you arrive 30-45 minutes prior your ETD, they will still allow you to board the plane.

If you happen to book your flight online, AirPhil Express requires you to present your credit card for security reasons. If you happen to use your friend's credit card, present a photocopy of his credit card and his valid ID (just one). To avoid any inconveniences, secure your copies and e-ticket before checking-in.

So far, I didn't experience any inconveniences and delays in the check-in procedures of AirPhil Express.


Aircraft Cabin Interior and Services

I have ridden two of their aircrafts - the Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 turboprop and the Airbus A320-200. The Q400, albeit small, has a higher performance compared to other turboprop planes. My DVO-CGY flight was supposedly be a 40-minute flight but it was only less than 20 minutes. Wow!

On the other hand, their bigger plane, the Airbus A320-200, is relatively clean and the cabin temperature is cold enough to impress me. The cabin crew were all nice and accommodating.

One can also purchase food and souvenir items at a reasonable price.


Perks and Rewards

One of the reasons why I choose AirPhil Express is their free 15-kg baggage allowance. I don't need to force myself to stuff all my things in just one backpack. 

I. HATE. THAT. WITH. FEELINGS. PA.







Students can also avail the 20% discount on all local flights! Just present your valid school ID to any AirPhil Express ticketing office.

They also give one way tickets for free! Ten (10) domestic boarding passes entitle you to one (1) FREE domestic ticket (one way) to any domestic APX destination of your choice. Ten (10) international boarding passes entitle you to one (1) FREE International Ticket (one way) to any International APX destination of your choice. Click here for more details.



Final Verdict

My flying experience with AirPhil Express has been great so far. I haven't had any bad experiences from them, thank God, but should I encounter such inconveniences, I believe that they will address those very quick.

Online booking is hassle-free albeit the presence of seat sales. I haven't had experienced any delays  in their online booking system.

Today, AirPhil Express is beefing up for its planned expansion and the delivery of its brand new Airbus A320-200s. This will surely benefit its loyal customers.

I still have a scheduled flight with AirPhil Express to Manila this June and probably to Cebu and Iloilo trip this March and May respectively.

I can't wait to fly again with AirPhil Express. Flying is more FUN in AirPhil Express!




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How's your AirPhil Express experience? I'd love to hear from you! Leave your comments, good or bad, below. :)

DISCLAIMER: This is NOT a sponsored post (wish ko lang teh hahaha). This was written base from the author's experiences. 

40 comments:

  1. Wow. Maganda pala ang Airphil. The 15kg free bagage is a sweet deal. YOU HEAR THAT CEBU PACIFIC!

    Dati natatakot akong sumakay sa Airphil kasi nga di siya masyado kilala at ang liliit ng planes nila. Pero now, I'd like to try it. Plus, they're cheaper, right?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AirPhil's relatively cheaper compared to its major competitors. :)

      Delete
    2. I highly agree! My recent travel to Cebu was with Airphil. And i got a good impression then. So with my Manila-Palawan trail, I booked with Airphil again ^_^

      Delete
    3. Mas matakot kayo s
      Kapag Zest Air kasi they allow troubled engine plane to fly that happen to my tito . But with airphil they are FAR better than ANY budget airlines an its operated by PAL so the quality is quite better .

      Delete
  2. sponsored post? :)

    my experience? almost 80% of my flights with APX were delayed... I had a 3 hour delayed flight with them (Manila-Masbate), they did nothing but just let us wait..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nope! Not a sponsored post. Oh, Masbate? Q400 ang eroplano niya. Medyo mabagal ang turn-over kasi konti lang mga Q400/Q300s.

      Delete
    2. I've tried all the domestic carriers and several international. They ALL have their good points and bad points. They ALL have delays and you'll experience good and bad with ALL. Sometimes, others are cheaper than the rest, and vv, you just have to catch the right promos at the right time. Jeez, no need to be so cheesily in love with just one airline, especially if you've ONLY ever flown with one airline. Peace.

      Delete
    3. Like you, I have flown several carriers, not only AirPhil.

      Delete
  3. Great review on APX Renzy! Ako din ever since I flew Airphil, dun na ako lagi nagb-book. =)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOL dapat last year pa to eh. Lagi nalang nauudlot kasi tinatamad ako. Planning to review lahat ng mga airlines na nasakyan ko. =)

      Delete
  4. only 20% of my local flights were c/o AirPhil. pero so far, okay naman... i love the fact that they launched their 24/7 customer service though. i hope they have more seat sales than CEB :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. mas gusto ko service ng airphil..pero talagang sa Cebu Pac kami nakaka-tsamba ng mas murang flights. Alam ko mura din sa Air Asia.:)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, Air Asia's cheap. Wala kasing fuel surcharge sa kanila eh. :D

      Delete
  6. I would like to commend their customer service in Facebook! Really fast! And I believe customer service should always be the top priority to be successful in business. No bad experience as well, so far. And YES I LOVE THEIR FREE 15KG ALLOWANCE TOO! :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. To be Honest APX is great only if there flights were not delayed! I already flew alot from this past years all i can say is if not cancelled your flight will be delayed for sure! I flew with CEB thrice no hustle no delays even earlier than expected schedule! I flew with APX thrice aswell 1 cancelled and 2 more than 1 hour delay! My secretary book my flights base on my sched but as much as possible i really prefer CEB... IMO

    ReplyDelete
  8. I flew them many times. Service was excellent. 80% on time(probably, because i always take the earliest flight out of manila) there's one time i flew them From Manila to Kalibo- 2 hour delayed and when the plane arrived. i was amazed how the baggage handler just throwing all the baggage on a baggage truck. I took video of it and posted on youtube and on their facebook page ( but apparently, they deleted it) And the ground crew just don't care at all. even some of the Pax are already complaining and pointing how this Fu*$^r throwing all the Luggage. anyways, here is the link of the video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3j45uXyvYg
    Well they said. "what you pay is what you get" :p

    ReplyDelete
  9. My first time to ride AirPhil Express last January 2010 when I had to come home from Singapore. Was ok. Nothing fancy. But I was so happy that they were selling ensaymada since I was pregnant that time and had a really bad craving for it. Hehehe! =)

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  10. Their website is probably the best designed and a better user experience compared to other competitions. Zest Air though has a better price comparison system. It shows the all-in fare right after you type in your destination. Anyway, AirPhil's social media presence is fantastic.

    ReplyDelete
  11. akala ko sponsored post. Sana isponsor ka na rin ng airphil para happy

    ReplyDelete
  12. ... They're NOT good to me.. grabe sa delayed yan gugutumin ka at wla man lang pakialam sa mga matatanda at mga bata while on board.. hopefully they'll address it .. d nko sasakay sa inyo.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Thanks for all your comments guys! Really appreciate it!

    ReplyDelete
  14. CebPac might have lousy service but they are more prompt, was ontime 7/8 flights so far this year and the delayed single flight was 45 minutes due to runway congestion in the afternoon.
    Tried airphil for 6 flights This year and no surprise, all of em were delayed at least 2 hours. Geez, if you travel for business, I dont care if the FAs are grumpy or nonexistent, what's important is you arrive ontime and safely.
    And no, I paid for all of my flights (my secretary does a great job scouting for the cheapest rates). So unless airphilexpress changes the way it does business (catchy websites and ease of booking is just the gravy, not the Meat), my money goes to 5J. Even if airphil dives to being dirt cheap in it's fares, no way, I don't wanna waste my time and hard earned money with 'em (they lost me money with lost time and opportunity numerous times already).

    ReplyDelete
  15. APX's edge over its competitors? 24/7 customer service and proper use of social media.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Anonymous poster complains of delayed flights for Airphil Express, we (my mom, my brother and I) and two more passengers were left stranded because the Airphil Express flight we booked decided to leave the Tuguegarao City Airport about 50 minutes before the ETD stamped on our tickets. We could have gotten on the second flight out with no extra charge (as offered by the Cebu Pac ticketing agent at the airport) but no, the Airphil ticketing agent (who by the way were very rude and unhelpful at best) already booked online that we checked in late so we had to pay them re-booking fee AND agency service charge even if I called customer service and was informed that they should not be charging us the service fee. We had to close our eyes and pay the extra charges because my mom was scheduled for a pre-operation check up that afternoon for her surgery the next day. We had to ask our doctor to wait for us to get to St. Luke's before he went home at 5:30p.m. that day (and he did wait, bless him) - unlike that one very inconsiderate pilot of Airphil who thought he had to leave super early (geez).
    Frankly, the city airport was a small town airport and security was not that strict. We could have breezed through check-in and managed to get on the plane if the flight left at the time stamped as ETD on our tickets. Why tell your passengers that flight leaves at 9:45am if your pilot decides to leave at oh, 8:55am? I called the hotline and they suggested I personally go to their NAIA office. I did that - but guess what? They wouldn't even let me in their office or was I able to talk to anyone regarding what happened to us. Even if the airline policy insist that we check-in 45 minutes before ETD, you have to admit something's fishy if the plane leaves even before that 45 minutes are up. Even if you check-in late (even at the NAIA terminals), Cebu Pacific makes last calls for all passengers listed in the manifesto before it takes off - now that's excellent customer service and very, very good consideration for their passengers. I am truly disappointed with my experience with Airphil and how they handled it. They could check the arrival and departure logs with the airport to see the time the plane started taxiing down the runway for the flight to Manila to verify my complaint. But no, Airphil chose not to do that - insisting passengers had to be there 45 minutes before ETD - but wait! your pilot left 50 minutes earlier than ETD. There's the rub.
    I had never booked Airphil again - nor would I endorse the same to people I know.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Anonymous poster complains of delayed flights for Airphil Express, we (my mom, my brother and I) and two more passengers were left stranded because the Airphil Express flight we booked decided to leave the Tuguegarao City Airport about 50 minutes before the ETD stamped on our tickets. We could have gotten on the second flight out with no extra charge (as offered by the Cebu Pac ticketing agent at the airport) but no, the Airphil ticketing agent (who by the way were very rude and unhelpful at best) already booked online that we checked in late so we had to pay them re-booking fee AND agency service charge even if I called customer service and was informed that they should not be charging us the service fee. We had to close our eyes and pay the extra charges because my mom was scheduled for a pre-operation check up that afternoon for her surgery the next day. We had to ask our doctor to wait for us to get to St. Luke's before he went home at 5:30p.m. that day (and he did wait, bless him) - unlike that one very inconsiderate pilot of Airphil who thought he had to leave super early (geez).
    Frankly, the city airport was a small town airport and security was not that strict. We could have breezed through check-in and managed to get on the plane if the flight left at the time stamped as ETD on our tickets. Why tell your passengers that flight leaves at 9:45am if your pilot decides to leave at oh, 8:55am? I called the hotline and they suggested I personally go to their NAIA office. I did that - but guess what? They wouldn't even let me in their office or was I able to talk to anyone regarding what happened to us. Even if the airline policy insist that we check-in 45 minutes before ETD, you have to admit something's fishy if the plane leaves even before that 45 minutes are up. Even if you check-in late (even at the NAIA terminals), Cebu Pacific makes last calls for all passengers listed in the manifesto before it takes off - now that's excellent customer service and very, very good consideration for their passengers. I am truly disappointed with my experience with Airphil and how they handled it. They could check the arrival and departure logs with the airport to see the time the plane started taxiing down the runway for the flight to Manila to verify my complaint. But no, Airphil chose not to do that - insisting passengers had to be there 45 minutes before ETD - but wait! your pilot left 50 minutes earlier than ETD. There's the rub.
    I had never booked Airphil again - nor would I endorse the same to people I know.

    ReplyDelete
  18. when i flew mnl-cagayan de oro last week twas 20 mins advance on the expected time of arrival. so far flying with them was hassle free. no other concerns. i heard they realky prioritize safety of the flyt prolly that was the reason why some were cancelled or aborted. id rather wait for hours than be dead right? i just wish they have piso fares na! haha.

    ReplyDelete
  19. There was one time I flew from cagayan to cebu to make the cebu-SG flight the next day. Buti na lang may barko or else naiwanan na ako ng eroplano. Airphil has an afternoon flight booked online pero unavailable na pala on the actual! Kalurky napakalayo pa nmn ng cdo arport from the pier..no use fighting with the attendants when time is against you. We book for a certan time for a reason, not just for the heck of it. If i can't trust them with my time, the cheap fare is not going to make ut worth it. I hope they would improve there over-all services

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  20. kakainis talaga ang cebu pac! we payed for our check in bagages just d other day cebu -manila flight but i was so disgusted to receive my bagage soaking wet! kc umuulan sa cebu. ang dami nagreklamo, ung isa nga aatend ng wedding basa ang susuotin! buti sana kung libre eh binayaran namin but were not getting d ryt services! eh di puno sila ng complaint nung flyt na yon!

    ReplyDelete
  21. isn't the flight delay caused by airport traffic in manila and not by the airline itself? been flying in and out of davao and manila, whether it's APX, PAL or Cebu Pac, the delay is on the average 2hrs... i just prefer APX's 15kg baggage allowance...

    ReplyDelete
  22. Sa lahat naman basta nagbayad tayo at dinaka receive ng tamang service we have the right to complain, but remember na not all the employees of the airlines eh same. Several times ako sa cebupac because of the promo and I got some complaints talaga but still nasakay pa rin ako kasi sa ibang destinations okay naman. Once palang ako sa Airphil and wala namang problem so far so mauulit olet if there's a chance to board again. We should not blame the company but the people working there for not giving the right service while they were paid by the company. Hoping lang na bigyan ng necessary action ng mga company airlines yung pabaya sa tungkulin ng manggagawa nila.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Comments are highly appreciated. Spread love, not hate! :)-->blogs should be the most truthful thing nowadays. Come on. This is a paid blog or you have intentions of earning from this. Airlines are the worst companies. How can someone rave about it? Conscience check please.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This is not a sponsored post. Wish ko lang na binayaran ako.

      Delete
  24. Hey everyone! If you have any problems or concerns about your bookings/flights, please contact AirPhil Express. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  25. It sucks right now. Got a flight in July and received an email stating that it is moved up. It wouldn't be an issue if we are NOT working. Talked to their service rep and just plainly told that we need to rebook (didn't even sound like she was awake yet). On the good note, at least they inform us early. One things for sure. I'm not gonna avail them anymore in the future.

    ReplyDelete
  26. How I wish I could also blog about their superb service. In my case, they are the complete opposite. They cancelled our Cebu to HK flight and offered us to fly out a day earlier than scheduled. This means that my family of four will be wasting our domestic tickets to Cebu, our hotel accommodation in Cebu, as well as jeopardizing our intended transit to Macau on the date of our original flight.

    They are offering me a refund and I must say it is a convenient way of setting us aside when our flight is already days away! To add more spice to my unresolved problem, I have spoken to 8 different people (long distance) regarding my issue, and I have discovered that they have been blatantly lying to me so that I will no longer have the time to make arrangements and just accept their offer.

    I won't have any of it. If they push back the amount on the card, we may end up receiving it in 45 days minimum. For the stress that this booking has caused me, I am very much convinced that they are employing shady practices to get ahead of competition and earn more profit all at our expense.

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  27. For the born traveller, travelling is a besetting vice. Like other vices, it is imperious, demanding its victim’s time, money, energy and the sacrifice of comfort.

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  28. First time flying with airphil and i am very truly disappointed with them. To the point that I fear my return to Manila aftwerwards as I dont wanna be stuck in the airport again for 4 hours. I just got back from Beijing this morning, I was flying for 5 hours and I chose to book my domestic flight with them as cebupacific flight for tuguegarao is leaving at a later time... The cebupacific flight has already left for today and I am still stuck here at the airport waiting for feedback on when or if my flight will ever push through. Im tired I lack sleep and Im only on holiday for 5 days! Thanks to them 1 day has now been wasted at the airport.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Airphil Sucks A.K.A. PAL Express! Stranded for 11 hours in the airport. the staff doesn't give option/relief for the passenger. while cebu pacific gave their passenger a meal and a "Banig" to sleep on. PAL do what Cebu Pac Does. the soul of airphil staff is flying away.
    My Final Rating:
    PAL: 8.9%
    CEB PAC: 6.4%
    Zest Air: 2.3%
    SEA Air: 2.3%
    PAL EX: 0.1%

    ReplyDelete
  30. I was surfing the Internet for information and came across your blog. I am impressed by the information you have on this blog. It shows how well you understand this subject. Ų§Ł„ŲØŲ±ŁŠŲÆ Ų§Ł„Ų³Ų±ŁŠŲ¹

    ReplyDelete

Comments are highly appreciated. Spread love, not hate! :)