Question Philippine airlines question about fares

[Smit]

I hope some of the seasoned travelers can answer this question for me.

I'm looking for a round trip flight from Los Angeles to Manila. The fares for economy are economy saver, economy value, and economy flex. In the fares comparison chart there seem to be very small differences between the different fares. Does anybody know if there are more comfortable seats for the upgraded flights or what it is that would make it worth while to pay the extra money?

 

[Mango's Dive Center]

I am pretty sure the only seat difference is when you get to Comfort Class, which is PAL's terminology for their Premium Economy seating. The 4 different classes below Comfort Class/Premium Economy have to do with luggage allowances, mileage accrual and change/cancellation flexibility among a few other things.

If you do plan on flying PAL be sure to read up on their rules, especially concerning carry-on baggage which is limited to one carry-on no greater than 7kg/15/lbs and one personal bag (that must fit in front of you under the seat). PAL typically does weigh everything and likes to charge for the overage.

Also, plan on getting to the airport early as Filipino's queue very, very early for flights. You will arrive at the LAX 2 - 3 hours before the flight departure expecting to chill at your gate for a hour and find your self in a line of 250 people with heaps and heaps of baggage...combined with a lot of arguments with desk agents on baggage weights, and charges...and a slow moving line. (This applies to your return from MNL also)

PAL does not have a great reputation for leaving on time and also cancellations. Everyone has their issues with certain airlines, PAL seems to be my nemesis so I just try to avoid them. My destination in the US once a year is Cedar Rapids, IA so it does not come up much...although if I were leaving out of LA the non-stop would be hard to resist.

United just announced today non-stop, daily service to Manila from SFO starting October 29. Also new daily flights to Hong Kong, Taipei, Tokyo (Narita and Haneda) from LAX. This is great news as these are all main Asian connecting hubs to the Philippines.

Good luck and it would be interesting if you reported back on your decision and the kind of fare you paid.

 

[Centrals]

Non stop is indeed hard to beat for long haul flight.

 

[ThatDogDontHunt]

Seatguru sometimes has useful information about seat pitch (think knee room).

In my experience the fare price level is generally a combination of
a) ability to alter your ticket
b) amount of knee room
c) seat width (seats per row)**
d) when you bought your ticket...
** But not always. I have seen business class seating that sold 4 seats per row with 6 seats available. The middle seat on each side was always empty, but the pricey seats were the same width as the cheap seats in the back.

Some airlines also differentiate pricing around exit / special rows:
1) the row in front of an exit row can not recline
2) exit rows may have extra legroom due to larger pitch, but narrower seats due to built in tray tables in YOUR arm rest (because the row ahead is "too" far away)
3) bulkhead rows generally have less legroom and often no underseat storage in the row ahead
4) last row of the bus often does not recline...

Philippine Airlines Planes, Fleet and Seat Maps

Your guide to Philippine Airlines seat maps and fleet information, use this before you book or take a flight.

seatguru.com