Philippine Airlines Luggage Advice (SportPlus) and Manila Transit - help appreciated

[csky217]

Hello everyone!

I am traveling to the Philippines next week to giving diving in Southern Leyte. I'm really looking forward to it!

Are there any kind souls who might be able to offer a little travel advice? Any information would appreciated.

First, I'm flying to Tacloban from Manila on a Saturday morning. From other threads and a little research, it looks like domestic flights have 15kg checked luggage allowance and 7 kg carry on. The scuba gear is quite a bit more than that! From the past reports, they are quite strict about enforcing the limits and both check and carry on baggage will be weighed. However, it looks like PAL offer a SportPlus package which allows an extra 20kg of checked scuba equipment. Overage is about 170PHP per kg, so over 9 kg overweight this would be a pay for itself in 2 flights (US$70 per year for domestic flights from the website).

I would be very grateful if anyone happens to know:
- If it's possible to purchase the SportPlus membership on the the day of travel? (Say, get to the airport early and pay for the SportPlus before checking in.)
- The PAL website says this can be purchased at a ticket office. Is it necessary to wait in line at the ticket office (and where is it in Terminal 2), or it is possible to just sign up and pay at the check-in counter when checking in for the flight.
-My flight is 9:20AM on a Saturday. Would the ticket office be open early enough?
- Or should I just put all my heavy stuff in the carry on and hope for the best?

Second, where would you recommend staying for two overnights in Manila at either end of the trip? I have from 10pm-9am on a Friday night (well, perhaps midnight-7am considering arrival and departure) on arrival, and from 1pm-9am on a Saturday/Sunday on the departure from Terminal 1.

I'm fine with budget accomodations but am looking for something safe for a solo traveller, as the rest of the group will arrive later/depart earlier. Really, I just need a place to sleep and stash my luggage.

Sadly, the Manila airport Marriott is out of my budget. I did find:

Manila Airport Hotel and Nichols Airport Hotel and The Townhouse Hotel. All get some pretty mixed reviews.

But -- are there any areas of Manila which would be better to stay (especially on Saturday night before flying out)? Or anything I shouldn't miss seeing in Manila? Sadly, I won't be doing any diving there ...

Thanks for any suggestions!

[Centrals]

1. I am NOT too sure about this nowadays(Sport Plus).
I used to get it at PAL Office. A receipt will be given as a temporary proof. The actual card was delivered by mail much later. I am not sure if you can do that at the airport. Give them a call!!!
Put all the heavy stuff as hand carry as you already suggested.
2. Usually stay around Ermita area. Plenty to choose along Mabini Street. eg. City State Tower and Lotus Garden under US$60.00 per night. Take the yellow airport taxi from the airport(T1, T2 and T3) and the fare should be around P250-300. From Ermita the ordinary white taxi is around P150-180 to the airport(T2 for PAL). Swagman Hotel(also in Ermita and very near to US Embassy) offers FREE airport pick-up and drop off and the standard room is about US$50.00.
3. Places to see in Manila: Intramuros(old city) and Corregidor Island(defense of Manila in WWII).

[Karl_H]

You can get a sportsplus card as you check in at the airport, just allow a little extra time as it's not the fastest process in the world! It is 30US$ for one year on domestic flights with PAL. Make sure you sign up for a Mabuhay Miles card beforehand though, this will speed up the Sports Plus card process significantly.

The card is only delivered when you qualify for a standard 'Mabuhay Miles' card, i.e. after you make a flight and gain some points, the original recipt works fine until then though - also if you use your Mabuhay Miles number when booking the flight the additional allowance should be already logged at the check-in desk.

Also check on the validity of the Sports Plus card for your internal flight, if it's PAL then no problems, if it's a PAL Express flight (or similar sister company of PAL) it may not be valid on that flight.

Hope that helps,

Karl

[Arnel Cruz]

Maybe you want to buy my gears, it is in Tacloban City Leyte. I can bring it to you to the airport if you are interested; or if anyone of your group members is interested.

I am selling my brand new gears.

Thanks.

[csky217]

Centrals and Karl, thanks for the advice!

Great to know one can sign up for the SportsPlus card at the airport check in at Manila - just have to make sure I get up early enough to leave plenty of time. Is it really only $30 / year for the domestic Sport Plus? That would be even better ...

I think the flights (Manila-Tacloban) are directly run by Philippine Airlines and not Airphil Express. Thanks for the tip - I will double check before I sign up to make sure it the Sports Plus would apply.

I could probably get my checked bag under 15 kg if I put the heavy stuff in the hand bag - but if they weight the hand luggage, it's all over!

Since the first overnight is so short, I am thinking of staying close to the airport for that one, as there won't be time to sightsee. I will look into the Ermita area on the way back - sounds great! I really hope I can make it out to Corregidor Island - there is so much history in Manila and the PI.

Thanks - really looking forward to visiting the Philippines!

[Sherlock]

Check the website for PAL, but I believe the ticket office at the Manila Airport opens very early.
It is a sloow process though. I just bought mine and it is $70 US.
Have a great trip.

[Gilligan]

I use the Swagman Hotel for my overnight stays in Manila for the convenience of the free airport pickup and return. You can book them online:
Manila Hotels Swagman Hotel Travel Tours Service Philippines Australian Hotel
Be sure to click on the Manila location and not Angeles City.

As for sightseeing I think the Corregidor trip is the best. Not many places left in the world where you can see some remnants of WWII. It is an all day affair with a 1.5 to 2 hour boat ride in each direction. Be sure to book it as soon as possible as it can be fully booked at times. The tour is on small open air vehicles with a narrator and makes frequent stops for photos. I have photos on MY WEBSITE

Compare the sports packages on PAL and Cebu Pacific to just paying the excess baggage rates. I believe it is about $1.00 US per pound on Cebu Pacific when you convert it from kilos. It can be pricey if you are way over the limits of the allowed 15 kilos check-in and 7 kilos carry-on. There is a disclaimer on the PAL site for certain flights being limited to 10 kilos check-in. Just navigate through their sites.

LASTLY - Chinese New Year is Jan 23. It is one of, if not, the busiest time in the Philippines for tourists. You may run into "fully booked" situations almost everyplace. It is fully booked here in Bohol.

[csky217]

Thanks again for all the advice! Here are a couple of post-trip updates.

First, you can definitely purchase a SportPlus subscription on the day of the trip at Manila Airport. Thanks for the tip to sign up for Mabuhay Miles online beforehand as that was really a good idea! However, they did require me to go over to the ticketing office. Also, even though they listed the prices in USD on the website, the actual fee charged is that amount in USD (I think $84 for me for domestic), converted into pesos, plus excise tax. (And there's no money changer in the ticketing office, you'd have to go through security into the terminal and back out again.) So for all those international travellers who haven't gotten pesos yet, I recommend that make sure you have at least 15% more cash on hand than the listed price. Then hang on to your receipt, as you will need it at check-in (on both inbound and return flights). Some of my traveling companions who had international flights on Philippine Airlines were able to get a their international baggage limits applied to the domestic flights, but these had to have been ticketed with the domestic and international segments together.

I saw some people get their hand bagged tagged without it being weighed, but had to get my backpack weighed. FYI for the domestic flights, there was no problem bringing liquids in through security.

On the first overnight, I stayed at Nichols Airport Hotel. Not very scenic, kind of dated, but there was AC, wireless, and hot water, also a lot cheaper than the Manila Airport Hotel. I think it was about a 10 min cab ride. I used the downstairs metered cabs (not the coupon taxis) to get there. No problem even as a single traveller at night. In the morning, I used the hotel shuttle service but could have just hailed a cab from the street - there were plenty.

On second overnight in Manila, I stayed at Hotel Durban in Makati. Very modern and clean, tiny room, not much hot water or water pressure, very friendly staff. At the airport, I found a cab from upstairs but had to ask 3 different drivers to find a driver who would go on the meter. He got a nice tip. Due to flight delays from Tacloban, we didn't get in til afternoon, so I didn't get to go to Corregidor, sadly. There was massive traffic all over, reportedly from filming of the new Bourne Identity movie, so in retrospect Ermita might have been a better choice than Makati. I met some friends and walked around Intramuros and Fort Santiago, which was a good afternoon. No problem getting a taxi to the airport even early on Sunday morning.

The diving in Southern Leyte was a lot of fun (ported out of Padre Burgos). I really enjoyed my small taste of Filippino culture and hope to have the chance to visit again someday soon. Thanks for all the advice and hope this may be useful to someone else traveling.