So I am in the US for a few days this week. When our Singapore travel agent offered the flight alternatives it was Singapore Airlines via Seoul or British Airways via Bangkok. Both return flight costs were expensive and comparable.
Being a good soldier for the company I suggested to them they might check Philippine Airlines via Manila. Sure enough it was 50% of the cost of the other airlines (asking myself why I am doing the travel agents job for them). I knew I should have kept my mouth shut, anyone who has flown with Philippine Airlines knows that their airline code PAL stands for ‘plane always late’!
I rocked up at Singapore airport and guess what a 2 ½ hour delay which of course actually turned into 3 hours. Still I had time to make my connection in Manila, just. We arrived in Manila taxied off the runway and came to a halt. The pilot announced there was another plane at our gate and we had to wait for them to clear………………………..another 30 minutes went by. You should note terminal 2 at Manila is exclusively for Philippine Airlines so it wasn’t another airline taking our gate. Then you have to experience flight transfer in Manila. You walk for half a mile, then go down four flights of stairs with your hand luggage. Then you get ‘processed’ at a desk then you wait for a porter who takes you back up four flights of stairs, bypass immigration and go to the security screening. During this process I had to give up my aisle seat apparently for an elderly passenger who needed it. I hate window seats, makes me feel claustrophobic especially long haul and with my back problems I like to get up and move around a lot.
I thought I had missed my flight but no the second one was delayed too! Never seen this before, there were 24 wheel chair passengers to load on the flight and they didn’t have enough porters or chairs. To add to the confusion the final wheelchair passenger was a large very badly disabled chap in an electric wheelchair which was clearly too wide to get on the plane and they didn’t seem to have the equipment or knowledge on how to get him on the plane. When it was finally time for the rest of us to board forget the system and process. Business Class first, parents with kids, then everyone else by row number. No, in true Filipino style when they did announce boarding it was a free for all, a stampede, and the ground staff did nothing to stop it. It was chaos.
The lady sitting next to me was not that old at all but boy was she grumpy. I spent the entire flight in fear of what she might say if I even breathed let alone tried to get up and go to the toilet. I am pleased I didn’t have a pop at her though (it did cross my mind). When we landed and she switched on her phone the messages from her family arrived and she burst into tears. When the air stewardess asked what was wrong she said she was returning home as her husband had died unexpectedly. Just imagine if I had decided to have a pop at her for taking my aisle seat or being so grumpy……………………………………….
From the time I left home to the time I walked into the hotel room in San Jose I had been in transit for 27 hours. That is a record, in all my life I have never travelled for that long in one stint. And some people think business travel is exciting………………………..uugghhhh if only they knew.
Here is the fun part. On the way home the travel company kindly booked tickets that give me a 2 hour window in Manila to get my connection to Singapore. I think you can see what my chances are. I had the travel company check other flights. Philippine Airlines have nothing available until Sunday so if I miss my connection I could be facing two nights in a Manila hotel before I get home. That is not an option as Sunday is Father’s Day and my wife would kill me.
I just asked the travel agent to cancel the Philippines Airlines flight and get me on a Singapore Airlines flight which leaves 4 hours after I am due to arrive in Manila. Better safe than sorry.
