Being Asia’s first airline, Philippine Airlines’ history is filled with a lot of ‘first’ in the airline industry and how it’s linked to our country’s history. The story of PAL is the story of the Filipino people’s desire to travel and explore our country and the rest of the world.
My 1st PAL Experience
As a young boy, I was fascinated with airplanes and airports. As with any other Filipino family, it’s always a special time when we pick-up relatives arriving from the airports. It was more special for me as this means I would get a chance to see these huge airplanes and hear the sound of their engines roaring down the runway while I’m dreaming of riding it one day.
The opportunity came when our family planned to visit my mother’s province – Samar. I was about 11 years old when I first rode an airplane. It was our parents treat for us so we could experience riding a plane. Of course, we flew with PAL which was the only domestic airline at that time.
In keeping with the theme of the coffee table book, I’m posting this throwback pic of my first time to ride an airplane
I can still remember how excited I was to see this big Airbus plane in the old Manila Domestic Airport waiting for us to come aboard. I also remember the excellent service provided to us by the flight stewardess, especially when they gave us candies when our ears started to hurt because of the air pressure.
No matter how many times I ride an airplane, I still feel the same excitement every time I fly with PAL (whether here or abroad) because I know I would experience the same hospitality that I remembered from my childhood.
Book Launch
When I was invited to attend the Philippine Airlines coffee table book launch, I just have to say yes. This is one of the brands I grew up with and inspired me to travel. It is an honor to be part of this significant event.
This coffee table book is just one part of the many celebrations lined by PAL for their Diamond Anniversary. The event was held on July 1, 2016 at the Century Park Hotel. It was attended by top executives of the Philippine Airlines and other key players in the aviation industry.
PAL Chairman/CEO Dr. Lucio Tan and PAL President/COO Jaime Bautista. Background: Flight Attendants wearing the different uniforms through the years.Philippine Airlines Employeeswith the Philippine Airlines’ Flight AttendantsMr. Jonathan P. Gesmundo, Editor in Chief of PAL’s coffee table book
Part of the event is a gallery showcasing the milestones that the airline has achieved over the decades.
A photo posted by Mark Conrad (@planyourtripnow) on
Philippine Airlines’ 1st ticket (ticket number 1). The first revenue flight is from Manila to Baguio
Before, the flight time across the Pacific is 41 hours!
The Philippines’ 1st female pilot is also Asia’s first female pilot
All of these interesting facts are also in the coffee table book which I was able to get a copy signed by the PAL President himself.
PAL President signing my copy of PAL’s coffee table book
This experience has made me even more excited to fly with Philippine Airlines in the future. Meeting the people behind this great brand, made me appreciate the company even more. In fact, I have already booked a flight with them for Boracay in New Year’s Eve .
Cheers for more exciting years ahead for Philippine Airlines!
There’s an easier and more convenient way now to get to go to Clark Airport (Diosdado Macapagal International Aiport) with the Trinoma Clark Airport Lounge.
This is a welcome development since I’ve had a pretty rough experience when I went I used the Clark Airport to go to Boracay last April 2012. My flight was really early at that time, 7am. I researched and can’t find an available bus that would take me to Clark Airport that early. (There were non-airconditioned bus in the south of Metro Manilathat ply the route but I live in the north and it is really not practical to go there at 3am.) I need to leave for the airport at about 3am just to get there in time for the 5am check-in procedures. So, I just pleaded to my dad to drive to Clark Airport 🙂 But, I can’t do it every time I have to fly via Clark Airport that’s why this is a really good news.
Here’s the leaflet that they gave away to promote the Trinoma Clark Airport Lounge.
Trinoma Clark Airport Lounge FrontTrinoma Clark Airport Lounge Back
I guess you should just use the phone number (+63-2-621-3673) when inquiring rather than using the www.clarkairport.com since not all the links work (sadly, just like every government website).
The Trinoma Clark Lounge is located on the ground floor of Trinoma just beside Mercury Drug facing North Avenue. It has seats available good for a lot of passengers and fully air-conditioned. There’s also a receptionist and security guard. There’s also the option to leave your luggage in the lounge and just stroll inside the mall instead of just waiting in the lounge.
Ticket Price is just P200 one way.
The Daily Bus Schedule is as follows:
From Trinoma To Clark Airport
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3:00 AM
6:00 AM
8:00 AM
12:30 PM
3:00 PM
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From Clark Airport to Trinoma
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1:30 AM
5:00 AM
9:00 AM
12:30 PM
2:30 PM
5:30 PM[/unordered_list]
Remember to call them first about the schedule since this might have already changed. They also don’t do ticket reservations. You can just come on the day itself. But again, inquire from them about this again just to be sure.
This is just a part of a series of post about the different modes of transportation in the Philippines. If you are looking for Land or Air transport available in the country just click the hyperlinks.
by Sea
The Philippines is composed of 7,107 islands. If you’ll be traveling all over the country, you’ll eventually have to travel by sea. Here are the different means of transportation in the Philippines by sea:
RORO
Roll-on/roll-off ships ferry passengers, vehicles and cargoes from one island to another. If you are not in a hurry, you can try this plus the fare is much cheaper compared to planes. I’ve recently rode a RORO from Caticlan (Boracay) to Batangas. The ship has good accommodations and facilities. The service is good too. You can check-out their website here: http://travel.2go.com.ph/
2GO RORO
Fast Craft/Fast Ferry/Catamaran
There are also fast craft vessels that you could use for going to one island province to another. These are popularly known as the SuperCat (although SuperCat is actually a name of one of the companies offering this service). It is more commonly used in the provinces in the Visayas where the island provinces are just within a few hours from each other. The fare is a little bit high but you’re paying for the comfort and arriving in your destination faster.
Here are the websites of some companies offering this service:
SuperCat website
http://www.supercat.com.ph/index.asp
Weesam Express
http://www.weesamexpress.net/
Ocean Jet
http://oceanjet.net/
Bangka/outrigger canoe/pumpboat
The most popular transporation in the Philippines on the seas is the bangka. They are used for transportation and fishing. They come in different sizes. The capacity ranges from 2 to a 100 persons. It can be just paddle power or motorized. Similar to jeepneys, they are colorful and have cool and sometimes funny names. This is what you would usually use for trips in areas that have no access to the bigger sea vessels mentioned above. This is used for island hopping, snorkeling, diving and ferrying passengers.
Since you’ll be traveling all over the Philippines, you should know what different modes of transportation that you can take to get around. There’s a good mix of traditional and modern transportation in the Philippines from trains to jeepneys and from ferries to bangka (outrigger canoes). There’s quite a lot of options to choose from getting to point A to point B, not to mention pretty cheap too.
You can also see the resourcefulness and creativity of Filipinos when it comes to designing, painting and personalizing their tricycles, jeepneys or bangka.
Let’s now discuss each of these means of transport. I have divided the different modes of transportation into 3: by land, by sea and by air.
by Land:
Train
The rail transport system in the Philippines consists of a commuter rail and rapid transit. As of now, the train system is only servicing the areas in Southern Luzon and Metro Manila. Unknown to many, there used to be a train system that runs from Northern Luzon to Southern Luzon but because of war and neglect the some parts of the network has been unusable for years. The government has now revived Southern Luzon(suspended for on-going repairs) route but the revival of the Northern Luzon route has been put on hold because of controversies.
Currently, the government is developing the country’s first monorail system which is being pilot tested in the campus of a state university. This would greatly improve the condition of transportation in the Philippines especially in the urban areas but until then you’ll get to enjoy more of the traditional mode of transportation.
In Metro Manila, there are 3 train networks. The LRT 1, LRT 2 and the MRT 3. These 3 lines are interconnected: LRT 1’s EDSA-Taft Avenue station is connected to MRT 3’s North Avenue Station. LRT 2’s Recto Station is connected to LRT 1 via Doroteo Jose station. MRT 3 has also been connected to Roosevelt Station of the extended LRT 1.
You can also view the live cctv streaming of each MRT station to plan ahead your trip
Guidelines when using the LRT and the MRT:
No inspection, no entry policy. This involves frisking and they ask you to open your bags.
Gift-wrapped items will have to opened for inspection. (So, if you are coming from the mall with a gift wrapped item just don’t take the train. You could just use a nice paper bag instead or just gift wrap the item on your own at home)
Bringing in of deadly weapons, food and drinks, inflated balloons, and flammable materials is also not allowed.
Bulky and long objects is also a no-no. You can’t bring your big luggage when using the train. There’s no train station near the airport so you don’t really have to bring your luggage there.
Persons who are under the influence of alcohol and drugs will not be allowed to enter.
Philippine National Railways
The Philippine National Railways or simply PNR have commuter rail service (known as Metro Commuter/Commuter Express/Commex) in Metro Manila and another one that serves the Southern Luzon (Manila-Bicol route) area. It is one of the oldest railway in Asia but has been operating on and off for quite a while. It has recently been rehabilitated and is now a good alternative mode of transportation.
According to PNR website, the Manila-Bicol route is currently suspended because of ongoing repairs but anyway, here’s their route map for Manila-Bicol:
PNR Route Manila-Bicol
Some tips:
During rush hour, the trains would be really packed. If you can postpone your travel a little bit and just use the train at around 10am-3pm it would be less crowded.
Watch out for your valuables.
If the next station is the one you are supposed to get off, prepare to make your way through near the exit one station ahead or else you’ll run the risk of not getting off your stop.
Bus
The buses in the Philippines are operated by private companies. They are divided into two: city and provincial. The routes are self explanatory. The city buses ply the major thoroughfare of cities while the provincial buses..well goes to the provinces. They have signs infront indicating where their destination is. There are both aircon and non-aircon buses.
In Metro Manila, the provincial buses have terminals where you can just hop on to your destination. The main bus terminals in Metro Manila are located Monumento, Cubao, Buendia and Pasay.
For the city buses, you can just use the proper bus stops. Just use the route map below for reference:
MMDA bus segregation. Illustration from GMA News
When you are in the provinces, you can pretty much just hail a bus as it pass by.
Jeepney
The jeepney is the king of public transportation in the Philippines. You can find it all over the country. It is the most popular and affordable means of transportation in the Philippines. You can see it not just transporting passengers but also hauling goods and agricultural products.
Who would have thought that the World War II jeep abandoned by the Americans would become one of the most recognizable Philippine icon. You can easily spot these colorful and jeepneys all over the Philippines.
So, these are a bit more stylish.. fyi, most jeepneys don’t look like these.
Most jeepneys are non-airconditioned. I have only seen airconditioned jeepneys in Makati.
The jeepneys ply a designated route. The routes are usually written on the sides of the jeepney and you can see the destination that it is going to in the windshield.
Useful tips:
When paying for the fare, just extend your arms towards the driver and say ‘Bayad Po’ which means ‘here’s my fare’. Then, you can tell the driver where you want him to drop you.
If you are too far away from the driver, just say ‘Paki-abot po’ and the other passengers would pass your fare to the driver.
To have the jeepney stop on your destination, just shout, ‘Para po’ or ‘Lugar lang po’ (which is the one used in Cebuano speaking provinces).
If you have change, the driver would then pass it back to the passengers near him and they’ll pass it to you.
Always use coins or small bills when paying for the jeepney fare since the drivers might not have enough change especially during their first trip in the morning. Paying 100 pesos and up is usually frowned upon.
The minimum fare for the jeepney is 8 pesos for the 1st four kilometers.
Usually, the jeepney doesn’t leave the terminal unless it’s full so you’ll have to wait a bit.
UV Express Service
The UV Express Service are vehicles given franchise by the government to transport passengers. These vehicles are capable of transporting 10-18 passengers. It is popularly called FX after the brand Toyota Tamaraw FX which started these type of vehicles. They travels specific route and have designated terminals. Just like jeepneys and buses they have signages in their windsheild indicating their destination. They’ve become popular since they are airconditioned and can also take you much faster to your destination since they have fewer stops and pass through shortcuts. The usual price for an FX/Van ride is P20-P40.
I mentioned the FX/Van because you can also rent them for trips. They are pretty spacious and can fit several people including some bags. You can talk to the drivers in the terminal and just haggle for a better rate.
Taxi/Cab
The taxis/cabs are all over the metropolitan areas. I think this one doesn’t need much introduction. Just some tips:
Always remind the driver to use the meter. Some drivers would want to make a deal with you that they’ll take you to your destination for a certain price which is much higher that the price if you used the meter.
Know the general direction of where you are going. Some taxi drivers would go around in circles just to make you pay a higher rate even if your destination was just supposed to be one block away.
Tricycles
Every province have their own version of this three-wheeled motorized vehicle. It consist of a motorcyle and a sidecar. It can fit 3-8 people depending on the design of the tricycle. It is usually used for short trips.
They have also designated routes but you can also rent them for special trips. The fare is about P10/person and goes up depending on the distance.
Pedicabs/Sidecar
Pedicabs are the unmotorized version of tricycles. It is cheaper and environment friendly 🙂 Just be considerate to your driver and don’t make him travel uphill.
Habal-habal/Skylab
I haven’t tried riding a habal-habal yet. I find it too scary and dangerous but if you are up for a unique experience you can give it a try. A habal-habal is a motorcyle with extended seats to accommodate more passengers.
The habal-habal is popular in areas where the jeepneys and tricycles cannot go because of rough, steep and narrow terrain.
Kalesa
You can still find this classic horse drawn carriage in Intramuros and Binondo, the Chinatown of Metro Manila. These are rarely used nowadays except in tourist spots and some rural areas.
Rent a car
Well, I haven’t really availed of a rent-a-car service here but just in case you’re looking here are some popular companies that I’ve heard of:
