AirPhil's FRIDeal Promo

AirPhil Express' FRIDeal Promo lets you get discounted fare rates every week!

Just log on to www.airphilexpress.com from 4PM to 8PM every Friday,and get a chance to bag a cheap seat!

Start setting your reminders so you won't miss a good deal!

Click here to download the PDF/printable version
Click here to view as webpage
Click here to view as Google Docs spreadsheet

Visit www.airphilexpress.com to book your flights!

PAL's Midnight Special!

Starting 12:01 AM to 6:00AM on August 8, 2010 make sure to log on to Philippine Airlines' official website for a chance to get these discounted fare rates:








Click here to download the PDF/printable version
Click here to view as webpage
Click here to view as Google Docs spreadsheet



As far as I've observed, PAL does this every weekend, so better mark it on your weekly calendar!


Things to know about the promo fare:

• For sales and ticketing in the Philippines only
• Upgrading to a higher fare allowed
• 75% discount of accompanying adult fare for infants without their own seats

For travel dates between August 9 to October 15, 2010 only.

OceanJet's Libre Balik Promo!

For those planning to do some island hopping in the Visayas, I suggest you try OceanJet's Libre Balik Promo.


All you have to do is make sure that you return within 7 days and your ride back is on them!


I've used the Libre Balik promo twice (Cebu - Tagbilaran) and it's such a blessing for frugal travelers.  Imagine having to shell out only PhP800.00 instead of PhP1,600.00!


That's a lot of savings, if you ask me.  You can use that extra moolah for upto 3 days of stay at Sugbutel or another visit at Jo's Chicken.  I should've not written that down.  Now I'm wishing I'm in Cebu.


Back to the topic at hand before I impulsively book a flight to Cebu.


OceanJet has daily trips to and from Cebu, Camiguin, Dapitan, Dumaguete, Jagna, Bacolod, Iloilo, Cagayan de Oro, Siquijor and Tagbilaran; but the promo is applicable to these routes only:

• Cebu - Tagbilaran and vice versa
• Bacolod - Ilo-ilo  and vice versa
• Cagayan de Oro - Jagna  and vice versa
• Cagayan - Camiguin  and vice versa
• Camiguin - Jagna and vice versa

So what if you have to pay for your fare to other destinations? At least your fare back is free, right? Right.

Here's OceanJet's daily schedule, fare rates and contact info:

Click here to view as a webpage
Click here to download as a PDF file
Click here to download as an Excel file (.xls)


You may visit http://oceanjet.net for more details, or call their hotline via +63 (32) 255 - 7560 or (0922) 867 - 7974 for reservations.


How do I make a reservation?


If you're in Manila or somewhere very far from any of OceanJet's ticketing offices and would like to book in advance, here's basically what you'll have to do:

• Call OceanJet's landline via +63 (32) 255 - 7560 where you'll be given the details for the bank funds transfer;

• Pay via the bank and fax the deposit slip, together with the following details to +63 (32) 255 - 0115:
• Passenger's full name/s
• Passenger's respective age/s
• Time and date of preferred departure
• Time and date of preferred arrival
• Contact information

• Wait for a confirmation message from OceanJet's Customer Support via text or SMS.
• Present the confirmation message to OceanJet's Customer Support Specialist once at the pier.

Where's the bank transfer info?


I wish I had it, but I was informed that they only disclose it to those who are ready to make a reservation.  So yeah, you have to call them up first.


All information on this post are based on OceanJet's official website and correspondence with their Customer Support Specialist.

Airline Re-booking and Cancelling Fees, et al.

Before you book and get on that flight, take a few minutes to consider its details first.  Otherwise, you might end up spending more despite bagging the cheapest airfare.

A couple of years ago, Cebu Pacific Air and AirPhil Express only had the basic fees like re-booking, cancellation, name change and prepaid baggage fees.  

Now, however, I have to create separate tabs on a spreadsheet just to fit everything in one document.  

Here are the fees categories when flying Cebu Pacific Air, AirPhil Express and SEAIR:

• Re-booking and Cancellation Fees
• Name Change Fee
• Prepaid and Excess Baggage, Airport Bag and Baggage Reinstatement Fees
• Unaccompanied Minor Fee
• Seat Selector Fee

For some reason, the scroll bar is not showing up.  To see the rest of the fees, please scroll down on the spreadsheet itself.  To check out the fees under different categories, please use the tab links below.

To view the spreadsheet via Google Docs, click here.
To download the spreadsheet as a PDF file, click here.
To download the spreadsheet as an Excel file, click here.

The fees you see above are airline-specific.  Here's what you should expect to pay at the airport:


Domestic Travel:  Passenger Terminal Fee - PhP200.00/person
International Travel:  

• Airport User's Charge - PhP750.00/person
• Travel Tax
• PhP1,620.00/person - for Filipinos who are not permanent residents in other countries
• PhP810.00/child - for Filipinos below 12 years old and not permanent residents of other countries
• PhP200.00/person - for Filipino permanent residents and infants below 2 years old)
• PhP300.00+PhP200.00 (processing fee) - for OFW dependents going to the job site 
  Source:  Manila International Airport Authority

So for those who are on a limited budget, plan ahead.  That way, when your dream seat sale comes your way, you'll be ready.

Lesson learned from rebooking flights.

During a vacation with my beloved, we extended our return flight for two days because we were having so much fun. And another two days.  And another two days.

While rebooking for the nth time, I ended up with an algebraic expression in my head, which went like this:

Base fare + (rebooking fee x 4) + taxes and surcharges x 2 pax = why-didn't-i-see-this-coming??? 
We booked fresh flights instead.

Yup.  Better plan ahead next time.
You may also want to read:

• Cebu Pacific Air's Domestic Flight Schedule
• AirPhil Express's Domestic Flight Schedule
• Seair's Domestic Flight Schedule