South East Asian Favorites

Ok I have gotten some info together on the two best airlines for getting around the Philippines and much of the rest of South East Asia.  Both of these airlines are cheap and reliable though its not uncommon for them to run late-but hey its the Philippines right, so make your bookings with plenty of time between flights.  www.cebupacificair.com  is the website for Cebu Pacific airlines out of the Philippines and these guys have smokin deals on a regular basis-basically just covering the gas costs.  I flew to China for 20 bucks + taxes and what not.  Again they are always late but well worth it, and they do well providing a reliable service outside of the Philippines as well.  I found some useful info and will post it below, but I also want to recommend and airline called Air Asia X, website www.airasia.com, these guys are fantastic.  I flew in first class from New Zealand  to Clark airforce base outside of Manila here in the Philippines for 600 USD.  All the others airlines providing transport from CHC to MNL were charging a minimum of 1200 bucks for economy.  Need I say more.  Both of these airlines are pretty bare-bones but the staff is nice and the planes are clean and well maintained-which is not something I can say for most airlines in South East Asia. 


CEBU PACIFIC

Website : Language options		Website : Service Information
Website : Ease of Use		Website : Product information
Website : Fares & Taxes info		Fares : Clarity of add-on charges
Credit Card payment fees		Checked baggage charges
Online Check-In facility		Online Manage Booking facility
Departure / Check-in information		Ease contacting Customer support
Cost contacting Customer support		Quality of customer support help
Handling cancellations		Handling refunds
Excess Baggage charges

AT THE AIRPORT   -   Cebu Pacific
Charges to check-in		Check-in : Service Efficiency
Check-in : Service courtesy		Check-in : Excess baggage charging
Delays / cancellation advice		Cancellation handling efficiency
Boarding : Delay information		Boarding : Paid-for boarding service
Boarding efficiency		Boarding : Staff courtesy
Arrivals : Staff visibility		Arrivals : Staff availability to assist
Arrivals : Baggage Delivery		Airport Services "Stress" factor

ONBOARD THE FLIGHT   -   Cebu Pacific
Cabin Storage		Seat Comfort
Condition of seats, cabin interior		Cabin cleanliness
Washroom cleanliness		Inflight Entertainment options / Cost
Intrusion of PA sales messages		Intrusion of Cabin sales service
Standard of Safety display		PA information from flightdeck
Staff Assistance thru Boarding		Staff Welcome to boarding PAX
Staff Assisting with seat changes		Staff Attention to safety
Staff Inflight service efficiency		Staff Service courtesy
Staff Cabin presence thru flight		Staff Language skills
Staff Friendliness of service		Meal/Beverage service efficiency
Quality consistency amongst staff		Family friendly service
Beverage selection *BOB		Snack selection *BOB
Hot/Cold Meal selection *BOB		Prices of Food + Beverages *BOB
Exchange rates applied *BOB		Quality of Food choices *BOB
Availability of Choices *BOB		*BOB = buy onboard

About AirAsia AirAsia and its cousin airlines, AirAsia X, Thai AirAsia and Indonesia AirAsia, are low-cost carriers providing service to more than 60 destinations in approximately 18 countries throughout Asia, Europe, and Australia. Headquartered in Selangor, Malaysia near the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, its primary hub, it also operates three other Malaysian hubs at Kota Kinabalu International Airport, Penang International Airport, and Kuching International Airport. AirAsia was formed in 2001, and quickly became a pioneer of low-cost service in Asia, flying modern Airbus A320s. Its low-cost airfares, and more importantly its extremely low operating costs, have broken travel norms, giving many more people in the region the opportunity to fly. AirAsia was named the World's Best Low-Cost Airline and the Best Low-Cost Airline - Asia at the 2011 Skytrax awards. AirAsia X is the long-haul carrier formed in 2007, and it flies Airbus A330s and A340s. Class of Service Premium Class Premium Class is available on AirAsia X flights. Passengers traveling in Premium Class enjoy angled lie-flat seats, a complimentary meal and priority check-in, boarding, and baggage delivery. Hot Seats Hot seats are Economy seats that board first and provide passengers with extra legroom. Passengers can choose a Hot Seat for an additional fee. Economy Passengers traveling in Economy enjoy reclining, leather seats. Food and Drink Meals, snacks and drinks are available for purchase, and the menu varies depending on the route. You can save money by pre-booking meals. Premium Class passengers receive a complimentary meal and mineral water. Alcohol is not served onboard AirAsia's aircraft. Entertainment AirAsia X allows you to rent an ePlayer portable media player, which has a pre-loaded selection of movies, television programming, music and games. In-Flight Technology Premium Class seats have 110V power outlets at each seat. View AirAsia seat maps at SeatGuru.com. The Fleet A320-200 AirAsia's A320-200 fleet is used on short-haul flights with a three-by-three configuration. Hot Seats are located at the front of each aircraft and in the exit rows A330-300 AirAsia's A330-300 fleet is used for long-haul flights. The aircraft has a two-by-two-by-two configuration in Premium Class, while the main cabin has a three-by-three-by-three and, as the fuselage narrows, a two-by-three-by-two configuration. There are three rows of Hot Seats in the main cabin. A340-300 These aircraft are used for long-haul flights. The cabin is composed of a two-by-two-by-two configuration in Premium Class, while the main cabin has a three-by-three-by-three and, as the fuselage narrows, a two-by-three-by-two configuration. There are three rows of Hot Seats in the main cabin. Customer Loyalty Program With BIG, AirAsia's frequent flier loyalty program, customers earn BIGGIES (points) for transactions with AirAsia. Earn points by traveling on AirAsia, by using an AirAsia credit card and by purchasing products and services from hotel, car and retail partners. A nominal joining fee is required. Redeem points for travel awards. There are no blackout dates. Points expire 36 months after the date they are credited to your account. Points are earned not by distance flown, but rather based on the amount spent per transaction.