do i need to go through immigration counter n manila?

[Mike's Lucy 14]

In my opinion, you should have bought an earlier flight going to Manila, you'll never know if your flight going to Manila will be delayed especially with the weather in the Philippines now. But, if you are flying PAl all the way to San Francisco, then you are safe because they will book you to another flight if you can't make it to your original flight.

hi vjers, need your advice..do i need to go through immigration counter in manila? or i can have it in Cebu domestic airport?

hope to hear from you..my flight is Cebu-manila-san francisco.. and i will arrived in manila 9.30pm and my flight to Sf is 10:30 just an hour..

[Iris&Norman 0]

Once you are inside the final boarding area for USA flight you cannot buy food or water without going back through the third X-ray, so you might want to get something before you go in there.

Unless it's different for individuals who are immigrating, this isn't exactly correct. I'm not sure from your post if you're flying PAL all the way to the US or not. If so I'm not familiar with which gate they board for international flights. The last security check point is in the corridor leading to the boarding gates. You'll pass security at location #3 on this map, then again at the corner turning into the boarding gate corridor. There's no xray there, just two guards checking boarding passes again. I flew China Air from gate 5 which is the boarding area on the right in this photo. The gates all board from one big open, circular area and there are places to eat, restrooms (CR's), etc. You need to wait until you are at this area to buy your drinks for the flight. The guards at that last check will let you go back into the main corridor, just not back past the security point #3 in the photo.

http://www.jal.co.jp/en/inter/airport/asia/mnl/img/MNL_e.gif

There are a lot of "checks" in Manila and it really is a good idea to be there early. All airlines tell you to be early for international flights then you find that you breezed through it in half the time they said. Not the case in Manila...lol You'll likely use all of the 2 hours they recommend.

Everything will be easy for you. You don't have to collect those baggage after arriving in Manila, since you are a connecting flight to San Francisco, right?

I flew from TAC to MNL on Pal and I had to collect my luggage at the domestic arrival terminal (terminal 2) then recheck it at the China Air counter. China air has no partnership with PAL. It's a long way from the domestic (terminal 2) to international (terminal 1) terminal so you need to allow time for that as well. If you're flying PAL to the US then chances are you won't have to mess with luggage which would be a godsend! Oh, and be prepared to pay extra fees for your luggage. PAL's domestic has different weight limits than other airlines. My "per bag" weight was under 23kg for my checked bags and under 7kg for my carryon, but I paid P650 in Tacloban because my total weight was over their limit.

I don't remember the fees for PH nationals, but for me it was P30 "terminal fee" at TAC and P750 "Airport users charge" in Manila. If you're flying beyond SFO be ready for the $50 you'll have to pay for your luggage on a US domestic flight too! The nerve makes me so angry..lol

Looking ahead for the baggage restrictions and fees. PAL is funny... The 7kg (~16lbs) carry-on is less than what most travelers are used too. I tried it with a max carry-on sized backpack at 12.5 kg and was denied even with a "fee"; Just had to check-in. I have since made it onto PAL with a smaller backpack at 10kg no questions asked by wearing while at counter - so that it wasn't sitting down by the scales. No checked bags! And their planes have extra little steps to reach the overhead bins I hadn't seen elsewhere, but maybe it's common? Anyways, the crazy thing is that PAL domestic and international flights are out of Terminal 2 (Centennial). So she'll avoid the Domestic Terminal (old) and the International Terminal (Terminal 1) as well as Terminal 3 (newer) altogether. It is all organized island style. Maybe there is another name for Terminal 3 like Newest but Not Really New Domestic&Other non-PAL Terminal? Hopefully, the connection will be smooth...