Flying from Manila.

[RK_and_Inday 10]

We looked for most affordable direct route (least connections) from Manila to U.S. Ended up being Delta.

[X Factor 1,112]

We looked for most affordable direct route (least connections) from Manila to U.S. Ended up being Delta.

Delta is good for the least connections. The only problem I had was that their was no individual tv for each passenger because I flew in an older jet.

[Calypso 464]

I flew from Manila to LA alone after picking up my visa from the US embassy about three years ago. My husband chose Cathay Pacific for me and the experience was 8/10. I liked the in-flight entertainment system and although the layover in Hongkong was more than four hours, I had fun walking around the airport and talking to other US-bound passengers. Most of them were elderly couples and Pinays traveling alone who joined a cruise in Southeast Asia.

On the other hand, when my husband and I visited the Philippines together two months ago, we flew with Singapore Airlines to and from Cebu. It's a little better than Cathay Pacific albeit impractical due to a long layover in Singapore and an hour of refueling in Tokyo, adding about extra three hours to the total flight time. The good part was that we got to go around Singapore, visited a few tourist attractions and had some delectable Chinese and Indian food. At the end of it, we agreed to take a shorter flight with other airlines next time we visit the PH.

[beejay 123]

Qatar is nice if it is flying where you are going. They always had decent prices and nice food when we flew them and they fed you a lot. Are you leaving out of Cebu? It's more convenient in that respect but I think all their flights have a layover in Doha which is a small airport with a big duty free - not the best place for a long layover. (There was some talk of remodeling not sure if that happened so it might be better now). Overall I was all pleased with Qatar every time we flew them.

[Tahoma 2,292]

If there were a direct flight from Seattle to Manila, we would take it.

We're thinking about flying PAL from Vancouver, B.C., direct to Manila. Seattle to Vancouver, B.C., is only a 40 minute flight.

Even though the overall Seattle-Vancouver-Manila travel time on PAL takes longer than the Seattle-Narita-Manila Delta travel time, at least you nearly get it all over at once on the PAL flight.

Other flights we would be interested in:

A couple of days in Frisco followed by the PAL flight direct to Manila.

A couple of days in Vegas followed by the PAL direct flight to Manila (is this one still non-stop?).

[The Nature Boy 4,224]

I have a question for my fellow VJers.. Dealing strictly with the flights. What airline did you choose to fly to the USA and for what reason? I am thinking about either Qatar Airlines bc I am a FF or Delta which has a good time of us getting to my home in NC.

KAL to Korea to ATL

[thekfc 26]

I too am a frequent flyer and my choice to/from Asia would be Cathay Pacific.

They are no direct flights from my home base (JFK) to Manila - you have to connect in Hong Kong. But should miss your connecting flight, you have options - 5 Daily flights between HK and Manila (plus additional flights on Cathay's subsidiary Dragon Air) and 4 daily flight between JFK and HK to choose from.

I usually try to get a free upgrade or use my miles for upgrades to First/Business class and Cathay was just voted the best Business Class in the world.

Whether its Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines, Asiana, Eva Air or Korean Airline, you cannot go wrong with any of these Asian airlines - not only that they have great airports & lounges but also very good customer service.

OP, if you get the chance to fly on Qatar, you should try them - another great airline.

[Cyberfx1024 7,980]

Thank you all for your comments on this. It is truly a learning experience. Delta is the cheapest for me. Because it flies to Tokyo/Detroit then North Carolina. I also like Qatar, and I might fly them bc it's only a $300 more per person than Delta. They fly into Washington DC, then its 1 hour flight to North Carolina. But either way I look at it. I am flying all the way on the other side of world. I really hate layovers, I would just rather fly straight thru to the destination.

[keziah90210 12]

I have a question for my fellow VJers.. Dealing strictly with the flights. What airline did you choose to fly to the USA and for what reason? I am thinking about either Qatar Airlines bc I am a FF or Delta which has a good time of us getting to my home in NC.

Hi! I have tried Delta, Korean Air, PAL so far from US to Phils, vice versa. Heres the thing, i loved Korean Air among the 3. First, their attendants are very helpful to help you with your luggage. Second, they got the best asian food (i'm choosy when it comes to food). Third, they have comfortable seats and very nice tv screen in front of your seat, compared to delta and PAL which has the screen in the middle for everyone. By the way, their movies are all new and updated. Fourth, their airport is super nice. they also got a shower area so you can look freshened up before your last stop. The only down side is the long hours of layover. but it is worth it, comfort wise. PAL is okay coz its all pinoy but the seats look old and yucky but the food is good. we got tocilog on the flight. Delta is good for miles but their service is not so good. Food is terrible.

Hope this helps.

[Loida and Ed 11]

Asiana Airlines and Korean Air... both have top notch service... with a little bit of playing with date/times i have found that using search engines like fare compare dot com shows u price differences based on flight dates and you can adjust the dates and see the price fluctuations.... Re: The Delta to Seattle... I will check them out for sure... The layover at Incheon isn't bad at all and allows me the opportunity to break up the flight so its like 2 segments.

As a FYI... The last time i flew Asiana, I had a 12.5 hour layover at Incheon. To compensate me for the long layover, they offered me a complimentary hotel or a paid tour of Seoul. ( I took the tour)..

Both airlines (offered as budget airlines) are by far cleaner and better than domestic flights Ive traveled here in the US.

( just my thoughts)

The shower area at the airport..... used it... its a great benefit ...

Hi! I have tried Delta, Korean Air, PAL so far from US to Phils, vice versa. Heres the thing, i loved Korean Air among the 3. First, their attendants are very helpful to help you with your luggage. Second, they got the best asian food (i'm choosy when it comes to food). Third, they have comfortable seats and very nice tv screen in front of your seat, compared to delta and PAL which has the screen in the middle for everyone. By the way, their movies are all new and updated. Fourth, their airport is super nice. they also got a shower area so you can look freshened up before your last stop. The only down side is the long hours of layover. but it is worth it, comfort wise. PAL is okay coz its all pinoy but the seats look old and yucky but the food is good. we got tocilog on the flight. Delta is good for miles but their service is not so good. Food is terrible.

Hope this helps.

[kev_n_jena 89]

If there were a direct flight from Seattle to Manila, we would take it.

We're thinking about flying PAL from Vancouver, B.C., direct to Manila. Seattle to Vancouver, B.C., is only a 40 minute flight.

Even though the overall Seattle-Vancouver-Manila travel time on PAL takes longer than the Seattle-Narita-Manila Delta travel time, at least you nearly get it all over at once on the PAL flight.

Other flights we would be interested in:

A couple of days in Frisco followed by the PAL flight direct to Manila.

A couple of days in Vegas followed by the PAL direct flight to Manila (is this one still non-stop?).

We flew through Vancouver last year on PAL. Consider my post before you take that route. PAL was fine, the rest was not. Hope you don't have the problems we had if you go that route.

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/314340-phils-to-vancouver-to-usa/page__p__4717389__hl__vancouver__fromsearch__1#entry4717389

[thekfc 26]

Asiana Airlines and Korean Air... both have top notch service...

Asiana Airlines along with Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines, Qatar Airways are all 5-star airlines and ranked the top 4 airlines in the world - their services reflects that. Korean Air is right behind as a 4-star airline.

Here is the official rankings:

http://www.airlinequality.com/StarRanking/5star.htm

http://www.worldairlineawards.com/Awards_2011/Airline2011.htm

Personally, on a long haul trip, I would take comfort, service & connection options above getting the cheapest price.

Both airlines (offered as budget airlines) are by far cleaner and better than domestic flights Ive traveled here in the US.

I agree with that statement but both Asiana & Korean Air are not considered budget airlines.

[actob99 156]

Delta is half way through refurbishing their 747 fleet (16 planes) with new interiors and entertainment(in-seat entertainment). So if you're lucky as I have been recently you will get one of those planes. The 747's fly manila-narita, manila-nagoya-detroit, narita-atlanta, narita- new york.. All the other routes out of Narita to the states are 777's and 330's which are all newer with inseat entertainment and a couple 767's which are older interiors but have inseat entertainment.

[beejay 123]

Delta is half way through refurbishing their 747 fleet (16 planes) with new interiors and entertainment(in-seat entertainment). So if you're lucky as I have been recently you will get one of those planes. The 747's fly manila-narita, manila-nagoya-detroit, narita-atlanta, narita- new york.. All the other routes out of Narita to the states are 777's and 330's which are all newer with inseat entertainment and a couple 767's which are older interiors but have inseat entertainment.

Oh yeah, Delta got those old NWA planes. Yuck. I tried to avoid them for the specific reason of getting stuck on an international flight with no in-seat entertainment.

It's about time they fixed that.

[southcalhog 43]

I Know I have heard some not so good comments about China Airlines but my Fiancee just arrived from Manila VIA Taipei Taiwan and she couldnt compliment them enough she told me.She said the Flight was good, Flight Attendants were really nice and the Food was good. The Main thing was the Flight was cheaper than ANY we could find after searching and searching.. I strongly recommend China Air. Also the Plane was over a half Hour early. Took her over an hour to come out the Tunnel.