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Sydney to Manila $143 Return- TRAVEL PERIOD: JUN 1-SEP 30, 2015 @ CEBUPACIFIC-Book before Oct 31

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It's back on again, the extremely cheap flights offered by Cebu Pacific from Sydney to Manila.

Travel period: June 1st to September 30, 2015.

Sydney to Manila from $99
Manila to Sydney from $44

Baggage and food is extra.

SALE PERIOD: UP TO OCT. 31, 2014 OR UNTIL SEATS LAST | TRAVEL PERIOD: JUN. 1 - SEP. 30, 2015

Advertised fare is one way inclusive of 7 kg carry-on luggage allowance, AUD 55 Passenger Movement Charge, AUD 31.25 Passenger Service Charge and AUD 4 Web Admin Fee. Fare available (from Oct. 28–31, 2014) but not on all flights or days. Fare is non refundable (subject to statutory rights). Limited changes permitted, charges apply. Fare does not include checked-in luggage allowance which can be purchased at time of booking. Please note that booking of flights and payment must be done at the same time. ​

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closed Comments

  • +1

    Why can't they have some flights from Melbourne as well =(

    • Why can't Air Asia has some direct flights between Bali and Sydney as well =(

    • Jetstar fly from Melbourne to Saigon but not from Sydney. C'est la vie!!

    • Why can't all airlines charge same or cheaper price for same or larger mileage flown??? Imagine price of Bali return is $143 hmmmmmmmm…. mie goreng sedap saya mau makan

      Think only this airline able to offer such low price… Not even Jetstar, AirAsia or fu*king^ Scoot can even match…. Virgin to Bali is not cheap but still under $300 one way

      ^I hate its yellow thing that is not even cute

  • +2

    FYI baggage, food and seat allocation cost me $214. Still good but if you don't need to check in any luggage, don't need to eat, and don't care where you seat then $143 is a sweet price.

    • +2

      what was the bad experience?

      • my bad experience was minimal and related to the not so organized check in at Manila airport.

        • -1

          Worst airport I've been to. I hate that place so much. I absolutely lost it when I was there in May.

        • @bargainjargon:

          yes theyre not organised at all.. i too lost it coz we had to throw away all the drinks we bought inside the boarding area. No notices whatsoever.

          I just kept saying to myself, I'm saving $3000 flying with these muppets! 2 adults and 3 kids flying to Manila (DIRECT) using PAL aint cheap!

    • How was their A330 service ?

      • +1

        the plane was clean, service with a smile, no complaints whatsoever, as long as you keep in mind that it is a low cost airline and do not expect 5 stars treatment.

    • uhm welcome to flying with low cost airline

  • +28

    Just came back to Sydney with Cebu Pacific on Sunday 26th Oct. No real issues from me as long as you keep in mind youre paying ~$150 per seat return! Not even AirAsia can give you the same deal direct to Manila. I dont think any airline can. So for those complaining about the "final" price, REALLY?

    Plane and the service they provide were good. Seating seems to be roomier than Jetstar/Airasia/Virgin planes.

    Meals were OK. Probably better off bringing McDonalds (out of Sydney) or Jollibee (out of Manila) if youre into fast food than buying the airline provided meals.

    My tips

    • just do carry-on on your way to Manila. Clothes are so cheap there that you end up wearing new clothes and not the ones you bring over anyway. Be aware though that in Manila, they will check the weight of your bag to make sure you only have 7kg! They dont count laptops/ipads/camera bag as part of your 7kg allowance

    • try and prepay your luggage coming back to Sydney to save time. Price difference when paying at the airport in case of excess baggage is not that expensive.. I paid $40 for extra 15kg compared to $25 if I prepaid.

    • traffic in and out of Manila (NAIA) is ridiculous. Expect to be stuck in traffic for at least an hour (on a good day!)

    • Make sure you do web check in especially leaving Manila. The queue for non web check ins were 5:1.

    • DO NOT have anything over 100ml at boarding gate because they check every single bag at the gate! and will make you dispose of anything over 100ml. We bought drinks and water after Customs section and had to throw them all away.

    • Carry Pesos or US Dollar to pay for the terminal fee of P550 per person (regardless of age). No, they dont accept AUD! I know, WTF!

    Would I fly with them again? For less than $200 per person return to Sydney, Hell yes!

    • great review, ibe1st, thanks for that!

      Question - what were the passenger loads looking like on each leg? I've got a flight next March and am hoping they're still running the route by then!

      • thanks mate… wish I had tips like I have given before flying out :)
        With the prices theyre doing, I highly doubt they would go bust and stop the route. Guess never say never.

        Even at their normal fare, its still a lot cheaper than PAL/Qantas/AirAsia(via KL 10hr stopover)

        • The prices are amazing, no question - but how full were your flights?

        • +1

          @carwashhair:

          I'd say 80% I was able to move in the middle aisle so the Mrs and son can have more room.

      • Passenger loads were ridiculously small when I went earlier this month - i'd say ~40% on the outbound leg and 70% inbound. Easily can find a row to yourself for sleeping. There's absolutely no chance they're breaking even, let alone making money on these flights.

    • Thanks for your review. I've booked a flight in Feb so I'm curious about peoples' experiences. I've flown with them domestic and around Asia but that's it. Nothing special but hey, look at the price. Even if Jetstar had the same prices, I'd take them over Jetstar any day of the week and twice on Sundays.

      • +2

        These are the things I encountered and had a little issue with. So with my tips, you'd have no issues :)

        My tips

        just do carry-on on your way to Manila. Clothes are so cheap there that you end up wearing new clothes and not the ones you bring over anyway. Be aware though that in Manila, they will check the weight of your bag to make sure you only have 7kg! They dont count laptops/ipads/camera bag as part of your 7kg allowance

        try and prepay your luggage coming back to Sydney to save time. Price difference when paying at the airport in case of excess baggage is not that expensive.. I paid $40 for extra 15kg compared to $25 if I prepaid.

        traffic in and out of Manila (NAIA) is ridiculous. Expect to be stuck in traffic for at least an hour (on a good day!)

        Make sure you do web check in especially leaving Manila. The queue for non web check ins were 5:1.

        DO NOT have anything over 100ml at boarding gate because they check every single bag at the gate! and will make you dispose of anything over 100ml. We bought drinks and water after Customs section and had to throw them all away.

        Carry Pesos or US Dollar to pay for the terminal fee of P550 per person (regardless of age). No, they dont accept AUD! I know, WTF!

        • Thanks for the tips! My wife and I go there often so we're aware of some of the stuff you mentioned but it's great nonetheless to have them listed for everyone to see.

          I wish we could just do carry on. We always gotta bring presents for family members. There'd be riots if we didn't bring chocolates :p I'd love to go there on my own and not even tell anyone that I'm coming so I can get away with no check in luggage and just pay $143.

        • @bargainjargon:

          no probs

          unlike you, Ive only been back to the motherland once in 28yrs so found out the hard way :)

          Thought Id write it down to help others

        • @ibe1st:

          Was this at Sydney Airport or Manila Airport (or both) where they made you dispose of your drinks, etc after you had cleared Customs?

        • +1

          @Donatello: I suspect it was at Manila airport, however I wouldn't mind having that clarified either. Especially with regards to duty free booze at Manila - were people having that confiscated too, or was it being delivered to the gate so passengers could board with it?

        • +1

          @carwashhair:

          Manila Airport (NAIA T3)

          They disallowed bottles of water, cans of soft drink and bottle juice all purchased after you clear Customs and into Boarding area where little restos/convenience stores are around. Gave it to my son to open every single one up and throw in the bin. This was at the top of my voice too :)

          They also questioned a couple of bottles of perfume which were 150ml… For whatever reason, the lady couldnt find the number and i wasnt about to show her.

          As for Duty Free items, I am GUESSING that the bags will be sealed and purchased at the airport? Ask the staff before you buy to make sure youre not wasting any money. And if they decide to disallow it, make sure you make a noise about it, open it in front of their faces and spill it all out into the bins.

          Sydney Airport was fine. We purchased a couple of bottles before boarding and took it into the plane with us.

  • I cant seem to find sales fares in July '15. What am I doing wrong?

    • most likely seats available have been sold… just keep on clicking different dates if it suits.

    • 27/6 - 12/7 & 19/9 - 30/9 are school holiday periods for NSW/Sydney so i expect these dates to fly out the door straight away

  • +5

    those trolls that pay peanuts and expect a first class experience <3

  • I'll just repeat this question from above, if anyone knows please as I'm also booked in March:

    "Question - what were the passenger loads looking like on each leg?"

    • INCREDIBLY PAINFUL !
      Can I make a suggestion that you politely ask them to just calmly return to their own seats?

    • passenger load?

      guessing how many passengers? Id say our plane back to Sydney was about 80% full

      Into Manila was same or a touch more

  • +1

    If only I had a tight ass wife I could book this..

  • Maybe silly question but to get the $143, do you book 'return' or 2x separate legs? SYD-MNL then MNL-SYD?

    • return, you need to 'find' the fare by changing dates to get the price

  • Cheers for that

  • It's worth noting this is during the wet season…

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manila#Climate

  • Yes, is wet season. Potential for floods in Aug/Sept

    We were there 5-25 Oct and got rained out for half a day twice. The rest had 10-20mins worth of showers.

    We may have been lucky though :)

  • About to book (if the confirmation page loads)

    anyone have any itineraries for traveling to boracay from manilla? or where/what is good to do when in the phils

    going sep 3rd - 13th 2015 (hope to)

    and yeah

    if anyone who's taken advantage of how cheap these flights are, and have traveled for a few days

    recommend me anything?

    • long Weekend
      Spend 1-2 days exploring Manila’s ancient Intramuros district, then head south of Manila for 2-3 days of golfing in the Batangas region or diving and snorkeling in the coral-rich waters of Puerto Galera or Anilao. Return to Manila via Tagaytay, overlooking spectacular Lake Taal and Taal Volcano.
      One Week
      Beach bums and divers will want to spend the entire week in the Visayas, either island hopping or just relaxing in a resort on Boracay, Cebu, Bohol, or Negros. If you prefer mountains and hill tribes, spend 2 days exploring the rice terraces around Banaue, 2 days in Sagada, and 1 night in Baguio. If possible take a 1-day detour to Vigan before heading back to Manila for 1-2 days.
      Two Weeks
      Spend 2 days exploring Manila, then take an overnight bus to Banaue and complete the 6-day mountain loop described above. Next, fly to Dumaguete, Negros, and relax for 3 days on nearby Siquijor or Apo Islands. Take a ferry to Bohol and spend 3 days there, before making your way by ferry to Cebu for your flight home. Of course you can always spend that second week on a resort island like Boracay.

      source: http://www.shermanstravel.com/philippines/itineraries
      also…

      check this out…

      http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Attractions-g294245-Activities…

    • +1

      martin, accept private messages?

      • yeah sure do,

        is there something i have to activate? havent done PM's before on ozb.

        • i think so

        • alright i think i got it activated now mate

  • long Weekend
    Spend 1-2 days exploring Manila’s ancient Intramuros district, then head south of Manila for 2-3 days of golfing in the Batangas region or diving and snorkeling in the coral-rich waters of Puerto Galera or Anilao. Return to Manila via Tagaytay, overlooking spectacular Lake Taal and Taal Volcano.
    One Week
    Beach bums and divers will want to spend the entire week in the Visayas, either island hopping or just relaxing in a resort on Boracay, Cebu, Bohol, or Negros. If you prefer mountains and hill tribes, spend 2 days exploring the rice terraces around Banaue, 2 days in Sagada, and 1 night in Baguio. If possible take a 1-day detour to Vigan before heading back to Manila for 1-2 days.
    Two Weeks
    Spend 2 days exploring Manila, then take an overnight bus to Banaue and complete the 6-day mountain loop described above. Next, fly to Dumaguete, Negros, and relax for 3 days on nearby Siquijor or Apo Islands. Take a ferry to Bohol and spend 3 days there, before making your way by ferry to Cebu for your flight home. Of course you can always spend that second week on a resort island like Boracay.

    source: http://www.shermanstravel.com/philippines/itineraries
    also…

    check this out…

    http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Attractions-g294245-Activities…

  • +3

    I'm currently (back) in Manila.. I've had 5 flights with them so far

    Oct 5: Syd -> MNL
    Oct 9: MNL -> Kalibo
    Oct 12: Kalibo -> MNL
    Oct 16: MNL -> DXB
    Oct 26: DXB -> MNL
    Nov 2: MNL -> Syd

    My experience so far have been no problems whatsoever on the plane. Surprisingly there is adequate leg room. But I was lucky that all my international flights have been half full at most so I've taken up a whole row to myself every time. None of my international flights experienced significant delays. The Syd to MNL leg was lagged about 30 mins only. The domestic flight to Kalibo was lagged about an hour for some reason about another plane or something.

    Some tips:

    • Don't bother paying for the pre-selected seat. Just do a web check-in and then change it when you're at the airport.
    • If you want the most leg room ask for row 16 (only the side rows ABC/GHI, there is an extra middle row DEF in front of row 16 which I think is row 15 for more leg room) or any in row 37 as they're the exit rows.
    • No need to pre-pay for food either as you can buy it on the plane (the difference is minimal and besides airport food is actually cheaper and better anyway). If you do decide to buy food on the plane, choose to pay in PHP not AUD as you'll get rorted with their conversion.
    • If you know your luggage is going to be overweight pre-pay for extra luggage via the online management. Paying for excess kilos at the airport is a massive rort! In Sydney, 2 of my friends were overweight by 3 kilos (combined) but they weren't charged. However, in Phils they're not so lenient and were charged 800PHP (~$20) per kilo (which is opposite to @ibe1st's experience above interestingly, but I think he paid for excess luggage at the airport not excess weight).
    • For Boracay travel the closest airport is Caticlan but it's more expensive than Kalibo. At the time there was a 1PHP promo to Kalibo but you have to catch a 1.5hr bus to the port then a 15min ferry to Boracay. We had it arranged with the hotel (return trip) for convenience but you can also buy on the spot which is actually cheaper. You have to pay a terminal fee of 100PHP twice and environmental fee of 175PHP once. The flight is 45mins only and leaves from Terminal 4 (domestic terminal).
    • International flights out of MNL incur a 550PHP fee
    • As others have mentioned the traffic is atrocious at the airport/CBD. Give yourself PLENTY of time to get to the airport. Going from Terminal 3 to Terminal 4 took about 40 mins and they're very close to each other.
    • Double check your flight times as flights out of MNL are usually at midnight so you actually lose a day if you're not careful.
    • hey :)

      I prepaid 60kg, checked in 58kg and was told my hand carry was too much so went back to check in desk

      Was charged P1550 for up to 15kg to check in so around $40.58 at 38.20 exchange rate. Prepaying online for 15kg is $25

      Excess luggage/Excess weight is the same in my books, No?

  • Thanks ggoz, booked for July. See you there.

    Looks like my return flights Adelaide - Sydney will cost me more than my return flights Sydney - Manila. Still better value than Air Asia.

  • Booked start of June.
    That was the most frustrating booking/website experience ever. Each page load/change took approx 15 minutes.
    Slowest site in existence. The whole process took about 1 hour 40 minutes.

  • +3

    All Saturdays for June / July From Sydney to Manila @ $99 are gone…. back to $354…
    Thanks girlfriend for hesitating, I had it aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand it's gone.

    • haha mate. i've been in the exact same situation…but i made moves this times… asked questions after

      feel for you.

      • +3

        I know, and I was sending pictures to her, articles about beeeeaautiful beaches.
        Of course, now I told her "it's gone" she replied "Oh, I was going to say let's go!"
        Sure you do honey, sure you do….

        • -4

          Lol Philippines girls love you as long as your wallet is full…. But i guess a lot of Aussie girls are no different. What do you do for a living ,do you own your own house and that's before they say hello.

  • I have had a really bad experience with Cebu about 3 weeks ago. The issue was related to our transfer from Manilla to Hong Kong. And then we had the exact same issue coming back from Hong Kong. The transfer desk is unbelievably disorganised. The flights are often delayed so if you have a tight transfer schedule you can expect to not get on your plane even if you have an hour in between. It was mind blowing how useless they were. Our bags had also been checked right through to Hong Kong but still managed to end up at the airport in Manilla. We then managed to check them through to Hong Kong but they couldn't organise the transfer in time to get us on the plane. So bags went without us.
    I would only fly with these guys direct because I have no problems with a hard small seat if the price is right. But if you have a transfer either dont do it, or prepare to spend a night in Manilla.

    • +1

      Sorry to hear that you had a bad experience. I would not be comfortable with a transfer under 3 hours with a low cost airlines, nor under 2 hours with a full service airline. But I am a very cautious traveller.

  • I'm a bit reluctant to book so far ahead , not sure they will be able to keep this route running because i have done the trip 2 times already and both times back end of plane was empty.

    • Yep, that's what i'm concerned about too. At the kinds of prices they're charging here they'd really need to have every flight at least 90% full. I would imagine their cost base to be quite low though, and not too many fares would be sold in the $99 bucket each flight. It'd be interesting to know by straw poll what fellow passengers pay on flights…

  • Damnit I need sale fares for January

  • I'm a little confused and hoping that someone can clarify this for me: "Advertised fare is one way inclusive of 7 kg carry-on luggage allowance" does this mean you get 7kg of carry on luggage from Sydney to Manila ONLY?

    Sorry to sound dumb… but I'm not quite sure if that's what it means.

    • You get 7kg plus a laptop bag up to 3kg so 10kg in total. Thats each way ,If you want to pay for checked baggage it starts at 15kg for $25 each way.

      • Ah! I see. Thanks so much for clarifying that, paulaus!

  • Philippines… or Bali?????????????????????????????????????

    • Philippines has 2 of the best beaches in the world. Palawan/Puerto Princesa and Boracay/White Beach

  • +1

    Thanks @OP. Just booked two from August to September. See you on board :-)

  • +1

    If booking way in advance, leave booking and paying for food, seat, and baggage until closer to the date. There will be no savings on these even if booked/paid for now. All is non-refundable, and so why increase the risk to cancellation.

    • This works, except when they change the prices… as has happened to me in the past with Jetstar/Scoot/AirAsia (Can't remember which one)

  • I've checked the Sydney to Manila fares from June-August 2015. No cheap fares left. You can only get the cheap fares from back to Sydney. Shame :-(

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