cheaper air fares to Phils

[Luther]

Does anyone know if Priceline.com really finds the cheapest air fares?  The lowest priced ticket from San Francisco to Davao City went up $200 while I was saving my pennies.  No fair!  Now I have to wait still longer, and how much will it go up this time?  I am frustrated.

[Bear]

... in response to cheaper air fares to Phils, posted by Luther on Sep 19, 2004

www.asaptickets.com

Bear

[Luther]

... in response to try..., posted by Bear on Sep 20, 2004

After an exhaustive search I have determined that there is no local travel agent in Arnold, CA.  75 miles away there is a city with a large Filipino community, should I head down there and find out who services the locals there?

Does anyone have any actual experience with buying travel to the Philippines over a website?  Would I be better off buying tickets over the phone from my AAA agent?  Is there a website that someone knows from experience to be reliable and trustworthy?

Is there any reason not to buy the cheapest air fare I can find?

I've walked over the border to Tijuana twice, that's the extent of my experience outside of the USA.

Thanks as always,
Luther

[Ray]

... in response to air fares, posted by Luther on Sep 21, 2004

Luther,

I guess you are out in the boonies, aren’t you? I know Sacramento has a lot of Filipino businesses. Most Filipinos use local Filipino-owned travel agencies here in San Diego to purchase tickets to the Phils. They get their tickets through a consolidator and the prices are usually very close between travel agents. I would call around and compare prices for the dates you want. I have seen recent fares under $700 RT and under $600 a few months back.

I used to prefer Philippine Airlines because they allowed smoking but that’s in the past now. One advantage to PAL is that they arrive in Manila from LAX or SFO in early a.m. where most other carriers arrive late at night. If you will catch a local flight in Manila, you would usually have to wait all night with most other airlines. A lot of the other carriers will require stopovers in Tokyo, Taipei, Hong Kong, or Seoul. If you want to skip Manila and fly directly into Cebu, you might consider Cathay Pacific through Hong Kong. If price is most important, just take whatever is cheaper for that date because the prices fluctuate all over the place.

I have never bought tickets over the Internet, but I’ve heard of some people getting good deals purchasing direct from Northwest on-line, so you might try them also. I use a local travel agent because it’s close by but I have purchased tickets over the phone before from out-of-town agencies. Make sure they send them to you by FedEx or similar.

I can say that I beat Bear’s cheapest airfare. I once flew from Southern California to the Philippines for $.55, but that was a while ago and the seating was rather uncomfortable :-)

Ray

[nealt]

... in response to air fares, posted by Luther on Sep 21, 2004

I use Asian rose travel check out there web sight best prices i have found

[Bear]

... in response to air fares, posted by Luther on Sep 21, 2004

Honey checked a fare at the link I gave you for a trip to Manila from any airport hub in the USA for $585, $490 to Japan.  The best I've ever heard of.

The cheapest I ever paid was $767 from Houston.

Bear

[Luther]

... in response to Re: air fares, posted by Bear on Sep 21, 2004

My actual question, then, is: have you used this site to purchase tickets, or is it anybody's guess what might become of my hard earned American dollars once I type my credit card number onto their site?  Like they say, if it sounds too good to be true...

Is there someone who can give a rundown of the things one might want to watch out for in choosing an airline?  My guess is that it doesn't matter as long as the plane stays in the air approximately as long as it's supposed to and flies in the right direction, failing to strike any large objects while in flight, and avoiding acts of God or nature that might tend to negate its ability to get me into my loved one's arms.

I heard of a guy who travels to Thailand every year to party, (he must have lots of energy, my idea of a good party is to go to bed early), and he flies on cargo planes to save money.  But then he's a millionaire, rich people have strange habits.

[Jeff S]

... in response to actual experience?, posted by Luther on Sep 22, 2004

Having traveled to Asia a lot over the past 30 years, using close to a dozen carriers, I can say that thay're all pretty much the same when it comes to the in-flight experience. It's an unpleasant, tedius trip. Personally, I pick them by safety experience rather than pure $$. Personally, I wouldn't fly China Airlines if they were free. Though I have used KAL for the convenience, a long time ago (early 80s before the Soviet NIG interception incident) I wouldn't again. Here are some safety ratings: http://www.planecrashinfo.com/rates.htm  

These days I usually pay the extra to sit up front because it means I'm more likely to sleep in the bigger seats, not having to listen to so much engine exhause whine, and free booze. But everyome has their own thresholds of spending money. Shadow (Larry) hitchhikes to the airport to save the shuttle fare - not my idea of a vacation, but, hey, if it works for him, why not?

- Jeff

[Keith NC]

... in response to Re: air fares, posted by Bear on Sep 21, 2004

Bear,

I will be going to the Philippines in January.  I live in North Carolina.  Once in Manila I will fly to Butuan City.  Are the rates low in January?  

Thanks,

Keith

[Luther]

... in response to Re: Re: air fares, posted by Keith NC on Sep 21, 2004

Starting January 17 it appears from my limited research and zero experience that the fares go down.  As they say, it should have been purchased 6 months in advance to get the cheapest rates possible.  Jovie and Gerlie told me January and February are the cheapest available.

[Keith NC]

... in response to air fares in January, posted by Luther on Sep 22, 2004

Luther,

How are you and welcome to the board.  I have a pen pal that I am going to see in Butuan City in January.  I chat with Jovies niece Ginalyn sometimes on yahoo.  Howard introduced me to her a while back.  I consider her a good friend of mine and a really sweet girl.  She is trying to teach me a little Tagalog.  She has a lot of patience. Lol.  We were talking about you and Jovie the other night.  I think it is fantastic that you found Jovie.  Let me know if you want to know anything about Davao City and Panabo City.  My ex wife is from the area and I have spent some time there.  One of my Brother in laws is a Policemen in Davao City but he lives in Panabo City with his wife.  Panabo City is alot more quiet and peaceful than Davao City.

You have to go to Paradise Island when you are there.  I know Howard went when he was there.  I have been several times.  I think that you will love it.  Paradise Island is a 20 minute ferry ride from Davao City.  It is located in the Babak District on Garden Islands of Samal.  My ex is from Babak.  

Well since I don't have my ticket yet I guess I am out of luck.  I was hoping that I could get a really cheap ticket to spread the almighty dollar just a little further.  Yes, January and Febuary are the cheapest months to fly over there.  It is there off season.  I was there in June of 2000 and October of 2002.  

Take Care,

Keith

[Ray]

... in response to cheaper air fares to Phils, posted by Luther on Sep 19, 2004

The cheapest tickets are going to be from a ticket consolidator. I could give you some names, but it's always better if you can find someone local. Try to find a travel agent in your area who specializes in tickets to the Philippines. Ask some local Filipinos where they buy their airline tickets.

The airfares are highly seasonal and change all the time. If you want to travel in December or early January, you should have bought your tickets 2 months ago :-)

Ray

[surfscum]

... in response to Re: cheaper air fares to Phils, posted by Ray on Sep 19, 2004

If you're in California, I'd like to know your list of consolidators.  Thanks, Ray.

[Ray]

... in response to Re: Re: cheaper air fares to Phils, posted by surfscum on Sep 20, 2004

I don't deal directly with consolidators, but go through local travel agents who in turn buy from consolidators. These travel agencies are everywhere and usually specialize in one destination country.

Ray