Cebu Pacific’s website and booking facilities now includes Singapore! I tried booking to see how much the fare would cost.

The promo fare (buy from July 20 – 26, travel from Aug 31 – Oct 19) amounts to PHP 6,327.00.

The non-promo fare amounts to Php 8,327.00 roundtrip.

Not bad, eh? It comes out higher than Tiger Airway’s roundtrip fares, but at least you get to fly from (the pitiful) NAIA Terminal 1. The question now is, how will their service fare compared to their competitors’?

One downside to Cebu Pacific’s new route is the time. Though they will be flying to and from Singapore daily, the timing is a bit off:

Departure from Manila is at 8:30pm, arrive in Singapore at 11:55pm
Departure from Singapore is at 12:40am, arrive in Manila at 4:05am

I suppose it’s great if you need to be in Singapore or Manila for a meeting the following day, hahaha. It’d suck if you’re paying for accommodations in Singapore because you’d be paying for a whole night when you’d only be staying for only half of it. I’m so glad I have relatives in Singapore.
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It seems so. I found this startling message in one of the forums I frequent:

Introducing Cebu Pacific’s newest destination. . . SINGAPORE!

Fly from MANILA to SINGAPORE (vice versa) for only 1,499 pesos!

HURRY, catch the SINGAPORE SEAT SALE from July 20 – 26, 2006 only! Travel period is from August 31, 2006 to October 19, 2006.

Fare is exclusive of applicable fees, taxes and surcharges. Book online now at cebupacificair.com or call 70-20-888 or visit the travel agent nearest you. CLICK HERE: For more details about our Singapore service.
Fly Cebu Pacific to SingaFOR only 1,499 pesos.

There’s no announcement in their website yet, so I was having doubts whether it’s true (though the poster claims he received the announcement via e-mail & sms from Cebu Pacific).

In another forum, I found out that it is true.
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Tigerairways is having one of their SG$9.98 fare promos again!

Christmas has arrived early this year. With fares starting from S$9.98 one way, you’ll have more in your pocket to spend on the holiday you really want. Shop till you drop in Bangkok or soak in the views of Hanoi and Darwin. Whatever you want to do during these winter holidays, Tiger Airways makes sure you get the real deal.

So if you’re planning a trip home or a holiday abroad, book now!

[Edit] I think Tigerairways made a boo-boo. I tried looking for flight and lo and behold — no flights available for November 2006 onwards! Tsk.

I never really considered Tiger Airways, even when I’m trying to be cheap with my budget. That is primarily because flying via Tiger in the Philippines meant having to go to Clark. Even with the shuttle service from Megamall, I still see it as a hassle, particularly since I live in the northern part of Metro Manila.

However, when my sister-in-law told me about the special promotion Tiger Airways was having, I immediately changed my opinion. Well, it was actually because it’s for the Thailand leg of the trip.

That was in the middle of January, their SG$9.98 promo. Similar to Cebu Pacific‘s Php 10 and Piso fares, the base rate for a one-way ticket is SG$9.98 (depending on the destination) plus applicable taxes. For my roundtrip ticket to Bangkok originating from Singapore, it came down to SG$103.21 or Php3,320.00.
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Jetstar Asia is our family’s choice of budget airline when flying to Singapore. Despite its higher fare over competitor Tiger Airways, Jetstar’s winning factor is that it flies and lands at the ‘main’ terminal/airports of the cities it serve.

In Manila, Jetstar departs and arrive at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, while in Singapore, they use Gate C19 of Terminal 1 at the Changi International Airport. It’s easy enough to go to Singapore’s Budget Terminal (for Tiger Airways), but it’s a different story if you’re in Metro Manila going all the way to Clark’s Diosdado Macapagal Airport.

The premise of these budget airlines is that by taking away all the free ‘perks’ passengers get on regular airlines and imposing strict baggage limits, they are lowering their operation costs. Hence, the term low-cost carrier. Doh. (I really shouldn’t be posting entries at 2am)

If you’re thinking that cutting costs meant old and dilapidated flying coffins, you’re mistaken. Their fleet of Airbus A320 are new, and more importantly, unlike the plane I took to Cebu last March, nothing rattles during take off and landing.
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