Due to a couple of runway incidents at the Caticlan airport a couple of months ago, all flights to the small airport has been diverted to Kalibo, which has a longer runway and can accommodate bigger aircraft better. All flights, except Seair’s.
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Seair, in celebration of their 14th anniversary on March 25, 2009, is offering a very special treat online. All online ticket purchases from March 25, 2009 to March 28, 2009 get P1400 discount per way, for all fare classes, for all seats, for all routes, and for all flights from June 15, 2009 to September 15, 2009. Just visit www.flyseair.com and type in the promo code iloveseair14 in the promo code field.
Also, starting this summer, Seair now flies daily to the beautiful province of Batanes. Visitors now have full flexibility on their itinerary and have more options on what day they want to go to Batanes and return to Manila. The flights utilize SEAIR’s Dornier 328 planes which take vacationers comfortably to Batanes in just 1 hour and 20 minutes. For packages please call SEAIR Leisure Escape Packages at (632) 8437308.
If you’re going to Boracay this summer, get special privileges at Seair partner establishments with your Seair boarding pass. Bolero in Station 3 and Fishbar in D’mall has recently signed up as a partner, and both restaurants give 10% discounts to all Seair passengers. To see the partner establishments check the hot deals boarding pass privileges ad in the Inflight magazine. To book flights to Boracay call (632)8490100 or visit www.flyseair.com.
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As soon as we drove off in the jeep from the Ivana port, the thunderstorm that the weather websites were predicting finally arrived. The weather effectively killed off any plans for more sightseeing around Batan island. That and the queasy feeling we got from riding the boat from Sabtang.
The weather in Batanes is pretty hard to predict, owing largely to its remote location. It can be raining pretty heavily in Manila, but it’d be bright and sunny in Batanes. The typhoon that was ravaging the rest of the country that weekend was already on its way out when it entered the Philippine area of responsibility for the second time. It was too far to affect Batanes with heavy rains, but it still made an impact with the strong winds that blew through the town.
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The flight out of Manila was scheduled for 5:50am. I still had work Friday night, so I was hurriedly finishing work-related things online. To my surprise, most of my travel buddies are also online on Plurk, which of course, made it hard for me to concentrate on my writing! Flying at 5:50 am, meant having to be at the airport before 4:50am, which in turn meant leaving the house at 3am. Rather than to sleep and risk oversleeping and missing the flight, Eric, Gail and Melo opted to pull an all nighter.
What I love about early morning flights is the traffic-less EDSA. Living in the north, travel time to the airport during rush hour can be terribly time consuming — it can take from one to two hours to get from my house in Quezon City to one of the airports in Parañaque City. Before the traffic starts, travel time can be cut to almost 30 minutes.
Using the old domestic terminal can usually be an ordeal: it’s too small, too cramped and too many people are using it. Thanks to the opening of the new NAIA Terminal 3, the number of passengers using the old domestic terminal has significantly gone down. Now, only two commercial airlines use the old terminal, one of which is Seair.
The pre-departure lounge was almost empty — a world of difference from the last time we used the terminal last June, when it was packed to the seams. We sat down, chatting amongst ourselves to pass the time while waiting for the flight to be called. The clock ticked past 5:50 am, and still no call. Soon enough, there was an announcement: flight DG601 bound for Basco was delayed. We were dismayed, but the announcement didn’t really come as a shock; for days we’ve been monitoring the weather in Batanes, and it was anything but sunny. We thought of possible places we can go instead, if flying to Basco wasn’t feasible. Melo wasn’t hearing any of it, and went to inquire among the ground staff. It seems the flight was only delayed because the airport office in Basco only opens at 6 o’clock in the morning. The people in Manila have to confer with its Basco counterparts before allowing the plane to fly.
Soon enough Seair flight DG601 was called — but for Boracay! It was an honest mistake on the part of the announcer, but it was indeed for the flight to Basco, Batanes. Within minutes we were onboard the Dornier 328 plane. It was my first time to fly north, and it was interesting to see how different the view from the plane was from all the flights I’ve taken going south. After reading through two Inflight magazines, the fasten seatbelt sign flashed — we are on the final descent to Basco. I eagerly looked out the window to see mountainous islands, the green stretching as far as the eye can see. I can see small roads hugging the sides of the mountain, small communities, and even smaller patches of beaches. We’re in Batanes!
A huge thanks goes out Seair, who provided our transport to Batanes. A shout out also goes out for Mr. Patrick, Seair’s VP for Marketing, and his assistant, Leo for making this possible. Thanks guys!
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We were supposed to go to Basilan. Due to the volatile situation down south (it was really shocking to find out that Ces Drilon and her two cameramans were taken on the day we planned on going there), we decided to look for other places. Several places in Negros was suggested, even Dumaguete. I changed upon a packaged tour that looks mightly appealing (not to mention, cheap) to Puerto Princessa, and that’s how we settled on Palawan. Then Eric had an idea: why not take a Seair flight to Busuanga and visit Coron?
Things happened quite fast after that initial idea, and before we know it, we were holding on to a round trip ticket to Busuanga, thanks to Seair. Though as excited as I was about this trip, I have to admit I was a bit hesitant about the plane ride. It’s not that I don’t like Seair, but I have huge problems with ear pressure when flying, and the last time I flew with Seair, it was quite painful. But it seems it’s not the plane that’s the problem; it’s just my ears 
I’m the only one in the group that felt this pain.
Ear pressure aside, it was a pleasant flight. We took the 11:30 am flight to Busuanga, on Seair’s Dornier 328. Unlike the Let 410, which we rode before, the Dornier 328 is bigger, and can carry 32 passengers. The cabin is pressurized, the seats more comfortable, there’s a toilet on board, and the flight attendant actually stays on board for the flight.
Seair boasts of having the fastest flight to Boracay and Palawan. It’s true; our plane touched down just a few minutes past twelve. While airborne, time simply flies by. Those on window seats can look out the window and watch the terrain change as we fly over Luzon and Mindoro. Those on the aisle have Seair’s inflight magazine to pass the time. Snacks are also served on board, and Seair merchandise are available for sale. Traveling alone? You can request for a single seat. The Dornier 328 and Let 410 have a 1-2 seat configuration — no need to share space with strangers if you’re flying solo!
The biggest novelty about flying with Seair is still the low altitude their planes fly. I remember when I first rode an airplane. I was so excited to see the city from above, but once we got to cruising altitude, all I could see were the fluffy clouds. And there’s only so much fluffy clouds I can take before I get really bored. It’s different with Seair. Because of the lower altitude, you have the most amazing view of the Philippines from above.
Seair’s small aircraft can served airports with shorter runways and even unpaved ones. This means they can serve more destinations that other airlines can’t. Of course, this makes it convenient for those who wants to travel to far flung places, without having to spend several hours on the road or inside a ship. Considering my work schedule, flying with Seair is the perfect choice for flying to my favorite destinations.
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February is just ending, but I can’t stop myself from thinking about the coming summer season. The heat lately has been getting worse, making me worry how much hotter it’d get when March and April rolls in. On hot sunny days like these, the best place to be is the beach. And when you say beach in the Philippines, the first that comes to mind is Boracay.
The first and the last time I went to Boracay was way back in March 2005. It was the best two weeks of vacation that I’ve ever had. The gorgeous beach, the fantastic food and the company of great friends. What more can you ask for?
One of the more memorable part of this trip was the plane ride. SEAir’s 19-seater plane can only accomodate two crew, so the flight attendant had to demonstrate the safety procedures while we were still on the ground. When she’s done, she disembarks and leaves us with the two pilot.
It was weird to be inside such a small plane. Unlike the Boeings and Airbus I rode before, the cabin wasn’t pressurized (the pilot even opens the cockpit window) and it feels as if you can easily drill a hole through its sides. And oh my god, the ear pressure. That has to be the worst I’ve ever experienced.
Ear pains aside, the view from the plane was spectacular. Unlike the bigger aircrafts, SEAir flies at a lower altitude, giving you a glimpse of the Philippines from above. This is definitely much better than just seeing clouds at 20,000 feet.
The 35-minute plane ride from Manila to Caticlan is SEAir’s biggest edge over its competitors. Since SEAir flies direct to Caticlan, you’re just one tricycle ride away from the ferry port to Boracay. Though SEAir can be more expensive than the other airlines on the same route, the shorter time you have to spend in transit makes it worth it.
Get a chance to try SEAir’s new 32-seater Dornier 328, courtesy of Ivan About Town. Ivan Henares is giving away a FREE Manila-Caticlan-Manila ticket to one lucky blogger. All you have to do is write a blog entry about SEAir, and why you deserve to win the contest. Why do I deserve to win? Because I’ll most probably write an entry about my Boracay trip, thus resulting to more publicity and inbound links 
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Nina, going through quarterlife crisis, decided to stop talking about traveling and actually start traveling. Starting with a solo weekend trip to Cebu to a backpacking trip in Thailand and Singapore, she finally made it out of Asia and into Australia. After spending close to six months down under, she's happily settled in Manila (for now), intent to explore the best things the Philippines has to offer.
