Seair’s Dornier 328 next to an oil truck. Yes, the plane is that small.
Seair’s Dornier 238 and LET 410 are “aerodynamically designed in a way that it is capable of landing and taking off in about 750 meters with full pay load,” says Seair president Avelino Zapanta. The Godofredo P. Ramos Airport serves Seair flights from Manila, Clark and Cebu. This means Seair is your best option if you have limited time to spend in the islands, or if you’re just that antsy to hit the fine white sand beaches of Boracay.
Seair even makes it easier for you by providing free shuttles from the airport to the jetty port and tickets for the boat to Boracay island. It’s also the same going back to Caticlan — Seair reps are waiting at the Cagban port to give you your complimentary boat tickets, and would radio their counterpart in Caticlan to meet your boat. How’s that for service?
Godofredo Ramos Airport, Caticlan, Aklan
However, given the rains and strong wind that Aklan is experiencing due to the habagat (southwest monsoon) and the typhoons typical in the country during this time of the year, it is possible that your Seair flight to Caticlan will be diverted to Kalibo. When the wind or the rain is too strong to make a safe landing in Caticlan, the plane will be diverted to Kalibo. But not to worry, as Seair will also be providing shuttles from the Kalibo airport to the jetty port in Caticlan. For flights out of Caticlan, passengers only need to check in at the Caticlan airport for their flight, and they will be taken to the Kalibo airport, if the flight is diverted.
Other Seair news:
Daily Flights to Batanes as Winter Approaches
As Batanes winter approaches, SEAIR increases flights to this beautiful northern paradise from 4 times weekly to daily starting October 12, 2009.
Due to its proximity to Taiwan, Batanes experiences 4 seasons – spring, summer, fall and winter. As the year comes to a close the weather gets cooler and cooler to as low as 7 degrees Celsius.
Seair Resumes Direct Flights to El Nido on November 18
SEAIR resumes direct flights from Manila to scenic El Nido, Palawan on November 18, 2009. SEAIR flies Manila-El Nido-Manila every Wednesday and Sunday.
El Nido is located in the northernmost tip of Palawan and is part of the El Nido-Taytay Managed Resource Protected Area, the largest marine sanctuary in the entire Philippines. This group of islands is a perfect destination for divers and snorkelers as well as beach and island-hoppers with over 30 dive sites and more than 50 beaches and hidden lagoons. Aside from its diverse fauna, El Nido also showcases a striking geological wonder: limestone cliffs that were carved extensively from thick layers of coralline deposits.
Fly SEAIR and rediscover the joy of flight – speed, convenience, personalized service! Go to www.FlySeair.com for the best deals or call (+632) 8490100 for more information.
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View from the Tukon Radar< Batanes
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.
]]>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.
So what do you do when your vacation get rained in Batanes? You stay put and relax. Of course, you can try your luck to sightsee, but what’s the fun in doing that amidst the rain and the wind? And that’s how we spent the rest of Day 2 and the whole of Day 3 in Batanes. We caught up on sleep, and really rested — something we don’t really do when we go on our weekend jaunts. It was a refreshing change, and judging by the way everybody is snoring, it seems it was exactly what we needed.
The great thing about the rain and the drop in temperature though was that I was able to test how my Waypoint Softshell Jacket fared in the pouring rain. The wind was too strong, that I didn’t bother using my folding umbrella (it would just be a waste of a perfectly good brolly), so I settled to walking around the streets of Basco wearing my Columbia jacket to keep my upper body dry. My legs were another story though, and my shorts were soaked through. Luckily, it was my Clearlake Convertible Pants that I was wearing, so it wasn’t heavy even when wet and it dried quickly, thanks to the Omni-Dry technology.
We might have been rained out in Batanes, but thanks to it, we were able to enjoy the simple pleasures in life: great home cooked meals (courtesy of Melo and yours truly), sleeping in, running around in the rain, junk food, Cloud 9 and Big Bang chocolates.
My Columbia gear was given to me for the Mt. Daguldol hike. Since then, I have been wearing them whenever I travel (sometimes even when I just want to dress down). Now you too can give the gift of adventure! Log on to www.columbiaadventure.com, send out three postcards of either the Palawan Hornbill or the scenic Mayoyao. Doing so would help in educating the local Palawan and Mayoyao guides in the science of outdoor adventure and gearing up in Columbia Sportswear. As an added treat, you also get to bring home limited exclusive items from Columbia Sportswear.
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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.
My first views of Batanes and our landing at the Basco airport
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!
Welcome to Batanes, where Jesus is Lord!
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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Seair’s 32-seater Dornier 328
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.
Seair’s 19-seater Let-410
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.
Inside the Dornier 328
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!
Bye, Busuanga!
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.
Happy Independence Day!
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.
More than usual high rise
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?
Round and round it goes. Sean the Canadian firedancer shows off his talent.
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.
Isaw?
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.
Bye bye Boracay
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.
That’s a tiny plane
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 