On my recent travels, I was fortunate enough to book Philippine Airlines Comfort Class tickets. Since I booked a couple of months in advance, they were at a decent price for a domestic trip, and it had been a while since I’d booked anything other than economy class, so I decided to go for it. Here’s a quick rundown of what you can expect when you book PAL’s comfort class.
If you have been a long-time customer of PAL, you probably know that you can choose from three sections when booking tickets: business class, premium economy, and economy. However, a couple of years ago, they rebranded their domestic premium economy, which is now known as comfort class. It has the same services such as priority check-in and boarding, 25kg free baggage allowance, sandwiches and drinks during the flight, seats with additional legroom as compared to regular economy seats, and 100% mileage accrual for Mabuhay Miles members. Another important feature is that you also get lounge access while waiting for your flight.
At NAIA 2, the PAL Mabuhay lounges are split into two. You have a lounge for the Business Class customers and a separate lounge for the comfort class passengers. The lounge is easily accessible and quick enough to find even if the airport happens to be full of travelers and queues. The lounge has free wifi access and many tables and chairs to choose from. Whether you are in a group or traveling alone, you’ll find a comfortable place to sit and relax. There are charging outlets all over the lounge, so you don’t need to worry about charging up your electronics especially if you are catching up on some work. Anywhere you choose to sit, there will be an available outlet where you can charge.
We all know that you have to be at the airport hours before the fight which makes waiting a drag. However, when at the lounge, the waiting doesn’t seem too bad at all especially when you can grab a snack and a drink. The lounge in Manila had juices, sodas, coffee, tea, and even beer. When it comes to the food, I’m not sure if they change what’s on display to adhere to the time of day, I can only tell you what was there for breakfast time since my flight was before lunchtime. There were sandwiches, mini burger sliders, wraps, a small salad bar, soups and congee, an assortment of pastries with a toaster you can use, puto, and other small bitesize snacks, desserts, and fruits. There was definitely enough food to keep you full until you reached your destination.
What I also like about the lounge is not only are the staff kind and attentive, but the bathrooms are also well stocked and always clean. When the airport is full during peak season such as summer or Christmas break, the bathroom lines can be very long and the bathrooms can get pretty unkempt quickly. At the lounge, there is always someone working hard to keep the bathrooms up to standard and of course, you don’t have to wait in line. There are also other amenities in the bathroom like rubbing alcohol, lotion, and even mouthwash which is great for freshening up especially if you happen to be catching a connecting flight.
Since you get priority boarding you get to settle in your seat earlier than the rest of the plane which is nice, since you don’t feel like you are rushing before they close the cabin doors. Comfort class seats are also located towards the front of the plane, right after the business class cabin which means you are also one of the first few to deplane once you land at your destination.
During the flight, you get a choice when it comes to a snack which at the time of my flight was a choice between a salmon or chicken sandwich and your choice of drink, coffee or tea. I think the in-flight snack is enough for a domestic flight since they aren’t very long. And if you’ve already eaten at the lounge beforehand, you might even forgo the snack altogether and decide to take a nap instead. The seats are slightly bigger and more comfortable than the standard economy seats, and you get a pillow and blanket which seems a bit trivial to some, but it does make a difference to the overall flying experience.
On the flight back to Manila, I was flying from Davao International Airport which is quite small but they do have a decent Mabuhay Lounge. Unlike the lounge in NAIA which is split into two according to class, in this lounge business class and comfort class are together in one lounge. Although it is a provincial airport and has a smaller lounge, I would say it was still up to the same standard as the one in Manila. There were many outlets for charging, and tables and chairs to choose from. Although the lounge can get full quite quickly since it is smaller, the crowd rotates often as well since there are flights leaving every few minutes. There’s also free wifi that is separate from the airport public wifi which means you can work or do what you need to without having to worry about internet connection or speed.
Their bathroom is smaller but that’s also understandable since it is a smaller lounge, but it is kept clean and well stocked just as expected. They also have a separate bathroom which has a shower if you need to use one. That might be useful for travelers who are catching connecting flights or who have had a long day of travel already prior to their flight.
When it comes to the food, the display was not as abundant as the one in Manila. However, they still had enough choices for quick and easy bites. There was fruit, congee, and soup, an array of sandwiches, an assortment of bread and a toaster that you can use, and the usual drinks, coffee, tea, and juices.
Overall, I was impressed with the whole experience. Flying both to the destination and back home was smooth and enjoyable. It definitely beats waiting by the gate for hours and having to look for and spend on drinks and meals while waiting. If you have the budget to upgrade yourself from economy to comfort class, I highly suggest you do it. It elevates the whole travel experience and you are comfortable and relaxed from check-in to baggage claim.
