Flying from Cebu to Manila on PAL A321ceo Comfort Class

I was once wondering what the difference was between Philippine Airlines’ typical economy class and comfort class. Hence, I am happy to have experienced a PAL class between business class and standard economy, which is called ‘Comfort Class.’ I flew from Cebu to Manila on board their A321ceo in their comfort class seat, and yes, it does have its perks being seated there. So allow me to share my experience.

What It’s Not

Basically, comfort class is not business class, though you do get some perks like passengers in business class, such as meals and priority boarding. It is also not standard economy because you get more legroom in comfort class, and you are seated at the forward section of the aircraft. For me, these seats are for those who want additional perks such as hot sandwiches and wider legroom. Fares are a little bit more expensive, but not really by a wide margin.

I was on board flight PR1848 from Cebu to Manila. Our flight was delayed due to the late arrival of the turnaround aircraft. The plane flew as PR485 from Seoul Incheon to Cebu and would be operating as PR1848 from Cebu to Manila. A different crew would be in charge of this flight. PAL cabin crew from Cebu were in charge of PR485.

Check-in Was a Breeze

My flight would depart from the Mactan Cebu International Airport Terminal 1, which is used only for domestic flights. The airport was not that packed, and since I was able to use online check-in, checking in my luggage was a breeze. The ground staff seemed happy, and after just a few minutes, I was told that I could proceed to the Mabuhay Lounge, where I could wait for my flight. Thank you so much, PAL!

The Mabuhay Lounge at MCIA Terminal 1 is not as big as the one in Manila, perhaps maybe the same size as the Mabuhay Lounge of MCIA Terminal 2. But anyway, there was a wide array of food choices. Of course, the PAL arroz caldo was present, but I did not bother to get any more since I was already full from eating a lot in Cebu. Nevertheless, the lounge was pretty comfortable. Not many people were there too. However, after eating a few sandwiches, I decided to just go and join the PAL cabin crew at the pre-departure area. Of course, we had quite a fun conversation until it was time to board.

That’s what I love about the PAL cabin crew. They know how to carry out a conversation with other people. They talk well too, with sense. Definitely a plus for the airline too.

Boarding Time

Since I was seated in comfort class, we were one of the first to board. However, I decided not to be the first to board; I just decided to be one of the last. But for those who want to be on board first, yes, you get priority boarding if you are a PAL comfort class passenger.

One thing I love about PAL is that things are done in an orderly fashion. Or maybe PAL passengers do follow boarding procedures, and no one crowds up the area. People only stood up according to sequence or when their area was called.

The Seats Themselves

PAL’s Airbus A321ceo is configured with 12 business class, 18 comfort class seats, and 169 standard economy class seats. Comfort class has a seat pitch of 34 inches with a width of 18 inches. Legroom is definitely better than in the standard economy class, which has a seat pitch of 30 inches but shares the same width of 18 inches. There are also USB ports in comfort class, which are located under the seats. I’m not sure if the standard economy class seats have the same too.

The seat is pretty comfortable for a huge guy like me, who stands at 5’7″. I highly recommend these seats to tall people, like six-footers and beyond. The seating configuration of comfort class is six abreast, similar to that of standard economy class.

Since these planes are the A321ceo, you don’t get any seatback IFEs, unlike the PAL A321neo, where you get seatback IFEs throughout all classes. The A321ceos of PAL arrived during the time when San Miguel, under the presidency of Ramon Ang, had control of the airline. During that time, it seemed like they wanted to convert PAL into a low-cost airline to compete with the likes of Cebu Pacific, instead of staying as a premium carrier competing with international airlines. However, when Lucio Tan, under the leadership of Jaime Bautista, took control of the airline in 2014, they started to embark on a goal to bring back PAL as a premium carrier. Hence, when the airline began to take delivery of their A321neo sometime in 2018, all seats were equipped with IFEs and Wi-Fi on board.

The A321ceo of PAL was designed as ‘tri-class,’ where the now-comfort class was originally intended as ‘premium economy.’ However, the only difference between that and standard economy is the bigger legroom, the taupe seat covers, and the addition of charging ports. Hence, ‘comfort class’ is more fitting than ‘premium economy.’

How I wish PAL would have a more consistent hard product in the future, where all seats would be equipped with seatback IFEs and Wi-Fi on board throughout its fleet. For customers, this may matter a lot, as some feel that why they are paying the same fare on an aircraft with no IFEs as those who get an aircraft equipped with IFEs and Wi-Fi. To us avgeeks, yes, we understand why, but to your typical customer, they might find this like a ‘rip-off.’ So I hope PAL can work on that. Anyhow, I expect them to take delivery of their outstanding orders of A321neos equipped with IFEs in the coming years, especially after the Pratt & Whitney turbofan issue is addressed.

The Cabin Crew

There is no question as to why PAL cabin crew always stand out for me. In fact, they are the ‘saving grace’ of the airline. I just love their sense of professionalism, their warmth, and their initiative to really be of help to passengers. Even outside the aircraft, they still embody this trait. You can see how well trained the PAL cabin crew are by their demeanor on board, the way they communicate, and the manner in which they approach and deal with passengers.

I think PAL is doing a good job in really training their crew. Upon boarding the aircraft, they greeted me with a smile and with full confidence and showed me to my seat. On board during meal service, they politely asked me my choice of beverage as they handed me my meal, which was a yummy Chicken Tonkatsu Sandwich. And I noticed how they would smile at passengers when asking if they wanted any drinks or beverages.

And this is why I choose to fly with PAL over other international airlines. I can feel their cabin crew’s sincerity and genuine service that come from their hearts.

Deplaning

The deplaning process was very orderly, and you could see that the PAL cabin crew conducted this in a very professional manner. Those who had not been called yet to disembark were first told to remain seated or not to go to the aisle. This way, we didn’t see a crowded aisle during deplaning. The crew called each section one by one. Kudos for a very orderly deplaning.

Unlike in other airlines, passengers still crowd the aisle during deplaning, making it somewhat chaotic.

All in all, my whole experience on PAL Comfort Class was awesome! This is why I usually choose PAL for my trips. I love how orderly they are, the seamless check-in service, and the warmth of their crew and staff.

Good points:

• Orderly boarding and deplaning
• Very professional and warm cabin crew. Definitely the best asset of PAL.
• Improvement in digital services. Flight was delayed but I was informed ahead of time via email where I had the option to immediately rebook my flight to a different time.
• Happy and friendly ground staff
• Comfort class has big legroom and yes, comfortable.
• Seamless flying experience. Hassle free.

Improvement points:

• Needs a better hard product for a premium airline like PAL, such as better seats, IFEs, and a more consistent product.
• As mentioned above, a more consistent product across all its fleet, such as IFEs on all planes operated by Philippine Airlines. I noticed that RP-C9912 was also used for the Cebu-Seoul Incheon route; hence, the same blank aircraft flies internationally too.
• More competitive pricing. I think this is something PAL can improve on in the future.