Flying from Manila to Davao on board a Cebu Pacific A321ceo

I recently travelled on board a Cebu Pacific flight from Manila to Davao and back. This travel coincided with the traditional Kadayawan Festival in Davao City. The aircraft utilized for this Cebu Pacific trip was an Airbus A321-211, otherwise known as A321ceo or Current Engine Option. Allow me to share with you this flight experience.

Cebu Pacific flies between Manila and Davao 8 times daily. They also serve Davao from Cebu three times daily, thrice weekly from Davao to Bohol, and daily from Davao to Iloilo. Hence, you really have many choices if you fly to Davao via Cebu Pacific.

My flight was 5J963, which departs Manila at 8:15 am for Davao. Our flying time is approximately 1 hour and 50 minutes.

The aircraft, Airbus A321ceo

The aircraft used for this flight is an Airbus A321-211, otherwise known as an A321ceo. This stands for “Current Engine Option”; however, this is no longer the current engine choice. The A320ceo family, which consists of the A320-200, A321-200, A319-100, and the A318, commonly uses the CFMI CFM56 engine. Except for the A318, all others use the IAE V2500 engine as another option.

However, the Airbus A320 variants now being sold belong under the A321neo family, namely, A321neo, A320neo, and A319neo. NEO stands for New Engine Option, but these are now the current engine options. Airbus no longer sells brand new A320s equipped with CFM56 and IAE V2500 engines.

Going back, Cebu Pacific’s fleet of seven A321-211, otherwise known as A321ceo, are powered by CFM56 turbofan engines. The particular plane on our flight carries registry RP-C4114. This aircraft has been with Cebu Pacific for around four years and was delivered to the airline on four Mon 8, 2018. It has a cabin layout of 230 all-economy seats, already pre-reclined. Hence, you cannot recline them manually.

The seats are comfortable enough for a big guy like me. My legroom is okay; I still got enough knee room and stretch area. I stand around 5’8″, and my build is large. Although the seats cannot be reclined manually, they are still comfortable enough for me to get some shut-eye. Honestly, too, I like this because you don’t have to struggle hard with the passenger in front who thinks that economy seats can lie flat.

Boarding

I boarded my flight via the Ninoy Aquino International Airport terminal 3. This is where all Cebu Pacific (except CebGo) flights are. I am happy to see the airport busy compared to the same period in 2021 when it just seemed like a ghost town. I arrived at the airport two hours before my flight, and the line to enter was somewhat long. Just something you might want to consider, be at the airport at least 2.5 hours before your flight.

I also do suggest that you do online check-in via your Cebu Pacific mobile app or through the check-in kiosk. It may save you more time.

We boarded through the bus gate, but the plane’s location was not so far. I was still able to do a slight spotting. We boarded the aircraft through the backdoor only. The airbridge at NAIA T3 was not being utilised for our flight. I wonder why.

The flight from Manila to Davao

It didn’t take long before our doors were closed, and we pushed back. While I thought we would be taking off from RW31, I was surprised to see that we went all the way to RW06. Other domestic carriers using single-aisle aircraft make use of RW31.

Our take-off was quick and smooth except for a bit of turbulence after. Of course, I savored the whine of those CFM56 engines on the A321ceo because soon, all 7 of these jets in Cebu Pacific will be retired from the fleet. The older generation A320 family are somewhat noisy. However, pilots claim that the CFM56 is more durable than the PW1100G found on the A321neo.

Snacks on board

Before finalizing your flight booking with Cebu Pacific, you may pre-purchase snacks or food. There are many choices, ranging from sandwiches, burritos, pasta, and rice meals. You also have some combo choices for as low as 100 pesos only.

I was given a Lechon Manok Burrito with a C2. The burrito was giant but somewhat messy to eat because it had a lot of filling. So better make sure you eat this with a paper placemat under it. Anyway, your cabin crew will provide one for you.

The cabin crew

If I am to rate Cebu Pacific’s cabin crew on my flight, that would be an 11/10. First, they kept coming back to me, asking if I needed anything. I am not much of a demanding passenger, but I was happy about their concern. They were even offering me extra water and coffee.

Just a little trivia about the cabin crew on my flight, most of them were retrenched during the pandemic and were recalled. This is why they were so happy to be back doing their job again after a long period of resting their wings. I also salute their dedication. Amidst a vast foreign airline hiring flight attendants in the Philippines, these particular crew didn’t want to leave Cebu Pacific because, aside from the fact that they were just newly rehired, they can’t thank Cebu Pacific enough for giving them this chance to fly again.

I had to commend the Cebu Pacific cabin crew members on my flight for their service and dedication.

Fun games

After how many years, Cebu Pacific brought back their usual fun games on board. They had to suspend this due to the pandemic, but it was brought back as transmission risks are now low.

For our game, we had to show particular selfies to win prizes. First was a selfie in the airport, then a selfie with a boarding pass, and then the third, a selfie with the Cebu Pacific cabin crew. I had loads of pictures with the Cebu Pacific cabin crew, not only in the aircraft but all around! I waited for others to show one, but when no one showed a selfie with the cabin crew, I raised my hand to win the prize.

Clean and well maintained aircraft

Cleanliness is strictly observed on board. I also noticed that the cabin is clean with no torn seats, no chipped-off paint, and no malfunctioning parts like tray tables. The lavatory is clean. Everything you will see is so well maintained. Flight attendants make sure to disinfect the lavatory after every passenger uses it.

After an hour and 50 minutes, we landed in Davao City. The landing was okay, and our approach was smooth. What I loved most, though, about my flight was the crew. I did send in a commendation for the team for their warmth, genuine friendliness, and concern.

Cebu Pacific is a low-cost airline, but its branding and services are far from low-cost. They have evolved a lot throughout the years. All their aircraft are brand new and clean, their crew are well groomed, you have a wide array of inflight snack choices which you can pre-purchase, and of course, the more than reasonable fares which allow you to fly more!

Good news! Cebu Pacific is adding more flights to Davao in the next few months!

Below is my full video of 5J 963.