Qatar Airways v Cebu Pacific DOH-MNL-DOH

So back on October 24th 2015 I announced that I had saved a whopping QR 5,198 by flying Cebu Pacific instead of Qatar Airways Click Here To Read. And as promised I am now writing about how that worked out for me.

Well the first thing to disclose is that I messed up my online booking with Cebu Pacific and erroneously failed to pay for any luggage. I thought I had, I was sure I had. But for some unknown reason I did not. Something that I fortunately spotted before flying thus avoiding outrageously priced excess baggage fees during check in.

Having spotted my mistake I was easily able to go online with Cebu Pacific and add as an option 30kg for both my son and I at a total cost of QR 554. Of course this brings my perceived saving of QR 5,198 down to QR 4,644.

Cebu Pacific Check in at Doha Int. Airport

We arrived at the airport 4 hours before departure and began cueing for check in. Oh boy did I regret not checking in online. The cue was insane. However I did notice after cuing for a long time that the dedicated online check in desk could only be accessed having cued in a much longer ‘everyone’ cue first. Which seems a bit strange. Anyway having endured the cursed zig zag cueing, check in was simple and no different from any other airline I have flown with.

We went to the gate 2 hours before departure which was scheduled for 4:15am. Outside the gate there was hardly any seating so hanging around was not very comfortable. And a long cue had formed waiting for the gate to open. At 2:55 we finally made it inside the gate and were able to sit down. At 3:33 we were in the our next cue to board the aircraft. Something triggered everyone to jump up out of their seat and form a cue to board without an announcement telling them to and we joined in. However there must have been a technical problem with the aircraft. Through the window we could see the bridges being withdrawn from the aircraft as though it was departing, then we think they did an engine test or something, then the bridges were moved back into position. The frustrating bit was that there was no announcements advising us as to what was happening.We were in that cue for 1hr 25 mins grrrrr!!!

At 4:58am we finally boarded the plane. At 5:02am we were told they still had paperwork to do (at least they were making announcements now) and at 5:11am we finally pushed back. At 6:34pm (Philippines time) we touched down 19 minutes late. Which wasn’t too bad as we departed an hour late.

Cebu Pacific A330 Seating

There is only one class, economy class. And boy is it economical. The seats were hard with virtually no padding. The legroom seemed the same as on Qatar Airways, but the seats seemed narrower and more tightly packed.

Cebu Pacific A330 Seating

There was no LCD screen and no in flight entertainment. Even after moving to a seat where I had no one sitting next to me I had real trouble getting comfortable. During take off (before I moved seats) I was sat next to my son, and I can tell you now if I had had to stay in that seat for over 9 hours it would have been intolerable. Our elbows were digging into each other and we were fighting for armrest space. That said, later in the flight I noticed quite a few people managed to get to sleep even in such cramped conditions. I was sooooo…. envious of them.

It is possible to sleep on a cramped Cebu Pacific A330 flight

There is no pillow, and no blanket supplied. But they can be bought on the plane, which we did not. And once I was in a seat with no one next to me, I began to settle down and watch movies I had placed on my iPad ready for the trip. Time to order a beer. Oh no! The beer was warm! We had to drink it with ice to reduce the temperature. Not too expensive at P130 (QR 10) but they only had San Miguel Pale Pils, which when diluted with ice made a very weak tasting drink. But they must have put some in the fridge, because by about our 3rd or 4th it had finally started to be served cold. We brought our own supply of spicy snacks to enjoy with our beer.

Cebu Pacific, in flight beer P130 (QR 10, GBP 1.90) a can

I had pre ordered one hot meal and could have opted for a second one as well if I had wanted. Like the seating the meal was also very economical.

Cebu Pacific in flight meal

Beef curry, a chocolate brownie and a small bottle of water for P500 (QR 38). This was paid for in the total ticket price at the time of booking.

Cebu Pacific in flight meal

It was edible but for me not quite enough and I was left feeling like I needed another one. Qatar Airways gives 2 hot meals included in their ticket price, which consist of slightly more in quantity and variety.

Cebu Pacific in flight meal

But in my opinion both airlines offer meals that were similar in quality and taste. And I do remember being highly critical of my last QA in flight meal. There is lots of snacks you can buy off the trolley including noodles, chips etc. at reasonable prices, so there is no need to go hungry. And they don’t mind you bringing meals onto the flight either. I noticed a number of people eating meals they had prepared themselves.

Service was ok. The cabin crew were very similar in performance to QA staff. Nothing notable to comment on there.

Cebu Pacific A330 Seating

Would I fly Cebu Pacific Doha to Manila again? Oh yes! I would have been happier on a Qatar Airways flight. The beer would have probably been colder, the meal slightly larger and the seats more comfortable. Oh and there would have been in flight entertainment and we may have left on time. But would I have been prepared to pay an extra QR 2,322 each (remember total QR saving 4,644) for those improvements? Nope! A 3rd person could have traveled with us with the money we saved and we would have still had cash left over.

Cebu Pacific A330 Seating

The fact it was the Christmas period undoubtedly increase both airlines prices and this makes the saving appear more. Now if the difference in price between the two airlines was less than QR 1,000 it is possible I would be flying with Qatar Airways again.

Cebu Pacific A330 Seating

One last thing. At the moment there are only 2 flights a week each way DOH-MNL-DOH with Cebu Pacific, so your traveling dates are much more restricted. Oh and on the flight back Cebu had no beer!!! What!!!

Cebu Pacific A330 Safety Instruction Card

 

 

 

One thought on “Qatar Airways v Cebu Pacific DOH-MNL-DOH

  1. Very nice review! I personally love Qatar Airways, they are just such a classy airline. But as soon as the prices are too different, I’d definitely give Cebu a try, too! 🙂

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