Philippine Airlines A321 business class Singapore-Manila

BACKGROUND Philippine Airlines operates flights from Singapore Changi Airport to Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport, using A321ceo aircraft. My flight (PR502) was a morning departure at 1035, arriving 1425 local time in Manila.

CHECK-IN Visitors to the Philippines must have proof of a departure ticket and have registered with the digital eTravel system up to 72 hours prior to their arrival in the country. Travellers receive a QR code via email once completed, which may be required at immigration.

I checked in online, however, and was not able to download my boarding pass, so staff needed to confirm I had a departure ticket. I arrived at the airport at 0725 for my 1035 departure.

The airline’s check-in desks were located at lane 14 – right at the end of the terminal – and there was a dedicated lane for business class passengers and two economy lanes. There was also one for hand luggage only and one for those who had checked in online but needed to drop off their hold luggage. Check-in was quick and I was

Interiors are reminiscent of a Swiss chalet, with cosy throws and roaring fires

provided with a physical boarding pass as well as a pass for entry to the lounge.

Before reaching immigration, passengers’ passports and boarding passes were checked by security staff. Once through, there were plenty of automated immigration lanes to scan passports, capture photos and scan fingerprints. Unfortunately, the automated lanes weren’t working for me, so I had to go to the desk, but there was a short queue for this.

Amenities included great complimentary wifi, showers and massage chairs

THE LOUNGE Philippines Airlines does not have its own lounge at Changi, but instead uses the SATS Premier Lounge, located on the first floor of the departures area. The lounge is open 24/7 and accessible to business class passengers and Priority Pass members.

The lounge was open-plan, with plenty of seating, some indoor greenery and wall art depicting Peranakan tiles. There were both hot and cold food buffets, as well as alcoholic beverages (wine, beer and spirits), filtered taps for drinking water and sparkling water, fridges for soft drinks, and two coffee machines (plus tea, with cold milk in the fridge).

Other amenities included great complimentary wifi, showers and massage chairs, plus a separate room which had a calmer feel thanks to water features and serene lighting.

BOARDING

Gate D47 was announced at 0945 and located a ten-minute walk from the lounge; boarding commenced by group number at 1015, with business class boarding first. The gate featured a charging station at the far end for those who needed to boost their phone battery.

Once we were boarded, friendly staff introduced themselves and served passengers a refreshing apple and carrot

juice or a banana smoothie. The pilot greeted passengers with the warm Filipino greeting of “Mabuhay” and announced that the flight time would be approximately three hours and 25 minutes.

The seats held a menu for the inflight dining service, and staff took orders at 1035. We took off at 1105.

THE SEAT The A321ceo seats 199 passengers across two cabins, with 12 seats across three rows in business class and

187 in economy. Business class is in a 2-2 (AC-HK) configuration and was only half-full during my journey, so everyone had a free seat next to them.

The seats felt a little dated, designed in a beige and cream colour scheme, with brown armrests. Each seat had a pillow, blanket and the menu leaflet. I found the seat comfortable, but the features were quite basic. There was just one seat recline button in the armrest, as well as an adjustable headrest, but no footrest.

The tray table was in the armrest and proved a little fiddly to open. Aside from this, there was a small table between seats, with a drinks-sized table that slides out from there.

The seats were equipped with AC charging ports and a USB slot in the armrest. There was no IFE monitor. Instead, passengers must download myPAL

Player – a free app that allows them to stream almost 100 films, 120 TV episodes and more than 800 songs on their own device. I wasn’t aware of this before the flight, so wasn’t able to download the app prior to boarding, as it requires an internet connection.

Those who do think ahead must enable wifi on their personal device once on the aircraft, and connect to the myPAL hotspot before accessing the app.

There was no IFE monitor. Passengers must download the myPAL Player app

THE FLIGHT Passengers on this medium-haul flight were offered a hot meal comprising an appetiser, an assortment of breads, a choice of three mains and two desserts. The service started at 1145 with a warm towel and a delicious bowl of salted cashews, and concluded at around 1210.

The appetiser was poached chicken in Szechuan sauce, served with mesclun, red chilli and spring onions. This was followed by a main of pan-roasted sea bass in a mustard tarragon sauce, served with cherry tomatoes, green beans and roast potatoes.

My sea bass was quite overdone (and conversely not that hot), while the potato wedges were soggy and the accompanying bread was rather stale. Stewed beef brisket and pork asado were the other choices. For dessert, there was mango pudding followed by Häagen-Dazs ice cream.

The tray table did not feel sturdy, and it was also very narrow, meaning that the tablecloth hung over the sides – it barely accommodated both the meal and drinks.

There was a range of alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages on offer. I had a glass of Louis De Sacy, Grand Cru NV Champagne, though I had trouble keeping it in the glass during turbulence.

Staff were excellent throughout the journey, with an attentive and warm demeanour. Passengers were also provided with a customs form to fill in during the journey, and staff were available to help if there were any questions.

The washroom at the front-left of the aircraft, just beside the cockpit, was cleaned regularly by staff who would notify you when it was free.

There was no wifi available on this flight but it was a short journey, so I caught up on some offline work and enjoyed the views from the windows. I was thankful for the empty seat next to me, which meant I could spread out and rest my laptop on the neighbouring table while I ate. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to work/ watch something while eating, due to the small tray table.

ARRIVAL We started to descend into Manila at 1400 and landed early at 1416, with a quick disembarkation at 1425.

Those with connecting flights were given priority for disembarking, with business class passengers to follow. Filipino passengers may use the e-Gates at immigration, while foreign passport holders must queue up at manual checkpoints. I had to provide a QR code from my eTravel form and my photo was taken. Bags arrived quickly at the carousel and I was ready to depart at 1435. We were ushered through customs, and no one collected our customs forms.

VERDICT

This is a rather basic but comfortable seat for a short- or mediumhaul journey, with excellent service from warm staff. Make sure to download some TV shows ahead of your flight, or the myPAL Player app, to avoid boredom during the journey. The catering, too, needs an upgrade. Hannah Brandler