How about the Philippine airlines?

When I was working in Malaysia, I always took AirAsia when I came home. It was cheap; I just added a few US dollars for my luggage. I also ate the delicious congee and other food being offered for free at the AirAsia Lounge at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. The planes always departed and arrived on time, and I like the bright red uniforms of the crew.

I rarely took Cebu Pacific, which has been notorious for being late. I took one when I flew from Bangkok to Manila in January of 2023. The plane was an hour late. They blamed it again on the delayed arrival of the plane caused by the long queue of planes flying out of Manila. AirAsia also flies out of Manila going to Kuala Lumpur, but it has never been late.

I only took one Cebu Pacific plane from Cebu to Manila two years ago. I was sitting at the back. Over and beyond the noise of the plane came the shrill voices of the stewardesses, talking about their private lives. You do not find this noise and shrillness in the other airlines. I stood up and told them to please pipe down because the passengers were trying to sleep and were not interested in hearing about their love lives.

How about Philippine Airlines? For US-bound flights, it offers great Philippine food and has a charming crew. But I took it once, and my TV screen was not working. Two years later, my sister flew business class from LA to Manila, and its TV screen was not working. What is the point of paying for a seat when you cannot watch a film or two before dozing off into the blue yonder of sleep?

If I were the seller, I would be embarrassed to sell a seat or offer a service that does not work 100 percent. But then, that is the difference between a local airline and the rest of the world.