Philippine Airlines is continuing to step up the quality of service and comfort level of its short-haul international flights with the introduction of the Airbus A330. Today, PAL passengers can now safely enjoy a very convenient 4-hour journey to Bangkok with the helpful addition of the cool, modern features of the A330.
This specific Airbus model is normally used by most commercial airlines on long-haul flights that span at least eight hours of travel time. By actively opting to fly this dandy of a state-of-the-art plane on a brief hop to a busy city like Bangkok, it only heavily shows how serious Philippine Airlines is when it comes to providing more value for airfare to its passengers.
PAL's Flight to Bangkok Got Even Better
I was incredibly fortunate enough to fly on an A330 the last time I visited Bangkok, and here are some of the fantastic things about this plane and the in-flight service PAL graciously provided that completely stood out for me.
myPal eSuite Personal TV
I admit, I wasn’t a huge fan of MyPAL’s mobile app, which you previously needed to download on your personal gadget so you could watch in-flight streaming movies on your own device. One main reason is because I have a small mobile phone screen. I would much prefer watching movies on a significantly bigger screen.
When I learned that on this particular plane, PAL is officially offering a dedicated myPAL eSuite Personal TV, my heart quickly skipped a beat, as I always deeply look forward to watching a good movie during a flight that goes well over two hours.
I have only flown a couple of long-haul, non-stop flights before (to Dubai), and I remembered being thoroughly entertained by watching a couple of movies in between meals. This is exactly why the physical presence of a built-in in-flight entertainment system is critically important in lessening one’s boredom while airborne.
The myPAL eSuite doesn’t disappoint with its crisp 10.1-inch touchscreen monitor filled with a massive collection of Hollywood and international films, including a dozen recently released, critically acclaimed Tagalog motion pictures.
Other than the movies, you can also opt to binge-watch some of your favorite TV series or listen to the vast collection of music albums ranging from classical, pop, and international to the alternative rock genre. It is said that the whole entertainment collection lasts up to 300 hours. Definitely a mound of great choices for a four-hour flight.
I ended up watching this feel-good movie called "Wonder," starring Owen Wilson and Julia Roberts, which intimately follows the exploits of August Pullman, a young boy with facial differences transitioning from being home-schooled to successfully enrolling in a mainstream elementary school.
In-flight Meal
Another thing that greatly excites me whenever I board a PAL plane is the famous in-flight meal. Because I implicitly know I would be served a delicious Filipino dish beautifully fused with a taste of international cuisine, the moment I sat comfortably in my assigned seat, I just counted the minutes until the flight attendants happily started serving meals.
When the lovely stewardess asked me, "Chicken or beef?" I quickly opted for the beef, which, to my lovely surprise, came as a mouthwatering fusion of our own native beef caldereta perfectly paired with Italian fettuccine pasta.
The serving size is just ideal for a 4-hour flight, and it generously comes with a soft bread roll, a fresh side salad, and a small pack of Cebu's best Dried Mangoes. Topping it all off for dessert was a highly refreshing half-pint of mango ice cream.
Comfortable Seats
Being a significantly larger aircraft than most standard Airbus models, the A330 packs a spacious amount of legroom for each seat. Divided across each row by a comfortable 2-4-2 partition layout, each seat properly measures 18 inches in width with a generous 32-inch seat pitch that can securely recline up to 6 inches. I particularly loved the light and compact modern design of the economy class seats because it actively saved more cabin space without sacrificing personal comfort.
It may appear very thin visually, but once you sit on it, you instantly feel very comfortable thanks to the highly soft cushion of the extra padding intelligently present despite its compressed frame design.
MyPAL WiFi
Guests are automatically afforded 15 minutes of free Wi-Fi access while onboard. This is reliably good for 5 MB of quick data. If you heavily wanted to check some important emails and do some urgent work, you can easily avail of a 1-hour 35 MB data pass for just $5.00.
I actively tried my free access and was successfully able to reply to an urgent business email right away. So even when we were already securely flying out of Philippine airspace territory, the onboard internet connection still worked perfectly fine.
Trademark PAL Heart of the Filipino Service
No PAL flight experience is ever complete without warmly experiencing the trademark Heart of the Filipino service gracefully provided by the dedicated flight attendants of Philippine Airlines. A cheery, authentic greeting of "Mabuhay!" warmly welcomes you onboard, and each time they smoothly pass you by, they make absolutely sure to ask you if you need anything.
Seeing them genuinely take care of their diverse passengers makes me beam with immense national pride, knowing foreign travelers will immediately have a far more positive expectation of our country because of their kind, hospitable, and highly professional manner of performing their jobs.
An Elevated Flying Experience
Philippine Airlines’ Airbus A330 definitely elevates the standard level of comfort and absolute quality service of short-haul international flights flying out of Manila. This is perfectly in line with PAL’s continuous dedication to providing regular passengers with more exciting options to securely experience luxury in the air without violently drilling a massive hole in their pockets.
Our four-hour flight to Bangkok went by effortlessly without a single hiccup. Most times, I would heavily prefer to sleep the majority of my Southeast Asian flights, but on this specific trip—I made absolutely sure to enjoy all the premium features of the Airbus A330. As the pilot confidently announced over the intercom, “Flight crew, prepare for arrival,” I even slightly wished to have more time up in the air, as I still wanted to relax deeply on my comfortable chair and finish the second movie I was actively watching.
Check out the latest seat promos to securely book your next exciting destination at the official website of Philippine Airlines.
