a man sitting in a plane with his hands on his face
Philippine Airlines Business Class Review

Review: Philippine Airlines Business Class A330-300 Manila to Dubai

Philippine Airlines (PAL) have a very attractive Business Class fare, about 1,100 USD (4,100 Dhs) from UAE to Manila roundtrip! That's about almost 20 hours of flying for 1,100 USD with flat bed in Business Class! Is this offer too good to be true? Let's check it out!

This review focuses on my return flight from Manila to Dubai as it was a day flight so I could take better photo and video.

 

Video Review

 

PAL use both Terminal 1 and 2 of Ninoy Aquino Int'l Airport (NAIA). My flight to Dubai departs from Terminal 2, which is exclusively used by PAL.

PAL offers cash upgrade at check-in. However, given the cheap Business Class airfare, I don't think this is a good option.

a sign with a price list

Philippine Airlines Business Class lounge is call Mabuhay Lounge. Located right behind gate 6 in Terminal 2 of Ninoy Aquino Int'l Airport (NAIA).

Philippine Airlines Mabuhay Lounge Manila
Philippine Airlines Mabuhay Lounge Manila
Philippine Airlines Mabuhay Lounge Manila
Philippine Airlines Mabuhay Lounge Manila

The lounge is quite basic, with a variety of food on offer. It can get quite crowded during peak hours.

Philippine Airlines Mabuhay Lounge Manila
Philippine Airlines Mabuhay Lounge Manila
Philippine Airlines Mabuhay Lounge Manila
Philippine Airlines Mabuhay Lounge Manila
Philippine Airlines Mabuhay Lounge Manila
Philippine Airlines Mabuhay Lounge Manila
a bar with a sign and glasses on it
Philippine Airlines Mabuhay Lounge Manila
Philippine Airlines Mabuhay Lounge Manila
a buffet table with plates and food on it a trays of food on a counter a plate of food with different types of food in bowls people sitting at tables in a restaurant

Boarding started strictly on-time with priority boarding was given to Business Class passengers. I love the view from this terminal, an adjacent PAL A340 is ready to bound for LAX as flight PR112.

a large airplane parked at an airport

There are 18 business class seats in this high density A330-300 primarily serving the Middle East due to large Filipino expat workers demand. This is NOT the current Business Class offering of Philippine Airlines which they have a better one with all aisle access (Thomson Vantage XL seat).

We have just 5 passengers today in Business, so there are a lot of room. Every one got an empty seat next to themselves.
Philippine Airlines A330-300 Business Class
Philippine Airlines A330-300 Business Class
Philippine Airlines A330-300 Business Class
Philippine Airlines A330-300 Business Class
Philippine Airlines A330-300 Business Class
Philippine Airlines A330-300 Business Class
a seat in an airplane an airplane with a bed and windows

Right behind Business Class is the small section of Premium Economy Class with 3-3-3 seating configuration. There are total of 33 seats in this quiet section.

Philippine Airlines A330-300 Premium Economy Class
Philippine Airlines A330-300 Premium Economy Class
Philippine Airlines A330-300 Premium Economy Class
Philippine Airlines A330-300 Premium Economy Class
a plane with seats and a woman in the background

Once settled, I notice this "odd" thing of the footrest! Yes, one is higher than the other! I will show you more picture of the seats when it goes fully reclined.

a white object with a curved surface Charles Heidsieck Champagne Brut was offered among Mabuhay punch (ice-tea), OJ, lemon-mint juice and water. a bottle of champagne next to a glass of champagne

I was also surprised L'Occitane branded amenity kit and slipper were handed out on this dayflight flight.

a hand holding a blue wallet a table with a bag and other items on it a hand holding a blue hat in a plastic bag

There are no storage place or small table near the seat. Rather it is in front of the seat. I ordered a glass of signature drink, Mabuhay Punch, which is an ice-tea!

a glass of brown liquid with a leaf on top of it a tray with items on it After take-off, lunch is served. There are a choice of three main course; Filipino, Arabic and Western option. a menu on a table

The starter is prawn with quinoa, which taste fine!a plate of food and glasses of beer on a table a plate of food on a table

My main course; Estilo Afritada, cod fillet with tomato sauce. (Filipino food)

a plate of food on a table

Dessert was buco panna cotta which topped with tapioca. I forgot to take a picture here but you can see it on my video.

The food was basic but fine. Flight attendant was very attentive and constantly refilling my drinks always with a smile.

You may have already noticed, there are no in-flight entertainment screen at the seat back. The crew handed out iPad instead. The iPad is connected with in-flight streaming include a live route map which is handy.

a map of the world on a tablet a tablet with a screen showing movies

Since I have both seats to myself, I made one for bed and one for lounging 🙂

Let's have a detail look when they recline into fully flat bed.

Philippine Airlines A330-300 Business Class
Philippine Airlines A330-300 Business Class

My choice would be the upper bed as I tried out both and the upper one felt longer, much more private than the lower one. I felt too close to the ground on the lower one.

For the inner seats, it definitely present a problem to hop over your neighbour to go out on a full flight. Fortunately, I didn't face this problem.

I slept well on the upper bed for about 4 hours. The width was slightly narrow but manageable.

Philippine Airlines A330-300 Business Class
Philippine Airlines A330-300 Business Class
Philippine Airlines A330-300 Business Class
Philippine Airlines A330-300 Business Class
a man sitting in a plane with his hands on his face

A great plus of Philippine Airlines is that it offers a free wi-fi for all passengers up to 15Mb and 30 minutes of usage. After that you can purchase additional hour for $5 or whole flight for $20. The speed was average when I tried. Not good for Instagram browsing but good for Whatsapp messaging.

a man and woman sitting on an airplane screens screenshot of a phone a screen shot of a flight plan A look at the rather cramp 3-3-3 Economy Class on the high density A330-300.

a plane with blue seats

Checking out the Economy and Premium Economy Class meal and snack.

a tray of food on a table a man and woman holding trays of food

The crew were so friendly. They felt my AvGeek enthusiasm and kindly offered me a tour of their crew rest area which is located below the main deck via an entrance door. There are total of 8 crew bunks.

a bunk beds in a room a bed in a room a bunk beds in a room

A second meal was served about 1.5 hours before landing into Dubai. I have the corned beef sandwich with corn chips which is very tasty.

a plate of food on a tray

Conclusion

My overall experience with Philippine Airlines was excellent, consider the low ticket price I've paid. "You get what you pay for" but I have to say I've got lot more than what I've paid! Despite this isn't the latest Business Class offering, I still found it more than acceptable and I've certainly rested well and enjoyed my flight. The friendliness and warmth of the crew more than makeup to the shortcomings of product. Philippine Airlines is definitely improving and still underrated. I can't wait to fly on their Airbus A350, which they will take delivery this summer!  

Video Review