Domestic flights rates and schedule

The most convenient way to get around the Philippines is by flights. The Philippines is an archipelago, and therefore travelling by land is impossible, and taking ferries is really time consuming. Domestic flights are relatively cheap and time efficient.

We present only up to date information and encourage our clients to research and find the best routes and prices. With the information you learn here you can surely get a better idea of your ideal trip to the Philippines, but when buying one of our packages or booking hotels through us, we also help book the flights for you. We are not only saving you the effort, but also helping you pick the best flights, and coordinating it to fit perfectly with your itinerary, hotel pickups and more.

How to find the best deals?

There are several ways to get flights at a bargain price when travelling the Philippines. You either have to be flexible and spontaneous, or have a very good plan on where you want to go to, and book ahead of time.

If you’re flexible with your schedule, most domestic companies offer last moment promos or sometimes early bird promos. We don’t recommend booking a flight one day before the travel date as it could be quite expensive (if without promo). The promo fares also differ by destination, and not being fixated on where to go can save you money, while setting you on an adventure.

Booking a long time before flight, and we mean the longer the better, usually yields discounted flights. If you are a very calculated and well planned traveller, go ahead and do so! Once you’re set to fly to a certain destination, make sure to compare between airlines. Though some tend to be cheaper than the others, this rule of thumb should always be validated.

Another very good way to save some money is to fly to a nearby airport to your original destination. For example, you can fly to Boracay in two ways. The easier and more costly one is to fly to Caticlan airport. Alternatively you can fly to Kalibo and then take an hour and 30 minutes bus to Caticlan. This happens to be the case for many destinations you’ll like to visit in the Philippines, so it’s very helpful to be creative in order to save money.

which airline should you take?

The most prominent domestic airlines in the Philippines are PAL Express (Philippine Airlines), Cebu Pacific and Air Asia Philippines. PAL Express tend to offer better quality than the other two economy airlines, but for a higher price. Cebu pacific goes to more destinations than all of the others, and even goes beyond domestic.

There are also quite a few smaller airlines like AirSWIFT who flies to and out of El Nido and actually owns their private and only airport in El-Nido, Palawan. It happens a lot that several companies fly to the same destination. For example, when flying to Boracay from Manila, there are several daily flights offered by multiple companies. This is the case with many popular destinations, with a high volume of passengers.

However, certain destinations are reachable by only one airline . For instance, if you want to fly directly to El-Nido in Palawan, AirSWIFT is your only option. When flying to Cauayan in the north side of the Philippines, there is only Cebu Pacific that goes in and out of this route.

Our suggestion is, when deciding on which flight to take, one should carefully compare between all airlines and choose the one that offers the best fare and time for you. In our opinion, other differences between them are insignificant. All offer promos and discounts, and it’s a matter of timing and luck getting the best deal. When flying to more exotic destinations, you don’t have the luxury to pick between many airlines or even between flights. Sometimes there is only one daily flight offered exclusively by one airline only.

Our last suggestion is to always try and get a flight that lands in a reasonable time, because when flying to cities other than Manila or Cebu, transportation from the airport is going to be difficult to find and on top of that once you get to your hotels, their standard check in time is between 1400H-1500H and standard check out time is at 1200H.

Spread your wings and fly

Now you have the tools to plan and book domestic flights for your vacation in the Philippines. But even if you can fly solo, isn’t it better for you to save all of this headache and book through us? Our familiarity with the Philippines and its airlines can come to your aid if you choose to buy one of our deals, or book your hotels through us. We will even coordinate the airport pickup for you. We will make sure that you fly smart, and get the best deals available.