MY STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE on How to get a FULL REFUND ONLINE on CANCELLED FLIGHTS of Cebu Pacific Airlines

MY STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE on 

How to get a FULL REFUND ONLINE 

on CANCELLED FLIGHTS 

of Cebu Pacific Airlines

I received this message on my email and my sms a few days ago ago that my flight to Fukuoka on March 27-29, 2020 was canceled.

Cebu Pacific gave 3 options:

1. Rebook up to 30 days from your original flight schedule.

2. Store the value of your booking in a full travel fund which you can use in future Cebu Pacific flights, valid up to 90 days.

3. Get a full refund.

First of all, I purchased this flight with getgo points and paid the taxes using my credit card. I did not pay travel tax together with my booking.

The getgo points I used is 18,600 points. I paid 5672.46 pesos via credit card. 

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO:

Log in to  your Cebu Pacific get go account at cebupacificair.com

Click the affected flight. 

This is what you'll see if you click on the affected flight. 

If you click refund as shown above, this is what you will see. 

Click "continue" for a full refund. 

After choosing full refund,  the system does not automatically credit to your account the getgo points used to purchase flights that were canceled by Cebu Pacific.  You need to go to getgo.com.ph afterwards, log in at your getgo account and make a separate request to reverse points. How to do it is shown below.

Jetstar carry-on baggage rule is stricter this year: This is what happens at the airport

Jetstar carry-on baggage rule is stricter this year: 

This is what happens at the airport

MANILA - SINGAPORE ROUTE
I've been flying Manila to Singapore via Jetstar airlines from NAIA 1 almost every year and this year they became stricter with their carry-on baggage rule.

For the past several years, their carry-on baggage allowance is limited to two items, which consists of one small item (includes items such as a handbag or thin laptop bag that must fit under seat). + 1 main item (which must fit in the overhead locker and not exceed 56cm (H) x 36cm (W) x 23cm (D)), which must all equal 7 kg. Both items are weighed together at the airport. Unlike other airlines, where they only weigh your main item like a stroller bag or backpack as carry-on baggage and exclude the handbag, laptop and camera bag, Jetstar weighs both items at the check in counter and puts a tag on it. Note that web check in is not available for this route so everyone passes through the check in counter where the first thing the airline employee does is to weigh your main item as carry-on plus your other small item like a handbag.

What's new this year:

What's new this year is that the airline employee at the check-in counter warned us not to buy anything at the airport duty free shops because they may charge us at the gate if we exceed our carry-on baggage allowance. I thought they were not serious. Lo and behold, they actually weigh your carry on baggage again at the gate. But this time, they only weigh the big carry-on baggage (which may be a stroller bag or a backpack), without the handbag.

Carry-on luggage being weighed at the gate

The only time I saw the same thing happen is when we flew Jetstar from Melbourne to Adelaide. They make everyone line up and weigh their carry on luggage prior to passing through the gate

Charges for excess baggage:
So don't make a mistake of not weighing your carry on luggage without your handbag, laptop bag or camera bag. Excess baggage paid at the check-in counter is 2200 pesos for a minimum of 15kilos, if you don't have prepaid baggage (which means baggage paid online before check in), or 650 pesos per kilo if you exceed your prepaid baggage allowance.

SINGAPORE - MANILA ROUTE
In this route, check in is automated. This means that you simply approach a kiosk, type in your booking reference number, scan your passport then they issue you a boarding pass. After getting your boarding pass, you approach a desk where you present your passport and boarding pass for document verification. Then you proceed directly to immigration.

They don't weigh your carry-on luggage at check in. No one approaches you to inspect your carry-on, weigh both your carry-on luggage and one other small item allowed as cabin baggage. This is unlike our experience in 2015, as I've described in my post JETSTAR AIRLINES: Are they Enforcing the Strict Carry-on Bag Weight Policy for Economy Class Passengers?, where they weigh both carry on luggage and whatever else you intend to bring to the cabin to tag it.

At the gate, they make several announcements that you should only be carrying 7 kilos of carry-on luggage but no one weighs it before or after boarding commences. You get through easily as long as you only bring one carry on size luggage and 1 small item.

New and Improved CLUB MANILA LOUNGE at NAIA 1

New and Improved 

CLUB MANILA LOUNGE at NAIA 1

Updated March 2020.
Below are latest photos inside Club Manila Lounge.

If you wish for more information, check out my other post for all the details: 

All about Club Manila Lounge at NAIA 1

LUANG PRABANG, LAOS: VILLA DEUX RIVIERES HOTEL: Highly Recommended Budget Hotel in Luang Prabang Old Quarter

LUANG PRABANG,LAOS:

VILLA DEUX RIVIERES HOTEL: 

Highly Recommended Budget Hotel in Luang Prabang Old Quarter

The best place to stay in Luang Prabang is at the Old Quarter. Villa Deux Rivieres Hotel  is located in the Old Quarter. Although it does not sit right across the Mekong River, it has the view of the Nam Khan river so the rates are so much lower than hotels located along the Mekong River. As you can see below, it's very near the Mekong River hotels but without the premium rates of Mekong River hotels.

WHY I LOVE THIS HOTEL

LOCATION

1. It's very near all the places you want to visit.

Must see places and must do activities that are just 3 min. walk from the hotel are Wat Xieng Thong, Xieng Thong Noodle House, Sakkaline Road where the alms giving is centered upon and Silver Naga Spa, where they give a fantastic Lao massage. Everything else is at most a kilometer walking distance, like Mount Phousi entrance, the Night Market, the Royal Palace, the Sasa Sunset Cruise along the Mekong River and Xieng Thong Phonsavanh restaurant, where you can taste authentic and inexpensive Lao cuisine.


CHECK OUT MY POST:

10 Must Try Luang Prabang Food near 3 Must See Places: Location, Menu and Prices
Xieng Thong Phonsavanh Restaurant: Home of Authentic Lao Cuisine (with Prices)
XIENG THONG NOODLE SOUP: The Restaurant near Wat Xieng Thong serving the Traditional Lao Noodle Soup

2. It's very quiet compared to hotels situated along the Mekong River.

The hotel is located across the Nam Kahn river The area along the Mekong River is the center of tourist activity so you can expect the noise lever to be higher in that area.


ROOMS AND AMENITIES

1. Rooms and bathrooms are very spacious as you can see in the photos below. 

The have rooms that will accommodate 2 persons, 3 persons and 4 persons in one room. So if you visit as a group and wish to stay in the same room, Villa Deux Rivieres Hotel has rooms with a maximum capacity of 4 persons.

2. Water pressure is very strong.

3. Air conditioning is very strong.

4. Toilet and bathroom is very spacious, with tub, walk-in shower, bidet and plenty of towels.

View of the Nam Khan river from the balcony of our room

The facade of the hotel in the evening
Our room is on the 2nd floor

FREE BREAKFAST

Coffee with a view

Muesli with milk
French baguette with butter

Tomato and onion omelette
With ham

Khao Piak Khao (Lao Rice Soup)

I BOOKED VILLA DEUX RIVIERES HOTEL HERE FOR BEST RATES

Disclosure: I paid for my accommodations and wrote this article with my own biases, opinions and insights.

CEBU PACIFIC AIRLINES: Step-By-Step guide on How to Get a Full Refund Online for Change of Flight Schedule

CEBU PACIFIC AIRLINES: 

Step-By-Step guide on How to Get a Full Refund Online 

for Change of Flight Schedule 

This article is about an airline-initiated change in flight schedule.You receive an email or text that your flight booking had a change of schedule. If the change in schedule is more than an hour from the original schedule, passengers are given 3 options in case the new flight schedule is not acceptable:

1. Rebook or reroute to an alternate airport up to 30 days from original flight schedule
without charges.

2. Get a full travel fund which can be used up to 90 days from the date of creation.

3. Get a full refund.

What I'm going to show is how to get a full refund online, which is the third option.

STEP ONE. GO TO THE CEBU PACIFIC WEBSITE AND LOG IN TO YOUR CEBU PACIFIC ACCOUNT

After logging in, you can view all your bookings.

2. CLICK THE BOOKING YOU WISH TO REQUEST FOR REFUND. THEN CLICK "MANAGE". 

3. CLICK "REFUND TICKET".

After clicking "Refund Ticket" , note that the refund will be made in the same form of payment you originally made. If you paid via credit card, it will be refunded to the credit card you used to book this ticket. If you paid using paypal, it will be refunded to the credit card registered with paypal that you used at the time of booking

WARNING!!! CALL CUSTOMER SERVICE AND DON'T ATTEMPT TO GET A REFUND ONLINE IF ANY OF THE FOLLOWING APPLIES TO YOU:

1. If the credit card you used to book this flight is no longer existing, expired or inactive.

It will create a bigger problem and can cause delay if you choose to refund the ticket online and they attempt to credit the refund to an expired or inactive credit card.

2. If multiple guests are booked in one booking reference number and not all of the guests wish to cancel and get a refund.

If one of the guests booked in the same booking does not agree to the chosen option, you should call customer service so they can address each guest separately. Executing this option online requires that all guests agree on one option.

AS YOU CAN SEE BELOW

YOU GET A FULL REFUND FOR THE FARE AND ALL TAXES 

FOR AIRLINE INITIATED CHANGE OF SCHEDULE 

OR FLIGHT CANCELLATION.