SINGAPORE: Which Budget Airline to Book: Cebu Pacific Airlines or Jet Star Airways

November 3, 2015




SINGAPORE: Which Budget Airline to Book: 
Cebu Pacific Airlines or Jet Star Airways


To guide you on whether to choose Cebu Pacific or Jet Star Airways for your flight from Manila to Singapore and vice versa, below are the important things to consider to help you decide. Since both are budget airlines and priced almost the same, the points below are crucial in helping you decide which one to choose when booking a flight.


CREDIT CARD PAYMENT OF AIRFARE BY A PERSON WHO IS NOT PART OF THE TRAVELING PARTY OR WHO IS NOT ONE OF THE PASSENGERS 

Cebu Pacific:

To be allowed to check-in and given a boarding pass, the passenger needs to present the photocopy of the credit card used for payment of airfare.

Jet Star:

To be allowed to check-in and be given a boarding pass, the original physical credit card used must be presented IN PERSON by the owner of the credit card to verify the booking while checking in at the check-in counter of Jet Star Airways or at the MIASCOR office at the airport.

The Rule is stated below:
On selected routes, it is a condition of sale, check in and boarding that the original, physical credit/debit card used to purchase the ticket(s) must be presented by the credit/debit card owner for verification at the airport. Where you book travel on these selected routes, you will be informed the need for verification during the booking flow. Prior to check-in, the credit/debit card owner must take the credit/debit card used to purchase the tickets together with his / her government issued identification (such as a passport, identity card or driver’s license) to the Jetstar check-in counter. This requirement applies irrespective of whether the credit/debit card owner is or is not a part of the travelling party. If the credit/debit card is not verified as required, the passengers whose tickets were purchased with that credit/debit card may be denied check-in and boarding at Jetstar’s sole discretion. One verification is required for each return journey." (http://www.jetstar.com/ph/en/planning-and-booking/booking-with-jetstar/payment-methods)


CARRY-ON BAGGAGE LIMIT OF 7 KILOS

Cebu Pacific:

Passengers are allowed 7 kilos carry-on baggage. But the 7 kilos limit EXCLUDES additional items on board such as handbag, coat, laptop bag, camera bag, cane and crutches (for Senior Citizen and/or Person with Reduced Mobility (PRM) guests).

They only weigh the carry-on luggage to see if it's within the 7 kilos limit but do not weigh your handbag, laptop bag, camera bag, etc. You are therefore, allowed more than 7 kilos.

For more details, see my post: Cebu Pacific Lite Fare: Hand or Carry-On Baggage


Jet Star:

Passengers are allowed 7 kilos carry-on baggage, which includes all that you will bring in to the cabin. You are required to have everything weighed and tagged. Otherwise, it will not be allowed on board.



REBOOKING OF FLIGHTS

Cebu Pacific:

The fare offered for the new date of flight is the same for both new passenger and rebooking passenger. This means that if you go online and buy a new flight worth, for example, 5000 pesos, the same cost of flight is offered to the rebooking passenger. The rebooking passenger only pays the difference in fare from the original booking + a rebooking fee. This means, if the old fare of the rebooking passenger is 3000 pesos, the fare difference with the new fare is 2000 pesos. Therefore the rebooking passenger pays 2000 pesos + the rebooking fee.


Jet Star:

The fare offered for the new date of flight for the rebooking passenger is MORE EXPENSIVE than the fare offered to new passengers. Although they provide a way to rebook flights, when you compute the additional cost of rebooking, it is always more expensive than buying a new flight for the same route. It's always better to buy a new flight than to rebook an existing flight. This policy shows Jet Star totally discourages rebooking of flights.


MY CONCLUSION: 

Unless Jet Star airfare is so hugely discounted compared to Cebu Pacific, I will prefer to book Cebu Pacific flights rather than Jet Star Airways because of the reasons I discussed above.

QUEZON CITY: My Experience of "Foodgasm Goes to Maginhawa"

October 17, 2015


QUEZON CITY: My Experience at "Foodgasm Goes to Maginhawa"

This event is the 5th installment of the Foodgasm event sponsored by the UP Economics Society. This is to share with you my experience at the Food Tasting Event.

Congratulations to UP Ecosoc for holding a successful and well-organized event!

Apologies for the foggy photos. It was raining during the event and it was hard to take clear photos.

This is my experience of the food event:


AFTER BUYING TICKETS:


We went to the booth to get our passports.

Tickets are attached to our wrists.

We chose which passport we're getting:

Set A, which is the blue one OR
Set B, which is the pink one

Since there were 4 of us, 2 chose set A and 2 chose set B.
So we got to taste both set A and set B.


We were given a sfork and a paper plate together with the passport.

This is Set A

This is Set B.



MECHANICS OF THE FOOD TASTING EVENT





The food participant signs at the box as you claim your food.


SET A


Food Participant: Brazo
Food: Iberian Chicken

Sample of the Iberian Chicken

Food Participant: Crazy Chef
Food: Buffalo Wings

Spicy Buffalo Wings

Not so spicy buffalo wings

Food Participant: Cookie ng Ina Mo
Food: Bomba

Sample of Bomba

Food Participant: Teritopps
Food: TeriFlakes

Food Participant: Maniego's Plate
Food: Fish Stix

Fish Stix


Food Participant: Blush Pastries by H&S
Food: Oreo Cheesecake Cookie

Food Participant: Saj's Cakes and Pastries
Food: Choco Chip Banana Cupcakes

Food Participant: Bagnet Rice Patong
Food: Double Bagnet

Food Participant: Food Clinique
Food: Mac'n Cheese Pops

Food Participant: The Fahrenheit
Food: Silly Chocolate Cupcake

Silly Chocolate Cupcake
It has chili flakes on top.

Food Participant: CJSS Griddle Steak and Chicken House
Food: Honey Bagoong Wings

Honey Bagoong Chicken
It's fried chicken dipped in sweet bagoong.

Food Participant: Dorissimo Cakes
Food: Brown Brazo

Food Participant: Stoners Soul Food to Go
Food: Fried cheese and fried chocolate

Food Participant: Big B Burgers
Food: Hangovurger


Food Participant: Roar Blue Raspberry
Food: Bugle Boy dirnk



Food Participant: Egg-It Asian Street Food
Food: Cucumber Lemonade


SET B

Food Participant: Only the Best Cafe and Dining
Food: Magiting Yum Yum Sandwich

Food Participant: Chewy Treats by Claire
Food: Blueberry Cheesecake

Food Participant: Keyks by Kai
Food: Choco Chip Cookie

Food Participant: Master Bakers
Food: Bacon Banana Bread

Food Participant: Meal Point Burger House
Food: Treasure Burger

Treasure Burger

Food Participant: Don Day
Food: Chicken Toppaki

Chicken Toppaki

Food Participant: Saj's Cakes and Pastries
Food: Chocolate Chip Cookie

Food Participant: Beeth's Oven
Food: Pork and Tofu Sisig

Pork and Tofu Sisig

Food Participant: Lola Seseng
Food: Puto Cake

Puto Cake

Food Participant: Mandi Persian Grill
Food: Beef Kebab

Beef Kebab

The best of all the food I tasted!

Food Participant: FAT Cupcake
Food: Champorado Cupcake

Champorado Cupcake
Yema Pastillas Cupcake

Food Participant: Crazy Chef
Food: Lechon Bagnet

Sample of Lechon Bagnet

Food Participant: Sancho Churreria Manila
Food: Churros Con Chocolate

Churros Con Chocolate

Food Participant: Sugar Mommy
Food: Red Velvet Cake

My review:
1. At 250 pesos per person (200 per person if you buy before the event), this is VALUE FOR MONEY. You're able to taste at least 20 food items from different concessionaires. 
2. This is a great way to get to know new food suppliers based in Maginhawa Street.


My tip:

Bring a friend with you so you can share the food and taste food offered by participants in both sets A and B, unless of course, you're able to finish around 40 bite-sized food items.