Review: Philippine Airlines MNL-AUH ~ Jeksetter

This is a short review of my flight from Manila to Abu Dhabi via Philippine Airlines. It also includes the return flight since I had very similar experience on both trips.

I went to Abu Dhabi last March 2015 to attend a conference. I returned to Manila a few days later. My overall experience with both flights was just "ok". It was not super good, but it was not super bad either. I will rate my own experience with 5 being the highest and 1 the lowest.

Just to add context, I'm in the economy section, at the back part of the aircraft.

On Time Performance: 3/5
     -We boarded the plane on time, but for different reasons the flights still got delayed. The Manila to Abu Dhabi flight was delayed for an hour because one passenger needs medical attention. The return flight was delayed by 2 hours because there was a restriction in the airspace in Oman, so we just stayed inside the plane for 2 hours.

Entertainment: 1/5
     -There was no inflight TV for a flight of about 10 hours. PAL has the InAir service which allows passengers to watch some movies on their phones or tablets. PAL also has wifi for a fee. But for the first flight, there was NO InAir. Cabin crew said it wasn't working. For the return flight, I was able to watch a few clips and listen to music, but the choices were very limited. I also tried the free 15 minutes wifi, but it was very slow. And there was no plug to charge the phone, so this service won't last the entire flight.

Food: 4/5
     -Actually the food was the saving grace of the flight. It wasn't super delicious, but I guess I wasn't just expecting anything. So lo and behold when they served a full meal on board with rice, viand, side dish, dessert and a choice of juice, wine or coke. After the meal, they offered coffee or tea. Then after that, they offered again some snacks like KitKat or crackers. Then before the flight ends, there's another round of snacks. This time, it was a hot big pandesal with filling, plus the usual drinks or coffee.

Seat/ Amenities: 3/5
    -I was in the economy seat, so it wasn't really a large space. I got lucky on the first flight since I had no seatmate. On the return flight, I was in the aisle. There was a blanket and a pillow in every seat. The crew also offered a hot small towel before landing to freshen up.

Flight crew: 3/5
     -They were ok. But I think they were just a bit disorganized in giving out the food, especially the snacks part. I was looking at the other aisle and all of them already had snacks, but in our aisle, no one was giving snacks. Then one flight crew gave out some snacks and stop in the middle, then leave and never came back to give out the snacks. So basically, some passengers didn't get their share of Kitkat or crackers or coffee. But overall, staff were courteous and nice.

Overall: 3/5
    -I think this is already a generous score. But considering the price of the airfare, which is lower than Etihad, then I guess one gets what one pays for. However, given the chance, I'll probably not take PAL anymore for long haul flights again. Depending of course if there is no other choice or if PAL gives me a free flight. :)