I'm back yet again on AirAsia for a round trip from Manila to Cebu and back. How does it feel to fly with the world's best low-cost carrier again?
AirAsia is a Malaysian multinational low-cost airline with subsidiaries in Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Cambodia. Founded in 1993 and commencing operations in 1996, it was purchased by Tune Group in 2001. It has been hailed by Skytrax as the world's best low-cost airline for more than a decade running since 2009. We booked our flights with this airline to Cebu, a popular destination in central Philippines.
Note: This is a personal blog on our travel experience and is neither promoted nor endorsed by AirAsia.
Booking process
My mom booked me an initial overnight stay traveled to fetch our kasambahay (house helper) from Cebu. Under the plan, I would go there by MYSELF and return with a companion. We booked it during a promotional sale of the airline for the sale on May 5.
It is the passenger's preference to separately purchase individual add-ons for AirAsia flights, or to book using a bundled package. Booking AirAsia offers two options:
- Value Pack - comes with (at least) 20 kilograms of free baggage allowance, a choice of a pre-selected seat, and a meal. See this link for more information.
- Premium Flex - same perks as above but includes flexible plans like rebooking to a maximum of 2 times, along with other benefits. See this link for more information.
Departing flight: Friday, July 10, 2026
I left at 1:30 am and rode a Grab to Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2, arriving half an hour later. Terminal 2, dubbed the "Centennial Terminal" because of its completion in 1998 — the centennial anniversary of Philippine independence. Once serving as the domestic and international hub of flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL), PAL relocated to Terminal 1 in 2023, making space for AirAsia's transfer of domestic operations from the smaller Terminal 4 to the larger Terminal 2.
Flight information
Check-in and pre-departure
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| AirAsia's check-in counters at the south wing of Terminal 2 |
Upon arriving, strong winds battered me; strong monsoon rains enhanced by a strong typhoon were about to drizzle the metropolis after doing so in northern Luzon. I was welcomed with new self-check-in kiosks installed by the New NAIA Infrastructure Corporation (NNIC). I decided to skip those anyway and drop my green suitcase at the counter. There were almost no people lining up until after I finished checking in, where a long line formed.
My baggage allowance was only 15 kilograms, which is an exclusive deal for domestic flights. My suitcase was fortunately four kilograms below the limit.
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| Terminal 2 south wing airside |
I then walked around T2 for a walk down memory lane; this was my first airport terminal in 2011, when we boarded our flight to Hong Kong. The terminal is divided into the north and south wings. The north wing hosts the domestic flights of Philippine Airlines and PAL Express; this used to house PAL’s international flights. Meanwhile, the south wing hosts the domestic flights of AirAsia.
Boarding and take-off
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| RP-C8949 takes me in this red-eye flight to Cebu! |
Boarding started at Gate 18 at 3:01 am, around fourteen minutes earlier than scheduled. Passengers seated on Zone 1 (rows 1 to 5, and emergency exit rows 12 and 14, also known simply as the "Hot Seats") with senior citizens and other priority needs were the first to board, followed by regular passengers seated in rows 20 to 31 (Zone 2), then 6 to 19 (Zone 3).
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| Window seat 20F. I recommend choosing row 20 because it gives you a nice view behind the wing. |
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| Legroom is fine for a five-footer like me. |
We took off at 3:53 am after pushing back thirteen minutes before.
In-flight experience
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| Uncle Chin's Chicken Rice |
Shortly after 4:00 am, the flight attendants began serving pre-ordered meals. I pre-ordered their Uncle Chin’s Chicken Rice, which is a popular meal in Malaysia. I took notice of this food as early as 2017, when I kept watching AirAsia trip reports on YouTube. This is one of my favorite AirAsia meals.
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| Descending to Cebu! |
The rest of the flight was uneventful, with only a soft turbulence midway through.
Arrival
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| Flight attendants Delly and Myrisse holding my A320 papercraft as I had a selfie with them. Thank you for the great experience! Taken with permission. |
By 4:30 am, we started our descent to Cebu. After fifty-six minutes in the air, we landed. I also had an opportunity to talk to flight attendants Myrisse and Delly at the back before deplaning.
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| Mactan-Cebu International Airport Terminal 1 (Domestic) arrivals hall |
I then claimed my baggage quickly. Upon exiting, you will be greeted with the nice Airport Village that was constructed during Terminal 1's renovation between 2018 and 2019. We then rode a taxi to our hotel, RF Suites, in Cebu City.
Return flight: Sunday, July 12, 2026
From Cebu City, we rode a Grab from our hotel to Mactan-Cebu International Airport, which took just half an hour to complete.
Flight information
Check-in and pre-departure
After a brief stoppage at the Airport Village for pictures and videos, I entered the restricted area, where I was able to check in within three minutes because no one lined up until we arrived. Like the previous flight, I was only given 15 kilograms allowance, which, again, is exclusive for domestic flights.
Boarding and take-off
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| RP-C8979, an ex-Aeroflot plane, takes me home. I previously flown with this back in 2022. |
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| Legroom is quite comfortable, just disregard my bag in front... |
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| Seated at 22A for the return flight |
Our plane arrived at 5:00 pm, and boarding started fifteen minutes later. The boarding process I explained in the previous flight involves priority passengers first, followed by those from the back to the front.
We soon took off nine minutes earlier than scheduled.
In-flight experience
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| Beef Tapa with Scrambled Egg |
Flight attendants soon served my pre-ordered meal: Beef Tapa with Scrambled Egg. It was my dinner of the day. It tasted fine.
I rested during this uneventful flight and soon realized we were about to arrive.
Arrival
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| With flight attendants Alex and Nica. Thank you! Taken with permission. |
We soon landed at 7:16 pm and parked at Terminal 2 four minutes later. I went to flight attendant Nica for a short talk as I gave away my appreciation letters for them and a short picture with her and flight purser Alex. Ms. Nica told me that they were performing another leg to Cebu, which, according to me, may be stressful at the end, but I told her not to be stressed out as I gave my appreciation letter to her.
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| Paalam, RP-C8979! |
It took roughly 30 minutes for our bags to finally roll off the conveyor belt. We then headed home amidst the rain.
Verdict
Timing and frequency
AirAsia flies around five to six times daily between Manila and Cebu, which is the country's busiest domestic route. There are two flights in the morning, two in the afternoon, and the remaining two in the evening.
Overall service
I had a fun time flying with the world's best low-cost carrier and I love to fly with them again soon. Although there is still room for improvement, AirAsia sets the standard of how low-cost flying should be: on time and world-class.
Positive indicators
- Friendly flight attendants
- Delicious meals
Points for improvement
- Seats are dated, may be retrofitted with USB ports because power banks are banned while in flight
Ratings
I rate each aspect of the flight in a scale of 1 to 10.
Departing flight (July 10)
- Check-in – 9.7/10
- Punctuality – 10/10
- Seat quality – 9.4/10
- Meals – 9.5/10
- Crew – 10/10
- Value for money – 9.7/10
- OVERALL – 9.7/10
Return flight (July 12)
- Check-in – 9.8/10
- Punctuality – 10/10
- Seat quality – 9.4/10
- Meals – 9.4/10
- Crew – 10/10
- Value for money – 9.6/10
- OVERALL – 9.7/10
Overall, ETJ rates this round-trip journey a 9.7 out of 10 points.
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