Booking a Flight with PAL using Metrobank's SOS.

A few weeks ago, I was really down and out for the count.

When there is down, there must be up.

Good thing, an idea got into my head and told me to go out of the country and do a little soul searching. I needed (wanted) to get away from my life. Thus, I had the whimsical idea of going to Singapore alone. I have been there. I got friends there. SO WHAT THE HECK! When I got home, I forced myself to book tickets then bamm!!!!!!! It hit me!!!!! I didn't know anything about doing these kind of things online. I didn't know where to start and how to get tickets for myself. Heck since I didn't want to tell my parents, I had to do it ninja style. (They eventually found out) We would usually have a travel agency book our hotel and flights and fix our itinerary. I was doing this on my own. I opted to try my luck in figuring out how.

Yeah.. all done by our travel agent

The first step I did was to decide on what airline to use for transportation. I got to be honest. With all the recent accidents that befell Cebu Pacific Airlines (CEB), I was going for Philippine Airlines (PAL) even if CEB was cheaper by around 5-6k. Although a bit expensive compared to other airlines, PAL offered the comfort of arriving and departing from terminal 2 of Naia and terminal 2 of Changi Airport. It also gave me peace of mind.

from thepoortraveler.net

from wheninmanila.com

 Anyway, this is what happened when I almost gave up on booking tickets.
To start first, one would go to http://www.philippineairlines.com/ . Here

Select where and when

wait for it...

Pick how much and what kind of deal do you want. Take note: all the prices here are in USD and are all in. (Except for the terminal and other fees to be paid in the airport.)
 Fiesta Deal For budget-conscious passengers who have definite travel plans. Changes are not permitted in regional flights. Changes in domestic/international are allowed for a fee.  Refund is allowed for domestic flight subject to applicable fee.
Fiesta Saver
For passengers who want flexibility. Fiesta Saver offers a higher range of fares that allows certain changes in the itinerary.

Fiesta Plus For passengers who seek more flexibility. Fiesta Plus comes with less penalty when making flight changes.
Mabuhay Classic For passengers who have definite travel plans and want to enjoy Mabuhay services. Mabuhay Classic allows some itinerary changes for a fee.
Mabuhay Premium
For passengers who want premium benefits and exclusive services. Mabuhay Premium provides complete flexibility and the highest Mabuhay Miles earning.

Then, you check if you are up for it. You are asked to get insurance for an additional 5$.

Type in your data

and pay up.

Now here is the tricky part. Since I can't really show it to you, I will just describe what happened. After putting in all the details and what not, I was transported to another website that is under METROBANK CARD. It seems they started implementing this new SOS system. It is their Secure Online Shopping. You are asked for a pass code given to you by the bank at step 1. Then, you change it into your own alphanumeric passcode in step 2. To be able to get the pass code one must call up their services. In theory this is great. BUT!!!!

I got to be honest here. I was placed on hold for more than 2 hours.  The customer service representative on the other line needed to direct me to a special line. I believe all the inquiries were funneled into one or two help desks that it was a battle neck. GEEZ!!!

 So I almost gave up. Believing in "kung may tinanim may aanihin, kung may aanihin may sasaing, at kung may sasaing may kakainin" (Basically: if you sow then you shall reap), I waited. I placed it on speaker just to give my ears a little rest. I even resorted to using my mom's platinum hotline to be able to get in because I was super pissed. BOOM! I got in without waiting 2 minutes. I got to say having a high credit limit would really give you certain perks.

After verifying my information and getting the password, I was able to book and was able to get my tickets via e-mail. WHEW!!!

 Aside from the waiting game, everything went smoothly and was actually great for a first timer like me. I was able to do something that we would usually delegate to a travel agent. Thankfully everything is now in order. My only problem now is I can't decide if I should take the taxi or bus or the Mrt to my hostel. Arghhh!!!!
What do you think? LOL!


 By the way, if you have the foresight to plan a vacation way way way in advance, I would suggest that you checkout the airlines every Monday. Usually, PAL and CEB would give out discounts and seat sale every Monday. You just have to go to their websites and see the offers. Just take note, the flying dates are months in advance.
Like these two... JUST READ THE FINE PRINT!!!!



***screen grabs from CEB's and PAL's websites ****
*** I didn't receive any compensation for this post. I just jotted down what I had experienced***