Philippine Airlines Reviews 486

I haven't actually flown with them yet. My flight - which was meant to have left 2 hours ago - has been rescheduled 5 times in a few weeks. They say it was because of mechanical issues which I totally understand but surely they could have used another plane. Assuming it doesn't get rescheduled again, by the time I actually get on the plane it will have been delayed by 27 hours.

Unfortunately very similar experiences to others mentioned on here.
Flights changed or cancelled, followed by very difficult interactions and non-response to refund requests.

I urge everyone to avoid this airline while I still await my refund (which is due to the airline changing both outgoing and incoming flights by over 24 hours!).

Unfortunately, we've received absolutely terrible service from Philippine Airlines and definitely will not book with them again. We booked flights from London -> Manila with them for a large wedding party of 9 people. Having had the flights booked for 18 months, Philippine Airlines cancelled the flight just a few weeks before we were due to fly. It was such a huge problem for us, as this flight cancellation jeopardised our entire wedding. After contacting our booking agents, several alternative flights were suggested to Philippine Airlines, all of which were declined by the airline with no reason given. After several back and forths with this, I contacted Philippine Airlines directly. This led to a long-winded episode of explaining and re-explaining the problem to a host of uninterested customer service agents, eventually taking up over 5 hours of my time on phone calls. Each of the alternative flights were declined for a variety of unconvincing reasons, which I suspect masked the real reason that the airline would lose money actually providing the service that we paid them for. Eventually we were forced to refund the flights and rebook with another airline, losing out on literally thousands on pounds due to the increased costs between when we booked and when Philippine Airlines cancelled the flight at the last minute. I'm now going through the process of claiming compensation from Philippine Airlines, to which they have stopped answering e-mails. Phoning is also difficult, as it's always being referred to "another department" who, as customers, we cannot contact directly. Booking with this airline is a huge risk, so please consider other options before making your booking. Learn from our mistakes.

Rude staff. Terrible customer service. In short, it’s the worst airline in the Philippines (the worst of a bad bunch!)

It was my first time with PAL and so far it was a good one, although I didn't expect that there was no Tv/movies available unlike other airlines other than that the rest same. PAL food were good as well and the best part is, I had a good sleep which was often my problem during flights😴 😂 (took premium economy ticket). I would like to thank the cabin crew of PR 658 from Manila to Dubai last march 18 especially Mr Ralph( hope i remember his name correctly). He’s been so kind and accommodating, thank you for being so nice Sir Ralph.

God Bless and more power to Pal!

Customer service assistants were incompetent and unhelpful. Our flight from Caticlan to Cebu was cancelled and I opted for a refund. One year has passed and I am still requesting for my refund. Every time I get a hold of them on Whatsapp, I go back to zero and has to retell what happened. They will then reassure you saying that a Request for a Refund has been filed but I never get a confirmation. Very incompetent. They do it on purpose so you will get tired and give up. Never flying with PAL again.

One of the worst possible Airlines in the region. Awful inflight experience, my flight from Manila to Bangkok was delayed twice on the same day and left after 9 hours of scheduled departure and as a result I missed my onward connection but Philippines Airlines won’t shoulder any responsibility other than saying oh we are very sorry.
My next connecting flight was after 5 hours apart which is absolutely fine for a transfer but this eight hours of delay not only caused me to lose my connecting flights for which I checked on online also as a result I had yo stay one more night at a Horel on my own cost and not to mention the traveling expenses to and from Airport to hotel plus buying new Business Class tickets .
The staffs were rude rather than being apologetic.
And honestly you don’t have to believe me just try one of their regional flights and tell me your experience.
I think Royal Nepal or Air Bhutan would offer better service than Philippines Airlines.
It’s pathetic.

The worst Airline I have ever flown. Their theme song "The heart of the Filipino" is becoming a comedy. I flew Philippine Airlines 3 times in under 21 days and all of them have similar issues. Delayed flights, broken remote, dirty seat, broken seat. All those times, their staff held their hands on their chest and apologized. What was funny was that they all said the same thing with the same gesture and heartfelt drama from all my 3 flight experiences on this 21 day trip. I feel like their staff are so well trained in genetic apologizing from many experiences.

As a paying customer, I am extremely disappointed from this travel experience. Imagine being in a business class flight, and being told last minute that your flight was getting cancelled and we had to do a layover in Manila. Initially, they did not provide accomodation. When I reached their customer service support, they finally said please visit the service desk when you arrive.

Upon arriving in Manila, 2 ladies were waiting for us outside the plane and took us to the service desk where we were provided transportation and accomodation vouchers. After receiving our voucher, the staff took us to a really sketchy car rental office that was not even air conditioned and was made to wait sweating. After waiting for an hour without any guidance, I approached a staff there and she said your car is coming and explained that Philippine Airlines has a lot of passenger issue which caused the delay. When our pick up car arrived, we did not know we had to share it with 6 strangers who knew each other. It was a very awkward experience. To top that off, we were put in a sketchy hotel that has not been updated since the 80s. To get to our room, we had to go through a very dark hallway. In the morning, we were awoken by the construction noise outside our room at around 6am. And when I called for water, they said we are only entitled 2 350ml bottles. I said what??? We needed to pay for bottled water! The hotel room was so dated and the bed was not comfortable at all.

We were supposed to be picked up at the hotel to be brought to the airport at 2pm but of course, our pick up was delayed 25 minutes. Again, I had to follow up several times and figure out what was happening as we did not want to miss our 5pm flight. We were not close to the airport and Manila traffic can be insane.

When we boarded out flight, I inspected my seat and notice my remote control was not working and tray table was broken. I had them look at it and they contacted their technician who was not able to fix it. Of course, hands on their chest, they apologized. Then, the flight attendant had to apologize again because they did not have a menu. She had to explain our business class meal choices but her knowledge was weak. Obviously, she is not well versed as usually there is a menu provided on business class seats.

During this flight, I also noticed the lack of the Pilipino Language in their announcement. This Airline need to bring that back for Philippine cultural sake! It is really really sad to not hear the announcement in Pilipino anymore from our flagship airline. PAL, please raise your flag. Don't skip out on our language.

Lastly, close to the end of our flight, the flight attendant could not make any announcement. Their system was staticky and was causing awful beeping sound. When the plane landed, there was no Welcome to Toronto whatsoever. Only when the doors opened, she was able to grab another mic to make a last minute announcement starting with what they are good at...APOLOGIZING.
By this time, there were some confusion already.

I wish I could have written my experience better but I don't have the time in the world. I took some time to write this because there is nothing more I want than for Philippine Airlines to rise above this. I really want them to do well. As a passenger, I just want my basics met such as comfy chair, cleanliness, genuine service, organized flights. From this experience, after 3 negative experience is 3 different Philippine Airlines flight in under 21 days, I HAVE LOST TRUST in their product. With all the negative reviews they have received,Philippine Airlines, it's time to make make major changes.

This airline truly sucks... Worse airline and service I ever flew.....
- business cabin is nearly antique... It's 8o's standard
-entertainment suck big time and in top of it my remote don't work and I have 15 hours of touching stupid screen.... I am so frustrated 🥴
- food is pure garbage

I would give it a negative if I could, no Wonder it's cheapest flight to Asia.

Worst airlines ever, extremely unhelpful and great actors who pretend to not hear you when you ask reasonable questions or support!

The most dirty aircraft I have ever flied in. Expected more of the flagship Philippines airlines.

had a flight with them, delayed on way there and 4 days of canceled flights on way back, that is ok i can deal with it, what i can't deal with is the terrible service and lies when it comes to getting a refund for a canceled flight, don't deal with this airline if you can help it.
Edit: received reply four months after posting this with same empty words, why offer more of the same time wasting instead of an actual refund? It's been ten months now since cancelled flight, disgusting behaviour.
Edit #2
contacted again through FB messenger and got through the same steps as i have done few times before, i provided two numbers and i was told to wait for phone call within two hours, no phone call, this company is by far the worst experience i had in my whole life, never before have i endured such blatant lies.
EDIT 3:
Refund has happened some time ago but the trouble was that it was credited to old card, so an apology is warranted as it was partially my fault.

Absolute garbage they wouldn't give us hotel accommodations for our flight being delayed around 10pm and their service to rebook is so f***** slow it took 3 hours for us to get a rebooked ticket which didn't even come with any accommodations.

I am beyond furious at the abysmal experience I've had with your airline. The sheer incompetence and lack of regard for passengers have compelled me to express my utmost anger and frustration.

Firstly, our initially planned 3-hour stopover was casually extended to an excruciating 16 hours without a shred of communication. The audacity of your staff to hang up on me when I sought assistance is nothing short of appalling.

Adding insult to injury, our flight date was changed without any consent—two days earlier, as if my schedule revolves around your whims. The complete absence of customer support systems has left me in the dark about the status of my flight, creating a chaotic and infuriating situation.

Let me be explicitly clear: the service provided by Philippine Airlines is an absolute disgrace. The disrespect shown by your staff, the lack of communication, and the arbitrary changes have left me seething with anger.

I am vehemently warning anyone who will listen to steer clear of Philippine Airlines. This experience has been a nightmare, and I demand an immediate and comprehensive resolution to rectify the mess created by your airline.

This level of incompetence is unacceptable, and I expect swift action to salvage what's left of your tarnished reputation.

This airline is incompetent and does not value their customers. I am up to page 58 in a record of contacts with the airline about a refund I am due. I was told I had to wait 90 days after the horrendous experience I had on a business class flight that not least of all involved the premium seat I had paid for constantly deflating. I've been told multiple times my complaint has been escalated and that everyone is very sorry but as yet have not receive the refund I am due and have a reference number to. Do not use this airline. If you can avoid use any other airline.

Travelled from Manila to Davao, friendly staff, very professional food good quick check in

Will use again

Update: Their customer 'service' is very sneaky. They will keep 'elevating' your concern to a different department. Or say that all their supervisors/managers are at a meeting. Or that their system is updating. If you call them, they will pretend to have technical issues (even if the connection has always been okay on your end), and just either hang up or drop the call. So there is literally no way of getting a refund when they owe you one. They are very sneaky and sly about it, and you only realise that this is a larger process once you engage with them enough to see the patterns.

Ended up having to submit claims to the Philippine consumer protection authorities to see whether that process would get PA to issue the refund.

If you don't trust a company to refund you, and you cannot communicate with them... would you trust them with your life and the life of your loved one when they fly you around? Their systems are a shambles, and they are not only unreliably, but deceitful. How they could get their customer 'service' employees to lie to your face - that type of approach would cause bigger problems if you are held in the holds of their planes.

So, lesson learnt. Maybe I will never get my refund. But I urge you to look to their competitors - those with a more healthy relationship to their customers and who feel responsible to fulfil their end of the contract. I sincerely hope that you do not make my mistake by booking a flight with PA - I really regret this decision.

---

Still waiting for my refund four months later.

Seriously not worth the hassle, don't book with them if you want to actually get a service.

I'm happy I'm dealing only with a refund issue, and not being stranded somewhere because of their incompetence.

After more than 8 months I am still waiting for my ticket refund. Refund reference number 079MUQEZ5UFHO.

They are just ridiculous

We (family of 3) had booked and paid for a return flight from Manila via Beijing to Frankfurt. With Philippine Airlines to Beijing and from there with Air China to Frankfurt. When we arrived at the Philippine Airlines counter at 4 a.m., we were succinctly told that we would not receive boarding passes and would not be allowed to fly. The reason given was crazy stuff: Philippine Airlines had received an email from Air China saying they couldn't let us fly because our connection time in Beijing was too short. If we were sent to Beijing anyway, Air China would put us on the next plane back to Manila and Philippine Airlines would have to cover the costs.
That sounded like nonsense to us. An airline cannot deport people, only customs can do that. In addition, an airline cannot tell others who it should and should not carry. Philippine Airlines' justification stunk to high heaven. We wanted to see the email or a printout of it, but we were refused. We wanted to have it in writing that Philippine Airlines would deny us the flight, but we were denied. We wanted to speak to the manager, who came at some point. He also refused everything. We were not allowed to see the email or received written notice that Philippine Airlines would not carry us. We went to the airport police. They came and there was a heated discussion. But nothing came of it. We asked if they could offer us an alternative, i.e. another flight. Answer: That's not your problem, we should see for ourselves how we get along. We were refused anything in writing. I had to buy replacement tickets for 3900 euros for another flight on the same day because my wife and I had to go back to work the next day. Of course, we didn't get replacement tickets for free from Philippine Airlines. We asked about a complaint department and we were sent to a Philippine Airlines office. There were 3 ladies sitting there who were constantly staring at their smartphones and not even paying attention to us. At some point it got too much for us and we said we wanted to complain. One of the ladies then threw us a piece of paper without looking up and said we should write the complaint to this email address. That's what I call great customer service! We noticed there anyway that most Philippine Airlines employees were playing with their smartphones instead of taking care of paying customers. You wait in vain for any concession or help from Philippine Airlines. We contacted Air China and asked if they actually sent such an email. Air China told us they never sent that email. We assume that Philippine Airlines sold our seats twice and we are the ones who suffer. In Germany we sent numerous emails to this complaint email address and received no response. Philippine Airlines simply doesn't care. We went to the lawyer and he said we should chalk it up as a lesson and never fly with this airline again. A trial in this third world country brings nothing but more costs for us anyway.

Attention all future customers of Philippine airlines, beware!

We are writing to share our recent experience with Philippine Airlines. Given the ongoing situation in Israel, we had no choice but to cancel our flight, and we naturally reached out to request a refund.

For anyone who is not aware, Israel is at war with a terrorist organization called Hamas. Here, just a couple flights away from the Philippines it feels like the end of the world. So, respectively, we requested some consideration, some empathy and understanding. We truly wish that the circumstances would be different. We wish that we would be able to fly as planned and have a wonderful vacation but due to circumstances that are entirely out of our control we simply have no way of allowing ourselves this luxury let alone do we even have an option to leave the country.

Our disappointment doesn't just stem from the refund denial itself but also from the lack of responsiveness from your customer service. There have been two instances where we were told that we would receive a response, only to be left waiting in vain. This has left us feeling neglected and frustrated.

Now, it's worth mentioning that while other airlines, your competition like Air Swift and Emirates swiftly provided us with a full refund, our experience with Philippine Airlines has been far from satisfactory. We believe in fairness and empathy towards passengers dealing with extraordinary circumstances such as war and resent the lack of understanding and support that we have received from other carriers.

To all those looking to purchase flights from Philippine Airlines, we warn against it.

Where is the humanity of Philippine Airlines?