After one week in Cebu City back in May of this year, it was finally time to go home. I returned to Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) on a lazy Sunday.
This is the second but first part of my airport/airline return trip during this pandemic. If you haven't read the first part, please do so for context and to understand more about the places/abbreviations mentioned here.
So anyway, how different was this flying back to Manila escapade from when I went to Cebu? Find out below. š
ā¦ Before the Flight Back to Manila
Packed my stuff well the night before departure because my schedule was around lunch. It was quite a hassle due to one bag in particular.
As for the travel requirements, it's way easier to go back to Manila. All I had to do was ask the hostel to print out my travel itinerary/documents and that was it. A fellow trainee was also flying through MCIA so it meant we both saved on taxi fare going to the airport. Haha. š I didn't expect that at all so I was happy about the turn of events.
The best part is, a negative RT-PCR test result wasn't required. Isn't that fantastic?! No need to search for where to have it done for free in an unfamiliar location. š My companion had to pay for one to go back to her province but I didn't have to. š
My entire travel experience wasn't as smooth as I expected though. Of course when we go on trips we should expect various hitches along the way. Too bad I wasn't thinking that way at all upon going back to the airport. I'm not sure why. Haha.
A day or two before the flight date, I again did the online check-in thing. I also saw the fees for choosing a different seat the second time around. Oh what a tragedy to have to pay to change my assigned seat just to sit next to the window. š Guess I'm meant to stay along aisles in planes huh? š
Approximately $4, $5.78 and $3. Screenshot from the check-in app/site. Forgot which one I used.
During that time my return flight was via Air Asia. I didn't really choose this airline but it was paired with my departure flight so I just booked it. The best part of this was, I never had any change in schedule at all! Hurray! I didn't think it would be possible to have a fixed flight schedule. Haha!
ā¦ Back to MCIA We Go
Going back a second time, I was finally able to really appreciate the airport. Why? Because I saw a variety of areas as opposed to when I first got there. I was able to explore more of what's inside. What fun.
We left the hostel around a little past 8 am. Of course we both wore the required face masks and shields as well. When we got there I thought we could just go straight to the waiting area after going through security checks and all that. Oh no no no, it's not that simple. š Of course everyone has to go through temperature and baggage checks inside the building.
Before we even got there, to my surprise someone came by to assist my companion with her luggage. Uhmmm. The airport guy had a trolley we could put our bags in. š¤ (I think he's what's called a porter.) Some of the people there did the same thing so okay, I guess it's normal...
People Going to the Check-In Counters
If I didn't have 3 bags and a companion I would just carry everything all the way inside. Well it was still a good idea, at least we had someone to navigate around the terminal. I am not familiar with the place at all so he led the way for us.
We first went to the entrance to the check-in area. While waiting in line the travel QR codes were prominently displayed for everyone to see. He informed us to scan it before we got to the security check area.
At the entrance, there was a big screen display and a camera that seemed to take a picture of each person. It also showed our temperature. Once past that we went to the baggage check area. After that the check-in counters for the three different airlines could be seen. It all looks very nice and organized!
Look it's not even crowded too! Not sure if this was because it was only around past 8 am. I think it's more fun to travel now because there aren't too many people around. Haha!
Top to bottom, left to right: Air Asia, Philippine Airlines (PAL) and Cebu Pacific.
On the way to my co-trainee's airline counter area I told her I had checked in online so I will just wait for her. The guy said not to do a check-in at the counter if I already did it online. I don't remember if I told him which airline I was flying with but he did say baggage check for me was quite strict at the gate. He said it like it didn't matter so I didn't mind it much.
My co-trainee went to one counter and we waited for her to finish. She was taking a quite a while and it seemed like there was some kind of issue so I went over to check what was going on. Turns out her luggage was overweight and she didn't have any cash with her. After she explained her situation another personnel checked some details on the computer and then said they will not charge her for it . Good thing she had a free baggage something included in her booking. I told her she's lucky she didn't need to pay for anything.
Once it was all done and her luggage was taken away to put in the plane, I checked what they gave her and I saw what her gate/boarding area was. My online check-in thing didn't show anything like that. What the... š®
How was I to know where to go if it wasn't showing in any of my documents right? Of course I had to go to the other airline check-in counter to ask them about it. Guess what happened next? The lady personnel asked for my bags after I gave her the check-in document. They wanted to weigh my bags. Oh my. I had three instead of the original two I had with me. The third one was full of packed danggit, pusit and longganisa. Oh boy. š
Dried seafood + longganisa! Pasalubong pa more!
I called the bag guy to have everything weighed. At first he hesitated but eventually brought all three to the big weighing scale. Told my companion it looked like I'd be the one who has to pay instead of her. š
And yes, they did charge me for extra baggage since all three went way over the weight limit. š If it was just the two I had, it was still 1 kg over the handcarry limit. The woman at the counter also informed me two of those had to be left with them for storage on the plane. I can only take my handcarry bag with me. Looks like I won't be choosing Air Asia again in the future. š
I wasn't expecting any additional expenses so I didn't have enough cash on hand. My debit card didn't work when they swiped it at the counter (security feature) so I had to go outside (still inside the terminal) just to withdraw at an ATM. What a hassle. š¤¦āāļø
Good thing my companion needed to go out of the check-in area as well. She ordered a Cebu lechon food pack/pasalubong for take out before we went inside (that's why I was able to take some pics before going there). Since we took quite a while at the counters, sure enough her order was ready to pick up by the time we went back. The porter guided me where to withdraw and then we went to the food kiosk to get the package. Afterwards we went back to the check-in place so I could pay the fee.
It was then I really noticed the absence of long lines at the counters. Maybe I should thank the pandemic for that? Haha. I was happy I didn't need to wait too long for other people to finish checking in.
Another good thing was, I split the bill of the extra charge with two other people. šš They ordered some dried seafood from me since they learned I was in Cebu that's why I had a big and extra plastic bag. No way was I going to pay for it on my own so I messaged the guys about the predicament as soon as I was told the amount. (They sent me the payment via online transaction. Oh yeah!)
Approximately $22 extra baggage fee. Ouch!
At least that's why I didn't feel too bad about paying for the "unexpected" fee.
Before I left the hostel I already had an inkling that I might be paying for it. I told both of them about it but they informed me the airline would never charge me for it. Uhm, nope. Not when you fly with Air Asia. š¤
Another good thing to keep in mind when traveling is, it pays to be a "girl scout" or laging handa (always ready/prepared). Before my flight to Cebu, for some reason I thought of bringing a bit of plastic packing rope with me. I just felt like bringing it. My rational mind said no but another part of me said, who knows what would happen?
I guess that's my intuition/foresight kicking in. Rarely do I listen to it but that time I was happy I did! Why? Because the lady at the counter told me the plastic bag has to be secured properly before it goes in the plane's baggage area. Apparently just tying it up at the top was not enough.
Maybe that's why the market vendor initially packed part of the dried seafood inside a box. Unfortunately I removed those from the box since it would mean I would have 4 things to bring to the airport. Nope, no way I was gonna carry one in each hand.
And so while in front of the check-in counter I remembered I had the packing rope in one of my backpack's pocket. I was really glad I brought it otherwise I'd be pissed and in such a bind. š
I happily provided it to the surprised porter who proceeded to tie up the plastic bag like it was a box. Not bad to have somebody like him around huh? š
In the next part I will share what happened while I waited to board the plane until I landed back in Manila.
For now, how about you? Have you been traveling by plane lately? Feel free to share your experience in the comments too.
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