Philippine Airlines: Sydney to London in Business – bargain! or is it?

I woke up this morning to an email from Australian Frequent Flyer News, trumpeting great fares on a range of airlines including Qatar between Manilla and Europe. It piqued my interest.

I had a look, but once you had contemplated a positioning flight in Business from Sydney to Manilla, the savings weren’t so great. I used Google Flights to get a quick and dirty idea, and this is what I found for November of this year:

• Sydney to Manilla in Business AU$3,087
• Manilla to Rome AU$2571 (according to AFF)

So a total of AU$5,658

It occurred to me that it might be cheaper to just catch a one-stop flight in Business with Philipines Airlines straight through to London. And sure enough, its cheaper at AU$4,786:

And your travelling on an A330 and an A350, with lie flat seats and wifi.

The Downside

Well there is a slight catch. Unless you like airport surfing, you will need to spend a night in Manila on the return leg, because of a 15 hour 25 minute layover.

But still its AU$900 cheaper than the suggestions for European flights out of Manila suggested by Australian Frequent flyer.

On point to remember

They do have one point that is worth remembering. You can probably get a points redemption flight from Sydney to Manila in business on Qantas, and if that’s the case, then the sub-AU$3,000 return fares from Manilla to Europe on Etihad, Oman, Qatar or KLM could well be worth your while.

2PAXfly Takeout

It is always worth looking for intercontinental flights that involve a repositioning flight – whether that flight be domestic or international. However, always cost your repositioning flight, and look at what are the cheapest direct fares available using a tool like Google Flights before you commit.

You could be spending more money than you have to, just because a couple of legs seem cheaper.

If you find a cheap bargain fare that involves a repositioning inside or outside Australia – drop me a line.