Noontime CEBu to ILOilo Flight on PAL

A noontime flight, oh yeah. One of those I do not really cherish. Why? Because you rush to the airport at mid-morning so you do not get late for check-in. Then you wait at the Mabuhay Lounge, where food is predictably the same forever and ever.

Or if you are not a Mabuhay Club Member, you wait with a dizzying multitude of people at the cramped waiting areas, and you don't feel like eating lunch at those stores all over again... Jollibee, Dunkin Donuts, Zubuchon na frozen lechon, Tsim Sha Tsui na parang 1000 times na ginamit ang cooking oil... and so on!

Add to that, the flight itself is at lunchtime but there is no lunch. You are instead tossed a piece of "biskwit" by the stewardess haha. I have a separate story on that, next.

Anyway, sometimes, even if you are a frequent flyer, you do not get to choose the times of your flight because... chadaaaan, si client ang masusunod. Haist!

On this flight, I did not really mind my stomach that much. Because, I ate a hefty brunch somewhere in Mactan with another client, before proceeding to Cebu Airport. AND, I was expecting a good late-lunch at Injap - that's where I'm staying at, for this Iloilo visit.

Okay... airplane not very full and it is an airbus now.
Hmm, the last time I took a Cebu to Iloilo flight on PAL, it was the smaller airplane? Ah, I think I know, gabi kasi yun! There are obviously more passengers during the day.


OMG what is this buntis?! The armrest of my seat has a hole instead of what should have been the circular button for reclining the seat. Duu, what if there is something in there na nangangagat o tumutuklaw?! Nanay ko, ano na man man man?! Hadlok ko ba la!

I have never encountered this on PAL since as far as I can remember. The very least that is supposed to be done is they patch it up with something to close the hollow space. Yay, what if there's some live wire or something that a passenger may accidentally poke? Kulba!

Yes this is an emergency exit row. But what I remember to be "standard" actually is: them mechanics just render the reclining mechanism non-operable, meski a thousand times mo pa pindut-pindutin ang round button na yun, indi gid ma-recline!

Anyway, I realized there is an advantage to noontime flights like this one...
aerial view of lapu-lapu city mactan during take-off
Oh ha, I could see the northern parts of Mactan Island clearly! The tallest building on the left is the Mövenpick Beach Hotel formerly the Hilton Cebu Resort And Spa.

And that is Punta Engaño. The northern-most tip of Mactan Island...
aerial view of punta engano mactan lapu-lapu city during takeoff
That construction on the very tip is going to be some kind of mixed use highrise (condominiums and hotel etc) being developed by Santa Lucia Realty, I heard. While that group of buildings to the right is a condominium - ah it looks like 3 buildings from this view, but actually there are 6. Those are three twin towers.

And there are the so many gasgas of the window glass...
Haiszt! Bummer 'no?! Hahaha! Dear aircraft cleaners and mechanics, please gamit kayo ng panlinis na hindi nakakagasgas ng glass. Unless nalang sabihin nyo, its not because of the cleaning but effect of snow hale or dust. In that case, I will shut-up and... shiver! Kahaladlok ah!

Fluffy white and sometimes gray clouds are beautiful to take photos of. But the gasgas in the glass always prevail. That's why I often don't nalang take cloud photos. Linti ah!

Well the after harvest rice fields of Iloilo beckon...
aerial view of Iloilo during landing approach
Iloilo province I mean ha?! Since I don't know which town those farms belong to. Basta sang ga-approach ni sa runway ah!

Oh, and is that the Tigum River Bridge? It is, right?
aerial view of Tigum River during landing approach to Iloilo International Airport
Yes, I think it is! I hope it does not anymore crumble on any other typhoon.

Well what do you think? I have landed at Iloilo International Airport, and it looks like I may start liking flights during noontime - even if it means I will have for lunch, just a piece of oatmeal cookies hehehe!

Let's go and "arrive" at the airport!

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