Christmas and New Year are two of the most awaited holidays in the Philippines — a time for family gatherings, year-end parties, and gift-giving. Many Filipinos take this opportunity to reunite with their loved ones, attend religious celebrations, or take a vacation after yet another year of hard work.
While airports are expected to get busy at this time of the year, travelers can still beat the Christmas rush by preparing for their flights ahead. Here are some tips from Cebu Pacific (CEB) to make traveling this holiday season less stressful:
- Be on time at the airport
Cebu Pacific and Cebgo passengers must allot time for traffic going to the airport. Passengers must be at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 and 4 at least three (3) hours before departure for domestic flights, and four (4) hours for international flights. Passengers traveling to Dubai are allowed to check in as early as seven (7) hours before departure.
- Check in online
Long lines may be avoided at the airport by checking in via the official CEB mobile app or via the Manage Booking section of the CEB website. Both options are available from 48 hours up to one (1) hour before scheduled time of departure for domestic flights, and up to four (4) hours before scheduled departure for international fliers.
Passengers who checked-in online and do not have checked-in baggage may enter through NAIA Terminal 3 Gate 1 and go straight to the boarding gates. They only need to show their digital boarding pass to enter.
- Pack your bags accordingly
Passengers may board the flight with one (1) carry-on bag that fits in the overhead bin and one (1) personal item like a purse, small backpack, or laptop bag that fits under the seat in front. Both bags must not exceed 7kg in weight. Bags that are not within the allowable size or weight will be intercepted and charged at the boarding gate.
- Checked baggage policy
Passengers are encouraged to purchase prepaid baggage online via the CEB website or mobile app to save on fees. CEB has recently enhanced its baggage policy where passengers may now avail up to three (3) pieces of 20kg baggage.
For every piece of baggage purchased, passengers may also add an extra 4kg, 8kg, or 12kg weight allowance on top of the initial 20kg.
Passengers can save on fees if they pre-purchase baggage allowance or extra bags online, which is up to 4x cheaper than airport charges.
Customers may buy the prepaid bags as they book their flights or add additional baggage allowance via the Manage Booking portal of the CEB website or mobile using their MyCebuPacific accounts up to two (2) hours before departure.
- Self-tag luggage for select domestic destinations
Guests flying out of select domestic destinations (Manila, Davao, Clark, Cagayan de Oro, General Santos, Bohol, Iloilo, Siargao, and Zamboanga) are reminded to self-tag their check-in luggage at the designated kiosks at the airport, prior to proceeding to counters for bag drops.
- Check flight information, closing times
All check-in counters close one (1) hour before the scheduled time of departure to ensure there is ample time for all necessary pre-flight procedures. After checking in, we encourage passengers to immediately go through immigration and final security to avoid delays. Boarding commences 45 minutes before the scheduled departure.
Updated flight information may be viewed at www.cebupacificair.com/flight-status.
- Check the airport terminal assignment of your flight
Passengers must check their itineraries and boarding passes before proceeding to their designated airport terminal. Cebu Pacific’s 5J flights arrive at and depart from the NAIA Terminal 3, while Cebgo (DG) flights to and from Manila operate from the NAIA Terminal 4 at Domestic Road, Pasay City.
We are grateful to every Juan for choosing to fly with us. We look forward to more travels with you, and your families and friends. CEB now flies to a total of 35 domestic and 25 international destinations. Visit www.cebupacificair.com for more information.
