Cebu Pacific is a large, no-frills low-cost carrier based in the Philippines. The airline offers cheap tickets with inexpensive add-ons for extras like more legroom, luggage and seat selection.
Flying modern Airbus planes, space is tight on board. Set your expectations right for the price you pay and you’ll typically be quite satisfied.
The Cebu Pacific model
As a low-cost carrier, Cebu Pacific includes very little with its base fares – just one carry-on bag. All the rest is extra, but those extras are reasonably priced compared with many other low-cost carriers.
The main hub is Manila, with Cebu Pacific operating flights at NAIA Terminal 3, but the airline flies between many cities within the Philippines, as well as to cities across Southeast Asia, China, Korea and Japan, with more destinations further afield.
Regional subsidiary Cebgo serves smaller destinations with its fleet of turboprops.
Economy ticket types and fares
Cebu Pacific is an all-economy airline, and when you book you have the choice of three types of fare bundles: GO Basic, GO Easy and GO Flexi.
GO Basic is, you guessed it, basic. You get a random seat assigned to you at check-in and can bring one carry-on with a maximum weight of 7 kilograms (15.4 pounds) onboard. There are no refunds for voluntary cancellation and fairly hefty rebooking fees.
Go Easy, meanwhile, adds a 20-kilogram (44.1-pound) checked bag and standard seat selection. This comes at a slight discount compared with buying these separately.
Go Flexi, at the top of the list, adds ticket flexibility and the ability to convert whatever you’ve paid into a Travel Fund credit for future use if you cancel or rebook.
You can, of course, pay to add a checked bag and seat selection at any time and on any fare via Manage Booking. Compared with low-cost carriers in North America and Europe, the upsells are very reasonably priced.
Economy seats and aircraft types
There are three kinds of economy seats on Cebu Pacific: Premium, Standard Plus and Standard. I always pay to book a seat on Cebu Pacific since it’s not very expensive and you don’t want to get stuck in a random middle or at the back of the plane where the seats get even narrower.
For those preferring more space and those traveling in pairs, I often recommend taking advantage of booking an extra seat next to you. It’s inexpensive and makes the experience more comfortable. You can use the table on the extra seat for your drinks and stow your carry-on underneath.
To book an extra seat, you’ll need to contact Cebu Pacific’s live agents to arrange the purchase.
On the A320 and A321 aircraft, seats offer 28 to 29 inches of pitch with 17 inches of width. That’s not a lot of legroom and, like all Cebu Pacific seats, these are barebones in terms of padding. They’re comfortable enough for a short flight but you might want to consider upgrading for a longer one, especially if you’re even slightly tall.
Cebu Pacific’s Airbus A330neo planes are all-economy and feature an ultra-high-density layout. With 459 passengers on board in a single-class configuration, I definitely recommend paying extra to choose a seat close to the second pair of doors so you can get on and off relatively quickly.
Beware of picking the center seats in the emergency exit rows of these planes. They are also gangways for people to pass between the aisles, so you’re likely to be bothered by the activity. Most are also very close to the lavatories, too.
If you really want an emergency exit row seat, the best are seats A, B, C, G, H and J in row 17 (where there are no lavatories). Seats A, B and C in row 39 don’t have a lavatory immediately in front of them but there’s one across the aisle.
Personally, I prefer to sit somewhere around row 8 and purchase the seat next to me, too. If I can manage an aisle seat in the center section (D or F), there’s going to be nobody next to me trying to get out for the whole flight. Plus, from this area, I’m always off the plane relatively quickly.
Check-in, baggage and airport procedures
Cebu Pacific has an app that allows you to check in online, so it’s best to download this and keep it updated on your phone. You can check in online from 48 hours before your flight up to 2 hours before for international flights or 1 hour before for domestic flights, and you should.
You’ll get the best choice of seats and the peace of mind of having checked in before you even get to the airport.
At the airport, you can use the digital boarding pass on your phone for domestic flights when you don’t have checked bags, or have it printed off at a self-service kiosk, which will also print your bag tags.
For international flights, digital boarding pass acceptance varies by airport as some immigration checkpoints may still require a printed pass, though if departing from Manila Terminal 3, you can print at the self-service kiosks.
Cebu Pacific is famously very strict about its carry-on limits. Your limit is 7 kilograms (15.4 pounds) total, with one carry-on bag that must fit in the overhead bin (maximum 56×36×23 cm) plus one small personal item that fits under the seat (maximum 20×20×35 cm).
This extra item can be a duty-free bag from the airport (keep the receipt), a small bag that can fit under the seat, or medically necessary equipment when declared as assistance (which is exempt from the weight limit).
Cebu is one of those airlines that’s so strict I get out the measuring tape and luggage scales before leaving home. I also know I won’t be able to turn up to the gate with a roller bag, a laptop bag and a duty-free bag. It’s two items total, strict weight and dimension limits, and they’ll absolutely make me pay to check anything else into the baggage hold.
Unusually for a low-cost carrier, Cebu Pacific will check through your luggage if you have a connecting flight on the same booking, with bags tagged through to your final destination.
The exception to this is for international to domestic connections entering the Philippines, where you’ll need to reclaim your bags before going through customs, then use the Transfer Desk to re-endorse your luggage.
For Australia-bound connecting passengers at NAIA Terminal 3, you must obtain your onward boarding pass and undergo baggage screening at Manila, so ask the airline for details when you check in.
In-flight food, drinks and entertainment
If you’re hungry or thirsty onboard, you’ll need to pay. There’s no free anything, not even water, though if you pre-order a CEB Meal, it will come with a complimentary bottled water.
Do consider buying a big bottle of water at the airport or filling up your own reusable bottle after security.
The food and drink selection on Cebu Pacific is inexpensive, with buy-on-board snacks and drinks available, but nothing to write home about. As usual, lean towards local flavors rather than international offerings, which tend to be pretty bland. I find the beef adobo to be pretty good. Pre-order your hot meal up to 24 hours before departure to ensure that what you want is available.
For a snack, the cheese roll is one of my favorites. If you’re in a breakfast mood you might enjoy the chocolate champorado rice porridge. Don’t miss the Philippine mango nectar – it’s really good.
There’s no inflight entertainment or Wi-Fi onboard, so make sure you bring a book and load whatever you want onto your devices. And always come with them fully charged. I also always travel with a portable rechargeable power bank so nothing goes dark on my flight.
This KAYAK-commissioned article is presented as-is, for general informational purposes only, and may not be up-to-date. The opinions contained in the article are original to the author and reflect their authentic experience, which may vary significantly from the experience of others. Find more perspectives in our user reviews below.
