flying with silkair - cebu to singapore

this blog has yet again taken one of its many frequent pauses (both palms on my face now). anyway, i kinda have a valid excuse this time, because i just recently did the biggest decision in my life which i think i hinted in my previous posts. so after i was finished with my 2 month-notice period at work (and yeah, i quit!), i then made a roundabout course in my life and decided to move out not just into a different city but into a different country altogether which is singapore!

that's why, i'll be talking about the route from cebu to singapore through silkair. :)

silkair serves as the regional wing of singapore airlines with flights across the asia pacific including india and china. it has direct flights to both cebu and davao and it has daily flights in and out of cebu although on some days it still detours to davao.

Silkair Airbus A320

and yes, because this airline is a wholly owned subsidiary of singapore airlines, one would expect that this is not in any way a budget airline. there's no slight chance ever to hope for their international airfares to go as low as your fare to the neighboring town.

but looking at the different aspects of an airline, i pretty much valued its services and i could say that i definitely got what i deserved though i was only flying with economy class during my flights with them.

well, here are the highlights of my experience with silkair.

(1) I booked my flights near my departure date.

during the course of my decision, i got cold feet in numerous instances so i never booked flights way beforehand unlike those who had carefully laid out their plans in their life. a part of me even still considered the idea of not going and just remain in the island under its hot sun. ☀ but because of youthfulness (yes, i still have that in me), being fearless and bold, i continued to push through my decision with 2 weeks before my planned departure date.

that time, i tried the other two remaining airlines that have direct routes to singapore, cebu pacific and tiger airways which are by the way both budget airlines, my supposedly cup of tea but their fares had already gone overboard the budget borderlines. my argument on why i then chose silkair was that if i would be paying huge amount, why not choose an airline with better services?

(2) No hassle in rebooking.

i still welcomed the idea of heading back home so i booked the flexible flights. i remember that my airfare with silkair was lesser than if i had booked with tiger airways. so there, it's still worth checking the non-budget airlines in order to get a better deal.

i rebooked my return flights twice and in both instances, the customer service representatives sounded like they were more than willing to help me. i did not have any additional fees during my rebooking unless of course, i upgraded my economy seat into a business class seat.

Silkair On-board Fish Meal

the second time that i called, i incorrectly keyed in the call options and as a result, i had my call routed to singapore airlines reservations. the guy at the other end of the line patiently told me to choose the other option for silkair without me feeling the dumbest person in the whole world.

(3) Silkair serves meals on board.

they're actually decent meals although in my return flight to cebu, the flight attendant only had one option for me after they ran out of their better meal.

(4) For Silkair's Cebu to Singapore route, they fly daytime.

my two flights with them had been fine, so my window seat afforded me with these great views.

Mt. Kinabalu in Sabah, Malaysia (Flight to Singapore) 

Somewhere in Sabah, Malaysia? (Flight to Cebu)

(5) Silkair services in Changi Airport Terminal 2.

terminal 2 is convenient for those who commute through either the train or bus. it surpasses a million miles from the budget terminal which i had been during my flights last september.

Changi Airport Terminal 2 Travelators and Shopping

(6) I am now officially a Krisflyer member, their frequent flyer program after my first actual flight with them.

i can redeem my metrobank credit card points as krisflyer points so without me knowing it and after thousands of credit card swipes, i will be able to have a free flight home. yay!

(7) It brings in more tourists to the country.

during my flights with them, majority of the flight guests were foreigners (with respect to Phl). it even crossed my mind during my return flight that i could have been in a wrong boarding gate because i was lining up with no filipino in sight, save for a filipina (probably no longer a filipina in paper) with a twang of american accent. this somehow made me truly happy for at least, these foreigners had considered to fly to cebu amid various options. i just hope the government taxes won't go sky high and consequently, shoo away these few remaining foreign airlines that fly direct to the country.

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http://www.silkair.com

From Cebu to Singapore
Tue, Fri  13:35 - 17:05
Mon, Wed, Sat  15:25 - 18:55
Thu, Sun (via Davao) 13:35 - 18:55

From Singapore to Cebu
Tue, Thu, Fri, Sun  09:05 - 12:45
Mon, Wed, Sat (via Davao)  09:05 - 14:35

o-O