After a short stay in Cebu City as well as being impressed by both the Plaza Premium Lounge and wider Mactan Airport, we took a short flight across to Siargao. On this flight, we flew PAL Express - the regional subsidiary of Philippine Airlines that now only operates domestic flights using Airbus A320 family and Bombardier Dash 8-Q400 aircraft.

Here’s a quick review of the experience on two of the flights - one from their secondary hub at Cebu Mactan to the island of Siargao then another from Siargao to PAL’s primary hub at Manila’s NAIA.

Both flights took place using a Bombardier Dash 8 - a pointy and little turboprop aircraft. The airline carries the same name and livery as regular Philippine Airline flights.

The plane has a 2-2 layout with an all Economy cabin. Supposedly, PAL offer Premium Economy but I can’t see any detail on how they differentiate this on this aircraft type.

Legroom is tight at 29 inches (73.6cm) and the seats weren’t the most comfortable nor well maintained. I wouldn’t want to be flying this aircraft for more than two hours.

Overhead luggage space is limited and will not be big enough for most modern cabin suitcases - you’ll need to check these in.

Windows are quite large for an aircraft of this size - perfect for some of the picturesque views on these flights.

Speaking of views, they were stunning on both of these flights.

The airline provided packaged snacks and a 350ml bottle of water to every passenger on this flight - but no other service is offered. While it’s not much, it is more than other domestic competitors including CebPac and Air Asia provide.

A sizeable tray table flips out from the seat in front, it’s large and stable enough to type on a laptop from (I tested using my MacBook Pro 13 inch).

There is one bathroom at the front of the aircraft which is tight and small - making it difficult to stand up at my height. Unlike a turboprop flight I had with Finnair/Norra, the aircraft had running water and soap. The bathroom looked clean on the surface.

Conclusion

PAL Express was ‘just fine’ experience. Neither remarkable nor awful, the airline has a slightly improved inflight offering compared to other airlines in the country. While on the face of it, PAL Express flights may be more expensive than low cost alternatives - most of their fares include baggage which can be expensive with the likes of Cebu Pacific or Air Asia.

In addition, you might end up on PAL Express because you’re connecting through Cebu or Manila onwards to a mainline Philippine Airlines flight - or to another airline such as Emirates, ANA and many more. This domestic connectivity to major international airlines, with less stress than using separate tickets, can certainly give PAL Express a leg up. They could do with renovating these interiors though!