Confirmed, booked and paid!

As early as December (yes, even before I knew I'd be granted a visa), I was already scouting for the best airfare to JFK-- my point of entry to the US. In the past, I am used to flying with budget airlines due to obvious reasons. But this time, I knew I won't be able to survive a long-haul flight in an overly-cramped space and without food-- two disadvantages of low-cost carriers such as Cebu Pacific and Air Asia.

After my initial research, I found a number of airlines that fly to east coast and it can get quite confusing when deciding which one to fly in. As for me, I have three important considerations: price, no. of layovers / total hours of flight, place of layover. The first one is very obvious, of course. But for two and three, it is important for me that I spend the least amount of time flying and that I get to my destination the soonest time possible. We all know sitting in economy can be uncomfortable so the faster I can get to my destination the better. I also would like to start with my vacation as early as possible and not waste time hanging out in airports. Lastly, I want my US POE to be JFK. The reason for this is that if and when I do get problems with the immigration (I hope not!), at least I know my parents are just outside. This wouldn't be the case if my POE is in a different state. For my first visit, I'd like my entire flight to be hassle and problem-free.

So the airline-hunting began! Prices vary from day to day so I try to monitor current rates at least twice a day. I've been checking flights through the carriers' websites and through booking sites such as orbitz.com and kayak.com. Flights from MNL to JFK range from USD 1,100++ to USD 2,000++ for RT economy seats. I was choosing among the following: Delta, United/Continental, Cathay Pacific, All Nippon Airlines and Eva Air. Other options for MNL - JFK are Emirates, Qatar Airways, China Air and China Southern Airlines-- I didn't consider these though because of the long layovers. Meanwhile, Korean Air, Singapore Airlines and Japan Airlines are good options if you have money to burn that I don't (I am interested though to fly with these carriers if promos are being offered.) 

For the past several weeks, Delta has been offering the lowest rate. However, I wasn't completely sold as total flight (including layovers in Narita and Detroit/SF) is 30 hours! Cathay/Dragon Air also had a promo a few weeks back where they offered USD 1300 for a 20 hour-flight. It's actually a good deal considering Cathay is a more than decent carrier and it only has one layover in HK. But I wasn't still satisfied.. coz I knew the Philippine Travel and Tour Expo is coming up!

So yesterday, I woke up early, went to SMX and went around the different booths looking for the best deals. I first went to the United booth. They were giving out free calendars and ballpens to their visitors. Unfortunately, promos for May travel is already sold out when I got there. They are offering September to December travel though to West Coast at USD 580 and to East Coast at USD 800, both exclusive of taxes. Next stop is Cathay offering USD 1,279 inclusive of all taxes and Singapore Airlines with USD 1,389 with taxes. Air China and China Airlines were also there but they weren't offering promo fares for May. I didn't go around much anymore after that as I was already sold with Cathay.  It's not much cheaper than the online promo fare but it's still lower and it already includes Philippine Tax of PHP 1,620. So not bad at all!

A gift from CX! See you in May.. I can't wait!