It's an Olympic Year so I'm off to Boracay

it would be my first time to ride this very cute PAL Express Bombardier Q300

This is the fruit of my travel bargain hunting last September 12 at the 19th Philippine Travel Mart in SM Megamall. As an avid independent traveler I am not really a fan of organized or package tours. I love to research something about a place, I also love being my own tour guide and I don't want anybody to limit my time in visiting interesting places. But how can you resist a package from PAL Express consisting of roundtrip airfare, 4 days/3 nights accommodation at Escondido Resort, 3 breakfasts and airport-hotel-airport transfers for only 8,860 pesos for 2 persons (4,430 each). Is that a bargain or what? I know a bargain when I see one and upon learning about this rate I didn't left the booth of PAL Express until I got the tickets.

There is a package even lower than our 4,430 Boracay package. Air Philippines offered a 3-day package for Palawan for as low as 4,100 pesos which is almost the same banana. I hesitated going to Puerto Princesa on a package because I have a friend who lives there and I can stay in her house for free which I gratefully availed a year ago. I also have a free overnight stay which I will avail soon in a hotel in Puerto Princesa for refering a number of my friends to stay there. I don't have a friend who lives or work in Boracay so it is wiser to go to Boracay on a cheap package than in Puerto Princesa.

This would be my first time to try PAL Express and also my first time going straight to Boracay on an airplane. As my father is from Iloilo province, my previous 6 trips to Boracay all originated from Iloilo and one instance when my family tried the Ro-Ro Strong Republic Nautical Highway proudly being advocated by President Arroyo so I drove from Metro Manila all the way down to Iloilo with a stopover in Batangas, Mindoro and Boracay.

So now, to give justice to my post title... This is just a trivial analogy as I just noticed that since 1996 when I first saw the fine powdery white sand of Boracay I keep on returning on that island every Olympic year. I have been there the same year as the Atlanta Olympics (1996), Sydney Olympics (2000), Athens Olympics (2004) and now the Beijing Olympics (2008). Well, to keep in line with my sports-Boracay analogy, my three other non-Olympic year soujourns in Boracay all coincided with the regional SEA Games (1997, 1999 & 2005). So who says that sports and beach are not closely related? Hahaha! ;)

NOTE: I will not approve comments related to this post which will say that it is a corny analogy ;-)

New Destinations from PAL Express

Philippine Airlines budget carrier PAL Express will open new routes from Manila starting on July 15. The residents and would be visitors to San Jose, Mindoro; Virac, Catandanues and Surigao City may benefit with the "Buy One, Take One" promo fare which was extended up to July 21.

Flights for Calbayog in Samar follows on July 17 and then flights for Catarman in Northern Samar on August 1. PAL express will operate the 76-seater Bombardier Q400 and the 50-seater Bombardier Q300 turbo-propeller aircraft for these routes.

All of the new destinations are eligible for the promo fare. The promo offers passengers a free one-way ticket for every one-way ticket bought, with all fees and surcharges waived for travel between July 15 and October 15. The complimentary ticket can be used for the return journey or for another one-way flight.

For more information, please call its 24-hour reservations hotline: (02) 855-8888 in Manila

Extra Extra: The Birth of PAL Express

The only local legacy carrier in the country Philippine Airlines (PAL) announced that it created a budget counterpart (sub-brand) to be called PAL Express to cater to the prolific demand for low-cost airfare in its intra-regional routes in Visayas and Mindanao. The sub-brand will also tap the growing demand in domestic destinations which cannot be served even by its smallest jet aircraft Airbus A319 so it will acquire turbo-propeller aircraft like the Bombardier Q300 and Q400.

One will notice that destinations like Caticlan (Boracay) and Busuanga in Palawan are now available for purchase on PAL's website. These destinations can't support Airbus planes due to the limitations of airport facilities and runway dimensions.

PAL Express will have its maiden flight on May 5 with eight flights between Manila and Caticlan (Boracay).

The airline noted that PAL Express will not compete with PAL's existing budget carrier, Air Philippines, as the latter will service different set of destinations.