Mumbai30 Nov 23 1 Traveller Economy
Showing International Flight from Manila
About Manila
The highly populous city of Manila is the capital of the Philippines. The urban city is recognised worldwide as a city prone to the maximum number of natural disasters, owing to it attracting a high number of cyclones regularly. Despite being vulnerable to natural disasters, Manila is actually known to be a fast-growing city in the Philippines. Located on the bayside, the city has been tremendously influenced by the Spanish as it was once a colony.
Best time to visit Manila
Manila is surrounded by waters on all sides, giving it hot and wet weather. Hence, it is best advised to visit the quaint city during their dry season. Manila's dry months start from January and last up to April. The rest of the year is pretty hot and humid. The flipside of the dry months is that it comes with the summer sun. This basically means you'll have to deal with hot and dry weather when you visit Manila. However, it is still a better bargain than the wet months. March and April see the peak summer with temperatures ranging from 23 degree Celsius to 35 degree Celsius. The weather is perfect for hitting the beach and cooling down. That is always an option that many tourists opt for. Besides, one can always indulge in renting out bicycles and riding in the streets of Manila, exploring new crevices of the lovely city. Due to the months being peak season, the city is often crowded with tourists resulting in high hotel prices. During these months, the hotel rates in Manila spike up to an exorbitant amount. It becomes quite unfavourable for budget tourists to make their bookings for hotels and flights to Manila as there is already a lot of demand for the city.
One can simply opt to make prior hotel and flight bookings to Manila. Although tourists tend to visit the city all-round the year, the safest ones are from January to April. From June to November, Manila is pretty much hot and humid with monsoon taking over. The weather gets rather unpleasant to indulge in tourist activities. This is one of the major concerns which makes tourists opt for the peak season. Monsoon is pretty bad as during this time, the streets get flooded, and the torrential rains destroy quite a lot of the habitat. Since Manila also attracts cyclones and other such calamities, it is best to avoid the wet season. It is essential to check the weather and all the reports before you make your flight and hotel bookings in Manila. Sure, the bad weather and lack of tourism does bring down the hotel prices in Manila. But it definitely wouldn't be worth it as you wouldn't be able to enjoy the city's spirits and tourist attractions. The best thing to do would be to make prior bookings of flight and hotels in Manila for the dry season.
Places to visit in Manila
As a country with some of the largest urban gardens and parks, you can start your tourist rendezvous in Manila by visiting some of them. Rizal Park is a popular garden in the city which was earlier called Bagumbayan, attracts a lot of tourists every year. The garden was built during the Spanish Colonial Period and has been a structure of historical significance. The park is beautiful and comes with lush green grasses and alluring sights. Next from here, you can visit some of the monuments in the city. You can check out Fort Santiago, a citadel created by Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, a known Spanish navigator and governor. The defense fortress is recognised for its historical relevance of serving as a prison during World War II. San Agustin Church is another beautiful Roman Catholic structure which is acknowledged by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Aside from the usual, you can always make room for visits at the Minor Basilica and Metropolitan Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Manila Zoo and Casa Manila, to name a few highlights.
Things to do in Manila
There are many things that you can do in Manila, starting from the Manila Baywalk. The promenade overlooks the Manila Bay and offers a pristine view of the waterbody. You can actually take up carriage rides by the promenade. In the evenings, there are also some performances by locals and live band performances. Not to mention how the area has lovely cafes which serve multi-cuisines. Visiting the Manila Ocean Park should be on your list of things to do in Manila. It is an oceanarium and is owned by the China Oceanis Philippines Inc. The institute is located in proximity to Rizal Park. The place is beautiful as you get to walk through the oceanarium and view some exquisite and rare marine life. To learn more about the history and cultural heritage of the country, you should visit the National Museum of the Philippines. It falls under the government authority and is maintained by the officials. The architecture and exhibits preserved by the Philippines government in the museum will pique your interest. You can also indulge in some fine dining and relish the lavish cuisine.
Food and restaurants in Manila
The cosmopolitan city brings flavours from around the world in their cuisine. You will not miss any international cuisine as the Filipino food in itself has been derived from inspiration from aboriginal, North American, Chinese, Indonesian and Spanish cuisine. Most of the dishes in Manila would seem familiar, be it the flavours or the style of cooking. Manila's eclectic spread of food establishments is perfectly balanced with upscale restaurants and budget food joints. Wherever you go, you will be met with exquisite and memorable food. You can start with a buffet spread at Spiral Restaurant. It features some of the finest gourmet dishes with food inspired by 21 diverse countries. There's a Japanese station as well as a French station with fun cooking scenes. The place is high-priced so best to fill up your pockets before visiting the place. Another luxurious fine dining experience that you can check out is at Café Ilang-Ilang. This food establishment also has a buffet setting with cuisines such as Italian, Asian, Filipino, Japanese, Chinese and Western.
You can also opt for dining with a great view of the Sky Deck View Bar. The aerial view of Manila from the rooftop restaurant is beautiful. For a quaint but authentic Filipino food, head to The Aristocrat. Barbara's Heritage Restaurant is another such place which serves Filipino food as well as a spectacular vibe. Some more establishments that would put a smile on your face are Ilustrado Restaurant, Harbor View Restaurant, Movie Stars Cafe, Bistro Remedios and My Kitchen by Chef Chris. Your food expedition in Manila would be quite an experience as there are far too many places to pick from.
How to reach Manila
Flight connectivity to Manila from India is extremely good. There are many flights that fly to Manila from India. Most of the South Asian countries have impeccable flight connectivity with Indian cities. Even Manila sees regular flights flying from Indian cities such as Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, to name a few. The most popular route to Manila chosen by travellers is from Singapore and Hong Kong. The flight connectivity to Manila from these international cities is immaculate. Airlines such as Thai Airways, Singapore Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Dragon Air, Philippine Airlines, Korean Air and Asiana Airlines are some of the prominent names that have flights reserved for Manila. There are no direct flights that fly to Manila from India. There are mostly connecting flights and layovers that take place in international cities such as Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong. International routes connecting Manila from cities such as Hong Kong, Singapore and even Bangkok are more favoured. The number of flights in service are more, plus the duration is also less time-consuming.
It takes about eight hours and fifteen minutes to reach Manila from India. However, the only way you will get to reach so early would be if you pick the fastest flights with exorbitant ticket costs. The popular flights to Manila have tickets at the price range of INR 20,000 to 27,000. The difference in duration of flights is also barely of an hour or two, making these options more affordable. There are cheap flight tickets to Manila, and if you book in advance, you might be able to get some benefits of discounts too. There are countless deals that take place online, and you can easily avail some flight deals to Manila by snooping around the web. In fact, there are combo deals of flights and accommodation too that is recommended. You can get a cheap flight and hotel bookings in Manila, as long as you make prior reservations and find good deals online. The peak season might see a tremendous change in the flight ticket cost to Manila as well as the hotel prices. During the wet seasons, the hotel prices in Manila drop to an all-time low, making budget travelling possible.
About China Airlines
China Airlines is the official flag carrier of the Republic of China. It is one of the two largest airlines in the country, along with EVE Air Corporations or Evergreen Airways. Another name for the Republic of China is Taiwan, which is more popular. The airline's headquarters is located at Taipei Taoyuan International Airport. It operates a whopping number of flights, about 1400 in a week, which also includes 91 flights that are reserved for cargo and freight transit. China Airlines enjoys a good domestic route and international route connectivity as it travels to about 1-02 cities located across Asia, Oceania, North America and Europe. The airline has a record of flying over 19 million passengers along with over 5700 tons of cargo in the year 2017. With this, the airline managed to receive a 33rd position in the worldwide record of the largest airline with respect to passenger revenue per kilometre. The airline's cargo services found the tenth spot in the world for freight revenue per kilometre. The airline is wholly owned by a Taiwan-based enterprise called China Airlines Group. It operates as China Airlines Cargo, which is a member of SkyTeam Cargo. The cargo airline operates a strong fleet of freighter aircraft and also manages the cargo capacity of its parent company, China Airlines.
Mandarin Airlines is a subsidiary of China Airlines which takes care of domestic route connectivity and is recognised as a low-cost carrier for the regional route. Meanwhile, Tigerair Taiwan, another low-cost carrier, came into existence following a consortium between China Airlines and Tigerair Holdings, a Singaporean airline group. China Airlines was formed in 1959 when its shares were completely under the control of the Republic of China government. It was established by a retired air force officer and the airline predominantly catered to charter flights, in its early years. Eventually, by the 1960s, China Airlines emerged as a passenger scheduled flight. The airline's first route was between Taipei and Hualin, making it the first domestic service. In the later years, as China Airlines was introduced to Caravelle and Boeing manufacturing aircraft, the airline expanded its reach to fly international with scheduled flights to South Vietnam, Japan and Hong Kong. The flag carrier of the Republic of China (China Airlines) has undergone several conflicts and political pressures by the Communist Party of China, over the use of China in their airline's name.
All through the 1990s, China Airlines received several criticisms regarding the lack of safety in their airline. Initially, the airline used to employ ex-ROC Air Force pilots. However, following the series of unsafe flight operations, China Airlines decided to change its approach towards hiring and only go for recruits who are civilian-trained and also have a proven track record to validate their resume. Additionally, the airline also started recruiting graduates to work as trainees in their pilot training programme. China Airlines also worked towards modifying its operational procedures and work more on fleet maintenance. All these measures helped upscale the airline's name as it's track record for safety saw a significant rise. The company eventually received recognition from the IATA Operational Safety Audit. In 2010, the airline made a decision to join the airline alliance, SkyTeam, as they signed an agreement to begin the process for the same. Officially, the airline became a full-fledged member of SkyTeam in 2011. This resulted in a change of the airline's logo as well as made the Taiwanese airline the first to join the airline alliance.
Fleet size of China Airlines
The current fleet size of China Airlines stands at 88 aircraft. The fleet comprises 23 Airbus A330-300s, 14 Airbus A350-900s, 19 Boeing 737-800s, four Boeing 747-400s and ten Boeing 777-300ER. Further, the airline has ordered for 25 more Airbus A321neo to join its fleet. Along with this, they also have a strong fleet with 18 Boeing 747-400F and are expecting six Boeing 777Fs. In the past, the airline enjoyed an illustrious fleet which consisted of various variants of Airbus and Boeing. Some of the amazing aircraft included Airbus A300B4-200, Airbus A320-200, Airbus A300-600R, Boeing 727, Boeing 737-400, Boeing 747-200, Boeing 747-200SF, Boeing 767-200, McDonnell Douglas MD-11 and Sud Aviation Caravelle. However, these flights have since retired. China Airlines is planning to introduce Airbus A321neos to take the place of Boeing 737-800 fleet, which is set to retire soon. Along with this, the airline also has an option to switch some of the A321neos to A350s.
Baggage Allowance
China Airlines also follows the global standards of baggage allowance wherein specific weight and dimensions need to be followed for checked baggage and hand baggage. According to their website, the airline allows a weight of up to 30 and 35 kg for economy class while the weights go up to 35 kg for premium economy class. Meanwhile, the business class passengers are allowed to carry 40 kg weighing baggage for check-in. It should be noted that these are the maximum weight that the airlines would allow. Depending on the cabin class and the ticket type, the number of baggage or rather the piece of bags for check-in will differ. Passengers need to make sure that they peruse through the airline's website to know more about the same. No matter what though, the total dimension of the baggage should not exceed 158 cm. This means the height, width and length of the baggage should collectively give 158 cm and not more than that. As for hand baggage, the dimension of the baggage should be within 56 cm x 36 cm x 23 cm. The weight of the cabin baggage cannot exceed 7 kg as accommodating the same could be challenging.
In-flight services
China Airlines is one of the biggest airlines prevalent in the Republic of China. With a dynamic fleet that boasts impeccable and brand new aircraft, the in-flight services have also been enhanced for better. The seats are superior with soft leather, and it reclines up to 180 degrees. There are provisions for in-flight meals, too that are delicious and sufficient. Plus, passengers can enjoy exquisite entertainment content on their system while relaxing with excess legroom.
Popular routes and top cities in China Airlines
China Airlines has one of the vast lists of destinations in its domestic routes as well as international routes. It has connectivity to about 118 airports that are sprawled across 115 cities prevalent in four diverse continents. The airline literally carries about 1,400 flights in a week. Out of all the international destinations that China Airlines connects with, its biggest and most important market in Japan. The airline has a massive demand in the Japan market for which the airline operates about 180 flights on a weekly basis. China Airlines has connections to about 14 Japanese destinations. Apart from Japan, its second-biggest market is in Taiwan. In fact, China Airlines has one of its largest hubs at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, which is the largest airport in the Republic of Taiwan. Along with these two big markets, the airline also has great operations in Hong Kong, Southeast Asia, Korea and the Indian market. Many flights are also connected to Canada by China Airlines.
Given below are some of the top cities for China Airlines. These include its cities from domestic routes as well as the famous international route destinations. Amsterdam, Auckland, Bangkok, Boston, Brisbane, Busan, Calgary, Changchun, Chengdu, Chicago, Chongqing, Colombo, Denpasar, Frankfurt, Hanoi, Hiroshima, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Honolulu, Houston, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, London, Los Angeles, Manila, Melbourne, Nagoya, New York City, Okinawa, Ontario Osaka, Rome, San Francisco, Sapporo, Seoul, Sydney, Taipei, Tokyo, Toyama, Vancouver, Vienna, Taichung, Guangzhou, Guam, Haikou, Hefei, Nanjing, Ningbo, Penang, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Shenyang, Weihai, Wuxi, Xiamen, Xi'an, Yancheng, Yangzhou and Zhengzhou.
Why travel by China Airlines?
China Airlines is one such airline which has managed to offer sub-par in-flight services as well as connectivity. Being such a large airline, China Airlines has worked hard towards enhancing the experience of its customers and passengers at all times. Be it their in-flight services or their airport staff, they have always delivered professionalism and efficiency.
Even before other Asian airlines could incorporate the idea of web check-ins, China Airlines did it. In their user-friendly interface where passengers can simply just book a China Airlines flight and even rake some discounts in the process. Further, the airline's website also offers a bunch of necessary information pertaining to the flight status, Air China's flight schedules, the in-flight service that can be availed, the baggage allowance policy of the airline and much more. Their tie-ups with domestic hotels and more have also added to the benefits of travelling by Air China.
While services are something that they have managed to ace, it is also the number of the domestic route and international route connectivity that attracts prospective passengers. They have mileage programme too that can help you earn and burn miles. Overall, travelling by China Airlines would be an experience, if anything. And it is one such experience that traveller should certainly try out.
