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| Flying to the USA |
Flying to USA from Manila
This is the 5th time I have flown from Manila, in the Philippine Islands to Tampa, Florida USA. The first time was in 2008 after I had spent a year there. I had flown there to meet some chat mates. One of those is now my wife. We married and are now the parents of a little princess.
We first met via a website called FilipinaHeart.com which is now FilipinoCupid. I consider it the best site for meeting people. The search parameters incorporated are probably the best in the online meeting industry. It is easy to find many people who meet your search criteria and see their pictures all at once.
Visit my dating page for advice and warnings about dating Filipinos and other foreigners.
Me and my 3 year old daughter were flying to her grandma's house in the USA.
I have booked several previous trips on Cheapoair.com and have always experienced good service and low fares so I booked this trip at Cheapoair.com also.
In 2011 I had flown over to the Philippines after purchasing round trip tickets on United Airlines. Included in the round trip fare was $900 for the return portion. Well I did not fly back on the scheduled date. So, I called and was told that I could change the return date for a "change fee" of $250 and that there would be an additional charge of $650 because the fare had increased. What a way to treat a longtime customer! So, I decided to book on Japan Airlines and American Airlines to save money. Even though I lost the $900 I had paid for the United Airlines return ticket the trip cost me $500 less than it would have cost if I had gone along with the United Airlines ripoff. I flew back to the US via Narita Airport on Japan Airlines and American Airlines. Needless to say, I shall avoid United Airlines as much as possible in the future.
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| Japan Air Lines 777 |
Our flight on Japan Airlines (JAL) was scheduled to depart Manila at 9 a.m. on the 11th of June, 2012.
The JAL counter opens at 7 a.m. We arrived at the airport in Manila at 6 a.m. from our hotel near the US Embassy in Manila. This trip from Manila to Florida, USA would take about 23 hours.
We said our goodbyes on the sidewalk outside the terminal. Friends and family are not permitted inside the terminal. Only travelers with tickets are permitted inside. There is a small restaurant attached to the terminal, with an outside entrance, where friends and relatives can wait if they want to be there when your plane takes off. Cell phone use is permitted inside the terminal, restaurant and inside the planes until the cabin doors are closed.
We paid an airport departure fee of 550 pesos each (about $12.80 US as of June 2012). Always be sure to bring extra pesos or dollars to the airport. There are exit fees and if you are new to traveling in the Philippines you may encounter some other unexpected fees. If you don't want to carry a lot of pesos into the terminal you could call your friend who is waiting at the restaurant outside to bring some to the passenger entrance. Or, just bring a few thousand pesos and visit the money changer in the terminal to convert it back to your home country's currency if you don't need it.
Our daughter was born in the Philippines and just recently received her U.S. passport.
Wanting to be sure there would be no problems leaving the Philippines or entering the USA we asked an attorney to prepare a "Consent to Travel" letter which her mother signed and we had notarized by the attorney. We had done our research on the Internet and discovered that only if a child travels with a guardian do they need a "Consent To Travel" letter. But, now we had the letter just in case some immigration employee might ask for it. After all the trip cost over $1,600 US. Can you imagine being prevented from leaving because you needed some paperwork or did not have enough money with you and did not have a credit card to pay unexpected fees?
A couple of weeks before booking our one way trip to the USA I had asked an immigration officer at Diosado Macapagal International Airport near Angeles City if there would be extra fees for my daughter. He told me that there would be a fee of 8,000 pesos if she flew out on her new U.S. passport ("if she is using it for the first time" he said) Then he made a disclaimer, "It would be best if you will go to the main immigration office in Manila to ask about it."
Well, we did not do that. We felt comfortable about our plan after having studied the subject online.
Boarding time was 8:30 a.m. and our plane departed at 9 a.m.
The JAL flight from Manila to Narita Airport (NRT) took 4 hours. I told our daughter that pretty soon you will be in America! I really enjoy flying on JAL. This was my second flight on JAL. The flight crews and ground crews are very pleasant and helpful. We were served lunch en route. A fine meal served with shiny stainless steel knife, fork and spoon (I have only seen plastic utensils on American planes). Funny, where is all the fear of terrorism? I was surprised at how they serve hot green tea; the stewardess holds a tray in one hand. On the tray is a tall clear Japanese pitcher (about 6" diameter and about 14" tall). She holds the tray with one hand and pours the tea with the other. When we pressed the service button the stewards responded quickly.
As we approached Narita my daughter asked "Is this were Grandma is?" and I replied, "No, we have farther to go, we need to fly half way around the world." As the plane turned onto final approach it banked steeply to the right. My daughter exclaimed loudly "the plane is turning over." I corrected her by saying "no, it is not turning over, it is just turning toward the airport." I said it fairly loud in case some other inexperienced passenger might get worried. We arrived in Japan at 2:30 p.m. local time.
There was a 4 hour layover at Narita before our American Airlines flight was to depart. At the gate area of American Airlines (AA) there are 2 fast food shops where one may purchase reasonably priced food and drinks.
We boarded our AA flight and it departed at 6:20 p.m. It was a Boeing 777 passenger jet.
Note: I recommend that you do not fly into or out of airports in Japan.
After studying the ongoing Fukushima nuclear disaster I will not be flying into or out of Japan again. In fact there are people recommending not flying across the Pacific Ocean due to radiation being released by the Fukushima nuclear reactors. Radiation is even found in the drinking water in Tokyo. (Update: in September 2014 a Japanese doctor recommended that Tokyo be evacuated!)
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| American Airlines Boeing 777 |
At one point I glanced at the flight information screen and noticed that we were flying at a speed of 637 miles per hour. I was amazed at the speed. We must have been in a jet stream. Usually the fastest I have seen planes fly was around 500 mph.
This flight to Dallas, Texas would be an 11 hour and 35 minute flight. We were served meals on the flight. Good food. But poor call button service. After we had pressed the service button 3 or 4 times a steward finally responded. Each time we had waited about 10 minutes before pressing it again.
As we were flying over Texas and approaching the airport I told my daughter that "We are in America now." She wanted to look out the window and said "I want to see America." We saw a patchwork of farmland. I said, "that is America down there!" She asked, "Daddy, can I get one of those boxes to put on my back so I can jump out of the plane and go down to the ground with one of those things over my head?" I told her they don't have one of those on this plane.
We arrived at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport in Texas, USA at 3:55 p.m. When we touched down I told her "Welcome to America!" hugged and kissed her. An excited little girl...and an excited and very happy Daddy.
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| American Airlines MD 83 |
After traveling for about 24 hours I guess I was too tired and too excited. Leaving our seats I failed to check around my neck for the passport and ticket holder I had worn all they way. Somehow I dropped it on the floor near my seat. It contained her new US Passport and my passport also, along with our connecting flight tickets.
I did not miss it until I was asked for our passports when we were almost at the Immigration Desk. Reached inside my sweater to get the holder and discovered it was not there! Talk about worried. I asked an American Airlines service person if he could assist us. He offered to go back and look for it on the plane. Whew, in about 10 minutes he reappeared with the packet, passports and tickets. I thanked him profusely and gave him a $10 tip.
After about a 1 and 1/2 hour layover we departed on another AA flight, a McDonnell Douglas MD 83.
This plane seemed to be brand new. With it's rear mounted engines it was the quietest flight of the 3. It was a short 2 hour flight from Dallas to Tampa, Florida.
Approaching Tampa International Airport we flew over our county and I was able point out approximately where Grandma's house was, to my daughter. It was after 9 p.m. The lights of the city and causeways below were beautiful, not a cloud in the sky over Tampa but there was some lightening off to the Southeast of Tampa.
After 24 hours of travel we were finally in Tampa. The plane touched down and taxied to the gate. We were the last to leave the plane. I asked a stewardess I had flown with before to snap a photo of us near our seats. She was happy to oblige. Another memorable moment and photo to share with my wife and family.
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According to the World Health Organization, before flying to the Philippines it may be necessary to get a Yellow Fever shot if you will be arriving from certain countries (verify this with your doctor or local health department).
Here is a page about this shot:
"YELLOW FEVER
Yellow fever is a systemic viral disease.
Risk assessment
- There is no risk of yellow fever in this country, however, there is a certificate requirement.
Certificate requirements
- Under International Health Regulations (2005), a yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from travelers over 1 year of age arriving from countries with risk of yellow fever transmission and from travelers having transited through the airport of a country with risk of yellow fever transmission.
- For this country, the yellow fever vaccination certificate is assumed to be valid for 10 years until further notice.
- View the WHO list of countries with risk of yellow fever transmission."
Safest seats are the seats in the rear of a plane.
See Foods Not To Eat Before Flying.
Read about flying in the Philippines.
Read about flying to Singapore.
If you are flying to meet ladies of the Philippines consider that you may have jet leg when you arrive. The farther you must travel the more you will affected by jet lag. When you arrive in the Philippines from the U.S.A. expect to want to sleep days and stay up nights for 1 or 2 weeks!
The CDC provides a list of items to pack for your trip to the Philippines in it's Healthy Travel Packing List.
There are many American fast food restaurants all over the Philippines.
If you are considering buying real estate in the Philippines.
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This article will be expanded. Please check back for more information about flying to and from Manila, Philippines and USA. This page last updated June 6, 2022.
