Flights to Palawan: Top Domestic Airlines in the Philippines

It has become easier to book flights to Palawan as there are now more domestic airlines in operation. Back in the day, there was only the Philippine Airlines, the single flag carrier of the Philippines. It used to be more expensive to fly around the country. Now air travel is the recommended mode of travel to and from Palawan as it is faster, cheaper, and more convenient than ever.

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Personally, don’t ask me about comfort as I’m used to discomfort during air travel. If I’m just flying domestic, all I want is to arrive safely and on time. If you are looking for cheap flights to Palawan, you can’t really expect that much from the budget airlines in the Philippines. It gets you from A to B alright, but I’m sure that within an hour, you can live without the lack of in-flight entertainment, a proper meal, and a complimentary glass of wine. Direct flights to Palawan usually start at 50 USD. You can always check Skyscanner to compare flight fares and schedules.

Every airline has made mistakes and there’s always the good old ‘flight delay’ rants in reviews. Those are usually the passengers who draw wild conclusions from single events, often exaggerated or possibly even untrue. However, you still can’t help but choose an airline that is going to give you the value for money and allow you to be happy and comfortable during your flight. It won’t hurt to learn about each airline company before booking a Palawan travel package to avoid all the hassle. Instead of relying solely on online reviews, you can always do your own research and make your own assumption as to whether the airline is suitable for you and your travel needs.

It is also advisable to book your flight to Palawan ahead of time to take advantage of the flight promos. Your itinerary specialist can give a local expert advice with regard to booking cheap flights to Palawan or finding the best travel deal.

Cebu Pacific

Cebu Pacific is a reliable airline company to fly domestic and has a great safety record to date. It is considered as a budget airline, which means cheap fares – you get what you pay for. There’s also the 7kg baggage allowance, anything beyond should be pre-purchased or paid in flight. You’ll be saving a lot of money if you include other perks during online booking. It lets you fly easily to any major destinations within the country, just don’t expect royal treatment. I’ve been flying via Cebu Pacific around the Philippines and so far I never really had any problems, although you might encounter the usual complaints about the delays and customer service in reviews. Anyway, booking with an expensive airline will still not save you from any unforeseen circumstances, flight hassles or major delays.

Direct flights to Palawan.

Manila to Puerto Princesa
Manila to Coron
Cebu to Puerto Princesa

Sky Jet

Skyjet is the first boutique airline in the Philippines that used to only cater to those who wanted to travel to Batanes. Now it operates to other destinations within the country. Flying through Skyjet is the fastest way to get to Coron from Manila with only 30-40 minutes of travel time. It offers free 10kg of check-in baggage on top of the free 5kg baggage. It is more expensive than the other budget airlines but may also offer seat promos. There had been some recent accidents of overshooting the runaway this year, but the passengers and crews were all safe. The plane looks old, but still, it gets you there.

Direct flights to Palawan.

Manila to Coron

Air Asia

Air Asia is yet another low-cost domestic airline in the Philippines. It used to be Zest Airways and has now become the Philippine affiliate of AirAsia in Malaysia. Air Asia is just the classic point A to point B service. It lets you book cheap flights to Palawan, like very cheap. Being a budget airline means that you should pay for anything extra that you might need whether its extra baggage or food. Again, don’t expect anything else but a flight from one airport in the Philippines to another. Forget about wifi or in-flight entertainment. You can use that one hour of air travel to unplug and reflect. No ‘leg room’ is just the typical complaint. Overall, Air Asia turns out to be slightly better than Cebu Pacific in terms of value for money and customer service.

Direct flights to Palawan.

Manila to Puerto Princesa
Cebu to Puerto Princesa

Air Swift

Air Swift is another regional airline with El Nido resorts as its affiliated company. The airline company operates the private airport in El Nido which serves as its hub. Flying via Airswift is no doubt the quickest way to El Nido from Manila. A more convenient option especially if you want to skip the grueling 5-hour overland travel by van from Puerto Princesa. The flight fare is relatively more expensive than any other airlines flying to Palawan. The aircraft is small but in good condition. Airswift is usually used by tourists and guests of Lio and El Nido resorts.

Direct flights to Palawan.

Manila to El Nido
Cebu to El Nido
Caticlan to El Nido

Philippine Airlines

Philippine Airlines or PAL has been around for a long time. It used to be a state-owned airline and had the monopoly on flights within or outside the country. When booking flights to Palawan, you can choose between the premium economy or business class. At the time of writing, the business class fare includes a hot meal and 30kg of baggage allowance, while the economy class fare includes 20kg baggage allowance and a light snack. Seat comfort is way better than Air Asia. The main complaint is that the seats are looking old in the economy section. Booking domestic flights with PAL used to be expensive. Now it offers seat sales or cheap fares in order to compete with the budget airlines in the Philippines.