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Blog of a Balikbayan, Part 1
April 15, 2005
Perhaps, the worst parts of going on vacation are the preparation, and, in the case of going to the Philippines, the long flight. Probably not the worst in the true sense. A vacation, no matter how many parts it is divided, is always exciting, so let's just say the preparation and the flying part have the least excitement.
We got the notice from my sister-in-law that she is getting married early April. That was in late February. Actually, the original schedule of the wedding was sometime in December, 2004. I already made some preliminary preparations then, like researching for fare rates among major airlines. But the affair was postponed. So I immediately dismissed the notion that another date is forthcoming. Maybe not until the summer, or not until next December.
That was a mistake. I should have known that my wife's blood runs in her sister's too. And since my wife could change her mind in a nanosecond, so could her sister (quick, why are typhoons named after women?). So when the final date was set, I had no qualms about it (okay, maybe a little).
We decided to go for 2 weeks which is, technically, not a vacation when you're going to the Philippines after 5 years. We couldn't afford to let our daughter miss too many days in school. Besides, after we went on vacation in 2000 for 6 weeks, my Manager at work warned me that all I could take after that are the days allotted by the company (15 working days), or I'll be on vacation forever.
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Finding a flight from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport is tricky. First of all, there's no direct flight to Manila so finding the shortest trip with no stopover is out of the question. So far, only Los Angeles and San Francisco have direct flights to Manila via Philippine Air Lines. Well, add to the list Las Vegas via Philippine Air Lines and Northwest but that's probably just to accommodate First Gentleman Mike Arroyo. If he could afford a $20,000/per night suite at a Las Vegas hotel to watch the Pacquiao-Morales fight, he can afford to pay any airline he wants to fly him direct.
Although we have flown the same airline (Korean Air) the last 3 times we went on vacation with no problems (no lost baggage, never a second late in departure), I still do a little research. After all, it doesn't take much to find an inexpensive airline with the least stopovers (you don't want to say cheap, or else you'll end up landing in Timbuktu). Four major airlines were considered: Philippine Air Lines (PAL), Korean Air, Japan Air Lines, and Northwest.
Here's a piece of advice - when travelling to the Philippines, never use on-line travel companies like Orbitz, Travelocity or Expediawilljustscrewyou.com. They may be good for domestic fares but they're way too expensive for international flights, at least for flights to the Philippines. Use travel companies with real people and offices. Call as many as possible and compare prices. They vary greatly.
And the winner is - still Korean Air. PAL, with departures from L.A. (from Chicago to L.A. you fly their U.S. partner, American Airlines) was about $400.00 more expensive per person. Japan Air Lines with a stop in Nagoya, Japan was $200.00 more expensive per person and Northwest, with stops in Detroit and Japan was $100.00 more expensive. A saving of a hundred dollars per person goes a long way. If 3 of you are travelling, the savings of $300.00 can already host 3 class reunions at Tatoy's. Everything was considered, including the domestic flight from Manila to Iloilo via PAL.
Of course, I am only talking about travelling from Chicago's O'Hare airport. Travelling from other American cities is a totally different story.
There goes my tax refund.
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Like I have issues with everything, I do have minor issues with Korean Air. First of all, they only show 2 English movies the whole 13-hour flight from Chicago to Seoul. If you're really unlucky, you get stuck with Hilary Duff raising her voice or Richard Gere doing some ballroom dancing. The rest are all Korean soap operas with English subtitles and concerts by Korean rock bands and rap artists (imagine somebody doing a rap ala-50 cent in Korean). Oh well, if this is any consolation, South Korean movies or soaps have very beautiful actresses (next to the Philippines, of course). Hello, Sandara. (I do update myself with current events, ha!)
Another thing, Korean Air seats are not updated like some major Asian airlines. Don't get fooled if they fly the same planes (Boeing 777's) as, say, Singapore Air Lines. What's inside is different. An officemate, who just flown Singapore Air to Bali, Indonesia, said all economy seats are equipped with its own television screen with 8 English movies to choose from, all on-demand. I expected the same thing for Korean Air, to my dismay. Also, if you go to sites like http://www.seatguru.com to find the best seats for your particular airline, don't depend on the type of airplane. If your airline company is not listed, don't bother looking at another airline flying the same type of plane. As I have said, what's inside the so-called fuselage is different, even seat arrangements.
I checked with the Korean Air website and it mentions that the seats of their Boeing 777's will be upgraded by the end of 2005. We just went on vacation a little early, I guess.
If this is any consolation, we were upgraded (well, sort of) to first class on our flight to Manila from Seoul. Airlines usually overbook the economy class and since not too many people fly first class on shorter flights (3 hours), a few economy passengers get thrown to first class seats. We were part of the lucky ones who got to stretch our legs out fully, recline our seats to the max, and individual TV's to boot. I slept after settling down on my seat. I think it took a Korean Air stewardess one full minute to wake me up so I could straighten my seat in preparation for take-off. An older lady behind me, who I assume was on the same flight with us from Chicago, could not help but murmur, Ang luluwang pala ng upuan dito ano? Kumpara doon sa isa?" I just said to myself, Manang, nasa first class po tayo."
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I do want to address the topic of "fear of flying" before I end this first part of my blog. I know a lot of people who are afraid to fly. My wife is one, but not too much as to stop her from hopping on a plane. My parents are too, that's probably one of the reasons why they kept postponing or are not really interested in flying here for a vacation. The owner of a pet store I frequent here in our place fears flying so much, he once told me, you have to knock him cold first before you can get him on a plane.
I have noticed that I have become anxious about flying myself lately. Maybe just the fact that I am married now with one daughter, I have become anxious about doing practically anything. I wear safety goggles now while mowing the lawn. I pay people to install satellite dishes on my roof. I am less anxious when it comes to flying, however. I just look at my next-door neighbor who's a United Airlines pilot, and who probably spent more time flying than walking his dog. I don't look at my neighbor across the street who the last time he flew to attend a relative's funeral, he left a will to his children.
Admitting to flying with fear is nothing to be ashamed of. About 20 years ago, Boeing made a survey that one out of three person is fearful of flying. That number comes up to about 25 million people in the USA. Out of these, fifty percent won't fly at all and the other fifty percent fly with difficulty. In January 2002, the CBS News poll figures showed that 2 in every 10 Americans are still 'afraid' to fly and another 3 are 'bothered slightly'. That include such celebrities like Cher and Michael Jackson who are both fearful flyers. Although Michael Jackson has a lot more to fear these days than flying, like say, prosecutors. John Madden, who analyzes games for the National Football League is so afraid to fly, he has his own bus equipped with satellite TV, an office and sleeping quarters that takes him to major American cities so he can call games for Monday Night Football.
So who are the fearful flyers? There is a misconception that fearful flyers are those who refuse to fly at all. One survey indicates that one in six air travelers are fearful flyers. Most of these travelers do not really consider flying unsafe but were suffering from many different degrees of anxiety like increased heartbeats, heavy sweating and uncontrolled thoughts. Our family friend, Wendy, once admitted she doesn't play Jim Groce's music while on a plane because I told her Jim Groce died in a plane crash.
Maybe, it's because of the effects of terrorism particularly September 11. But pilots disagree. One pilot writes "flying risks as it applies to terrorism are atrocious. Terrorism can be felt anywhere, not just in the air. Even working in an office in the Twin Towers in New York, one is not free from the effects of terrorism."
I have to convince my parents that it is still safe to fly. Not that they won't fly at all. They do, from Iloilo to Manila, from time to time. But that's only an hour of anxious moments. I don't know how they'd feel in a 13-hour flight. Air travel is very safe. Yet many people find it difficult to come to terms with this statement. They do not believe that crossing a road, climbing the staircase or having a shower at home is more risky than a journey by air in an established Airline. In fact, taking a shower or climbing the stairs at home is 10 times more dangerous than flying. I can make up hyperboles in my sleep but I am not making these up. These are facts supported by statistics. Fear of the unknown is one of the cause to make a person believe that airplane is not as safe as a car on the ground.
Everything we do in life has some kind of a risk involved. Air travel is just another risk but it happens to be a smaller risk than almost anything we do in a day. Ignorance of the facts usually cause some people to refuse promotions and therefore a higher pay because the job requires flying. It destroys family relationships, family members ignoring invitations to family gatherings in far-away places because they're afraid to fly.
Now, if your problem is uncomfortable seats in economy, bad airline food, and the risk of sitting in the middle of 2 snoring 300-pounders with bad breath, I can't help you with that.
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Finally, some more pieces of advice when travelling on such a long flight to the Philippines. Bring enough bottled water that can fit in your carry-on bag. Airlines serve only a few sips each time, similar to what you'll give a patient on NPO who still needs his medications. You want to keep yourself hydrated. I advise against drinking beer or any liquor. You'll dehyrate easily plus you'll keep going to the lavatory (the lavatory's high-pressure flushing sound is just creepy).
If you're thinking of bringing a portable DVD player (if you're like me who doesn't go for Hilary Duff, you may want alternatives), consider buying a good one (like a Sony) that lasts about 12 hours of playing time on one battery charge. Cheap ones last only about 3 hours, and are therefore, useless.
CD players plus the CD's are bulky. Consider investing on an MP3 player or better yet, an iPod. Load it up with songs from Queen or even Jim Groce, to put you to sleep.
And don't even think about how Jim Groce ended his wonderful music career.
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Views expressed on this column and any other by-lined articles on this site are the authors' own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organization or its members.
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