Boracay Jackpot!

No, I did not win any trip to Boracay but what happened to me is a JACKPOT. 

Here's the story...

I was able to book a round-trip ticket to Caticlan for 2 during Cebu Pacific's Independence Day Sale last year. I only paid 635.84 PHP for the 2 tickets. Super cheap eh?

Here's our original flight details:

MANILA-CATICLAN Sunday, Nov 22, 2009 Depart 1415H Arrive 1515H

CATICLAN-MANILA Tuesday, Nov 24, 2009 Depart 1140H Arrive 1245H

2-1/2 days in Boracay is bitin but we don't have any choice. The Saturday flights were not on sale and we can't afford to be absent until Wednesday. The boss will kill us. The fare is so cheap anyway so keri na yan.

That same month, news came about the temporary closure of Caticlan Airport due to an incident involving Zest Air (formerly Asian Spirit). Uh-oh. But I wasn't so worried then since we still have a few more months before our flight.

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/06/25/09/zest-air-plane-overshoots-runway-caticlan

By July, announcement regarding Caticlan Airport being opened in September. (Yey!)

http://outoftownblog.com/caticlan-airport-in-boracay-to-reopen-in-september-safety-upgrade-underway/

By August, there are still hopes that Caticlan will be re-opened but still no confirmed date.

http://balita.ph/2009/08/25/works-on-caticlan-airport-being-fast-track-safety-upgrade-underway/

November came and still no updates regarding the re-opening of the Caticlan airport. Cebu Pacific hasn't sent a single notice about the cancellation or changes whatsoever in our flight but the Caticlan flights are disabled on their site. My hopes of our first Boracay trip started to fade when I found about our new flight schedule through their website. Hindi man lang sila nag-email.  Buti pala nagcheck ako. Ayayay.

MANILA-KALIBO Sunday, Nov 22, 2009  Depart 1415H Arrive 1515H

KALIBO-MANILA Tuesday, Nov 24, 2009 Depart 1140H Arrive 1245H

Susmaryosep!

 

Yes, we were diverted to Kalibo but the same schedule. Are they serious? and to think Kalibo is a 2 hour drive from Caticlan? So will this mean we only got one whole day to enjoy Boracay? Ugghhh.

Our friend was also affected with the closure of the airport and his flight was also diverted to Kalibo last October. He told us that they were able to make some changes in their flight for FREE. Hmmm.. sounds nice.

So I called up Cebu Pacific and requested if I can have the time changed. Take note, I was only hoping for a change in time. Ms. Oh-so-generous agent told me that since our flight was diverted, we are allowed to change the date of our flight - the date. Hah! This means we can change our flight to Saturday! Yahoo! So after our brief negotiation, here's our PERFECT itinerary:

MANILA-KALIBO Saturday, Nov 21, 2009 Depart 0905H Arrive 1020H

KALIBO-MANILA Tuesday, Nov 24, 2009 Depart 1800H Arrive 1915H

Not only we got a cheap fare and a perfect schedule, we were also entitled to a free roundtrip land transfer to Caticlan. 

Thank you, Bro. You're the best.