Hi again - GF arrives evening of 4 Nov after 15 hour PAL flight (no seat back screens!!!) Need to get to our hotel in Blackfriars. I am familiar with Heathrow Express plus Tube options but in terms of cost and convenience I'm veering heavily towards pre-booked taxi ride (It looks around £40). Any recommendations on reliable firms - lots of choice online. What about Uber? Worth it to possibly save a few quid - although perhaps not so cheap as it's a Friday night. Thanks in advance. Gerry
I would take the tube from Heathrow to Blackfriars - or whatever is the nearest tube station to your hotel. Not only will it be cheaper by far but almost certainly quicker.
Used Uber a lot in the Philippines and even over here for more than a couple of times now. I like Uber as it is very convenient for me. Only catch is they sometimes have surges which means you will pay more than the normal rate. The surge rate expires every two minutes so either it goes up or down. Uhm, why are there no back seat screens? That is very odd.
When they get some modern,newer planes maybe I will fly with them again there are a lot more better airlines and cheaper than Philippine airlines
I'd have thought that a cab would cost more than forty quid from Heathrow to London, much faster on the tube, or why not stop at a luxury Heathrow hotel for the night?
Forty quid might be the mini-cab fare to west London, Shepherds Bush or Hammersmith say. Given the traffic and the Congestion Charges, it could well be twice that to Blackfriars which is on the southern edge of the City (of London).
As PAL has now retired its Boeing 747s and 737s, bought some new 777-300s to add to its Airbus fleet of A319s, A320s, S330s and A340s, none of its aircraft are exactly "old".
They might have changed the planes since last November that's why I have not been on them since as the last time I travelled with them the plane was pretty bad for an international carrier I will stick to the A380s for the time being.
Have they 'bought' their planes anyway, or are they leasing them ? I have also heard that the PAL A340 is pretty ropey, but for me, you can keep those horrid back of seat screens, in your face or flickering everywhere in the cabin. USB charging port yes, and wi-fi also please... and BAN alcohol.
Bet you are a laugh to travel with. If you have alcohol withdrawal problems, or are a reformed alcoholic can I suggest travelling with Saudi Arabian Airlines, Kuwait Airways, Pakistan International Airlines, Royal Brunei, Iran Air, or Egypt Air, none of which serve alcohol. As for me, I will quite happily continue to have a couple of glasses of wine with my meal, then a Cognac with my coffee afterwards.
Philippine airlines flight PR720 from MNL to LHR uses an Airbus A340-300. PAL use three different versions of this plane. According to the cabin layout overhead TV's are located throughout the economy class section. That might mean 15 hours of non-stop Philippine soap operas and karaoke.
Watching a 20 inch TV 10 rows back enclosed in a plastic housing shaking like a baby's rattle for 15 hours is no fun not even any charging points to watch your own entertainment on a tablet or charge a mobile and they don't have enough iPads for everyone.i have experienced this.
No, I'm no fun at all when drunken r soles are keeping my small children awake and in fear, with foul language and loutish behaviour from adults. The most objectionable drunk received a nice smack on the nose from me later. Why grown people can't go without their drug of choice for a few hours in public places is beyond me... and I should not be expected to put up with animal behaviour from fellow travellers.
Strange, but I have never seen any alcohol related problems on a flight, despite being a very frequent flyer. Think it all happens on the low cost Spanish holiday flights from what I have heard, and yes, if there are problems then the individuals should be dealt with harshly, or steps taken to control food and drink on that specific flight or route.
Well, I have never taken any low-cost holiday flights of any description and have been travelling the world since my first flight to Singapore in 1955, so I guess you've learned something new . IMHO alcohol doesn't belong anywhere near aircraft, and yes, I do drink, in suitable circumstances.
