[hullexile]

Does anyone know anything about CR Airways. They cancelled all flights to Clarke in the Philippines in August, said they would restart in Sept. Then they cancelled all flights in Sept. I will need to fly there urgently at some stage in October so need to know what is going on. Travel agent will tell me nothing and there is nothing on their website.

[PDLM]

I'm not really in aviation, but I have the answer on this because I know one of their pilots and I too had been catching those flights.

Unfortunately it is they they are cancelled until further notice. The problem is that CR is getting more successful and they have upgraded their fleet from CRJs (now gone) to Boeing 737s. This is great for the China routes (the core of their business) which are growing, but unfortunately, as you know if you have been on the flights, there were hardly enough people on most of the Clark flights to justify a 70 seat plane, let alone the new 120-seaters.

The choice now is between Tiger Airways from Macau (which is cheap, but the schedule is really not as convenient as CR's for weekend trips to Pampanga), or CX to Manila and a cab, which isn't ideal because you either have to get an early finish on Friday and get the 4:30pm flight, or you get the 10pm and end up getting to Pampanga after 2am Saturday morning. I have to say that getting up early enough to get the 06:50 flight back on Monday morning isn't my favourite thing either.

Cabs from Manila to the Angeles City area at MNL are PHP2400+450 for the (round trip) tolls. Beeline travel ( http://www.beelinetravel.com/ ) will do you a cab back from Angeles City to MNL for PHP2400 including tolls, or a little bit more from the surrounding region. CX has fares starting at HK$1600+$397 taxes etc.

[hullexile]

Useful info, thanks. I think they could easily fill the planes if they marketed them properly and it was easier to get tickets. Might have seen you on the weekend run, have used it a lot in the last year.

I have used Manila a couple of times, family hires a van and picks me up so no need for the taxi but thanks for the info on taxis, I will store it away.

Banned from going to Macau because I had a dream that I died there and now my wife has made me promise not to go there ever.