Cebu Pacific is a low cost carrier based in the Philippines and is the only other major Filipino carrier besides Philippine Airlines.

Cebu Pacific domestically does have a bit of bad rap, and when things go wrong, things can get ugly quite quickly. However, facing a long connection in Singapore, I decided to try Cebu Pacific’s international product.

Thankfully, Cebu Pacific uses the shares the same international gates as other foreign carriers flying out of terminal 3, which meant the seating area around the gate was plentiful and not crowded.

We boarded on time and headed down to the jet bridge.

On my previous flight to Hong Kong, we were forced to walk down the jet bridge stairs and walk back up another flight of stairs to board the aircraft.

The official reason was the jet bridge was broken “due to maintenance” but I suspected it was because Cebu Pacific didn’t want to pay the airport a jet bridge usage fee. Fortunately this time we were allowed to board directly onto the plane. Upon boarding, I was greeted with American pop music blaring from the speakers, which was an interesting touch.

The aircraft is set up in a standard 3-3 all economy seating configuration, and featured the new recaro slim line seats.

The aircraft looked almost brand new and looked well maintained. Seats featured a 29 inch pitch, which is a bit tight. However, they do recline unlike seats on other low cost carriers.

Advertising is minimal and the only noticeable ad is on the back of the seat in front of you.

Overall for a low cost carrier, Cebu Pacific has an excellent hard product on its A320s.

Since I was flying on a night flight and would arrive in Jakarta around midnight, I decided to try the beef steak, which cost a reasonable 350 pesos ($7.50).

Surprisingly, the beef was quite tender and the dish was filling and delicious. If you’re on a budget, you can get a cup of hot noodles for around 120 pesos ($2.50 USD), which seemed to be a big hit on the plane.

The only thing that is a bit off putting is the constant announcements they make to sell various items, which can be a bit annoying if you’re a light sleeper. Best you bring your headphones to drown out the noise.

Overall, I enjoyed my flight on Cebu Pacific. Hard product was superb for a low cost carrier. Food and snacks are reasonably price, and my beef steak was very good. Service was excellent and better than most of my domestic flights in the US. Couple with the fact they fly from Terminal 3, and I wouldn’t hesitate to fly Cebu Pacific again internationally if the fares are reasonably priced.