I flew in a box of ... (yellow) sardines from Tokyo to Manila: here's how it went inside the world's most "crowded" plane

When you think of a wide-body aircraft, you imagine space, comfort, maybe a glass of champagne and a warm blanket. Here, erase it all: theCebu Pacific's Airbus A330-900neo Is the exact opposite.

Specifications

Aircraft:

A330/900neo

Class:

Economy

Treat:

NRT - MNL

Price:

About 230 euros

Book

It is officially World's most densely configured wide-body aircraft: 459 places all in economy, 3-3-3 tight, practically a world record in the category. Also because no other carrier in the world has put 9 passengers per row on an A330, so be prepared because if you're not "skinny" it's not going to be a comfortable flight.

I flew from Tokyo Narita a Manila in what to call a "sardine can" is a compliment - only the sardines here are cheerful, some dressed in yellow, and speak in at least three languages.

Unfortunately, I don't have a chance to tell about it on the youtube channel because, for the first time, I had a technical problem that ruined my shooting.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by TheFlightClub.co.uk (@theflightclubsocial)

So you have to make do with a couple of reels and photos.

The ticket

I have explained this many times, my itineraries are built piece by piece, I had to fly to Manila because I had booked my first Hello Kitty Flight, then however ended up in a bubble.

Therefore, I had the obligatory dates, and the best thing I could come up with was just to fly with this configuration.

The cost of this ticket was about 230€, plus about 9€ extra for seat selection. Had I had flexibility of choice I could have spent even less than half as much, but as said that was the only option to frame this flight.

Check-in and boarding

In Tokyo I had come to aboard JAL's business class, after a night in the beautiful Villa Fontaine hotel in Haneda, I took a bus and moved to Narita.

Cebu Pacific is a ultra low-cost, fortunately if you leave from Tokyo Narita the context is that of a normal stopover, certainly not Frankfurt Hanh.

This was not my first time aboard this company, I had already flown on their A321neo from Kuala Lumpur right to Manila.

The queue at the airport to check in immediately scared me a lot, but fortunately I later found out that if you travel with hand luggage only you can check in automatically at the totems and this saved me over 60 minutes of waiting time.

Aboard the densest A330neo on the planet

Unfortunately, no lounge because I had little time before the flight and because the flight departed from the most remote part of the airport.

Boarding begins on time, and once past the finger, the first impact is startling: the row of seats seems endless--literally. And the reason is simple-there are no galleys, no bulkheads, nothing but an expanse of seats and 4 toilets toward the second half of the plane.

Thin, fixed seats without adjustable headrests. The same seats that companions use on single-aisle cars. The pitch, that is, the distance between rows is 76 cm, the same as Ryanair. However, in width we are under 47cm, so about half an inch narrower than the low-cost Irish. Fortunately, however, I had invested less than 10€ for one of the two seats in the first row. So I had infinite space.

The feeling is that of being on an intercontinental bus--but with Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines pushing quietly. The only optional extras are USB sockets and hat racks.

In-flight service

Water? For a fee. The blanket? Pure. Here we fly "pay as you go". No meals included: the menu features Filipino dishes, noodles and snacks. I choose a savory muffin, or something that resembles it, and a Coke Zero, accompanied by the infectious smile of the crew - young, informal and very "down home."

It cannot be easy to operate these routes. Not only is there no crew rest, but I didn't even see any seats for the crew Except for the classic folding seats. Yet they were always smiling.

Entertainment

The LED cabin lights change hue depending on the phase of flight, a touch that makes the atmosphere less...compact. Otherwise, there is nothing. There are no personal screens, no wi-fi. It's like traveling on a Ryanair, but with more than twice as many passengers.

Arrival in Manila

After a 4-hour flight and a landing with some tropical dancing, landing at the NAIA Terminal 3. I disembark quickly, but the worst comes once I'm outside at the airport: Philippine traffic, stuff I've never seen.

It is not the only one, but it is the most extreme

When it comes to "planes full as eggs," there are other weighty contenders:

Scoot's Boeing 787-9: 375 seats in economy and premium economy, also nice and compact for a medium- to long-haul flight.

Emirates Airbus A380 In 2-class configuration: up to 615 passengers spread over two decks-but comfort is greater here, thanks to spacious cabins and extra facilities.

From Paris to Los Angeles in premium economy with low-cost Frenchbee: champagne is fine, but the seat...

French Bee's Airbus A350-900: 411 seats, with slimline seats and reduced pitch for transatlantic flights.

But theA330-900neo from Cebu Pacific remains unbeatable in the density per square meter: 459 seats in one deck, all in economy, without compromise. It's kind of like stuffing a shopping mall into a studio apartment--but flying at 12,000 meters above sea level.

The verdict

If you book this car you know what to expect, so you can't criticize the absence of all the amenities you would normally expect from an A330/900neo. I was satisfied for what I paid. The front row makes the flight of about 5 hours absolutely livable, had I been able to choose a different day I would have spent even much less

6.5

Service

6.5

F&B

6

Cabin and Armchair

6

Pro

• The crew

Against

• Everything is missing