Need to get from Cebu, Philippines to Ireland as cheaply as possible

YellowFeather

Hey all

A good friend of mine from the Philippines recently got her work permit, visa, etc., to come back to Ireland after working here for a few years previously. There was a bit of a mess up with the paperwork and it looked like she couldn't come over, but it's all sorted now thank bejaysus!

She wants to travel as soon as possible, but the flight prices are really high - close to €1,500 at the least!

She can travel from the 20th of this month, and would like to get a return ticket, returning in about a year from now ('cause she may have to go back for exams and, if she has to go back earlier, she can change the date on the return on most airlines and it will still work out cheaper than buying two tickets).

I know Cebu has limited flights, so we were thinking that she could go to Manila to travel outwards. But, the flights are still very expensive. Does anybody know if it would be possible to fly from some airport near Cebu/Manila to some place in Europe and then get cheap (Ryanair?) tickets for the rest of the journey? At this stage, even if she had to get a coach for a day or two, it would be worth it - she just can't afford the money to fly the whole way at the prices we're seeing!

I'd really appreciate any advice, 'cause this girl is a very special person to a family member and they've been through so much upset with the visa issue already. But they just can't afford the huge flight fees.

Thanks so much!!!

ardmacha

Going through somewhere else and Ryanair may involve her in getting Schengen visas and suchlike, so a lot of hassle.

Try Skyscanner, lots of oneways from Manila for around €750 and some less than that
http://www.skyscanner.ie/flights/mnl/dub/130418/airfares-from-manila-ninoy-aquino-to-dublin-in-april-2013.html

Stinicker

I'm going travelling to Asia (Thailand and the Philippines) in June and the €1,500 figure sounds way off to me. Incidentally I am flying to Cebu during the trip also so have researched routings etc.

The best bet for the lowest costs is to fly from Cebu to Clark with Cebu Pacific airlines (low cost airline) and onwards from Clark to either Bangkok or Kuala Lumpur where she can then fly either Etihad, Emirates or Turkish airlines to Dublin (via the U.A.E or Istanbul) thus avoiding the need for schengen visas etc.

Alternatively she can fly from Cebu to Manilla and then onwards with Etihad or Emirates. Flight costs are expensive as it is last minute and would cost about €650 ~ €700 for a one-way flight last minute. A return ticket would be cheaper but to change the date will cost anything up to €200- €300 which negates any savings. Eva Air in Taiwan allows you to buy open return tickets for a little bit more but that would involve going through either Heathrow or Amsterdam and thus complicates things due to the visa issue.

Best option would be to fly into Ireland one-way (if that is allowed per her visa rules) and then once decided book another one-way back home after a while.

www.skyscanner.net

YellowFeather

Hey. Thanks for all your help! We managed to find a return flight in the end for just under €1,100, so that's a lot better than we thought we could get so last minute! Thanks again and best of luck with your travels Stinicker!!