Tourists sit as they view sunrise near the entrance the famed Angkor Wat in Siem Reap province, some 230 kilometers (143 miles) northwest of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012. Cebu Pacific will start flying to Siem Reap on April 19. AP PHOTO/HENG SINITH
MANILA, Philippines—Budget carrier Cebu Pacific (CEB) is set to roll out thrice-a-week flights to Siem Reap, Cambodia, beginning April 19, thereby becoming the only airline to fly directly from Manila to Cambodia’s tourism crown jewel.
“Adventurous backpackers usually travel by land from Ho Chi Minh or Bangkok to Siem Reap, just so they can visit Angkor Wat, part of the Angkor World Heritage site. Now, Cebu Pacific can fly them to Siem Reap on its trademark lowest fares,” CEB vice president for marketing and distribution Candice Iyog said in a press statement Thursday.
According to the UNESCO World Heritage Center, Angkor is one of the most important archaeological sites in Southeast Asia. The Angkor Archaeological Park contains the remains of the different capitals of the Khmer Empire from the 9th to the 15th century, including the famous Temples of Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and Bayon.
To launch its newest international route, CEB is offering P888 seats between Manila and Siem Reap from January 27 to 29 or until seats last. These are for travel from April 19 to May 31, 2012.
The new route is scheduled to depart from Manila at 7:50 p.m. every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, arriving in Siem Reap at 9:30 p.m. Return flights will leave Siem Reap at 10:30 p.m. and arrive in Manila at 12:10 a.m.
Gokongwei-led CEB, now the country’s largest carrier, operates the most extensive network from the Philippines to the Southeast Asian region, with 12 weekly flights to Bangkok, four weekly flights to Brunei, daily flights to Ho Chi Minh, four weekly flights to Jakarta, three weekly flights to Kota Kinabalu, twice daily flights to Kuala Lumpur, and up to seven daily flights to Singapore. It will commence its direct twice-a-week Manila-Hanoi flights on March 17.
CEB is now conducting a seat sale to select destinations from January 27 to 29 or until seats last, for travel during the period March 1–May 31. Seats worth P288 are up for grabs from Manila to Cauayan or Naga, and from Cebu to Kalibo, Bacolod, Butuan, Dumaguete, Iloilo, Legazpi, Ozamiz, Pagadian, Surigao or Tacloban. The same fare is available from Davao to Zamboanga, from Cagayan de Oro to Iloilo, and from Zamboanga to Tawi-Tawi.
Passengers can also buy P488 seats from Manila to Cebu or Iloilo, and from Cebu to Clark or Puerto Princesa. P888 seats are also available from Manila to Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, Cotabato, Davao, Dipolog, General Santos, Ozamiz, Pagadian, Surigao or Zamboanga.
Those traveling from Manila to Xiamen, from Clark to Bangkok, or from Kalibo to Hong Kong can also avail of P888 seats.
CEB will launch Manila-Xiamen and Kalibo-Hong Kong flights on March 23. More international seats are also available for P1,088 (from Manila to Brunei, Macau or Ho Chi Minh) and P1,488 (from Manila to Bangkok or Hanoi).