For traveling between the US and the Philippines, nothing beats Philippine Airlines. I've used Philippine Airlines on all occasions except for when I was in the military and when flights weren't available. I'll provide some of my experiences after a brief history lesson.

The Beginnings of Philippine Airlines

Philippine Airlines was founded in 1941, making it the oldest air carrier in Asia still operating with its original name. Operations ceased that same year with the outbreak of World War II and resumed in 1946, after the war was over.

In 1946, Philippine Airlines became the first Asian airline to cross the Pacific Ocean, carrying American military servicemen from the Philippines to the US, with stops in Guam, Wake Island, Johnston Atoll and Hawaii. A regular service was started between Manila, Philippines and San Francisco, California, USA later that year.

Philippine Airlines left the propeller age and entered the jet age during the 1960s when it acquired jet aircraft from the US.

Philippines Travel under Martial Law

When President Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law in 1972, he implemented a one-airline policy. Philippine Airlines was forced to absorb the other airline carriers at the time.

President Marcos was ousted during the 1986 EDSA Revolution (people power) and Corazon Acquino, the widow of Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, Jr., became the President of the Philippines. It wasn't until 1992, however, that Philippine Airlines was once again privatized.

Locations for Philippine Airlines

In 1987, Manila Internal Airport was renamed as the "Ninoy Aquino International Airport" (NAIA) in honor of the assassinated hero and in 1999, Philippine Airlines was moved from terminal 1 to terminal 2.

Clark Air Base, which was closed in 1991 by the US Air Force after the explosion of Mount Pinatubo, was cleaned and reopened as the "Clark Special Economic Zone" in 1993. The airport was renamed as the "Diosdado Macapagal International Airport" (DMIA) in the early 2000s.

DMIA is being developed as the airport to replace NAIA by 2010. It's not known exactly when Philippine Airlines will be moved to DMIA, but it could happen before the final announcement.

[Update: Philippine Airlines moved to terminal 3 in August, 2008. I don't know what effect this will have on their proposed move to DMIA by 2010. Since terminal 3 is new, NAIA may become the domestic airport while DMIA will be the international airport.]

Personal Experiences

In the 80s, I traveled to and from the Philippines by whatever airlines the military used except for one instance in 1986.

My wife, my younger son (22-years old now, but only a few months old at the time) and I used Northwest Airlines because of an "ultra-saver" special they offered and it was the cheapest round-trip flight we could get. It turned into a 28+ hour ordeal due to the many stops and layovers. We went there to retrieve her son (my stepson at the time, who I later adopted). The return trip was just as bad.

In the 90s, my wife took a few trips using Philippine Airlines only. I didn't retire from the military until 1998, so I wasn't able to go with her. My younger son went with her once or twice (I don't remember).

In 2001, when two of my brothers-in-law were murdered and a third was critically injured, my wife traveled to and from the Philippines again using Northwest Airlines. It was a repeat performance of the flight in 1986.

In 2003, everyone except my older son (who was in the US Army at the time) traveled to and from the Philippines using Philippine Airlines. The leg from Los Angeles to Manila had a non-layover stop in Guam or Hawaii (I don't remember which), but lasted 18 hours total. The return trip had no stops and lasted only 12 hours.

Me and my wife's trip from the Philippines to the US in 2006 (for my older son's wedding) was a repeat performance of the 2003 trip, but in reverse.

In March of this year (2008), I had to make a solo trip and got stuck using Continental Airlines. The trip was much longer than 24 hours, but I stopped keeping track of time during the long layover in Guam going both ways.

Traveling between Olongapo City (my home) and NAIA in Manila is a long trip on regular surface roads. It'll get better when the interchanges between the Subic Expressway and the Northern Luzon Expressway are completed, but I'm not worried about it. Once Philippine Airlines moves to DMIA, the trip will only take an hour and half maximum on surface roads and less than an hour on the Subic Expressway.

In my honest opinion, it's a mistake using any airline other than Philippine Airlines for Philippines travel, at least internationally. Their normal fares are almost always cheaper than any other airlines and their service is better. The Americans and Filipinos serving as flight attendants are much friendlier than what I've seen on other airlines. Their flights are shorter and with less stops than any other international airlines as well.