Any experience with Air Niugini in these covid times?

[albatross710]

I am listening to a friend struggling to get from MNL to BNE with tickets on both Cathay & PR. Each month the flights keep getting pushed back.

I notice that PX has a connection via POM with seats for sale in November. Of course they will sell opportunity but do they operate flights.

Does anyone have any experience of insight if that is a viable and reliable route providing more certainty than the main hubs?

Alby

 

[eastwest101]

First off I assume your freinds are Australian citizens or able to enter Australia? No personal experience myself.

According to the Air Nuigini web site the short answer is : maybe - if its possible to do a "same day airside transit" and assuming that PX are actually operating MNL-POM and then POM to either CNS or BNE but must be a same day transit. Difficult to get assurance as to whether PX are actually operating the flights and taking passengers, not good enough just to see the flights operating on FlightRadar24 or some other source but you really need to know if PX are taking and honouring pax bookings.

PNG Link: Travel Advice – Coronavirus Travel Update



Extract (I would be printing off the entire document and waving around in POM airport just to be on the safe side).

 

[albatross710]

not good enough just to see the flights operating on FlightRadar24 or some other source but you really need to know if PX are taking and honouring pax bookings.

that's exactly what I am looking for. I think a few airlines aka Philippine Airlines and Cathay Pacific, probably others having quickly built a business model more akin to BetFair for pax to "take a punt" on whether the flight will operate.

 

[eastwest101]

Yep - with international arrivals all being whisked off to quarrantine hotels and with luggage pickup airside before customs and immigration its almost impossible to tell which incoming operating airlines are actually bringing in passengers and which aren't. Even an enterprising person "staking out" the outside of an international terminal would be hard pressed to work out where (if any) people are coming from and how.

I can understand why you you would be reluctant to book a flight on CX PR or indeed any airline at the moment - passengers are buying a lottery ticket with undisclosed rules and unknown odds, some people have suggested that if you really want to get where you are going book first/business class ticket, or I would be booking cash fully-refundable only business/first class tickets to stack the odds back in the passengers favour. And you would want to book it with a credit card/bank that will take your side in a charge-back/services not supplied situation.

 

[PineappleSkip]

My experience of PX is several years old, but they are dab hands at overbooking, and with domestic flights in particular they would constantly bump people from confirmed flights. International was more reliable, but they would regularly bump late arrivals and occasionally boarded full aircraft and demanded ‘volunteers’ to have themselves bumped. No fly until volunteers. However westerners did generally get a better deal in such circumstances. And cancellations were rife then; another cause for bumping. Now they are using one ancient 767 for all international flights, and if it breaks down international flights virtually cease. Not for nothing is PNG described as the land of the unexpected, and when it comes to reliability and certainty generally, my rating would be LOL.

That said, there would be plenty of demand for travel MNL-POM and the flights to BNE have been running regularly, with no cancellations in the last couple of weeks. Not November, but their current schedule has flights to SIN, BNE and CNS only, but expertflyer is showing flights from 25 Oct, and PX website is selling tickets (OW fares were about USD1200 in Y and USD2600 in J. And of course to transit, you would need to have the flight in happen, and the connecting flight happen, but you don’t need to worry about a missed connection because both flights are the same plane. Whatever the website says, I would check re the actual possibility of transit with PX’s MNL office, at checkin they will be the people ordinarily expecting you to provide a PNG approval to travel and negative PCR test. When you go to book, I would go the most flexible fare available, there wasn’t much price difference between that and the only other Y fare available. And get to the airport early...

cheers skip

 

[DJDBNE]

I am listening to a friend struggling to get from MNL to BNE with tickets on both Cathay & PR. Each month the flights keep getting pushed back.

I notice that PX has a connection via POM with seats for sale in November. Of course they will sell opportunity but do they operate flights.

Does anyone have any experience of insight if that is a viable and reliable route providing more certainty than the main hubs?

Alby

PX information issued today
MEDIA RELEASE

DOMESTIC AIR TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS REMOVED

Air Niugini is pleased to announce that all restrictions on domestic air travel have been removed, and will be offering a range of sales to promote domestic tourism.

The SOE Controller has issued new Domestic and International Travel Measures on Saturday 3rd October providing the following directives;

- There are no limitations on any domestic travel.

- For international inbound travel, from Australia (excl Victoria), New Zealand and most of the Pacific Islands inbound passengers now only have to home-isolate for seven days. Where segregating at home is not possible inbound passengers still need to hotel quarantine for 7 days.

- Passengers arriving from other international locations still need to quarantine at a hotel for 14 days.

- All inbound international passengers still need to complete a negative PCR Covid test within 7 days prior to travel.

- All inbound international passengers coming into PNG still need to get Controller Approval in advance. Passengers transiting Port Moresby to Australia or to other locations do not need to get Controller approval.

- Air Niugini has now had its passenger cap into Brisbane increased to 50 passengers per flight, and with no limit into Cairns.

Air Niugini continues to fly to Brisbane (five times per week), Singapore (four times per week), and Cairns (once per week).

Due to quarantine requirements in Nadi, Port Vila and Honiara there are presently no scheduled flights to Fiji, Vanuatu or Solomon Islands.

Air Niugini expects to announce the recommencement of scheduled flights to Hong Kong and Manila shortly.

Passengers will continue to be temperature tested upon entering all airport terminals, provided a face mask at check in and will need to fill in the passenger contact tracing form (APTF) at check-in and the health form whilst on-board.

Due to Covid restrictions, there is presently no in-flight catering provided on flights.

Ends….

Corporate Communications Department
Monday 5th October, 2020

 

[pauleg]

I am listening to a friend struggling to get from MNL to BNE with tickets on both Cathay & PR. Each month the flights keep getting pushed back.

I notice that PX has a connection via POM with seats for sale in November. Of course they will sell opportunity but do they operate flights.

Does anyone have any experience of insight if that is a viable and reliable route providing more certainty than the main hubs?

Alby

I have done the POM to CNS a bit. (And there is usually a lot of MNL POM activity so your friend's plan does make some sense) Anyway the trip is OK - maybe a bit like Australian domestic a decade ago ;-)
I'm not sure about now (COVID time) but it is very usually crowded. And POM airport is a bit mysterious to fathom sometimes. But - if its a way to get home - good plan!! And good luck to your friend!!

 

[albatross710]

(And there is usually a lot of MNL POM activity so your friend's plan does make some sense)

@pauleg is this current activity? or pre-covid.

 

[pauleg]

@pauleg is this current activity? or pre-covid.

pre COVID (a lot of Philippine expats working in PNG)

 

[openseat]

PX information issued today
MEDIA RELEASE


- Air Niugini has now had its passenger cap into Brisbane increased to 50 passengers per flight, and with no limit into Cairns.

Air Niugini continues to fly to Brisbane (five times per week), Singapore (four times per week), and Cairns (once per week).



Due to Covid restrictions, there is presently no in-flight catering provided on flights.

Ends….

Corporate Communications Department
Monday 5th October, 2020

I received this email as well, and was interested to see that PX has a 50 passenger cap into Brisbane. it would seem that it's the most reliable way to enter into Australia from overseas.