We are going home to my husband’s home country, and we decided to book through Emirates. The flight costs way more in Emirates compared to other airlines but due to the reputation of Emirates and their outstanding service, we decided to book with them.
One of the things we considered while booking is the travel time. The cheapest airlines at the time is China Airlines which costs 22k pesos for roundtrip ticket per passenger which is over 34hrs travel time. For Emirates, we spent about 35k pesos for one way trip per passenger, total of 15hr 20min travel time and I am going to tell you how our flight goes.
Our flight was Aug 17, 2025 and at this time, there is a HUGE change in the immigration in NAIA which I am not really a fan of. Price increased as well for ECC, check this article to read more about the change.
Horrible Packing Experience
This is a one-way ticket we booked and obviously, we are not planning on going back to Manila anytime soon. Given all that, we brought almost the whole world with us. Emirates allowed 2 check-in bags per passenger about 23kg per bag and 7kg hand carry. I swear I don’t want to do this packing ever again! Fitting everything on the weight limit given is the worst ever, we rearrange our bags million times.
We check in online to reserve our seats. Upon check-in, they did weigh everything and thank goodness, all is within the limit, and we are good to go!
We Booked via 3rd Party this Time
We always book through the airlines website whenever we are buying tickets but this time is different. We keep checking quotes everywhere for our flight and they are crazy expensive. So we need to go with the cheapest option possible and we we’re able to do so by comparing all the quotes from different booking websites and emirates directly. You may try too via Trip.com, Kiwi.com, WayAway, CheapOAir, or Aviasales.
Sometime, when you are fixed on a date, it can be really tricky as it feels like the most expensive rate falls on the date you have chosen. Feel free to check everywhere and you will surely find the best rate.
How Was Our Flight?
The ticket was pricier than other airlines, but the experience made it worth every peso.
From check-in to touchdown, everything ran smoothly. The seats were comfy enough for a long-haul flight, and the service was consistently warm and professional. But what really stood out? The food. For economy class, Emirates served up meals that were surprisingly well-portioned and flavorful. No sad sandwiches or mystery meat, just solid, satisfying dishes that kept us going through the journey.
The layover in Dubai was a breeze—just three hours, and we barely had time to stretch before boarding again. No long waits, no chaos. It felt like Emirates had everything timed perfectly.
