Flights In and Out of Manila in Bad Weather - Typhoon Pedring

[lastlid]

Another Typhoon is making its way across Luzon over the next couple of days. Looks like it will have passed by then. (But their maybe another before the end of the month).

Any recommendations on a weather forecast website. I noticed the BBC weather forecast for Phils is always woefully out.

Also, I flew into Phils in June when there was a Typhoon in the vicinity and on the way out of Phils too. No disruption to my flight (Etihad). However there was disruption to some flights, though thankully not mine. Is it because the main Airlines are better equipped to deal with rougher weather?

[Englishman2010]

I flew from Legazpi to Manila and Manila to Hong Kong last month when Typhoon's Mina and Namadal were in the vacinity, there were no delays or problems for me. It was a bit bumpy from time to time and en route to Hong Kong I nearly threw my coffee all over the person sat next to me

[lastlid]

I guessed a seasoned traveller like your self might know. I just checked a website and it said that 45 flights at MIAA had been cancelled today but none are international flights. I think that was so when I flew in and out in June. For some reason the international flights arent affected so much.

[Englishman2010]

I don't know the answer to that I'm afraid My flights were a domestic with PAL and an international with Cebu Pacific on relatively small aircraft A320's or 737's

[lastlid]

I was getting worried as my wife is due to fly out this weekend. However I have just checked a few websites and all the indications are that Pedring will be well on its way to China etc after Tuesday. Touch wood. Looks like the wind will have died down to about 10 mph come the weekend..........

[Englishman2010]

Keep your fingers crossed lastlid, hopefully everything will be fine and you can look forward to your wife being with you very soon

[lastlid]

Yep. I will warn her to hang on to her coffee........

[Englishman2010]

In the last 2 years I've taken off and landed in around 60 different flight legs, in all weather conditions :snow, ice, wind, rain and typhoons. The only setbacks so far have been an hours delay from HK to MNL .........and 8 days from BHX to AMS due to the volcano last April

[lastlid]

Stone me. Do you work in the oil industry or something?

[Englishman2010]

Stone me. Do you work in the oil industry or something?

No, they are all for pleasure. Note that this is flight legs, so 3 or 4 trips to Asia each year with a stopover in Singapore or Hong Kong then a few internals in the Phil's can be 8 or 9 flights a trip, plus I've had a few weekends in Europe

[Steve.r]

In May I got delayed by a typhoon but the airline put us up in a swanky Manila hotel and I got an extra day and night with my wife. Nice

I like to use the 'weather' tab on Google Earth to monitor the weather over Luzon where we live, it gives you some sort of live indication of where the centre of the typhoon is and direction of travel. I am sure that your airline will be ok, they will only delay if things get bad enough to worry the insurance companies lol

[lastlid]

I like to use the 'weather' tab on Google Earth to monitor the weather over Luzon where we live, it gives you some sort of live indication of where the centre of the typhoon is and direction of travel.

Nice tip. I just googled it and everything over Phils is 100% white just now. But I see what you mean. I guess that means the whole vicinity is getting blasted. Cheers.

[RickyR]

It is sort of true that different aircraft/airlines are more equipped for weather. In such a way that when visibility is reduced (by heavy rain, fog etc), aircraft will be able to use autoland down to different 'minima' depending on a) what equipment the aircraft has b) what level the crew are trained to and c) what level of equipment the airport has. In the UK, America and Asia almost all large aircraft such as A330 and above are fitted with the very highest level of equipment wheras many of the smaller aircraft turboprops and small jets don't bother, because of the cost implications and it's much easier to foresee 1-3 hrs ahead and cancel or divert.

That being said, in the Philippines, despite the occasional failure of equipment due to age, they tend to be very good at slotting aircraft in between the typhoons except for a small period of time when its out of limits.

[lastlid]

That being said, in the Philippines, despite the occasional failure of equipment due to age, they tend to be very good at slotting aircraft in between the typhoons except for a small period of time when its out of limits.

Ah. I see. That makes sense as in a funny kind of a way, in hindsight, it came across a bit like that.....when I arrived in June half of Manila was in flood, flights had been cancelled and it was lashing it down as we landed. Yet landed we did (Etihad) and on time too.

Good to hear. Thanks.