Cebu Pacific SUPER HIGH-DENSITY Airbus A330neo from Tokyo via Manila to Jakarta! | BRUTALLY HONEST

This video is sponsored by Aerolo, my eSIM provider of choice long before they ever supported our channel. I have a little quiz for y'all, I'm sure you got this. Which plane fits more passengers, an Airbus A320 or a Boeing 787 Dreamliner? That's correct, a Boeing 787 fits more passengers, very good. Now, which fits more, a Boeing 777 or a Boeing 737? Oh you're doing really good, that's 2 for 2, you really know your stuff. Then the next one will be easy, which fits more passengers, this Airbus A380 of Korean Air or this Airbus A330neo of Cebu Pacific? Yes, you're an expert, of course, the A330neo fits more passengers than the A380. And I'm not joking, Korean Air's A380 is fitted with only, 407 seats, while Cebu Pacific's much smaller A330neo is fitted with 459 seats. The Runway Girl Network, one of the leading news websites for aircraft interiors, called it an incredibly dense aircraft, perhaps the most dense flying anywhere in the world. And the type certification documents back up this claim, the A330neo is rated for a maximum of 465 passengers, with Cebu Pacific being just six seats shy of the most that is legally possible. According to Airbus CCO at the time, Christian Scherer, they developed a high-density version of the A330neo specifically for Cebu Pacific. The limiting factor for seating capacity is usually the time it takes to evacuate the aircraft in case of an emergency. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency stipulates in document CS-25 in section 803 that any aircraft over 44 seats must be evacuated within 90 seconds. So the goal would be to simply install more doors, right? Well, that's easier said than done. Adding an additional door into the fuselage means reinforcing the structure around it and rerouting cables and pipes. And since each exit needs to be easily accessible, every extra door decreases the amount of seats you can put in. So, Airbus found a way to achieve this capacity increase without the addition of a door. The standard door layout of an A330neo is described as an AAIA layout, full-sized A-doors at positions 1, 2, and 4, plus a slim emergency exit I-door at position 3. For the high-density version, Airbus switched the slim I-door to a full-sized A-door, a change that is easily visible from the outside. If you enjoy learning nerdy aviation facts like these while watching flight reviews, make sure to subscribe to our channel. That's kind of what we do around here. The certification documents show that this increased the maximum number of seats allowed from 375 to up to 440. Additionally, the manufacturer switched the evacuation slides from single-lane to double-lane slides, enabling faster evacuation through each door. This then increased the capacity up to 465 seats. The high-density package was also available for the classic A330-300 back in the day, so it wasn't entirely new. In today's video, let's take a flight aboard that very A330neo, the really dense one, from Tokyo Narita to Manila, where we will transfer onto a flight to Jakarta, operated by one of Cebu Pacific's Airbus A320neos. I'm excited to bring you along this journey, so without further ado, let's get going. Aviation geeks and frequent flyers, welcome to this new episode of our flight review series Brutally Honest, where we aim to showcase an airline and its product in the most thorough and objective way we can. Helping us make today's journey possible is a sponsor I've been a long-time customer of myself, Aerolo. Staying connected during my trips is something I simply don't need to worry about anymore. I'm using one of their eSIM cards on a trip as we speak. And more than once, I've only bought mine at the airport, over a coffee in the lounge. Simply open the app, select the type of eSIM, I got one for the entirety of Asia, which includes places like Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, select the amount of data, they offer anything from a single gigabyte to unlimited data, earn money back that I can use on a future purchase, and simply pay using my phone. Then, it took just a bit over a minute to activate the eSIM, and I'm ready to go. I could have easily done that waiting in line for boarding. It's that easy. But you don't have to wait for the airport. Get your eSIM already, right now, and its validity only starts once it connects to a network at your destination. Scan the QR code on screen, or use the link in the description, and get 3 US dollars, or 2 euros and 50 cents off your first purchase with coupon code SIMPLEAVIATION. Thank you to Aerolo for sponsoring this video and supporting our channel, and now, let's head down to the Philippines. We're starting our journey in the heart of Tokyo, heading to the far outskirts of the metropolis to Narita Airport. Tokyo has two airports, Haneda, which is close to the city center and mostly used for domestic flights, and Narita, an hour-long train ride from the center. Obviously, Haneda is the more popular of the two, but during the day, it's difficult for airlines to get any more slots. Some international low-cost carriers do serve Haneda, including AirAsia X, Scoot, and HK Express, but they mostly do so at night when slots are available. This is why you will find Cebu Pacific operating out of Narita. There are plenty of different ways to get there. From some parts of Tokyo, a bus might be the most convenient, commuter rail lines would be the cheapest, taxis are by far the priciest, and in the middle somewhere between affordable and comfortable, you will find the Narita Express. When leaving Tokyo from Narita Airport, I always take the Narita Express, which offers plenty of space, reserved seats, and fast Wi-Fi. And I get a bento box at Tokyo Station to enjoy a final taste of Japanese cuisine before leaving the country. And this way, the hour-long commute just flies by. Narita Airport has three terminals, with Terminal 3 catering only to low-cost airlines. It's important to underline, though, that despite that, Cebu Pacific does not operate from Narita's low-cost terminal. They are located in Terminal 2 alongside Japan Airlines. Cebu Pacific operates eight check-in counters for our 459-seater A330neo, which are only open for two hours. This allocates just slightly more than two minutes per passenger to check in, which is bold, especially given that Filipino passengers tend to travel with lots of luggage, and Cebu Pacific's strict enforcement of weight limits frequently leads to lengthy discussions between staff and passengers. As our inbound flight left Manila almost two hours late, which does not bode well for our transfer there later today. 5J 5055 to Manila, that's our flight. Security and passport control went smoothly today, so we can head straight to our departure gate. Here's our ride down to Manila this afternoon. Bearing the registration Romeo Papa Charlie 3903, this Airbus A330-900neo was delivered to Cebu Pacific in 2022 and is one of 14 currently in their fleet. Cebu Pacific uses these planes to major cities throughout Asia, selected domestic flights, and even a handful of long-haul routes from Manila to Sydney, Melbourne, Dubai, and Riyadh. Cebu Pacific's network provides an important lifeline to the Filipino community abroad who desire to commute back and forth in the cheapest way possible, and some of the largest Filipino diasporas are found in exactly those places. An hour after we were supposed to depart, we're finally boarding. Both jet bridges are being utilized, thank god. We're entering the plane through door 2, and you can see right away that Cebu Pacific isn't joking around. No lavatories at door 2, no galley, not even a cabin divider, all kicked out in favor of fitting the most seats possible. The entire plane is fitted with just 7 toilets, giving it a passenger-to-toilet ratio of 65 to 1, meaning one lavatory for each 65 passengers. As a rule of thumb, 50 to 1 is fair, 40 to 1 is generous, but 65 to 1? Oof. The cabin is also fitted with a rare 9 abreast configuration. Usually, Airbus A330s come with 8 seats per row in a 2-4-2 layout, but low-cost airlines may opt to install a 9th seat in each row, reducing the width of each seat and the aisle considerably, resulting in a 3-3-3 layout. In an unusual move for a low-cost airline, Cebu Pacific hired acclaimed design studios for their corporate identity and cabin design, resulting in an impressively coherent experience. Their corporate identity is made up of shades of blue, representing the sea around Cebu, as well as the color of mangoes, for which the island is also known for. Lift Aero Design put together their A330 Neo design touches, such as Airbus' signature airspace welcome lighting panel, casting a teal shade right where you enter. The furnishings of the front rows include a hint of yellow, these seats can be reserved for an additional charge. The aircraft is fitted with Recaro's SL37-10 slimline seats, which come pre-reclined. This technique is used by airplane seat manufacturers to enhance the perceived comfort on especially dense configurations by basically reclining every seat a bit, and then taking away the option to adjust the recline. This leads to a uniform layout where you cannot be bothered by the person in front of you reclining, but notably means you can't adjust the recline yourself. Over there you can see two rows which you can close off with a curtain, this is most likely for the crew to rest during a long-haul flight. Down below you can see a little step installed, making it easier to reach the overhead bins. This will be our seat for the 4-hour long flight to Manila, 44A, a port-side window seat. The seats are fitted with easy-to-clean leather covers, and Cebu Pacific omitted adjustable headrests and headrest covers. Being 180 cm tall, the legroom isn't bad at all, my knees have just enough space to stay out of trouble. This clunky hardware box for the power ports is much more of a bother though. I highly appreciate Cebu Pacific's addition of USB-A and USB-C ports for charging small electronic devices, and most importantly, not charging an extra fee to use them. I'm looking at you, Scoot. There's two of them for each three seats. We've also got a seatback pocket and a small but entirely usable tray table above them. This little groove here helps you keep your smartphone or tablet upright should you care to watch something on it. At the top, these low-cost airline seats have a fitting for ads. The armrests are equally small, they can be flipped up, but as mentioned, there is no recline button. In the ceiling above are reading lights, which cannot be adjusted, and there aren't any personal air vents. Honestly, this cabin is as good as it gets. Obviously, this is a low-cost airline and a plane with an extraordinarily dense configuration, there is no point in complaining about that. Considering this constraint, the cabin is very well designed. The pre-reclined seats make me feel more comfortable than I anticipated, the addition of free-to-use power ports is highly appreciated, and I love that Cebu Pacific didn't just cobble together a bland grey cabin, but hired professionals to attempt to bring a bit of color and life through creative uses of light, materials, and colors. Even the carpet design is inspired by the pristine waters surrounding the Philippines, so well done Cebu Pacific. With the flight almost fully booked, the cabin crew scrambled to find enough space for everyone's luggage. Many passengers got additional items and duty-free stores around the airport, leading to the overhead bins being completely full. With a delay approaching two hours, we're finally pushing back on our getting ready to go. We'll see how my three-hour-long transfer in Manila will go, well, now an hour long. I'm not optimistic. During the flight itself, not much is happening. There is no complimentary meal or beverage service, no in-flight entertainment, no Wi-Fi. You may opt to purchase drinks and snacks at any time, but be aware, the airline only accepts cash, with change given in Philippine pesos, or physical credit cards. You cannot use debit cards or e-wallets like Apple Pay. On board, a variety of non-alcoholic beverages and alcoholic beverages are on offer, small and large snacks, including sandwiches and filled buns, and, depending on route and flight length, even hot meals, which you may also pre-order ahead of time, ensuring availability. Water comes in 350ml bottles, and for 100 pesos, that's very pricey, so make sure to bring your own. I also opted for some cookies, which were ok. The lavatories, blasting Taylor Swift music by the way, are expectedly tiny. This one's like three iPhones wide. But they're splashed in that mango yellow and have full wood flooring, and it does the job. And with that, we're already approaching Manila. What a beautiful view over Luzon and the islands surrounding it. We made good time during the flight, touching down just an hour late. Welcome to Naira. Those who watch our channel will know, this is my favorite airport in all of Manila. First, we're being held up by taxiway maintenance, which meant we had to wait for a departing aircraft to clear the way for us, and then by the simple fact that deplaning 459 passengers takes forever. Between touching down and leaving the plane, it was 35 minutes, meaning we have just a bit under an hour and a half to If you subtract the fact that the gate usually closes 20 minutes before departure, we've got maybe about an hour. International transfers seemed to be quite uncommon with Cebu Pacific, as it was just me and two other passengers heading from Tokyo to Bali that found ourselves at the international transfer desk. And this process was awful. Well, that's incorrect. The process was just non-existent, because there was no one here. So despite having a boarding pass for my connecting flight in hand, here I couldn't just go to the transfer security and continue on my way, I needed some physical stamp from a Cebu Pacific employee. Kinda hard to do when there's nobody at the transfer desk. I'm a seasoned traveler, but even I was struggling to come up with a solution here. The transfer security was right there, but we can't pass it without the stamp. So I started asking everyone I could find for help, the guy at the United Airlines transfer desk, the people who work in immigration who had their break room nearby, but all they could do was text in an airport employee Facebook group that Cebu Pacific should send someone over. Remember, we've got an hour, and at this point I had been standing here, stressing out, waiting for somebody from Cebu Pacific to show up, for half of it. I really started to believe we made it to Manila just in time, and I would end up missing my flight because of this clusterfuck. And after 45 minutes, just moments away from boarding, one employee finally showed up, took a stamp from a drawer, stamped my boarding pass, and told me I was good to go. This took 5 seconds. Who came up with this process? Anyway, we continued onwards to Jakarta aboard Romeo Papa Charlie 4159, a 2023 built Airbus A320 NEO. This plane is fitted with Airbus Airspace Cabin, which most notably means larger overhead bins. The cabin is fitted with Recaro SL3510 slimline seats, similar but slightly different the ones from the A330 NEO, although newer A320 NEOs of theirs come with the same SL3710 seats. The legroom is once again small, but bearable. There is a little seatback pocket, a larger tray table, and a high literature pocket, a feature that would have meant a centimeter of extra space on the A330 NEO, not the best choice to have it omitted there. And above, adjustable air vents and personal reading lights. This was once again an almost fully booked flight, during which not much happened. The almost 4 hours to Jakarta I spent mostly just sleeping, and we are arriving there on time. While the transit experience was a mess, all things considered, Cebu Pacific is a phenomenal airline. People often ask me what my favourite airlines are, and I always give a philosophical answer. Those who get the most people in the air, the airlines that make the wonder of flight possible for those who never had the chance to. And low-cost airlines in rapidly developing nations like the Philippines are the ones who enable millions to take to the skies for the first time. What was once a day-long ferry ride is now just an hour-long domestic flight, and instead of having to fork out hundreds of dollars to fly back home when working abroad, Filipinos can spend that money on more quality time with their families, saving on their trip with Cebu Pacific. This alone means the airline offers a crucial, real benefit to the people of the Philippines, and makes judging Cebu Pacific by its quality almost meaningless. Still though, in the grand scheme of low-cost airlines, Cebu Pacific is one of the finest. Their coherent branding and smart cabin design make for a comparably comfortable and well-rounded journey. Even at my height, I did not feel uncomfortable, neither on their super-dense A330neo, nor on the smaller A320neo. And honestly, I would not hesitate to fly them on any of their long-haul routes, either. Overall, Cebu Pacific does an extraordinary job balancing bearable comfort, affordable prices, and its own ability to generate profits. There isn't much I would change. Well, apart from, please get rid of that freaking stamp requirement for international transits. With that, welcome to Jakarta's Sukarno Hatta International Airport. Thank you very much for coming along and joining me on this trip. Special thanks go out to all those who continue to support our mission of creating the most balanced and well-researched flight reviews on the internet with their own hard-earned money. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for sticking with us, even if our upload schedule has been a mess recently for some personal reasons. I'm hoping to get back on track soon, and I'm incredibly grateful for your patience with me. Special thanks also go out to Aerolo for also continuing to support our work and for helping me stay connected on all my trips. Scan the QR code and download the app right now, get your eSIM for an upcoming trip, and if you're a first-time customer, get 3 USD or 2.50 EUR off your first purchase with coupon code SIMPLEAVIATION. But whether you are a channel member, a subscriber, or were simply stopping by for this one video, thank you for watching and coming along. Impressively, my suitcase even made the transfer in Manila. I'll see you for a new video again very soon, and until then, safe travels!