I'm planning to go to the Philippines Manila, then Boracay) in April. I've traveled before, but never done it all myself. Someone suggested I post here because it's so flight-related.

I was looking on sites...like momondo & kayak. I'm coming from NY, and it seems pretty clear that the best deal will involve multiple airlines. It's been suggested to me that I could browse, then deal directly with the airlines involved. I'm not shy about that... Only thing I am wondering is if that can get sticky scheduling a round trip...but on the other hand, maybe that's easier to give myself plenty of layover time.

My one unease here is baggage. I'm figuring that between the different airlines, I'll have to claim my bags and re-check them with the next flight. For those who have done this, what's a good safe time to have between the flights? For example, it looks like I'll have a quick flight to JFK, then one stop in China (PEK), then to Manila. The one in China, is of course, the one I'm nervous about because I"ve never been there. So how much time is good and safe between landing in China and taking off again for Manila?...and anything else you folks who have done this sort of thing can add, by all means .

If you have multiple airlines on a single reservation (with a single reservation/booking number), then there's not much to worry about.

If you are talking about making multiple reservations for the various legs of the trip, then it's not only layover time you have to worry about. What if your luggage gets misrouted?

It happened to me once. I had a round trip from the US to Korea on Northwest and then a round trip on Thai from Korea to Thailand (I planned to stay in Korea for a couple of weeks after the trip to Thailand). When I got to Seoul, my bags were nowhere to be found. It turned out they had never been loaded onto the flight from my origin city!

The Northwest agent in Seoul was horrified, and even more so when he found out that I was only going to be in Seoul overnight and then was headed to Thailand. To their credit, Northwest got my bag to me in Thailand the day after I arrived. I'm not sure if that is standard practice, though (to forward a bag on like that if your onward travel is not on the same ticket—NW had to send it to Thailand on not just a different airline but a member of a different airline alliance).

You also need to consider what you would do if your first flight is delayed due to a mechanical problem or weather, or even canceled, and you miss your connecting flight. If they are on different reservations, you could be in trouble and have to buy a new, and very expensive, ticket to get where you intended to go.

I see, this sounds like precisely the sort of things I intend to prepare properly for and avoid...hence my presence here . I'm not bent on doing anything piece-meal to save 20 bucks...it was just mentioned to me that's all.

What exactly are you referring to regarding a single reservation? Is that status quo if I were to book the flight(s) through one of those sites, or is there something more specific I must do?

Also, how long would you say I should ensure between connecting flights? Delays and baggage problems are exactly what I'm trying to account for now so I don't have one of those situations you just mentioned .

A single reservation will include each leg of your journey when booked together. So you buy a US-Philippines trip, leave NYC, change planes wherever, and stop in the Philippines to go through immigration passport control and reclaim your bags. That assumes the other destination is a side trip. On your return, reverse the process although your re-entry formalities into the US will depend on your routing.
It is likely that bags can be checked through so you pick them up in the Philippines, not where you change planes. If you try to book each leg separately, that might not be so (and probably will cost more.)
Dealing directly with an airline is less complicated if troubles occur, possibly cheaper, and usually more co-operative about advance seat assignments. You are right to think that on-line travel agents can sometimes offer more choices.
The story you relate sounds like the airline was at fault, not the client. The lesson to be drawn is to not pack valuable items, including medicine, in checked baggage (in fact, leave non-essentials at home altogether.) Airlines are remarkably efficient considering the volume of traffic they handle, but mistakes can be made as with everything else in life.
For big airports my rule-of-thumb is two hours for connections, but some are more dependable than others. The other advice is that for domestic flights it is better to avoid connecting to the last flight of the day.
Also: Relax, enjoy. It will all work out.

Ah alright, thanks then. Haha, I seem to have miscommunicated here. I haven't actually had a horror story happen to me...but I know travel can be knotty sometimes, and I want to be sure to prevent it.

Ok, so I'm assuming from this that if I buy the whole round trip via one of the online vendors, that it will be all on one ticket. One thing still confuses me though...about dealing directly with the airline(s)...but again, I'm not bent on doing that...just curious...

If I deal directly with the airlines, how does one arrange for it to be all on one ticket? I must not know something here lol...it sounds like it would require some joint venture between the airlines in question or a 3rd party (like the websites). Like if I go to Delta and say "I want to go to the Philippines, but I want the second leg from Beijing to Manila to be through Air China..." I don't see how Delta would then be able to accomodate me if something went amiss when the next flight is not their airline...

In all likelihood, you will not be able to get a single-ticket ride all the way from the US to Borocay, but you should definitely get a single-ticket ride from the US to the Philippines even if it costs a bit more. But most of the smaller airlines that fly to Borocay's two nearby airports don't codeshare with the big players.

What I'd suggest is to get yourself to Manila or Cebu and then stay a night or two to acclimate yourself and see the sights, and then take a separately booked flight to Borocay (Caticlan is the best airport in my opinion, rather than Kalibo). If you do go to Kalibo, make sure you book a flight that includes transfers because you will have a 2-hour bus or van ride to the ferry dock from there. At Caticlan, the ferry is much closer to the airport, about a 5-minute ride. You can usually book a package that includes transfers here as well, so you won't have to negotiate with the locals, and some people find that more comfortable.

But here's the difficulty. It's hard to book flghts online for some of these local airlines because your credit card company may disallow the transaction. It's usually easier and cheaper to work with a travel agent in the Philippines to book a package that includes flights, airfare, and transfers. I'd look at that possibility to make this easier for yourself.

I don't think you'll have any difficulties except at the Manila and Caticlan airports, which can be a bit chaotic. When you book your flight from your home airport to Manila or Cebu, you should be able to check your bags all the way through and not worry about them until your arrival.

At Caticlan, you have to get yourself to a ferry, and porters will grab your bags. Don't worry about this ... just keep an eye on the porter so you can find him at the ferry and be ready to tip. This means you just need to change some money at the airport on arrival and make sure to get a few small bills.

Cebu is a much easier airport to navigate than Manila, and if you have a choice, that's the one I'd recommend. But more flights go to Manila, so that may be your only option.

This sounds like a case where using a travel agent may be beneficial. And yes, they can get all the flights on a single ticket.

Another reason to book on all one reservation - If any of your flights are delayed, the airline has the responsibility to book you on another flight to get you to your final destination. Even if it is on another airline (as long it is one they have an agreement with) If you are booked on separate tickets, then the airline is only responsible for their leg.

Doug, thanks--I actually was planning on making the Manila to Boracay trip a separate thing. I know of the general process there--I'm not as concerned about that, because if something goes wrong, there's no connecting flight to miss, plus it's a much cheaper affair.

john-that's exactly my concern...a delay and the airline being obligated to get me where I was going.

I appreciate all the info folks. Sorry if I'm being thick, but I still don't feel sure of the basic question here..which maybe has evolved a bit

*Is it possible to book multiple airlines on one reservation? I'm given to understand NoFlyZone, that it can be done with a travel agent.

-If it can be done by myself, how? Do the online sites book you on one reservation when there are multiple airlines?

Also, is a travel agent worth it? I've never used one. I noticed my flight to Manila, on the websites comes to $1150-ish. I tried Delta alone, for example, and it was $1500-ish...that's quite a chunk. Would a travel agent be less?

I've tried to break this down and answer the individual parts of your question.

*Is it possible to book multiple airlines on one reservation? YES

I'm given to understand NoFlyZone, that it can be done with a travel agent. THERE ARE A LOT OF TRAVEL AGENTS WHO SPECIALIZE IN THE PHILIPPINES, BUT SOME OF THEM, AND THIS MAY INDEED BE A TIME TO USE ONE.

-If it can be done by myself, how? Do the online sites book you on one reservation when there are multiple airlines? IF YOU TYPE YOUR ORIGIN AIRPORT AND MANILA INTO A SINGLE AIRLINE'S WEB SITE AND YOU GET AN ITINERARY, IT WILL BE A SINGLE TICKET. PERIOD. YOU CAN BOOK A MULTI-AIRLINE TRIP ON A SINGLE TICKET AS LONG AS THE AIRLINES BELONG TO THE SAME ALLIANCE. BUT BEING FLEXIBLE WITH YOUR DATES IS THE BEST WAY TO MINIMIZE COSTS.

Also, is a travel agent worth it? AT TIMES, ABSOLUTELY.

I've never used one. I noticed my flight to Manila, on the websites comes to $1150-ish. WHICH WEB SITES? WHICH DAY? THE COST IS GOING TO VARY CONSTANTLY. I'M SEEING PRICES BETWEEN $1300 AND $1500, WHICH SEEMS REASONABLE TO ME.

I tried Delta alone, for example, and it was $1500-ish...that's quite a chunk. STAYING WITH A SINGLE AIRLINE DOES SOMETIMES COST MORE. IS DELTA YOUR ONLY CHOICE? YOU MIGHT GET A BETTER DEAL THROUGH ONE WORLD OR (MORE LIKELY) STAR ALLIANCE.

Would a travel agent be less? MAYBE, MAYBE NOT. BUT GOING TO YOUR LOCAL TRAVEL AGENT ISN'T WHAT YOU WANT TO DO HERE. YOU NEED A PHILIPPINE SPECIALIST, IDEALLY BASED IN THE U.S.

Thanks again. Delta wasn't my only choice, I just used it as an example for a ballpark figure of the difference in cost between single and multiple airlines.

I realize if you type an origin and destination into A SINGLE AIRLINE'S WEBSITE, that it will be on one ticket. What I meant is if you did the same on a site like Kayak, that was the case--if it limits the flights to one alliance, as you put it...or if there's an option to do so that I simply overlooked. I wasn't familiar with the alliances, I will check out One World and Star Alliance. Thanks for taking the time.

Kayak isn't a booking engine. It's a web site that gathers up many different flights on many different airlines in vast combinations, not all of which can actually be purchased for those prices in the real world. So while this is a helpful tool, it's not always going to tell you want the flight actually costs. And the comparison is only valid at the moment you do the search.

As for me I prefer a site like Airfare Watchdog, which no only looks at historical data but gives you more usable information such as fare rules and terms of validity. Kayak is great, but all it does is put your information into a bunch of other search engines, a remarkable bit of programming but really not always actionable.

I'm not sure this even still answers your questions, but One World is the main alliance of American, Cathay Pacific, and British Airways among many. Star Alliance includes United and Lufthansa.

There are a lot of people here who are much more knowledgable about airfares and routes than I am. And I'd also urge you to go into the Asia forum to see what advice you can get there. The Philippines is not a major destination discussed there, but it is mentioned from time to time.

(For me, I'd pay an extra $200 to take Cathay Pacific or Korean Airlines over China Eastern or Ewa.)

Hmm alright interesting then. I tried searching on the alliance sites and airfare watchdog. They don't even show flights from Syracuse to Manila (but they do from JFK, and all the other searches just fly me down there first)...but anyway, what I glean from this is the leg from JFK to Manila tends to be one airline.

I don't mind that so much, I think I can trust Syracuse to JFK. I can even drive down or take the bus to JFK...I just don't like the idea of a breakdown or traffic jam or something...as I get the impression the term "screwed" would be apt then .

Anyhoo thanks again...I see my options before me better now. No such thing as airtight, so time to crunch the $ and risk numbers hehe.

I think you are still confused. If you wanted to fly Delta (which is in the Skyteam alliance), you could enter your departure city (Syracuse) and destination (Manila) on Delta's website for a round trip ticket. It will pull up flights on their aircraft and their alliance aircraft. You may have a Delta coded flight for JFK/Manila, but possibly an alliance would be flying you from Syracuse to JFK. It would still be all one single ticket.

Similar if you look at the other major airlines (American or United)and their alliances (Oneworld and Star). You should not use the alliance websites to look for flights. You should use the major airlines including the non US airlines. FWIW - I see cheaper flights from Syracuse that change in Chicago instead of JFK.