Crazy travel hours

[fototek1]

My wife and I have a trip planed to head back to the Philippines. Here is my crazy dilemma.

We live near Boston (in the US) and I have to make a 3 day trip (for work) to Erice Italy for work just before leaving to the Philippines with our currently paid for round trip tickets from Boston. If I traveled back to Boston after Italy it would be 26 hours of travel. Then I could try to sleep for 6 hours before needing to head back to Boston to depart for the Philippines. Boston to Manila door to door is 27 hours.  My other option is to buy a one way ticket to Manila from Italy and meet my wife there. Convenience has it we would arrive 1 hour apart. My company would pay for the flight from Italy to Manila and reimburse fees associated with flight changes. They even asked if my wife wanted to go with me (she never got US citizenship) I got sidetracked, back to my question! Would you fly direct to Manila from Italy and meet your wife there? I have never traveled that many hours in this short period of time. Flights are all coach! We are only in Philippines 3 weeks this trip :(

More to the story! We have not been back for 2 years and my wife has so many pasalubong that will require me to take a bag with me which ever path I take. 

[Gary D]

If you do fly single from Italy make sure you have a copy of you return to Boston otherwise you may not be allowed on the flight out of Italy.

[Dave Hounddriver]

1 hour ago, fototek1 said:

paid for round trip tickets from Boston.

Your experience may be different, however when I have flown with a return ticket or multiple stop ticket I have been explicitely told (on 2 separate occasions) that if I miss one leg the entire remaining ticket is void. Disclaimer:  I was "told" this by the airline staff but it was not enforced as I followed their procedure.  I do not know if they would enforce that rule.

This almost happened to me on my last flight to Canada.  It started with a Philppine airline hop from Dumaguete to Manila and that flight was cancelled.  I told the manager at the flight desk that I would be willing to fly to Manila on Cebu Pacific to catch up to the remainder of my flight.  He told me I cannot do that.  He said that Philippine airlines would put me on a Cebu Pacific flight at their expense but if I did it on my own then the entire remainder of my ticket would be void.

Be careful.  Your return ticket may not be valid if you do not use the first part.

[fototek1]

Yes, you are correct Dave. There is so much more info than i posted. I did talk to Korean air and they will charge a $400 fee to cancel my outgoing flight but I will bill that to my company. My real question is. Do I tell my wife she has to meet me in Manila and I will go from Italy? She seems ok with it today......We have been married 8 years

I hate long trips in a plane!

 

[Tommy T.]

1 hour ago, fototek1 said:

I hate long trips in a plane!

 

But there is always free booze on international flights... Load up and sleep? That's what I try to do and sometimes it helps...

[Dave Hounddriver]

2 hours ago, fototek1 said:

Do I tell my wife she has to meet me in Manila and I will go from Italy? She seems ok with it today......We have been married 8 years

If it was me in your situation I would say go for it.  However, meeting people at the Manila airport is a total pain in the arse.  Too many terminals.  Too many security people saying you can't go here and you can't go there unless you are a paid passenger.  Is it practical to have her get a hotel in Manila and wait for you there?  Or at least have the hotel as a meet up point if she tries to meet your flight and has difficulties.  That's my 2 cents worth.

[KC813]

On 12/5/2019 at 7:02 PM, fototek1 said:

My wife and I have a trip planed to head back to the Philippines. Here is my crazy dilemma.

We live near Boston (in the US) and I have to make a 3 day trip (for work) to Erice Italy for work just before leaving to the Philippines with our currently paid for round trip tickets from Boston. If I traveled back to Boston after Italy it would be 26 hours of travel. Then I could try to sleep for 6 hours before needing to head back to Boston to depart for the Philippines. Boston to Manila door to door is 27 hours.  My other option is to buy a one way ticket to Manila from Italy and meet my wife there. Convenience has it we would arrive 1 hour apart. My company would pay for the flight from Italy to Manila and reimburse fees associated with flight changes. They even asked if my wife wanted to go with me (she never got US citizenship) I got sidetracked, back to my question! Would you fly direct to Manila from Italy and meet your wife there? I have never traveled that many hours in this short period of time. Flights are all coach! We are only in Philippines 3 weeks this trip :(

 

That is a lot of travel with only a short break – especially in coach!! 

My first thought when planning trips with complicated schedules and coordinating between multiple travelers is what will happen if there is a flight disruption along the way.

So with that in mind, here are my thoughts:  It really depends on how comfortable you are with your wife traveling without you. 

If you have no worries about her flying alone, then don’t kill yourself returning to Boston  Just fly Italy-MNL and meet there.  Arrange a meet up location or hotel like Dave suggests in case one of you are delayed or arrive at different terminals (Korean Air still uses Terminal 1).

But- If you have any qualms about her flying alone, or it would bother you if either of you were in Manila alone should the other person's flights be delayed/canceled, then put on your compression socks, return to Boston and hop on the flight to MNL together! 

(Any chance you can buy upgrades on the US-ICN leg on KE?)

Edited December 7, 2019 by KC813

[fototek1]

All flights are booked. We are traveling separately, and if all goes well, will arrive in Manila around the same time albeit in 2 different terminals. This actually works out better for my work trip as I get an extra half day. We usually have family members pick us up and will have to figure out the logistics. We have both traveled to the Philippines alone many times so its not that big a deal (to me). Its a serious inconvenience since I have to drag a huge suitcase filled with gifts for people in the Philippines along to Italy. Then I have to try to fit the luggage in the rental and pay a shit ton of extra bag fees. I thought the US airlines were bad with Bag fees.....Tap Air Portugal, Altilia, and Qatar air are going to charge me about $400 to drag that bag to Italy and then on to Philippines.  

[Tommy T.]

7 minutes ago, fototek1 said:

are going to charge me about $400 to drag that bag to Italy and then on to Philippines. 

Too late now, but could it have been cheaper to just ship all that stuff either regular freight or in a balikbayan box?

[fototek1]

We did think about the Balikbayan box and it would still be an option as I have not paid the extra bag fees yet.  We have never heard of the carrier from the place near us and the large box is $120. I think we need 2 boxes.