My PAL Airlines Experience: Reviewing Service, Seats, and More

Looking for a PAL Airlines review because you’ve come across some domestic flights in Newfoundland? I was too! Which is why I thought I’d share my recent experience on board PAL Airlines. My flight was a rather speedy one but it was also a comfortable one and I was pleasantly surprised by the service. I hadn’t heard of PAL Airlines until my recent trip to Newfoundland where I was booked to travel from St. John’s to Deer Lake after our Travel Media Association’s Conference. As you can imagine, given my love for experiencing new to me airlines, I was excited for this journey that was part of the conference’s post trip to Western Newfoundland (and then into Labrador – more on that in the coming weeks!).

PAL Airlines Flight Review

Disclosure : Go Western Newfoundland booked my flights and hosted me on board but, as always, opinions are TOTALLY ours! 

 

Is PAL Airlines Canadian?

pal aircraft

 I quickly learned that the PAL Airlines I was to fly with was not the  Philippines airlines that also trades under PAL. Instead the PAL in Canada refers to Provincial Airlines Limited and was founded in 1974. They are based in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador and although it began as a regional airline serving Newfoundland and Labrador it has expanded operations to include service to and from destinations throughout Eastern Canada (they even fly to Les Iles de la Madeleine!) Not to worry, they do serve other destinations through interline agreements with Air Canada, WestJet and Air Borealis but most times these have to be booked through travel agents.  You can also earn Aeroplan points when you fly with PAL.

 

My PAL Airline Flight Experience 

inside the PAL airline cabin

As I mentioned previously, this flight was booked as part of our  post conference tours and so all I had to do was turn up and check-in. St. John’s airport is relatively easy to navigate and getting to the check-in counter an hour before the PAL flight was plenty of time. The check-in staff were friendly and even moved me to a window seat when I asked if the option existed. I actually lucked out by getting an exit row seat which meant I had loads of leg room (but had to stow my backpack/personal item in the over head bins). At the check-in counter they weighed my checked bag and put a tag on my hand-luggage. This is because the jets were quite small and my hand luggage was whisked away before I boarded the flight for sky-check (it was waiting for me right as I de-planed in Deer Lake). The first thing I noticed when we stepped into the cabin was that they have an unique 4 seater configuration for the first two rows – think something similar to the VIA Rail family table set up but without a table – I’ll talk about about that below!

On board we were  served coffee/tea/drinks and a snack – totally didn’t expect that! And before I knew it, we were landing in Deer Lake an hour after taking off in St. John’s Newfoundland. 

 

 

Which PAL Airlines Fare Option is Best?

Pal airlines best fare option

PAL offers similar fares to most major Canadian carriers-you pay for what you want but your hand luggage and personal item are always free. There’s the Basic fare (when available) which would be the cheapest offering but also is the most inflexible and you have to pay $40+ for your checked baggage. Next up is the Standard fare which allows you to make changes and cancellation (including name changes) up to 24 hours prior to your flight- Only credits will be offered. But that’s quite the offering! There are change fees of $100 and you do pay $20+ per checked luggage. Flexible fares also offer the opportunity to make changes but you only pay $50 in change fees and your first checked bag is free! If you want the maximum flexibility, you have the Freedom fare which is very impressive. Your fare is fully refundable when cancelled at least 24 hours prior to your flight and cancellations between 24 and 2 hours prior to scheduled flight time will result in credits being offered. Changes to name and routing are free ( fare difference may apply for routing changes) and your first and second checked bags are free. 

So if you have no checked luggage and you don’t plan on many any changes, Basic is your best friend because it keeps you on budget! For full flexibility there’s the Freedom. PAL airlines also offers compassionate fares for bereavement and medical escort situations and you can find more information here

 

Is Hand Luggage Included in PAL Airline Fares?

Pal airline hand luggage

Yes! You can bring a personal item (like a small backpack) and a hang luggage at no extra cost. PAL Airlines allows each passenger to bring one piece of carry-on luggage as long as it doesn’t exceed the maximum size of 2 1x 9 x 15 inches. Just remember that unlike with Porter where small hand luggage do fit in the cabin, with PAL it will be sky checked because of lack of room (aka – don’t keep breakables in there!) 

 

PAL Airline passengers can also bring a small purse, personal bag, or diaper bag in addition to your one piece of larger carry-on, provided your personal item does not exceed the maximum size of 16 x 6 x 13 inches.

 

Choosing the Best Seats on PAL Airlines

four seater on PAL airlines

Okay tell me that the above seating configuration isn’t unique for an airline! Reminds me of the “golden era” of flying where people smoked cigarettes onboard and dressed up all fancy. The PAL Airlines fleet comprise mostly of Dash 8 models and have all economy seating. From what I saw, the aircrafts are older models but that also means more leg room overall. 

Now here comes the challenge, when you purchase your Pal airlines flight you can’t really choose a seat or even pay for it online. I called the PAL Airlines customer service line (they answered within seconds by the way!!) and was informed that you have to call them if you want to select your seats. There’s a $10 fee per seat per flight but if you’re travelling with kids that will be waived. Of course you can select seats at no extra cost when you check-in online within 24 hours of departure. I was also informed that those seats pictured above are assigned at the check-in counter and cannot be pre-assigned/booked. 

According to their website, “PAL Airlines will, at no extra cost and at the earliest opportunity, help seat children under the age of 14 near their parent, guardian or tutor. The proximity depends on the age of the child: Under the age of 5: in a seat adjacent to their parent, guardian or tutor. Aged 5 to 11: in the same row and separated by no more than one seat from their parent, guardian or tutor. Aged 12 or 13: separated by no more than a row from the parent, guardian or tutor.”

At the end of the day, I’d love to try sitting on those quad seats but I have a feeling they get assigned to the early birds and I certainly am not one to arrive overly early for my flights! 

 

 

Tips for Flying PAL Airlines| Our PAL Airlines Review

As I mentioned, this was my first time flying PAL and I am not sure when I’ll  have another opportunity to travel with them. However, I do hope to explore more of  Labrador one day soon and I wouldn’t hesitate booking my flights with PAL Airlines. Below are some tips to keep in mind! 

  • Ensure that your checked luggage doesn’t exceed 50 pounds in TOTAL 
  • Call the customer service line if you’re travelling with children and have your seats assigned at no extra cost

 

Have you flown PAL? Share your thoughts with me!

  • Heath
    October 11, 2024 at 9:24 pm

    Hey! I happened to have stumbled across this lovely and thorough review of your flight with PAL. I actually work for PAL as a customer service agent in St. John’s and just wanted to say I’m glad you had a good experience with us! 🙂

    • Yashy
      October 18, 2024 at 9:09 am

      Thank you for stopping by!!!

  • Anonymous
    December 12, 2024 at 2:12 pm

    Vous devriez changer votre nom pour Panne Airline

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