Short answer: Book Philippine Airlines if you carry more than 20kg or connect internationally, Cebu Pacific if you travel light and book baggage online in advance, and AirSWIFT only when you actually need El Nido's own airport. Adding bags at the airport costs several times the online rate on every carrier, which is where cheap fares stop being cheap.
Trip.comHotels in Philippines
Compare live prices via Travelpayouts — targeted for this guide.
Search on Trip.comFor independent travellers flying between Philippine islands with normal luggage, dive gear or a surfboard. Allowances and charge structures last checked 30 July 2026 against each airline's own published policy; fares move daily and are not quoted here.
The comparison that decides your booking
Domestic baggage structures, checked 30 July 2026. Always confirm on the carrier's own page before booking - these are structures, not live prices.
| Carrier | Hand carry | Checked bag | Sports gear | Best for |
|---|
| Cebu Pacific | 7kg included | Paid add-on, tiered | Surfboard and dive gear as oversize add-on | Light travellers who pre-book online |
| Philippine Airlines | 7kg included | Included on most domestic fares | More generous on through-tickets | Heavy bags, international connections |
| AirSWIFT | Strictly weighed | Low included allowance | Very limited - small aircraft | Direct access to El Nido airport |
| Regional turboprop routes | Strictly weighed | Low, aircraft-limited | Often refused | Islands with no jet service |
The structural point matters more than any single number: on the low-cost carriers baggage is a product you buy, and its price rises the closer you get to departure. On the full-service carrier it is bundled. That inverts the fare comparison for anyone with real luggage.
Pick this one if...
- Pick Philippine Airlines if you have more than 20kg, you are connecting from an international flight on one ticket, or you are travelling with a family and want one allowance to think about.
- Pick Cebu Pacific if you travel with hand luggage or one modest checked bag, you book at least a few days ahead, and you are comfortable adding baggage online at booking rather than at the counter.
- Pick AirSWIFT if your destination is El Nido itself and the four-hour van transfer from Puerto Princesa is genuinely worth avoiding. Accept the tight weight limits as the price of landing 15 minutes from town.
- Pick the ferry instead if your route is Cebu to Bohol, Batangas to Puerto Galera, or Iloilo to Bacolod, where flying costs more time in transfers than the crossing takes.
Where the money actually leaks
Three specific traps account for most of the overspend we see.
Adding baggage at the airport. Every carrier prices counter-added baggage far above the online rate. This is not a small markup - it is the difference between a fare that made sense and one that did not. Decide your bag count when you book.
Excess weight on turboprops. Small-aircraft routes weigh everything, including your hand carry, and they enforce it because the aircraft's load sheet depends on it. This is not a negotiation and arguing at the desk only costs you boarding time.
Separate tickets across a connection. If your international arrival and your domestic hop are on separate bookings, your bags are not through-checked and you re-clear and re-pay. Book the domestic leg on the same ticket as the international where possible, even if a separate fare looks cheaper.
Routes where flying is the wrong call
A domestic flight is rarely a one-hour trip. Add the airport transfer at both ends, the check-in cutoff and the baggage wait and a 55-minute hop becomes a five-hour day. On several popular pairings the ferry wins outright:
- Cebu City to Tagbilaran (Bohol) - fast craft crossings run through the day from a pier in the city centre. Flying means two airport transfers for a shorter leg.
- Batangas to Puerto Galera - no airport worth using at the far end. The bus and banca combination is the route.
- Iloilo to Bacolod - a short crossing between two city piers beats an airport pair on both time and cost.
- Coron to El Nido - the ferry is a genuine alternative when the schedule and sea state cooperate, and it saves a Manila backtrack.
Where flying does win decisively: Manila to Siargao, Manila to Busuanga, anything crossing between Luzon and Mindanao, and any move where you would otherwise lose a full day and a night to a long-haul RORO.
Dive gear and surfboards, specifically
A full set of dive gear runs 15 to 22kg. A shortboard in a travel bag is oversize on every domestic carrier here. Both are bookable but both need to be declared in advance, and both are commonly refused on small-aircraft routes to places like El Nido, Busuanga and Siargao's smaller connections.
The practical workaround used by most divers we meet: rent regulators and BCD at the destination and fly with only mask, computer and exposure suit. It is cheaper than the excess baggage on three domestic legs, and dive shops in Moalboal, Malapascua, Coron and Anilao all rent well-maintained kit.
Surfers face a harder trade. Board rental in Siargao and La Union is easy and reasonable, but the boards available are general-purpose funboards and shortboards; if you ride something specific, you fly it. In that case book the jet carrier, declare the board at booking rather than at the airport, and pad the fins - domestic handling here is not gentle and a dinged board on day one costs more than the excess baggage did.
What most guides get wrong about domestic flights here
The persistent error is comparing headline fares. Aggregators and blogs rank Philippine domestic carriers by base fare, which is close to meaningless when one carrier bundles a 20kg bag and another sells it as an add-on that doubles the ticket. The only honest comparison is total cost with your actual luggage, on your actual route, at your actual booking lead time.
The second error is treating the small carriers as interchangeable with the jets. AirSWIFT and the turboprop operators fly different aircraft into different airports with different weight physics. A guide that lists them in the same table without flagging the weight enforcement is setting readers up for a scene at the check-in desk.
The third: recommending the earliest flight of the day as a delay hedge without saying why. It works, but the reason is specific - afternoon convective weather and knock-on aircraft rotation delays build through the day, so a 6am departure is meaningfully more likely to leave on time than a 4pm one on the same route.
Frequently asked questions
Which Philippine airline has the best baggage allowance?
Philippine Airlines, because a checked allowance is included on most domestic fares rather than sold as an add-on.
Is Cebu Pacific actually cheaper?
Only if you travel light or pre-book baggage online. With 20kg added at the airport it frequently costs more than a bundled PAL fare.
Can I fly with a surfboard domestically?
Yes on the jet carriers as declared oversize baggage. Small-aircraft routes to El Nido and similar airports often refuse boards entirely.
Do I need to re-check bags on separate tickets?
Yes. Separate bookings are not through-checked, so you collect, re-clear and pay any domestic baggage charge again.
Is hand luggage weighed on domestic flights?
Frequently, and strictly on turboprops. The 7kg hand carry limit is enforced because small aircraft load sheets depend on it.
Should I book the first flight of the day?
Where possible, yes. Afternoon convective weather and aircraft rotation delays compound, so 6am departures are more reliable than 4pm ones.
