Air Swift is a small airline based in Philippines, a Filipino-owned regional boutique airline company with a permit to operate domestic scheduled and non-scheduled air transportation services. AirSWIFT is the only airline that flies directly to El Nido from Manila, Cebu, Caticlan & Clark.

I had just flew in from Guam to Manila, and then I was going to connect to El Nido on AirSWIFT. Most travellers would fly to Puerto Princesa which is the major airport nearest to El Nido, then take a 3 hour bus ride. There are several daily flights between Manila and Puerto Princesa, at affordable prices. However, in the essence of time and to try out this boutique airline, it cost $130 for a one-way flight from Manila to El Nido compared to $60 for AirAsia or Cebu Pacific flight between Puerto Princesa and Manila. I believe that the convenience of landing right in El Nido allows the airline to charge a premium price.

Since I had landed in Manila NAIA earlier than expected, and my connecting flight on airSWIFT was scheduled to depart at 2pm, I tried my luck to ask if I was able to take the earlier flight. Thanks to the friendly checkin staff and availability of seats on the earlier flight, I managed to get a boarding pass for the 11am flight, instead of having to wait an additional 3 hours at the airport.

The Philippines Airline flight landed at Terminal 2, and I had to make my own way to Terminal 4 where AirSWIFT was located. There was a shuttle bus between terminals, which cost P30. After getting my boarding pass, I waited at the crowded departures terminal for the flight. There was no premium lounge at T4 as it was considered the budget terminal.

Boarding call was made and people rushed to the gate. A dedicated shuttle bus chartered by AirSWIFT was provided to ferry us to our aircraft. Since it was a small plane, there was only one shuttle bus for all the passengers so we had to wait for everyone to clear at the boarding gate.

Along the way, we saw several other planes parked at the tarmac, such as AirAsia and Cebu Pacific, most of these budget airlines fly from T4.

Finally we reached our plane, which is a small ATR42-600. The steps to board the plane were manually loaded and we climbed up the few steps to board the plane. It was a unique experience indeed.

Inside the plane, it was a 2-2 seating configuration. The overhead storage compartment was not deep enough, so it could only contain a small backpack or laptop bags. The rest of the larger items had to be checked in to the storage area of the plane. The stewardess wore a maroon costume and greeted the passengers warmly.

El Nido is a Philippine municipality on Palawan island. It’s known for white-sand beaches, coral reefs and as the gateway to the Bacuit archipelago, a group of islands with steep karst cliffs. Miniloc Island is famed for the clear waters of its Small and Big lagoons. Nearby Shimizu Island has fish-filled waters. The area has many dive sites, including Dilumacad Island’s long tunnel leading to an underwater cavern. I had read much about this beautiful island and planned to go here for a long time. As we flew across the Philippine sea towards Palawan, we were greeted with views of the islands dotted around the sea.

It was a short flight of 50 minutes and soon, we landed at Lio Airport terminal in El Nido, amid strong winds and rain. It was the middle of monsoon season in the Philippines, so it was not the most ideal time to visit Palawan. The staff on the ground handed out umbrellas to the passengers as they had to brave the elements and walk to the airport terminal.

It was a small airport with the design that feels like the interior of a hotel lobby. All the passengers waited at the area for the checkin luggage to be brought here. It was matched with our boarding passes and then the passengers slowly dispersed.

Most of the passengers had arranged airport transfers to their respective resorts or hotels. For me, I did not have any pre-arranged transport, so I had to take an expensive tuktuk (P400) to my hostel. I could not find anyone else to share with me. The prices were kind of fixed as the driver showed me a chart with all the prices to various destinations. It was a bumpy ride of about half an hour due to the pothole-ridden roads.

AirSWIFT unique selling point is that they are the only airline that offers direct flights to El Nido, making it a convenient way to access the island and head straight to the resorts. I was contented that they allowed me to change to an earlier flight and did not charge extra for checkin baggage. For those who are looking for a hassle-free journey to El Nido and Sicogon, do fly with AirSWIFT.