A travel blogger is about to sample two of Philippine Airlines' newer business class cabins in one booking: the Airbus A330-300 with direct aisle access from Nagoya to Manila, then the flag carrier's fresh Airbus A350-1000 product from Manila to Toronto. With the airline on the verge of joining oneworld, the review could matter for anyone weighing Philippine Airlines against the bigger Asian carriers.
The price is the eye-catching part. The one-way business class ticket from Nagoya to Toronto costs $1,700 — booked entirely with Chase points at a 1.5-cent-per-point rate, so roughly 114,000 points with no cash outlay. That's in line with many saver-level business redemptions these days, and it shows Philippine Airlines can be a budget-friendly way to cross the Pacific in a flat bed.
There's one practical wrinkle worth flagging. The blogger originally hoped to earn Alaska Airlines' Atmos Rewards points on the flight, since Alaska and Philippine Airlines are partners — but it turns out you can only earn on Philippine Airlines fares booked through Alaska itself, where prices are much higher. Travellers hoping to double-dip on that partnership may need to pick another loyalty program for their flight.
Also handy to know: this routing avoids changing terminals in Manila, which the writer bluntly calls the world's worst inter-terminal transit experience. If you're connecting through MNL, choosing flights that keep you in one terminal is worth prioritising.
The same trip doubles as a hotel tour of Japan, with three properties on the list. In Tokyo, it's the BVLGARI Hotel — reputedly the strongest of the brand's locations — a change of pace from recent point-booked stays at the Park Hyatt Tokyo and the two Tokyo EDITIONs. In Osaka, the newly opened (2025) Waldorf Astoria gets a look, along with the Osaka Station Hotel, a Marriott Autograph Collection property. The latter's draw is unusual: a 'Specialty Salon' lounge with reportedly excellent food and even caviar, accessible only to guests paying for Specialty Salon rooms or holding Bonvoy Ambassador status — a rare case of a hotel differentiating between elite tiers above the usual lounge rules.
Why does this matter for travellers? Because Philippine Airlines is quietly assembling a competitive premium product ahead of its oneworld entry, and its business class fares are among the more affordable ways to fly between Asia and North America in comfort. If the A350-1000 cabin and service hold up, it could become a genuine value alternative on transpacific routes — and pairing it with a Nagoya departure avoids the Tokyo crowds entirely.
Full verdicts on both cabins and all three hotels are still to come, so watch this space for how the new A350-1000 stacks up.