BAKHALA ON AIR

Bakhala is a word we used to call in Saudi Arabia for a convenient store. It’s much bigger than 7-Eleven stores but with similar things to sell from kitchenware, toilet wares, foodstuffs, bottled water, chocolate, and any other products that you can buy from a grocery store. I used to think the same as “sari-sari store but completely opposite because customers can enter inside the store and select what you want.  Any idea why I made an overview of what a Bakhala is? Please bear with me; we’ll cross that bridge soon.

In my long years in Saudi Arabia, I had travelled various airlines, of course, mostly Middle East bound (where my work is based), both in economy & business class. Nowadays, in the company that I’m connected 5 years ago, I punished them by travelling business class as one of my entitled benefits. In business section, upon occupying my assigned seat, a stewardess normally approached and introduces herself as my caretaker during the flight duration. My usual request before departure is normally Champagne, just don’t ask me the brand coz I’m not familiar and they taste same be it in Etihad Airways, Gulf Air, Emirates Airline, Cathay Pacific, etc. or in hotels like Radisson Blue or Marco Polo.

In Cebu Pacific (CebuPac) flight to Singapore last 27 August, I noticed that even in a 4-hour flight, meals are not served by default, however, can be requested for a fee. Very funny, but probably I’m just not familiar of same set-up, however, might be normal for regular travelers in CebuPac. By God’s grace and thanks to the travel agency, our ticket specifies “chicken adobo” as our meal. Know what, it’s not easy to commence eating and others are not or can’t. Much more so, both my wife and daughter escaped dinner, thus me & RR had no choice but to consume two “chicken adobo” meal packs on our way to Singapore. Jokingly, I called Cebu Pac as “Bakhala on Air”. Stewards and/or Stewardess push the roller and sell everything from water, pack meals, snacks, wines, perfumes. Personally, it’s an attention-grabbing strategy but I still find it “cheap” marketing.

On the positive note, airline fares become cheap due to absence of food served during flights. The strategy might be practical specially timing of the flight. For a 7:30 PM flight schedule, normally passengers had already taken dinner either in their houses if near the airport or at the airport itself, like what we did. Still, what if you’re a resident outside Mactan Island, say from Talisay or Naga Cities in the south? The usual appearance is at least 3 hours before scheduled flight for international departures. So, for those residing outside Mactan, traveling to MCIAA starts either with 3PM maximum at the most considering traffic on the way. Meal inside MCIAA is not that cheap. I find the prices funny but I’m used to it being a frequent flyer. With such facts, I still believe that in a 4-hour flight, food shall be embedded in the airline fare typical to other airlines.

All the same, my opinion is not at all typical to others who might think on the opposite. We are a free country anyway with different opinion and should you feel that such marketing is acceptable, then by no means enjoy the ride and take a deep sleep while others are enjoying their meal. This piece is for people’s awareness and shall not expect more than what I wrote above.