Cebu Pacific is ringing in the Year of the Dragon with a massive Chinese New Year seat sale that puts sought-after destinations like Boracay, Bohol, Bangkok, and Hong Kong within easier reach of budget-conscious travelers. With one-way base fares advertised from just 88 Philippine pesos on select routes and a generous travel window from April 1 to October 31, 2026, the promotion is poised to fuel a new wave of summer and shoulder-season getaways across the region.
P88 Chinese New Year Fares Spark New Travel Wave
The Manila-based low-cost carrier formally launched its Chinese New Year 2026 seat sale on February 16, announcing that one-way base fares to a range of domestic and international destinations would start at 88 pesos. The sale period runs until February 20, or until seats are sold out, underscoring the urgency for travelers hoping to lock in the lowest prices.
Domestic favorites prominently featured in the campaign include the beach destinations of Boracay and Bohol, while marquee regional cities such as Bangkok and Hong Kong headline the international lineup. While the carrier’s full fare matrix was released via its own booking channels and social media, the overarching message is clear: Cebu Pacific is using the festive season to stimulate demand ahead of the crucial summer months and to keep its aircraft full during the leaner weeks that follow.
The Chinese New Year offer adds to a pattern of aggressive discounting by the airline, which has been rolling out successive promotional campaigns since 2024. Previous sales have included base fares of 1 peso on select routes and anniversary offers as low as 29 pesos, helping to cement the carrier’s reputation as the go-to option for Filipino travelers seeking rock-bottom prices.
Key Booking Dates and Travel Window for Bargain Hunters
Timing is central to the value of this latest sale. Cebu Pacific’s Chinese New Year promo can be booked from February 16 to February 20, 2026, giving customers a five-day window to search and secure discounted seats before the fare inventory resets. As with most low-cost carrier promotions, available seats are limited and vary by route, date, and time of day, encouraging travelers to act quickly and to be flexible with schedules.
The travel period covered by the promo stretches from April 1 to October 31, 2026. That range spans the Philippines’ peak summer season in April and May, the traditional school holiday rush, and the generally quieter months of the so-called “ber” season’s lead-up. For international markets like Bangkok and Hong Kong, the window enables both late-spring trips and early-autumn escapes, allowing passengers to capitalize on varying weather and festival calendars across the region.
This extended booking horizon also fits into a broader trend in Cebu Pacific’s promotional strategy. Earlier campaigns in 2025 featured discounted travel stretching multiple months into the future, from midyear through late winter 2026, giving cost-conscious travelers more runway to plan around work schedules, visa appointments, and family obligations. The Chinese New Year sale continues that approach, using long validity periods to lock in customer commitments well ahead of departure.
Boracay and Bohol Lead the Charge for Domestic Escapes
On the domestic front, Boracay and Bohol once again sit at the center of Cebu Pacific’s marketing push. Both destinations are consistent top performers for Philippine tourism and for the carrier’s network, with multiple daily services from Manila and, in many cases, from other hubs such as Cebu and Clark under its broader seat sale portfolio.
Boracay, served via Caticlan, remains the archetypal quick escape for travelers from Metro Manila seeking white-sand beaches and lively nightlife within a short flight and ferry ride. With base fares starting well under 100 pesos during promotions, Cebu Pacific seeks to keep its planes to this route filled even beyond the Holy Week and summer peaks, smoothing demand into the shoulder months of June to October when weather can be more variable.
Bohol, with flights into Panglao, draws a slightly different mix of visitors: families, divers, and culture-seekers attracted by the island’s mix of beaches, countryside tours, and eco-adventures. Discounted fares to Bohol during the Chinese New Year sale are expected to appeal to domestic travelers who may have delayed trips during previous high-season periods due to cost. By targeting these markets with deep cuts on base fares while still capturing ancillary revenues through baggage, seat selection, and in-flight sales, Cebu Pacific aims to balance volume and yield across its Philippine network.
Bangkok and Hong Kong Anchor International Routes
Beyond domestic shores, Bangkok and Hong Kong headline the Chinese New Year campaign as flagship international destinations. Both cities have long been among the most popular outbound leisure routes from the Philippines, and Cebu Pacific has been steadily building capacity to serve rising demand for city breaks, shopping trips, and regional connections.
Bangkok’s inclusion in the promo supports the airline’s broader push to strengthen its Southeast Asian footprint. Preceding sales in 2024 and 2025 already spotlighted the Thai capital in piso-fare and anniversary promotions, aligning Cebu Pacific’s marketing with Filipinos’ growing appetite for short-haul regional travel. By offering 88-peso base fares during Chinese New Year, the carrier is signaling its intent to remain competitive against other regional low-cost rivals and full-service airlines operating on the Manila to Bangkok corridor.
Hong Kong, meanwhile, continues to benefit from the steady recovery of both tourism and overseas Filipino worker travel. Cebu Pacific has consistently highlighted the city in its major sales, from piso fare campaigns to anniversary deals. The Chinese New Year 2026 promotion is particularly well-timed for travelers eyeing midyear shopping trips, family visits, or theme park holidays, and it leverages the city’s enduring status as a gateway to Greater China and beyond.
What Travelers Really Pay: Fees, Taxes, and Surcharges
While the “as low as 88 pesos” messaging has generated excitement online, travel experts continue to emphasize the importance of understanding how promotional fares are structured. Cebu Pacific’s Chinese New Year sale, like its previous promotions, applies the ultra-low rate only to the base fare. Travelers must still factor in a range of add-ons before arriving at the final ticket price.
For domestic routes, the airline includes a 7-kilogram hand-carry baggage allowance in the quoted sale fare. However, additional charges such as the web administration fee, the 12 percent value-added tax, terminal fees, and fuel surcharges are added at checkout. These costs can collectively exceed the base fare many times over, particularly during peak dates or on routes with higher operating costs.
International tickets under the Chinese New Year promo follow a similar pattern. A standard hand-carry allowance is included, but web administration fees for short-haul and long-haul flights, international terminal fees, and fuel surcharges are excluded from the headline price. Passengers adding checked baggage, meals, or preferred seats will see the total climb further, though still typically below standard non-promo fares if booked early in the sale period.
Consumer forums have long debated the transparency of low-cost airline pricing, with some travelers voicing frustration when advertised promo fares appear only on limited dates or at inconvenient hours. Cebu Pacific maintains that its offers are clearly labeled as “from” a certain peso level, and that limited promotional seats per flight are standard practice in the industry. For savvy buyers, carefully checking travel dates, flight times, and total price breakdowns remains key to maximizing value from the Chinese New Year sale.
Record Passenger Numbers and Network Reach Underpin the Sale
Cebu Pacific’s decision to roll out yet another headline-grabbing promo is anchored in its strengthened operational footing and expanding network. The airline carried nearly 26.9 million passengers in 2025, up nearly 10 percent from the previous year, highlighting the resilience of demand in the Philippine aviation market despite rising costs and stiff competition.
The carrier now operates flights to 37 domestic and 26 international destinations across Asia, Australia, and the Middle East. This reach allows it to bundle key routes in large-scale promotional campaigns, drawing attention with beach favorites like Boracay and Bohol while simultaneously pushing traffic toward other destinations where it has added capacity or opened new services.
Recent years have also seen Cebu Pacific invest heavily in fleet renewal and expansion. Aircraft orders and deliveries, including next-generation narrowbodies designed to burn less fuel per flight, enable the carrier to mount more flights while seeking to keep unit costs in check. Promo-led campaigns such as the Chinese New Year sale function as demand stimulators, ensuring that additional seats coming online are filled, particularly during off-peak weeks.
Industry observers note that the airline’s strategy of frequent, themed seat sales has helped keep it top-of-mind for Filipino travelers planning domestic trips or regional holidays. By anchoring these campaigns to familiar markers on the calendar, from Valentine’s Day and Chinese New Year to its own anniversary in March, Cebu Pacific taps into recurring waves of consumer interest.
Competitive Festive-Season Skies in the Philippines
The Chinese New Year promotion unfolds against an increasingly competitive backdrop, with rival low-cost carriers also using the festive season to lure travelers with headline fares. Other airlines in the Philippine market have launched their own February campaigns tied to both Chinese New Year and Valentine’s Day, often advertising base fares of just a few pesos on select domestic and regional routes.
For Cebu Pacific, the challenge is to stand out in a crowded promotional landscape while maintaining operational reliability during and after the sale period. Past sales in the industry have occasionally been marred by flight rescheduling complaints and payment glitches during high-traffic booking windows. The carrier has been working to scale up its digital channels and customer support infrastructure to handle spikes in demand when major promos go live.
Analysts say that while headline fares are a powerful marketing tool, long-term brand loyalty will hinge on consistent service delivery, transparent pricing practices, and the ability to recover quickly from disruptions. The Chinese New Year sale represents both an opportunity and a test on these fronts, as thousands of travelers flock online over the five-day booking window to try to secure bargain tickets.
How Travelers Can Maximize the Chinese New Year Sale
For would-be passengers eyeing discounted getaways to Boracay, Bohol, Bangkok, or Hong Kong, timing and preparation can make the difference between snagging a sub-100 peso base fare and paying close to regular prices. Travel planners recommend logging on early in the promo period, searching across multiple days, and being flexible with departure times, particularly for weekend and holiday dates that are likely to sell out first.
Budget-conscious travelers are also advised to decide in advance which add-ons are truly necessary. Sticking to the included 7-kilogram hand-carry allowance, for example, can keep costs down on short beach trips, while families or longer-stay visitors to Bangkok and Hong Kong may need to budget for checked baggage. Monitoring the total price at each step of the booking process helps ensure that the final fare still represents a meaningful saving over standard rates.
Finally, travel experts highlight the importance of checking travel documents, local entry requirements, and weather patterns before confirming international trips within the April to October window. While Cebu Pacific’s Chinese New Year sale can unlock substantial savings on base fares, an informed, realistic assessment of on-the-ground conditions, accommodation costs, and travel insurance needs remains essential for a smooth and cost-effective holiday.