I have read about Oasis Airlines the first time it was publicised in mid-2006. Back then when I checked their London-Manila rate, the three of us could have gotten a return ticket at less than £500! But I didn’t push it. First, we needed a budget for allowance money & a Pinas trip for 2007 is not planned. Second, I wasn’t sure of their service (as they’re new) & I wouldn’t want the family to suffer from DVT (deep vein thrombosis).

Around March of this year, some people we know started talking about Oasis & they knew people-who-knew-other-people who used the airline daw. There is one girl in particular who managed a roundtrip flight for £200 daw.

So the other night, while hubby & I were looking for Eurostar Paris break for August, I showed him Oasis just out of fancy. Sabi nya agad mag-book na daw kami. Imagine, Emirates (which we always take) quoted a March 2008 flight for our family at around £2800. In Oasis it was just £750, including taxes and surcharges!

The following morning I called my sister in Dubai. The last time we spoke her hubby suggested we coordinate our hols next year. I have not seen my sister for 6 years & her daughter I haven’t kissed or hugged since birth! I was really excited. Then I called my ate in Pinas to tell her the good news. She got over excited, akala nya this year kami uuwi. Ay Mali. But in any case, when I told her I will book the tickets that night & the Dubai family will book theirs soon after, ate was really over the moon. It will be fantastic for our parents, too.

I started emailing Pinas-based friends. All day long I’ve had visions of what I will do. How we will arrange our itineraries. I started dreading the suggestion that we stay with my outlaws for a few days. I mentally checked my shopping list for the family: jeans, hankies, ilocos kornik, and chocnuts are but a few.

Then I couldn’t resist it, I peeked at Oasis one more time. Ngek, they only have schedules for March 2008. Wala pa April. I was miffed because hubby said before bed that we ought to go in April in time for pogiBoy’s 4th birthday. It made sense but still… you know, I was put back to Earth & made to face my reality.

I will have to wait perhaps until end of July (I emailed Oasis to enquire) before we can book our Pinas flights to Hongkong & connecting flights to Pinas. I know I will also wait for 8 months before we can fly home. But if I just have the booking confirmed & the printout framed in front of me, I’m sure the coming cold winter will be a breeze.

I miss Pilipinas so much.