Category: Philippine Airlines

PAL Tacloban flights suspended during Pope’s visit

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Philippine Airlines (PAL) passengers flying to or from Tacloban on January 17, 2015 are advised to rebook their tickets as Tacloban airport will be closed to all commercial flights during Pope Francis’ visit to the storm-ravaged city.

As part of the preparations for next year’s papal visit, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) has issued a notice to all airlines, suspending all airline operations at Tacloban on Jan. 17, 2015 for security reasons.

Passengers with tickets to Tacloban on Jan. 17 should call PAL Reservations (02-855-8888) for rebooking or refund. Affected passengers will be accommodated on the next available flights.

PAL, as official papal carrier, will fly Pope Francis to Tacloban primarily to visit victims of typhoons Yolanda and Ruby.

PAL will also fly the Roman Pontiff directly to Rome, non-stop, at the end of his four-day visit to the Philippines.

PAL also served as official papal carrier during the two visits to the country of now Saint John Paul II in 1981 and 1995.

Philippine Airlines set to expand routes to Japan

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Flag carrier Philippine Airlines will expand routes to Japan with the opening of new services to Osaka and Nagoya via Cebu.

By December 19, PAL will begin operating four weekly flights (Mondays/Thursdays/ Fridays/ Sundays) between Cebu and Osaka on PR 410. The next day (Dec.20), PAL will begin operating three weekly flights (Tuesdays/ Wednesdays/ Sundays) between Cebu and Nagoya on PR 480.

The new routes to be launched in December this year will bring to 67 the total number of PAL flights to Japan per week.

At present, PAL operates from Manila 11 weekly flights to Haneda (Tokyo), 14 weekly flights to Narita (Tokyo), seven weekly flights each to Nagoya, Osaka (Kansai), and Fukuoka. From Cebu, there are 14 weekly flights to Narita (Tokyo).

The launching of the new air services is the flag carrier’s response to strong public clamor for new routes to Japan, considered the third biggest source of visitor arrivals to the country.

Data from the Department of Tourism shows that as of January – August 2014, arrivals from Japan have reached 310, 901, an increase of 5.95% from the 293,445 tallied during the same period the year before.

The new routes will commence nine months after the air carrier launched flights to Haneda, PAL’s fifth gateway to Japan after Narita, Osaka, Fukuoka and Nagoya.

PAL flies to New York in March 2015

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Philippine Airlines is flying to the Big Apple, New York City, on March 15, 2015, marking the carrier’s much-awaited network expansion to the US east coast.

In announcing the New York service, PAL Chairman & Chief Executive Officer Lucio C. Tan said, “This auspicious start of regular flights to New York will coincide with PAL’s 74th founding anniversary.”

The four-times-a-week service – Manila-Vancouver-New York – will operate at Terminal 1 of New York’s JFK International Airport. PAL will have full traffic rights between Vancouver and New York.

The addition of New York will bring to five the total US destinations, following Los Angeles, San Francisco, Honolulu and Guam.

The flight to New York – distance of 14,501 kilometers or approximately 16.5 total flying hours – will be PAL’s longest route.

Flight PR 126 departs Manila every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday at 11:50 p.m. Arrival in Vancouver is 8:50 p.m. on the same day. After a two-hour transit stop, the service continues on to New York at 10:50 p.m., touching down at Terminal 1 of JFK International at 7:00 a.m. the following day.

The return service, PR 127, departs New York at 11:00 a.m. every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, arriving in Vancouver at 1:50 p.m. It departs the Canadian city at 3:20 p.m. and lands back in Manila at 8:35 p.m. the following day.

PAL will utilize the Airbus A340-300 jets, which seats 36 passengers in business class and 218 in economy.

On board, passengers can expect to be pampered with PAL’s signature “at home” in-flight service, which features business class seats that convert to full-flat beds; in-flight entertainment system such as audio-video on demand in business, and gourmet cuisine designed by top international guest chefs.

The New York service will have the added benefit of boosting PAL’s Canadian operation. From March 15, 2015, the current daily service between Manila and Vancouver will spike to 11 flights weekly with three departure times from Manila – mid-afternoon, early evening and late evening – providing wider schedule choices to passengers.

Manila-Toronto will add a fourth weekly frequency, increasing capacity on this long-haul route in time for the peak summer travel period out of Manila.

PAL’s return has been keenly anticipated by the huge Filipino-American communities along the U.S. eastern seaboard ever since the flag carrier pulled out of the region in 1997. About half a million ethnic Filipinos reside on the East Coast, with over 253,000 in the New York-New Jersey metropolitan area, 90,000 in Virginia, 75,000 in Washington, D.C. and environs, and 31,000 in the Philadelphia metro area. Overall, Filipinos on the East Coast account for 15% of the estimated 3.4-million-strong Filipino population in the U.S., comprising a natural base market for PAL.

CAB grants CEB additional entitlements to 5 int’l routes

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​The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB), in a recently concluded board meeting, granted additional entitlements to the Philippines’ leading carrier, Cebu Pacific for 5 international routes from Manila to Singapore, Myanmar, New Zealand and Macau; and from Cebu to Hong Kong.

Cebu Pacific was granted seven flights weekly from Manila to New Zealand and 1,260 entitlements from Manila to Singapore, allowing the airline to upgrade its current daily Airbus A320 service to an Airbus A330 service.

In the same meeting, CAB designated Cebu Pacific Air as an official Philippine carrier to New Zealand, Myanmar, and Canada.

Cebu Pacific’s opposition to extension of the codeshare agreement between Philippine Airlines (PAL) and Emirates on the Manila-Dubai route which is set to expire in October 2014 was also granted by the CAB.

“We commend the CAB air panel for their wisdom in rendering decisions that allow Philippine carriers to expand services in international routes. This ultimately benefits the travelling public, as Cebu Pacific continues offering the lowest fares, and driving international arrivals aligned with the country’s tourism goals,” said Atty. Jorenz Tañada, Cebu Pacific Air Vice President, Corporate Affairs.

Cebu Pacific Air is set to launch thrice weekly flights from Manila to Kuwait on September 2, 2014 and four times weekly flights from Manila to Sydney on September 9, 2014.

PAL condoles with victims of downed aircraft; assures passengers of safe routes

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Flag carrier Philippine Airlines today assured its passengers that it does not fly over Ukrainian airspace, following the tragic incident involving a Malaysian Airlines aircraft that was reportedly shot down over an area of conflict.

“We wish to convey our heartfelt sympathies to the families of the victims of this tragic incident and join the rest of the world in praying for those who were lost, as well as their loved ones,” the carrier said in a statement.

PAL also assured passengers, particularly those taking its direct Manila to London flights, that it continues to strictly follow regulations on flight paths.
“We comply with all safety advisories covering allowed flight routes, areas of restriction or conflict areas, and all other related matters governing flight paths,” PAL said.

Also, the route that PAL’s Manila – London – Manila flights uses does not go anywhere near Ukraine or its territory.

The flight route, which covers Southeast Asia, the Indian continent, Turkey, Middle East and Europe “is nowhere near the no-fly zone areas.”