Philippine Airlines said it is unlikely to achieve its target to become a five-star airline by 2020 amid the airport congestion and in the absence of a bigger passenger terminal.
“Our target is to be certified as a five-star airline by 2020 [but] we have to be very realistic. One of the requirements of five-star rating is a very good, very nice and beautiful lounge and we don’t have yet here in Manila. According to Skytrax, it is not a five star. In Terminal 2, we have a lounge but it’s very small,” PAL president and chief operating officer Jaime Bautista said.
“Hopefully, we will have a new lounge if the [Naia] Consortium will put up the Terminal 2 Annex,” he said.
The Naia Consortium plans to spend P102 billion to expand and interconnect the existing terminals of Naia, upgrade airside facilities, develop commercial facilities to increase airline and airport efficiencies, enhance passenger comfort and experience and elevate the status of Naia as the country’s premier international gateway.
Bautista said the existing Naia passenger terminal was also congested.
“They [Skytrax] will look at how passengers like their experience in the airport, not only onboard the aircraft. Onboard on the airplane, I can tell you we are five star. The cabin crew is a five star, the meals almost a five star and the aircraft is a five star. The airport experience is not because there is so much congestion. It’s beyond our control and they look at the overall experience of the passengers,” he said.
“We will strive to continue improving passenger service. I think what is important is that the passengers will be happy on board of the aircraft. If they are less happy in the airport, we will try our best to make them happy on board,” Bautista said.
Bautista said he was happy that PAL was certified as a four-star airline by Skytrax last year, joining 40 other well-renowned airlines in this prestigious category.
This 4-Star Airline rating is a mark of quality distinction that recognizes excellent standards of product and staff service across different assessment categories for both the onboard and airport environment.
Skytrax is the London-based international air transport rating organization which carries out comprehensive airport and airline audits and ranks airlines worldwide for staff service standards and product quality.
The Skytrax Certified Airline Star Ratings, awarded since 1999, are internationally recognized as the global benchmark of airline standards.