The US-based Airline Passenger Experience Association gave anew Philippine Airlines a 4-Star Major Regional Airline rating award.
“APEX, an international industry organization which carries out an airline ratings program based solely on certified passenger feedback, recently named flag carrier Philippine Airlines as a 4-Star Major Regional Airline,” said PAL Corporate Communications Department head and spokesperson Cielo Villaluna.
She said the airline ratings were created based on neutral, third-party passenger feedback and insights gathered through APEX’s partnership with TripIt® from Concur®, the world’s highest-rated travel-organizing app.
APEX chief executive officer Dr. Joe Leader said more than 1.4-million flights were rated by passengers across nearly 600 airlines from around the world.
“Only a small, single digit percentage of these airlines reached the prestigious APEX Four Star Airline status while an even smaller number reached the monumental APEX Five Star Airline level. All of us at APEX take extraordinary pride in giving full power to airline passengers as the ultimate source of validated truth in airline ratings worldwide,” said Leader.
Villaluna said the rating period was conducted from July 2018 to July 2019.
This year's APEX Official Airline Ratings recognizes airlines in four categories:
Global Airlines: Airlines with a large number of wide-body aircraft covering the globe; Major Regional: Airlines covering a significant region of the globe, and Low Cost Carriers: Airlines that self-identify as being low cost carriers.
Using a five-star scale, more than 500,000 flights by passengers from around the world rated throughout the year.
First, passengers rated their overall flight experience, and then were given the opportunity to provide ratings in five subcategories: Seat comfort, cabin service, food and beverage, entertainment, and Wi-Fi. The overall ratings were certified by an external auditing service hired by APEX and used to establish the airline’s Official Airline Ratings.
Last year, APEX also gave PAL the same rating during a special ceremony held in Boston.
The new 4-Star honors given by the world-renowned and non-profit airline customer association is the latest in a string of international victories notched by the Filipino flag carrier.