Philippine Airlines said Friday it resumed accepting non-immigrant passengers to fly to the United States who qualify for the Visa Waiver Program (VWP).
“We have received confirmation from U.S. Customs and Border Protection that we may resume accepting non-immigrant visitors to the United States who are traveling under the US Visa Waiver Program,” PAL spokesperson Cielo Villaluna said.
“Passengers with valid visa waiver authorizations under the Electronic System for Travel Authorization [ESTA] may resume flying to the United States with Philippine Airlines effective immediately,” she said.
The VWP enables most citizens or nationals of participating countries to travel to the United States for tourism or business for stays of 90 days or less without obtaining a visa. The Philippines, however, is not in the list of 40 countries eligible for the program, and Filipino nationals are required to obtain business/tourist visa to enter the US.
Villaluna said eligible passengers under the VWP may immediately resume booking travel to the United States.
“Passengers previously transferred to other airlines due to our proactive measures have the option to keep their current itinerary. If they prefer to switch back to a PAL flight, they can reach out to us for rebooking via the PAL customer support channels in the provided link,” Villaluna said.
“We apologize for the inconvenience caused, and we thank you for your understanding and cooperation,” she said.
PAL offers direct flights to the United States, including San Francisco, New York, Guam Los Angeles and Honolulu.