Philippine Airlines said Monday it ramped up domestic flights on various routes in line with network restoration plan and in time for the holiday season.
The expanded line-up of flights is the flag carrier’s biggest ramp-up of domestic commercial operations this year”•a 103-percent increase in PAL flights compared to November 2020 levels as the local travel industry continued to bounce back gradually with the calibrated easing of travel requirements, re-opening of tourist routes and enhanced health and safety protocols.
PAL doubled services on the prime trunk route between Manila and Cebu, from 14 to 28 round trip flights weekly since Dec. 1.
Flights between Manila and Cagayan de Oro increased to three times daily, while flights between Manila and Tacloban were doubled to two times a day.
The flag carrier launched or resumed services to Antique, Catarman and popular tourist destinations Coron (Busuanga), Siargao and Boracay. PAL operates up to two flights daily to Boracay’s Caticlan Airport from Manila.
PAL’s Cebu hub continues to expand with flights to Clark, Puerto Princesa, Legazpi, Bacolod, General Santos and Siargao. PAL is also operating regularly from Davao to Zamboanga and vice versa.
PAL revived its service to Tagbilaran (Panglao airport) in November after the reopening of Bohol province to domestic tourism.
The airline is increasing flight frequencies on most domestic routes, including those from Manila to Laoag, Legazpi, Puerto Princesa, Kalibo, Cotabato, Butuan, Ozamiz and Pagadian; and likewise between Cebu and both Davao and Butuan.
“We are mobilizing more aircraft and hiking flights throughout our network to further help boost the recovery of the economy, including the tourism sector which is a major provider of jobs and business. At the same time, we are here to help our fellow Filipinos come home to be reunited with their families this Christmas and fly them back to their residences and work sites abroad,” said Harry Inoferio, PAL senior assistant vice president for Philippine sales.
PAL resumed services to15 additional destinations –increasing its network to 25 domestic and 32 international destinations.
The airline is adding more flights to London, New York, Honolulu, Guam, Jakarta, Bangkok, Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Hong Kong, Taipei, Dammam and Riyadh.
The long-awaited global launch of the COVID-19 vaccine contributes to the cautious optimism of the Philippines’ travel and tourism sectors. PAL is readying its fleet of wide-body aircraft for the task of transporting vaccines to the Philippines and around the region.
With passenger health and safety as a priority concern, PAL set up a one-stop-shop center at NAIA Terminal 2 that augments the national government’s existing facilities to conduct mandatory RT-PCR swab testing for arriving passengers.
The airline opened a testing center at the PAL Learning Center in Ermita, Manila, that conducts RT-PCR tests for PAL passengers who are taking domestic or international flights, with test results released within 12 to 24 hours.
The flag carrier continues to operate repatriation flights that bring home stranded OFWs and other overseas Filipinos from all over the world, along with all-cargo flights to transport essential goods.