Airlines, Airplanes and Airports - Compiled Threads [Archive] - Page 18

sandrin

September 3rd, 2006, 06:38 AM

PAL wants Cebu Pac’s entitlements to Japan
By Lenie Lectura
Reporter
businessmirror.com.ph

PHILIPPINE Airlines (PAL) wants to use the Japan flight entitlements that rival Cebu Pacific Air had voluntarily given up.

PAL president Jaime Bautista said the flag carrier would go after what is left of the coefficients or entitlements from Japan. “We want to use what is available. Yes, we want their Japan entitlements,” said the PAL official in an interview.

Cebu Pacific was awarded a total of seven coefficients but had to give them up before the September 15 deadline set by the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) for the airline to start using them.

The airline unit of the Gokongwei group was planning to use a 150-seater Airbus 319 aircraft for its Japan route. However, the counterpart of the CAB in Japan did not allow the airline to mount flights there using that type of aircraft.

Thereafter, Cebu Pacific wrote CAB, informing the agency it was giving up the entitlements, which would have been nevertheless revoked if the airline failed to start the flights to Japan by September 15.

“Either they use it or lose it. If they don’t fly then other applicants will get it,” said a source from the CAB.

Pacific East Asia Cargo had applied for 2.5 coefficients from Japan, which the CAB would grant anytime soon. “Pacific Cargo’s application already underwent public hearings. We will formally grant their application very soon,” said the source.

Meanwhile, the CAB will take possession of the remaining 4.5 coefficients out of the total of seven awarded to Cebu Pacific until these are awarded to other applicants.

“The remaining 4.5 entitlements will go back to the general pool. PAL’s application is subject to the usual hearing process,” said the source.

The CAB received PAL’s application early this week. “PAL knows that it cannot get the entire seven entitlements because another applicant had previously sought 2.5 coefficients. Therefore, PAL will have to settle with the remaining 4.5 coefficients,” said the CAB source.

Japan measures flight entitlements in coefficients, which is based on the size of the aircrafts flying to its airports.

One round-trip flight is equivalent to one coefficient using a Boeing 575 aircraft, which has a seating capacity of 228; 1.5 coefficients for an Airbus 330, which can carry 250 to 293 passengers; and two coefficients for Boeing 747, which has a seating capacity of 347 to 490.

Nagoya is the nearest airport to Tokyo, which no longer gives slots to foreign airlines because of the heavy traffic in the airport.

Japan is the Philippines’ second largest source of foreign arrivals next to the US. About 170,000 overseas Filipino workers commuted annually between the two countries.

PAL currently flies to 19 domestic destinations and 24 international routes.

On Wednesday, PAL said it would “reconfigure” its flights to Japan and the US, outfitting the Boeing 747 planes used in these routes with new in-flight entertainment systems, and phasing out first-class seats.

---With input from Honey M. Reyes

Skyblade

September 3rd, 2006, 07:38 AM

^^ Ugh, so much for seeing 5J in Japan for now. :(

One round-trip flight is equivalent to one coefficient using a Boeing 575 aircraft

Is that an inverted 757? ;)

ewh1

September 3rd, 2006, 10:21 AM

On Wednesday, PAL said it would “reconfigure” its flights to Japan and the US, outfitting the Boeing 747 planes used in these routes with new in-flight entertainment systems, and phasing out first-class seats.

hmmm this is interesting. :)

bustero

September 4th, 2006, 06:18 AM

It's official, welcome back to SIA, 5J.

Low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific resumes flights to Singapore

Agence France-Presse
Last updated 06:25pm (Mla time) 09/01/2006

SINGAPORE -- Philippine low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific resumed flights to Singapore on Friday, three years after suspending the service due to the SARS health scare, the airport operator said.

The Cebu Pacific flight arrived after midnight at the Singapore Budget Terminal, joining Singapore-based Tiger Airways as the no-frills facility's second tenant and the first foreign carrier to operate from it.

Cebu Pacific, controlled by the family of Filipino tycoon John Gokongwei, will operate a daily flight between Manila and Singapore. The budget terminal here opened in March.

The carrier suspended the loss-making route to Singapore in 2003 barely three months after its launch as demand for travel was slashed due to the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome outbreak.

Cebu Pacific flies to 16 destinations in the Philippines and has only two other international points, Hong Kong and Seoul.

"We are very happy to welcome Cebu Pacific as the second carrier to operate out of Singapore's budget terminal," said Ho Beng Huat, deputy director general of civil aviation at the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore.

"The terminal's operating model of 'no frills' efficiency and low cost operations will serve very well Cebu Pacific's 'low fare, great value' business model."

Ho said the service was expected to further boost passenger traffic between the Philippines and Singapore, which rose 24 percent year-on-year in the seven months to July.

Tiger Airways, backed by Singapore Airlines, flies to the Philippines through Clark Field, a former US air force base north of Manila.

Singapore's one-storey low cost terminal at Changi Airport occupies 25,000 square metres (278,000 square feet) of floor space, about the size of three football fields, and can handle about 2.7 million passengers a year.

It is designed to serve five million after expansion.

bustero

September 4th, 2006, 06:28 AM

PR seems to be very active as well, looks like it's taking a leadership position. I think the rehab is basically done. Let's see how it works itself out with this listing.

Baguio Gold takeover of PAL to cost P136M
By Zinnia B. Dela Peña
The Philippine Star 09/04/2006

Baguio Gold Holdings Corp. said it will pay P136 million for the acquisition of an 81.57 percent interest in flag carrier Philippine Airlines.

In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, Baguio Gold said it is acquiring the shareholdings of Pol Holdings Inc., Cube Factor Holdings Inc., Ascot Holdings Inc, Sierra Holdings and Equities Inc., Network Holdings & Equities Inc. and Maxell Holdings Corp. in PAL.

Baguio Gold said the payment will be made over a 12-month period. Both Baguio Gold and PAL are controlled by Filipino-Chinese tycoon Lucio Tan. The purchase price took into consideration the current book values of each of the companies, which are all negative, Baguio Gold said.

"The acquisition of the holding companies is not expected to impact negatively on the minority stockholders of the corporation. "In fact, (the) minority stockholders will benefit from the value added by the indirect investment in PAL without any additional investment on their part," Baguio Gold said.

Baguio Gold will hold a shareholders’ meeting on Sept. 29 to seek approval for the increase in its authorized capital stock to P20 billion from P400 million to accommodate its acquisition of a controlling stake in PAL.

To support the increase in its capital, Baguio Gold said it would convert certain debt acquired in connection with the acquisition of indirect interests in PAL into equity. It did not disclose the amount. The transaction is expected to result in the backdoor listing of PAL on the local bourse.

Backdoor listing is a technique used by a corporation to get listed on the stock exchange whereby the company acquires and merges with a company already listed. Baguio Gold trimmed its net loss in the second quarter this year to P312,501 from the previous level’s P8.64 million. Revenues, however, fell to P627,466 from P679,512.

PAL, on the other hand, earned $28.7 million in its fiscal year ending March this year, its second year of profit.

The airline, which agreed to a debt rehabilitation program with creditors in 1999, has cut the size of its debt to about $1.1 billion.

It has been adding more flights and upgrading its fleet in view of the highly competitive business environment.

bustero

September 4th, 2006, 06:33 AM

This is so sickening. What is more important the fact that the government authorities failed the test ( a fact) or that the security expert performed an illegal act in testing how secure our flights are (still questionable). The bottom line is instead of focusing what went wrong and how to fix it they seem to be covering their ass by saying the whole thing was wrong to begin with since the security guy was wrong to perform such an audit! With people like these who needs terrorists!

Security officials go after terror expert

Footage shown to 50 in anti-terror seminar
By Arlyn dela Cruz
Inquirer
Last updated 01:57am (Mla time) 09/04/2006

Published on page A1 of the September 4, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

THE MYSTERY MAN who said he was able to smuggle bomb components onto a domestic airliner is now the target of an intense investigation aimed at ferreting him out and finding out who was behind it all.

When he breached the security networks at two premier domestic airports in the country, the civilian antiterrorism expert knew he was testing the limits and taking great risks because he could get caught and end up in jail for possessing explosive components he knew very well were illegal.

Knowing the delicate nature of the operation, the man made it clear he did not want his name or that of the person who asked him to do the job revealed.

He referred to the man as the “boss.”

He said the “boss” was concerned about the adequacy of security measures at airports and wanted to know if the system really worked.

The “boss” also wanted no one to know about the exercise “because what is the point of doing it if everybody is prepared,” said the security expert.

At a restaurant in Quezon City, the expert used a laptop to play the video which he said he took while aboard the plane and which showed him inside the aircraft lavatory with the bomb components he had sneaked in.

The components included a small blasting cap, an adaptor inside of which he said he had hidden some C4 plastic, and a cell phone. He had secreted the bomb materials in his jacket, computer bag, belt and shoes.

He showed the video to this journalist and two other people, including another security expert known to the police, and another civilian.

Kibitzing waiter

The anti-terror expert said he was, in fact, hoping he would get caught for it would mean that the human and technical aspects of the security procedures he was testing were working well.

A waiter at the restaurant tried to kibitz while he was showing the video.

The expert said it was the same video that he showed to airport personnel assigned to the scanning and X-ray areas of the airport, to prove to them that he was able to get away with it.

He showed the video during an antiterrorism training exercise in Davao attended by a group of security and airport personnel.

The whole point

“I am not saying the scanning and the X-ray machines are defective,” the expert said during the restaurant conversation, which took place last week before the Inquirer ran his explosive story.

“The point I was trying to prove was the laxity and the human factor of security here. Do airport personnel know what to look for and where to look?”

There was also another reason he showed his video during the seminar, he said.

The expert said he carried out his exercise a few days after British police foiled a plot to blow up US-bound airliners in the air using “liquid” explosives.

The first question that hit him when he heard the news was: “What if that’s what the terrorists want the whole world to think? That they have developed liquid bombs when, in fact, they have not yet advanced in that area of bomb-making?”

Penetration and insertion

Based on early actual terror attacks, there has been no evidence to prove that, indeed, terrorists had achieved the capability to launch a liquid bomb attack, he said.

After the London alert on Aug. 11, attention was focused on liquid substances carried by passengers.

This was the basis for his “penetration and insertion test,” the expert said during the two-hour conversation over pizza, pasta and iced tea.

“I went traditional,” he said, explaining his choice of materials and why he hid them on his person, including his shoes.

He said his biggest frustration was that he was not caught.

“If you walk through and remove all the metal items from your body, nothing will really beep. But they don’t look at each of the luggage items. They saw the electrical adaptor but not the C4 component which looked like gel hidden inside,” he said in Filipino.

Where’s the air marshal?

The aircraft he boarded was another story, the expert said.

“Where was the civilian marshal in that aircraft? It’s not enough that the flight attendants are courteous and gracious to their passengers, it’s most important that they give attention to the behavior of their passengers,” the expert said.

He pointed to the portion of his video that showed him taking off his shoes and exposing the blasting cap attached to the sole. He said he shot that portion of the video while sitting in the mid-row section of the aircraft.

Asked what the person next to him was doing while he was taking the video, the expert said: “Nothing!”

He also said he deliberately spent a long time inside the lavatory to see if any of the passengers or flight attendants would suspect anything.

When he finally showed the video to the estimated 50 people who attended the seminar he conducted in Davao City, he said those present acknowledged the lapses.

He said the seminar participants saw this as a “wake-up call” that real terrorists might still use the same “tactics” they had used in the past -- and not the so-called sophisticated techniques which authorities said the terrorists were now capable of.

He said the recommendations he gave in that lecture were immediately implemented at the Davao International Airport.

But what if he got caught? Who would cover for him?

“No one,” he said, adding that he was not even expecting that the person who asked him to carry out the exercise would vouch for him.

“A real terrorist does not coordinate and reveal his plan, not even to the one who ordered him,” he said.

The expert clarified that while he was commissioned and hired to conduct the testing, how to go about it was entirely up to him.

“This is the truth about terrorism,” he said. “You trust no one and just do it, aware of all the risks involved. That’s why it’s called a suicide mission. The only missing element here was the actual assembly of the bomb components and the push of the button.”

“I knew what I was doing. I only wanted to show the possibilities,” he added.

The expert said he had done similar test cases in the past but on a smaller scale that did not involve such sensitive and high-profile targets.

Not in hiding

The man has been in the security business for years and has published a book on explosives, guns and ammunition. His book has been sold in gun stores nationwide since 2001.

“The ironic part of it is that airport authorities are encouraging the antiterrorism expert to come out but at the same time remark that he could be liable for his actions,” another security expert said, referring to statements made by security people that the man could be held criminally liable for what he had done.

The second expert said the man who carried out the test was “not in hiding but contemplating.”

“The real problem is the terror threat out there that may be carried out by a determined and driven suicide bomber which the expert had simulated,” he said.

Copyright 2006 Inquirer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

MarkiiBoi

September 4th, 2006, 11:29 AM

bustero

September 4th, 2006, 01:01 PM

^^Interesting. That basically means early retirement from rehab. My nose tells me (and this has often been wrong ever since we've been forecasting :)) is that PR is hot on the 777's and is really going after them, but this would require US EXIM financing which will likely not happen with the existing rehab in place. With the backdoor listing, and probably a private placement, and retirement of 160m$ , that may put them in place to have decent gearing ratios for the credit agencies. At the very least this would give them much much better leverage in bargaining with airbus. Perhaps the order will include options for the replacement of the existing 744's. Even with the planned interior reconfiguration, these are still old birds with perhaps 5 to 6 years of efficient operational life left.

niconepo

September 5th, 2006, 04:29 AM

PAL delays order for new planes

Article posted September 4, 2006, 2:42 pm
Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) has decided to delay to next quarter its order for four wide-bodied aircraft for its long-haul trips, company president Jaime Bautista said in Monday.

"We still have not decided on that yet. We will finalize soon, probably it will take another quarter again," said Jaime Bautista in an interview.

PAL was supposed to decide this month on whether it will order new planes. The additional four-wide bodied planes that PAL is eyeing to purchase will be used to service its US routes and Vancouver in Canada.

Bautista said the carrier is determined to acquire more planes to service existing and new routes. However, it has yet to make up its mind if it will choose US aerospace giant Boeing Co. or European plane maker Airbus.

The airline will take delivery of three more Airbus 319 planes this year. The first will arrive sometime during the third week of September. The second Airbus unit will arrive the following moth and the last will be in December.

At present, PAL has nine Airbus 320-200s. Three A320-200s were added to the airline’s fleet in October, December of last year and another in January of this year, replacing three Boeing 737 whose leases expired in November 2004 and March 2005.

It also utilizes four A340-300s and eight A330-300s.

By December 2008, when the major part of the refleeting program is completed, PAL will have an all-new narrow-body fleet consisting of 14 A320s and two A319s.

PAL's overseas flights account for 70 percent of total sales and Bautista said half is due to the US operations. The remaining 30 percent is due to domestic routes.

Bautista said the airline is eyeing to finance the aircraft through a combination of export credit financing and borrowing or internal funding.

"We have drawn up three options. We could tap export credit agencies. We can also go for commercial financing and the last would be to sell our airplanes and have these lease back to us," said Bautista.

He said a combination of two is, so far, the best option for PAL.

"Our priority is to go for the export credit agencies (ECAs) because there is a guarantee and lower interest. Our direction, should we pick that option, is to tap ECAs to cover a maximum of 85 percent of the amount while the 15 percent can be financed either by commercial borrowing or from internal funds," said Bautista. - GMANews.TV

Can't be helped, but I would love to see an A380 in PAL colours. My mom had friends over during the Labor Day weekend, and I happened to talk to someone who used to work for PAL. He told me that PAL COULD maintain flights to Europe even if they are undercut by Emirates. Apparently LT is the one who's against resuming flights to Europe. He also told me that PAL since the mid-1990s had plans to launch flights to Seattle and San Diego; flights to the U.S. East Coast (New York and Chicago) despite its potential, are unprofitable because of the competition with Northwest and other Asian carriers. Oh, and the Mabuhay Magazine rumor? PAL considered doing it several years ago, since a lot of the employees (and passengers) were taking it home! I guess it was only now that PAL was seriously considering it. Finally, he thought the move to cut Riyadh was a big mistake...

Of all the mistakes PAL has done since cutting Riyadh and Kuala Lumpur off the network, considering to stop the publication of Mabuhay Magazine has to be the WORST of them all.

Paalam First Class. You'll be missed. So many memories...at least PAL is now serious on improving its inflight entertainment.

Skyblade

September 5th, 2006, 06:35 AM

Indeed good news bustero on behalf of the public listing and bad news on the security breach.

Markiiboi, so next quarter is when we should expect the announcement for the long-haul replacement, eh? After hearing much of the good news in PR, having final result on that would be overwhelming for me to take. At least the airline can do even more thorough on the decision...and give us fans a break for a quarter in light of all the good news. :rofl:
PAL considered doing it several years ago, since a lot of the employees (and passengers) were taking it home! .
Though technically they are complimentary to take home, I guess it reaches a point where the airline expects a certain amount to still be retained in aircraft. I also guess the quality of the magazine also shows by the rate of people taking them off the aircraft. ;)

...considering to stop the publication of Mabuhay Magazine has to be the WORST of them all.

Good to know alot of us are agreeing on this. :D

Skyblade

September 5th, 2006, 06:39 AM

Good to hear additional international expansion, especially out of DVO! :D

PHILIPPINE AIRLINES EYES DAVAO ROUTES TO JAPAN, KOREA, HK
Friday September 1, 2006, 11:14 am
http://au.biz.yahoo.com/060901/17/vafs.html

DAVAO CITY, Sept 1 Asia Pulse - Philippine Airlines (PAL) is set to establish new Davao air routes to Japan, Korea, and Hong Kong, Atty. Domingo Duerme, PAL senior assistant vice president for Mindanao, said.

"Of the three destinations, PAL sees heavy traffic in the Korea market. If plans push through, PAL will create a direct Davao-Hong Kong flight and Davao-Japan and Davao-Korea flight via Manila," he said.

Duerme said data in terms of travel frequency from travel agents, air transportation industry data, and historical figures, are significant factors to consider in pursuing the proposed new routes.

PAL should create three flights a day for the proposed new destinations to sustain the market, Duerme added.

PAL identifies Korea as a potential market with the increasing number of Korea nationals visiting Davao, Japan for its still sprouting japayukis, while Hong Kong for its famous Disneyland, Duerme said.

He said PAL has ordered a number of air crafts as part of its expansion plans.

"If the ongoing study shows positive results, PAL will pursue the proposed new routes for Davao upon the arrival of the new aircraft," Duerme said.

PAL-Davao experienced a better load factor this year compared to that of last year with 80 per cent during lean periods and 95 per cent during peak periods.

At present PAL serves 60 to 100 passengers during its first flight bound for foreign destinations, Duerme said.

richard fischer

September 5th, 2006, 09:14 AM

The airline will take delivery of three more Airbus 319 planes this year. The first will arrive sometime during the third week of September. The second Airbus unit will arrive the following moth and the last will be in December.

By December 2008, when the major part of the refleeting program is completed, PAL will have an all-new narrow-body fleet consisting of 14 A320s and two A319s.

again confusing statistics : 2 or 3 Airbus 319´s ???

richard fischer

September 5th, 2006, 09:19 AM

ianers_ianized

September 5th, 2006, 09:20 AM

richard fischer

September 5th, 2006, 09:24 AM

The only remaining -400 in PAL's fleet, with about the same passenger payload as the Airbus A320.
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j246/Monsigh/Dsc01299.jpg
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j246/Monsigh/Dsc01309.jpg
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j246/Monsigh/Dsc01314.jpg
Checking in for PR-278...
...and boarding.
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j246/Monsigh/Dsc01315.jpg
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j246/Monsigh/Dsc01319.jpg
...Legazpi Airport's plane-spotters' spot.

dear monsi,
thank you for the beautiful shots at the legaspi airport. hopefully other forumers will follow with airlines on the tarmac at other local airports !
salamat

Skyblade

September 5th, 2006, 09:25 AM

Why don't just PAL give their B737s to their sister Air Philippines instead of giving them back to the leases... 2P deserves more aircraft. It woud be great if the a sister will hand down her belongings to her sister :D
I was thinking the same as well. Though the aircraft is leased, PR did hand a couple 737s at while back to 2P but those have long been returned.

ianers_ianized

September 5th, 2006, 10:17 AM

30 August 2006
PAL to focus on fleet renewal, emerging markets

To keep the current long-haul fleet attuned to the needs of the market, Tan and Bautista disclosed that PAL will soon embark on a reconfiguration of its inflight product towards bi-class (business and economy class) from the present tri-class service (first, business and economy).

Starting late next year, with the phase-out of first class service on long-haul flights, PAL's Mabuhay (business) class will be upgraded, with cocoon-type seats and audio-video on-demand (AVOD) inflight entertainment system installed. AVOD will also be available in economy.
Along with the new hardware, PAL also plans to broaden its presence in two of the fastest-growing travel markets in the world, China and India.

Well its sad that PAL will eliminate its First Class, its good thing to hear the business class will be upgraded to a cocoon type seats... this is probably the private canopies for passenger. I think PAL can still have their First Class, only less the seats if it is only not so in-demand, and incease seats for mabuhay class.
Its also good news to hear their expansion in China and noW to India... Indian minorities are growing in the country. This will probably New Delhi, in China, Guangzhou is waiting as the newest destination in China.

Here's are photos to share with you that hope fully PAL will install in their new Mabuhay Class.

Is the cocoon-style like this of NW's Business Class?
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b384/ianers_ianized/NWsCClass.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b384/ianers_ianized/NWsCClass2.jpg

^ Those seats are fine, but I think JAL's business class seat is better...

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b384/ianers_ianized/JLsCClass2.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b384/ianers_ianized/JLsCClass.jpg

Or this seat is better for PAL's improve business class, more private and, comfortable. JAL's First Class.
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b384/ianers_ianized/JLsFClass.jpg

All photos are from airliners.net.

Solblanc

September 5th, 2006, 10:25 AM

There's a rumor at A.net that Air New Zealand is leasing one if its 747-400s to PAL (not the-4F6, as it's rather new :( )

All of ANZ's 747s are equipped with VS-style business class beds. They're not my favourite, but they're miles ahead of what PAL has to offer. I wonder if PAL will get to keep the cabin.

Perhaps that's the reason why PAL isn't in any hurry to buy new aircraft. They can expand cheaply with second-hand 747s. This also bodes well with Bustero's theory that PAL wants the 773ER and wants to be out of receivership by then. (personally, though, I'm crossing my fingers for A380s :D )

As for PAL's new mabuhay class offering, I was hoping for SA-style seats, but Club world seems nice, too. Etihad's flat config seems too much like a waste of space to me. If PAL decides on a simple angled lie-flat, I'd be disappointed.

Skyblade

September 5th, 2006, 11:41 AM

I finally completed the last two trip reports on my stay in Japan. The EVA trip has more shots of my experience with their Premium Laurel Class cabin. So far the best flight I've had but I'm still a virgin to SQ, CX, et al. ;)

CTS-ICN-LAX-ICN-CTS W/ KE And Connexion By Boeing! (http://airliners.net/discussions/trip_reports/read.main/84862/) (an emergency Golden Week trip back to the US)
CTS-TPE-LAX on BR Business and Economy (http://airliners.net/discussions/trip_reports/read.main/85143/) (my final departure from Japan)

The rest of my A.net TRs can be found here (http://airliners.net/discussions/general_aviation/search.main?search_name=N751PR&search_active=1&search_table=trip_reports&search_order=id&starter=1&submit=Search%21)

Thanks for the additional shots, ianers. :)

Is the cocoon-style like this of NW's Business Class?

Pretty much. The idea of the cocoon style is to enclose the passenger in a privacy canopy or "cocoon" when the seat is fully reclined. The only two int'l business class seats I've flown are BR's and and NW's. Of course, both were angled and both flights were around 4 hours. Though both seats were angled, BR blew NW out of the water in my experience. More attentive F/As, an amenity kit for the four hour flight, a multicourse meal vs. NW's single tray offering, and a much broader AVOD system that seemed to be a bit more reliable (the Panasonic system I used on the NW flight from MNL to NGO had to be rebooted a couple times to work properly).

The NW seat I flew in on MNL-NRT
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v74/Skyblade04/Philippine%20TR/MNLNRT035.jpg

...and the BR seat I flew on in CTS-TPE
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v74/Skyblade04/CTSTPELAX/mammoth049.jpg

Or this seat is better for PAL's improve business class, more private and, comfortable. JAL's First Class.

As luxurious as JL's F is, it's quite a bit much to be used as a C product.

...I was hoping for SA-style seats, but Club world seems nice, too. Etihad's flat config seems too much like a waste of space to me.
ET's new Pearl Zone seats are pretty gluttonus when it comes to the cabin. ;)
I wonder if PAL will get to keep the cabin.

The A.net thread mentioned that it would be leased for "a short while" so I would doubt that it would be refitted (though, who knows how long "a short while" is). It'd be great to have those Y seats and AVOD would be interesting on how PR will work with the Business Premier seats.

There's a rumor at A.net that Air New Zealand is leasing one if its 747-400s to PAL (not the-4F6, as it's rather new :( )

I just caught word of it in the A.net forum. The aircraft, used is ZK-SUH which is a former Varig 744 that runs on CF6s. Speaking of Club World, supposedly a new seat was unveiled to employees tonight and will be shown to the public tomorrow. Of course, this is coming from A.net's rumor mill...

If PAL decides on a simple angled lie-flat, I'd be disappointed.
It'd also be a blunder esp. as you mentioned earlier, the likes of SQ and CX are developing true lie-flats in C. There are analysts that who claim that continously upgrading C to standards that would close the gap on F (such as lie-flat seats parallel to the ground) would poach the F passenger base. Since PR would be disposing of F, there shouldn't be much of a problem to upgrade it and it would be disappointing if they did follow NW's and BR's lead and made their seat angled esp. considering that PR has the advantage of adapting to the lessons learned by the angled lie-flat seat.

jef7

September 5th, 2006, 01:49 PM

Skyblade

September 5th, 2006, 02:10 PM

Great trip report Skyblade. :okay:

I just finished reading your BR experience and thoroughly enjoyed it. Hopefully I can find some time to check the rest of your other reports.

The photos are great. I'm definitely now curious to try BR's premium cabins one of these days. I'm sure the service is quite attentive, much like SQ's, which is the standard for me. I was hoping that you would receive an op-up to BR's Evergreen deluxe economy, but oh well, you'll be lucky next time :) .

Sounds like you had a lot of fun in Japan, but now that you're back in the US, perhaps it's time to do some MRs :yes:
Thanks, jef7. :) So far that Premium Laurel Class flight was the best I've had which I'm sure will be trumped by the likes of SQ, CX, etc. I'd recommend it if you have the opportunity. I was hoping for that miraculous OP-UP but it never came and walking past what was an Evergreen Deluxe cabin with some avaliable seats was a bit dissapointing. Yeah, it's great to be back here in the US where airfares are much more bearable and MR's are exponentially easier to do. :D

oz.fil

September 5th, 2006, 03:21 PM

Here's are photos to share with you that hope fully PAL will install in their new Mabuhay Class.

Is the cocoon-style like this of NW's Business Class?
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b384/ianers_ianized/NWsCClass.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b384/ianers_ianized/NWsCClass2.jpg

^ Those seats are fine, but I think JAL's business class seat is better...

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b384/ianers_ianized/JLsCClass2.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b384/ianers_ianized/JLsCClass.jpg

Or this seat is better for PAL's improve business class, more private and, comfortable. JAL's First Class.
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b384/ianers_ianized/JLsFClass.jpg

All photos are from airliners.net.
a bussiness class seat like jals first would be great!!! ahah although i find northwests seats a little dull... whatever pal has in mind for their new and improved economy and bussiness better be colorful! plain white looks okay though

Monsi

September 5th, 2006, 04:06 PM

dear monsi,
thank you for the beautiful shots at the legaspi airport. hopefully other forumers will follow with airlines on the tarmac at other local airports !
salamat

Mr. Fischer...

...you mean like this? Of course, you do! :cheers:
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j246/Monsigh/AirPhilippinesB732andCebuPacificA31.jpg
Air Philippines B732 and Cebu Pacific A319, Legazpi Airport tarmac.

By the way, you are welcome... Do visit our city and our thread (Legazpi City, Albay, and Bicol Region - Thread VII (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=390264&page=1&pp=20)).

richard fischer

September 5th, 2006, 05:56 PM

Mr. Fischer...

...you mean like this? Of course, you do! :cheers:
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j246/Monsigh/AirPhilippinesB732andCebuPacificA31.jpg
Air Philippines B732 and Cebu Pacific A319, Legazpi Airport tarmac.

By the way, you are welcome... Do visit our city and our thread (Legazpi City, Albay, and Bicol Region - Thread VII (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=390264&page=1&pp=20)).

hi monsi,
please call me richard, ok?
yes, and thank you once more for your great shots ! surely they can inspire other forumers to continue the encouraging idea of showing how busy airports in the philippine archipelago are lately. i visited mt. mayon the last time in 1968, some time ago surely, but i loved it. such a beautiful place you live in. the whole country is blessed with such nice areas, surroundings, landscapes and cities.
cheers from germany,
richard.

bustero

September 5th, 2006, 06:20 PM

The A net thread actually had a count of 7! 744's although they only mentioned one new 744 leased from NZ. Perhaps there will be two! That would be quite a bit of capacity in the short term.

I'm also rooting for real flat beds. The two class configs really works for PR I think. I don't think there were to many paying first class customers! :)

Solblanc actually I too am rooting for A380's or at least 748's. Triple 7's are nice but it just doesn't have that flagship kind of impact ! :D

Skyblade

September 5th, 2006, 09:58 PM

The A net thread actually had a count of 7! 744's although they only mentioned one new 744 leased from NZ. Perhaps there will be two! That would be quite a bit of capacity in the short term.

I hope that the second one is true and materializes. There was supposed to be another 744 that was to join the fleet after RP-C8168 but it never came. :mad:

According to NZ1 of Airliners.net, the ZK-SUH will be sent to PR within the coming 4-6 weeks and should expect the lease to last 6-12 months though it's still being negotiated. On an interesting note, he also mentioned that -SUH refit of the new cabin was finished just last week.

xXx carlos xXx

September 5th, 2006, 10:36 PM

Skyblade

September 6th, 2006, 01:31 AM

maybe pal is leasing another 744 so that it can refurbrish(the cocoon seats and the avod in economy) its present(and old) 744's without causing delays or cancellation of flights... thats just my guess though..
That's how some airlines get around when they do cabin upgrades where they don't have spares and it is indeed probably the case for PR along with adding some short-term capacity. What better way than to have a spare that was just recently refurbished by the preceding airline. :D

jadebench

September 6th, 2006, 02:03 AM

try niyo kayang magcontribute ng pics ng PAL at NAIA sa airlinequality.com

Rolls-Royce

September 6th, 2006, 02:20 AM

My....a lot of Filipinos in Europe especially here in London were asking if PAL had ever contemplated of resuming their flights to any European cities anytime soon. Anyone knows? It's such a shame that Singapore Airlines have 3 flights per day, and for such a small country with only a small population let alone expatriates have 3 flights a day? And Philippine Airlines nil? nul? nada? impossible....makes you wonder. Even in America, SIA has flights to NY and PAL hasn't. Where did we go wrong? It seems that our poor flag carrier cannot compete with other Asian carriers.

Talking about Singapore Airlines, they really live up to their five star rating. About 80 different channels alone to entertain you during the 12-13 hour flight. I was lucky enough to be upgraded to business class when our flight from Manila to Singapore was delayed due to inclement weather. When we got to Singapore, the flight to London Heathrow had already left and the my seat had already been occupied and the only available seat was on the business class. I never had flown better with business class especially SIA, super five star service, and the seats were pure delight, like being in a hammock. I would fly them again and again, the most recommended carrier of all time.

Skyblade

September 6th, 2006, 04:01 AM

My....a lot of Filipinos in Europe especially here in London were asking if PAL had ever contemplated of resuming their flights to any European cities anytime soon. Anyone knows? It's such a shame that Singapore Airlines have 3 flights per day, and for such a small country with only a small population let alone expatriates have 3 flights a day? And Philippine Airlines nil? nul? nada? impossible....makes you wonder. Even in America, SIA has flights to NY and PAL hasn't. Where did we go wrong? It seems that our poor flag carrier cannot compete with other Asian carriers.

One major difference between Singapore Airlines is (along with Cathay Pacific, Emirates, etc.) rely on connecting passengers whereas the majority of PAL's customer base is origin and destination (O&D) passengers. The supposed reasons by PAL on why they didn't return to Europe is either the lack of aircraft to do such service as well as competition with Middle Eastern airlines (Emirates, Qatar, Etihad, etc).

ramvingar

September 6th, 2006, 04:31 AM

Can't be helped, but I would love to see an A380 in PAL colours. My mom had friends over during the Labor Day weekend, and I happened to talk to someone who used to work for PAL. He told me that PAL COULD maintain flights to Europe even if they are undercut by Emirates. Apparently LT is the one who's against resuming flights to Europe. He also told me that PAL since the mid-1990s had plans to launch flights to Seattle and San Diego; flights to the U.S. East Coast (New York and Chicago) despite its potential, are unprofitable because of the competition with Northwest and other Asian carriers. Oh, and the Mabuhay Magazine rumor? PAL considered doing it several years ago, since a lot of the employees (and passengers) were taking it home! I guess it was only now that PAL was seriously considering it. Finally, he thought the move to cut Riyadh was a big mistake...

Of all the mistakes PAL has done since cutting Riyadh and Kuala Lumpur off the network, considering to stop the publication of Mabuhay Magazine has to be the WORST of them all.

Paalam First Class. You'll be missed. So many memories...at least PAL is now serious on improving its inflight entertainment.

What?! Why are they going to do that? I used to collect inflight magazines from different airlines and I had a hundred or so from PAL. I especially like looking at the seat charts and maps. I think I have a balikabayan box full of Inflight Magazines back in Manila. I hope my parents didn't throw them out!

diz

September 6th, 2006, 05:25 AM

Louman

September 6th, 2006, 05:37 AM

niconepo

September 6th, 2006, 06:32 AM

Can Someone explain this?

from wikipedia

FORMER DESTINATIONS OF PHILIPPINE AIRLINES
Europe

France
Paris (Charles de Gaulle International Airport)

Germany
Frankfurt am Main (Frankfurt International Airport)

Greece
Athens (Ellinikon International Airport)

Italy
Rome (Leonardo Da Vinci International Airport)

The Netherlands
Amsterdam (Amsterdam Schiphol Airport)

United Kingdom
London (Heathrow International Airport)

Switzerland
Zürich (Zürich International Airport)

East Asia

Republic of China (Taiwan)
Kaohsiung (Kaohsiung International Airport)

Southwest Asia

Saudi Arabia
Dammam (King Fahd International Airport)
Jeddah (King Abdulaziz International Airport)
Riyadh (King Khalid International Airport)

United Arab Emirates
Abu Dhabi (Abu Dhabi International Airport)
Dubai (Dubai International Airport)

North America

United States
Chicago (O'Hare International Airport)
Newark (Newark Liberty International Airport)

Southeast Asia

Malaysia
Kota Kinabalu (Kota Kinabalu International Airport)
Kuala Lumpur (Kuala Lumpur International Airport)
Labuan
Sandakan

MY QUESTION: Why doesn't PAL serve Europe?

PAL stopped flying to Athens and Zurich around 1985/6; Amsterdam was cut off the network back in 1990/1; Rome probably in 1993/4; and London, Paris, and Frankfurt during the 1998 PAL pilot strike.

Honestly, one should ask the owner of PAL: Lucio Tan. I talked to a former PAL employee (apparently from management), and he said that PAL does have the ability to compete head-on with Middle Eastern carriers such as Emirates who are known for offering cheaper tickets.

PAL stopped flying to Chicago in 1987 or 1988 due to the high costs of maintaining such as route; the same thing for the New York flight in 1997 (another factor was the brief downgrading of the Philippines by the U.S. FAA).

I don't think PAL ever flew to Sandakan. But they had a Zamboanga-Labuan flight that was operated by Fokker 50s in the mid-1990s. That route was short-lived, probably due to poor loads.

bustero

September 6th, 2006, 06:49 AM

PR's load factor is very high right now, and I think they're very cautious on opening up in new markets unless they are sure they can make money. It's not enough that there is a good market remember. Competition plays a huge factor. Even very heavy traffic is no good if there is a price war making tickets so low that air fares may barely cover their variable cost let alone overhead.

The cancellation of routes west of the middle east has just as much to do with the rise of EK and it's wanabe competitors as PR internal problems in the 90's. The fact is that at present with EK, Qatar,Gulf, Etihad, Saudia all doing the connection route hubbing through their mid east airports, they've got huge economies of scale (not to mention FOL advantages) that work in their favor. It's not only PR which has felt the sting of very low fares from a 5 star airline! PR has been concentrating and making it's money on routes which have little competition or where the market is such that their willing and able to pay the premium of a direct flight (e.g. us/japan). In the case of the mideast and europe , the make of the traffic is very different from the US. In general these are ofw compared to migrants and in the mid east case in particular, it's ussually the employer who foots the bill for the transportation hence they don't care if the passenger has to hub through the dubai or the moon 10x , as long as the price is right.

Re the 6 month lease perhaps it really is just there to address the interior retrofiting issues and not to add capacity :( , well I was really rooting for them to add more routes, flights and planes. let's see.

bustero

September 6th, 2006, 07:01 AM

Yeah now this is news, finally progress! There's tsismis of TR operating a second hub this could be it. great news for the flying public.

Tiger Airways secures 5-yr operating permit from CAB

By Lynette Khoo
Xinhua Financial News Service
Last updated 11:35am (Mla time) 09/06/2006

SINGAPORE -- Singapore Airlines Ltd's budget carrier unit, Tiger Airways, said it has been granted a five-year permit by the Philippines' Civil Aeronautics Board to operate international air services.

Tiger Airways offers low-fare travel in the Philippines and has increased flight services from three flights per week a year ago to three flights a day from Clark International Airport, two bound for Singapore and one for Macau.

"Tiger Airways will continue to expand its operations at Clark," Tiger Airways chief executive Tony Davis said in a statement.

stephencua

September 6th, 2006, 07:47 AM

ianers_ianized

September 6th, 2006, 08:31 AM

^ Gulf Air announced that they wil introduces a flight in Clark by October according to Wikipedia.

habagatcentral1

September 6th, 2006, 09:52 AM

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h291/berniemacksouthcentral/BernieMack_143_.jpg
Mactan-Cebu International Airport. There were 2 AirPhilippines aircraft, 2 CebuPacific aerocraft, 1 PAL in the terminal and there were 2 aeroplanes incoming from Manila (5J and PR) and there is a FedEx (i think its a B767) and Timex Cargo Plane (B727). That time was 9:30 MNL time and there were so many passengers at the luggage claim. CEB is getting busier as time goes by.

ianers_ianized

September 6th, 2006, 10:25 AM

richard fischer

September 6th, 2006, 10:42 AM

bustero

September 6th, 2006, 11:47 AM

^^ haha.. u beat me to it!!! ive also read about the news that they are looking for a second hub.. maybe this IS it.. there was a previous post that new flights from clark would be introduced around sept 28 right? im excited about this..
hehe am also very excited about this. I actually scored 4 $6 one way tix to Singapore. With the taxes and fuel charges round trip is only 71$ us. hehe. with deals like this, anyone can work there and come home for the weekend! Sana they add the new flights soon, pati na rin si Air asia.

habagatcentral1

September 6th, 2006, 12:07 PM

could you take any more pic of all those aircraft on the tarmac bernie ?

I'll wait for my money to come so that I could go back to the tarmac, hehehe! :D Next time, digicam na. :)

terrapinoy

September 6th, 2006, 12:09 PM

From Mactan's Tarmac
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e289/sikatuna/IMG_0569.jpg

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e289/sikatuna/IMG_0571.jpg

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e289/sikatuna/IMG_0565.jpg

habagatcentral1

September 6th, 2006, 12:17 PM

From Mactan's Tarmac
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e289/sikatuna/IMG_0571.jpg

Nice shot Terra! I wish there is a PAL on the roster of parking planes. :D

Skyblade

September 6th, 2006, 01:38 PM

Thanks for the shots terrapin, ianers, and berniemacksouthcentr.

I just remembered...Air New Zealand has a Y+ cabin in their refitted 744s and new 777s called Pacific Premium Economy...I wonder how PAL is going to work with this cabin in the short term. :D

terrapinoy

September 6th, 2006, 07:33 PM

@skyblade @bernie - Thanks. Yeah, too bad PAL did not have a plane in Mactan at that time. Mactan was definitely busy at that moment. I can only imagine when Cathay and Asiana widebodies arrive.

Here's an article from Malaysia Star:
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/9/6/southneast/15326021&sec=southneast

http://thestar.com.my/archives/2006/9/6/southneast/ms_p3airline.jpg

Philippines-based airline to start service from Sandakan

KOTA KINABALU: An air link has been established between the Sabah east coast town of Sandakan and the southern Philippine city Zamboanga.

Philippines-based Mosphil Aero Inc is operating the service using a Russian made Antonov 24B aircraft from October.

The airline conducted a test flight from Zamboanga City to Sandakan on Aug 30.

The Mosphil airline aircraft at the Sandakan airport during the trial flight from Zamboanga City recently.
Among those on board were Mosphil officials led by president Ibragim Sharifkulov and Zamboanga City government representatives.

They were received by Sandakan Municipal Council president Yeo Boon Hai and officials from the various government departments and representatives from local travel agencies.

Mosphil Aero will be operating a thrice-weekly flight between Zam-boanga City and Sandakan sfrom next month.

Yeo congratulated Ibragim for making the bold decision to consider Sandakan as his airline’s first East Asean Growth Area destination.

“We are very proud of his action in putting Sandakan on the world map, which I consider very timely as 2007 is already earmarked as “Visit Malaysia Year- Malaysia Welcomes the World,” he said.

Yeo said Sandakan, in fact has a very long history with Zamboanga especially in the Mindanao region which dates back to the 18th century.

Before the air service, the only transportation between the two places was by kumpit or ferry and the journey took more than 18 hours, he added.

He said Mosphil would initially use the Russsian made Antonov 24B which was quite similar to the normal Fokker F50. The flying time between Sandakan and Zamboanga City is only an hour and 10 minutes which is even nearer than traveling from Zamboanga City to Manila.

“I hope there will be more traders or tourists from the Mindanao region as well as other parts of the Philippines using Sandakan as the gateway to the rest of the world,” Yeo said.

Skyblade

September 7th, 2006, 04:38 AM

AN-24s in the Philippines...can't wait to hear those loud props! The dad of one of my Russian friends back in Japan formerly ran SAT Airlines of Sakhalin Island which is north of Hokkaido and always would suggest for me to try out flying the AN-24s on their airline. They also operate the DHC-8 which was considered quieter as compared to the AN-24. Whenever I would do some planespotting trips, I would be lucky enough to catch a SAT charter for American oil companies whom had ventures in Sakhalin. Unfortunately I went home before I could ever try out SAT's AN-24s but looks like I'll have an easier chance when I get back to the Philippines. :D

tigidig14

September 7th, 2006, 05:29 AM

yung bagong restroom sa Naia1 :D at least bagoterns na, hindi ko ti-nake ng picture yung loob e, pero malinis at automatic na, hindi na di tabo gaya ng dati :lol:

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b84/tigidig14/manila/IMG_2225.jpg
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b84/tigidig14/manila/IMG_2226.jpg

ishtefh_03

September 7th, 2006, 05:31 AM

^^ang cute nung kulay!!! :D

Skyblade

September 7th, 2006, 05:41 AM

^^ Thanks for sharing, tigs! Whereabouts did you take those pics?

-----

Aviation security man says bomb test a hoax
The Manila Times
By Jeannette I. Andrade, Reporter
Wednesday, September 06, 2006

THE supposedly successful attempt to smuggle explosives into a plane to demonstrate weaknesses in the country’s airport security was a hoax and the man who claimed to have carried it out was a fake.

At the Talakayan sa Isyung Pulis program on Tuesday, Senior Supt. Edwin Corvera, deputy director for administration of the Aviation Security Group, said the deed, as published in one major daily (not The Manila Times) never took place.

The reported breach in airport security had left aviation security officials red-faced and prompted a thorough reassessment of security measure in all airports nationwide.

Corvera said that Samson Macariola, who claimed to have breached tight airport security, has dubious credentials as an antiterrorism expert. He identified him as a consultant to Mayor Rodrigo Duterte of Davao City, the presidential adviser on antiterrorism.

He acknowledged that Macariola had published a book on antiterrorism, but his expertise in firearms and explosives is under a cloud. He added that Macariola had no record of having trained with the PNP Explosives and Ordnance Division.

As far as the aviation group knows, Macariola was the resource person for a two-day seminar on antiterrorism at the Davao City Airport on August 14 and 15. He reportedly introduced himself as a firearms and explosives expert and demonstrated how to assemble an explosive device through a Power Point presentation.

“I was told that during the seminar Macariola bragged he was able to penetrate airport security,” Corvero pointed out. “I guess it was the story that the press picked up and embellished on.”

Macariola’s claim that he could pass the security system and bring in improvised explosives into an aircraft was an empty boast,” Corvero said.

In any case, the deed was more of a demonstration rather than a test, the ASG official said. He said Macariola did not use real explosives. Moreover, Macariola carried out the demonstration at a security-screening checkpoint, not on a plane as reported by the newspaper.

It would be impossible for him to get past the security system if he had used explosives and blasting caps, the two most important components of a bomb. He said airport officials tried to duplicate what Macariola said, but security personnel detected the bomb-making material.

Macriola said that his office would most likely summon Macariola and the reporter who wrote the article.

tigidig14

September 7th, 2006, 05:44 AM

^^ sa ano nga e, sa Naia Terminal 1, d ba may PLDT :scouserd:

MarkiiBoi

September 7th, 2006, 06:02 AM

yung bagong restroom sa Naia1 :D at least bagoterns na, hindi ko ti-nake ng picture yung loob e, pero malinis at automatic na, hindi na di tabo gaya ng dati :lol:

at may balak pang pumasuk sa ladies' cr. :lol:

aUen

September 7th, 2006, 06:42 AM

I just remembered...Air New Zealand has a Y+ cabin in their refitted 744s and new 777s called Pacific Premium Economy...I wonder how PAL is going to work with this cabin in the short term.It would be very nice if they make Air New Zealand's business class as PAL's first class and the premium economy as their Mabuhay class. A 5-star-rated seat with first class service but you only have to pay almost half the price of Cathay's business class... :drool:

yung bagong restroom sa Naia1 :D at least bagoterns na, hindi ko ti-nake ng picture yung loob e, pero malinis at automatic na, hindi na di tabo gaya ng dati :lol:Hi Tigs, these are the restrooms in front of Duty Free before immigrations, right? This is the only part of Terminal 1 that doesn't look like it is in T1. Thanks for the pictures.

kunoL8

September 7th, 2006, 09:05 AM

Hopefully PAL will install seats like this of SQ's Y Class on their economies with PTVs. And all safety demos were auto in screen. No more manual anymore.

but i love the manual safety demos! the hand movements and the "blowing" through those tube things fascinate me. speaking of, my auntie who was just here, used to be a flight attendant for cathay and she said she loved doing those demos. wala lang. :lol:

@tigs: ang ganda nga nung restroom. doesn't look like terminal 1 at all! ay tigs, glad to see that you arrived safely! have fun over there! :D :cheers:

oz.fil

September 7th, 2006, 10:09 AM

Hopefully PAL will install seats like this of SQ's Y Class on their economies with PTVs. And all safety demos were auto in screen. No more manual anymore.
I like the color and designs of these seats. The color blending is great. This is from their B773ER

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b384/ianers_ianized/SQsYClass2.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b384/ianers_ianized/SQsYClass.jpg

All photos were from airliners.net
i dont like the color of the seats on SQ... ewww... thai's economy, now those are seats! ptvs plus better colors! i hope pals new seats are fitted with new colors...

ewh1

September 7th, 2006, 11:51 AM

PAL says they are introducing new "aquamarine" color seats for the new A319/320. i wonder what i looks like.

MarkiiBoi

September 7th, 2006, 11:59 AM

Taiwan airport no longer Chiang Kai-shek

Agence France-Presse
Last updated 04:35pm (Mla time) 09/07/2006

TAIPEI -- Taiwan has renamed its major international airport, dropping the name of the former Kuomintang leader Chiang Kai-shek in what the opposition described as a politically motivated move by the island's independence-leaning government.

The Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) said in a statement Thursday it would cost 21.5 million Taiwan (655,488 US) dollars and take up to six months to change all related regulations and facilities at the airport in northern Taoyuan county.

The airport would now be called Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, it said.

"The change is in response to demands from local residents," the CAA said.

Legislator John Chiang from the major opposition KMT (Kuomintang, or Nationalist party) -- also the late generalissimo's grandson -- called the name change "absurd."

"This is part of the DPP (Democratic Progressive Party) government's protracted efforts to deny the KMT government's positive roles in Taiwan over the past half a century," said Chiang.

"History should be respected," he said.

The KMT government fled to Taiwan from China at the end of a civil war in 1949. Since then, Taiwan has governed itself.

The KMT's 51-year grip on power ended with its defeat by the DPP's Chen Shui-bian in the 2000 presidential polls. Chen was narrowly reelected in 2004.

Taz08

September 7th, 2006, 05:16 PM

Any Upd8s about Bacolod-Silay Airport?

WawaY[625]

September 7th, 2006, 06:21 PM

hey, check out Cebu pacific's website, new routes include Davao-Singapore and CEbu-Singapore! wow, cebu pacific's routes are expanding fast!

Francis20

September 7th, 2006, 07:07 PM

That's recent. I guess it's only introduced last month. But they have flights to SG before. But stopped for financial reasons. Now it's back to operation and it's using the budget terminal.

MarkiiBoi

September 8th, 2006, 01:57 AM

I've read somewhere that Cebu Pacific is set to resume Clark-Cebu-Clark flights.

stephencua

September 8th, 2006, 03:54 AM

yep thats right! :D but dont forget to add the P1620 transportation tax and P350 terminal fee.. ;)

AH-7Raja

September 8th, 2006, 05:41 AM

tigidig14

September 8th, 2006, 07:14 AM

ise-share lang flight ko
boeing 74something-400 JAL

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b84/tigidig14/old%20pics/IMG_2157.jpg
mamang sinitsitan para makuhaan

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b84/tigidig14/old%20pics/IMG_2158.jpg
paalis na

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b84/tigidig14/old%20pics/IMG_2167.jpg
ayan na pipila na

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b84/tigidig14/old%20pics/IMG_2164.jpg
ayan nagpilihan na :lol:

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b84/tigidig14/old%20pics/IMG_2165.jpg
pinapakita na paalis na at clear na yung way

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b84/tigidig14/old%20pics/IMG_2160.jpg
binubuka na yung pakpak nya

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b84/tigidig14/old%20pics/IMG_2168.jpg
ayan nasa taas na ng chicago

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b84/tigidig14/old%20pics/IMG_2172.jpg
sariling TV; mga movie: da bitches code, x men, at etsera etserang hapong di maintindihang movie

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b84/tigidig14/old%20pics/IMG_2173.jpg
tuna na may noodles, di ko type yung food nila, pakla ng lasa, pero masarap yung mga nuts

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b84/tigidig14/old%20pics/IMG_2175.jpg
sa alaska na yata

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b84/tigidig14/old%20pics/IMG_2176.jpg
isang pang pics nung mga bundok

:scouserd:

tigidig14

September 8th, 2006, 07:22 AM

boeing 747 yata

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b84/tigidig14/airplane/IMG_2192.jpg
nasa loob na, hehehe

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b84/tigidig14/airplane/IMG_2190.jpg
walang TV, nakakainis buti may naging taga tong its :lol:

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b84/tigidig14/airplane/IMG_2188.jpg
paalis na

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b84/tigidig14/airplane/IMG_2196.jpg
ayan nasa taas na kami ng tokyo, ang green pala saka puno ng sakahan sa kanila

tapos fast forward
nasa, Naia na

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b84/tigidig14/airplane/IMG_2221.jpg
nag-land na, walang palakpakan di tulad ng northwest :sleepy:

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b84/tigidig14/airplane/IMG_2224.jpg
ini-ikot nagland ng masmaaga

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b84/tigidig14/airplane/IMG_2223.jpg
ayan na Naia1

ramvingar

September 8th, 2006, 08:32 AM

^^Wowee! Nice new pics! You took JAL, huh? I usually take JAL too. Did you get to spend the night in Tokyo?

tigidig14

September 8th, 2006, 01:09 PM

malapit lang sa airport :D pero sabi narita daw yung lugar na yun nde tokyo, i really dont know hehehe

habagatcentral1

September 8th, 2006, 01:45 PM

Here's the link to MNL-Baguio flight with AsianSpirit.
Mahirap mag-landing daw dito ang sabi ng ilan. Medyo nakakatakot nga kasi bangin sa magkabilang dulo ng runway tapos may windshear pa dahil bundok.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5a3Sk2WkPDk

ianers_ianized

September 8th, 2006, 02:18 PM

i dont like the color of the seats on SQ... ewww... thai's economy, now those are seats! ptvs plus better colors! i hope pals new seats are fitted with new colors...

TG's seats is in pink motif, i don't like it... it's so girly...

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b84/tigidig14/airplane/IMG_2223.jpg
ayan na Naia1

deserted?

Sou-jiro

September 8th, 2006, 02:21 PM

very nice pics Jal's 747-300 i think...no wingtips...??

anonymous_filipino

September 8th, 2006, 04:56 PM

Just a survey questions, pls feel free to share your ideas, thank you.

Some of the existing structures in NAIA will be spared from demolitions to save some money. Read on.

My suggestions...

1. TERMINAL 1:
A new home for our PGH.

2. TERMINAL 2:
Turn it into a new modern mall.

3. TERMINAL 3:
A manila grand terminal station for passenger buses and trains including the Light rail system.

4. RUNWAYS:
Turn it into major freeways connecting north and south super highways, plus an additional east and west bound 10 lane freeways, connecting manila to cavite, bataan, & zambales with a looping freeway around manila bay with the west bound. While an east bound freeway should be connecting manila to rizal, laguna, & quezon.

5. OTHERS:
Build a new modern police & fire stations, a new city hall, a public school, & a university or college, parks, and other commercial/business and residential establishments. No to any industrial establishments cuz it may just cause some heavy traffic and pollutions.

would just like to add that the world's tallest communication and observation tower will be built here, naia 3 will be renamed Manila South Railway Station serving the trains going to the southern provinces, manila's subway system(maybe in the future manila's lrt will be replaced by subways similar to hong kong, guangzhou and shenzhen's subway system) and the dmia maglev, will house some of the country's supertalls, naia, along with the entire bay city, filinvest city and global city will become independent cities....

FrancisXavier

September 8th, 2006, 05:05 PM

Naia2 is just too small for a mall... Maybe, a high-end department store..

OtAkAw

September 8th, 2006, 06:29 PM

I cant think of any.

jadebench

September 8th, 2006, 07:29 PM

plano ba to talaga...san ililipat ang new international airport?

terrapinoy

September 8th, 2006, 08:25 PM

Salamat Tigs! This shot makes me feel like I just got back home. :okay:

Originally posted by Tigs
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b84/tigidig14/airplane/IMG_2221.jpg

FrancisXavier

September 9th, 2006, 04:18 AM

^^haha..sana mga may plano.. But b4 all of these materialize, we should make use of T3 first.

ramvingar

September 9th, 2006, 04:26 AM

Personally, I would like a large part of the land area to be converted into a large park like Central Park or the Golden Gate Park in San Francisco (and perhaps relocate Manila Zoo?). Then the rest they can do whatever they want. Perhaps they can put up a new Sports Stadium somewhere there. They can even turn one of the runways into a boulevard lined with shops. The potential is endless really.

ramvingar

September 9th, 2006, 04:29 AM

^^ Yeah, tigs has a lot of great shots but that one is indeed very nice. I love the fact that Makati serves as the backdrop to the magnificent color of PAL!

ramvingar

September 9th, 2006, 04:30 AM

malapit lang sa airport :D pero sabi narita daw yung lugar na yun nde tokyo, i really dont know hehehe

Yup! It's Narita. It's quite far from Tokyo. Haneda is the major airport in Tokyo but I believe it's purely domestic. But you'll have to ask the experts in this thread. Anyone, with a clearer idea?

ergit222

September 9th, 2006, 04:44 AM

T1 and T2- prison complex for people who caused so much delay of T3 opening. :jk: Seriously, I would rather see 3 world-class terminals interconnected with each other with complimenting functions that will serve millions of foreign and local tourists/ofws.

ryanr

September 9th, 2006, 05:36 AM

Yup! It's Narita. It's quite far from Tokyo. Haneda is the major airport in Tokyo but I believe it's purely domestic. But you'll have to ask the experts in this thread. Anyone, with a clearer idea?

yes, Haneda is mainly domestic. The only international flights that operate are South Korea bound flights.

ryanr

September 9th, 2006, 05:39 AM

Tahimek

September 9th, 2006, 05:41 AM

Perhaps T2 can be turned into a modern art museum. I personally think that the white, modern interior would make a great backdrop for artwork.

papable

September 9th, 2006, 07:35 AM

Tama na muna ang malls and so-called business districts. We have more than enough of those. What we need are more green parks, well-maintained lagoons, arts and cultural centers, educational and research centers (including science parks, oceanarium and space centers) and maybe a really modern sports complex to replace the age-old and dilapidated RMC. Not so much on zoos (because there is a growing worldwide movement against zoos and maltreatment of caged animals).

anonymous_filipino

September 9th, 2006, 08:48 AM

my another proposal:

NAIA 1: like AH7-Raja's proposal, this will be a new world-class PGH.

NAIA 2 and the control tower: the control tower will be demolished to give way to a communications and observation tower taller than CN Tower and the on-hold Jakarta Tower but shorter by 10 meters than the U/C Guangzhou TV & Sightseeing Tower while NAIA 2 will be the new home of TV and Radio Stations in the Manila Area. The TV Stations can still keep their existing studios in where they are now.

NAIA 3: will become the Manila South Railway Station serving commuter and high-speed trains going to the southern provinces, the clark airport high-speed maglev, and Manila's Subway system.

North-South Runway: will be Manila's Broadway, lined with theaters on both lanes. Will also have a 4-lane elevated freeway on top connecting C5 South and C5 North.

West-East Runway: will be the new Escolta lined with high-end shops on both sides. will have a 6-lane elevated toll expressway on top connecting Bataan, Cavite, Manila and Rizal.

Nayong Pilipino: will become Manila's Central Park.

Remaining areas: will have museums, parks, Residential areas and a commercial area housing 3 of the country's supertalls.

FrancisXavier

September 9th, 2006, 08:59 AM

How about the structures in Viliamor airbase...lol..

adverg

September 9th, 2006, 09:04 AM

Yes I agree, we need more open spaces, MM is too crowded for building developments. We need large scale of setbacks to have breathing space with much greens and well patterned pathways and water features. In fact I have my design concept about this, a double-12 lnes highways, one side with large scale parks and surrounded by classical or heritage type of structure concept like St. Peters CAthedral and on the other side is a sprawling modern skyscrapers. Middle of the large open areas were to construct a telecommunication and view tower. In fact, for this NAIA is a good place for this concept since it has a room for this proposal inclusive of the runway serves as the large scale highways connected to existing thoroughfares.

Sou-jiro

September 9th, 2006, 09:17 AM

WawaY[625]

September 9th, 2006, 09:27 AM

tuloy ba guesting mo sa wowoweee pareng tigs?

markycrossley

September 9th, 2006, 09:30 AM

i flew JAL once from SFO-NRT-MNL.. i liked the service.. the only bad thing thouhg was that my flight was delayed from Narita to Manila.. instead of 3 hours layover, naging 6.. lol..

anonymous_filipino

September 9th, 2006, 09:40 AM

How about the structures in Viliamor airbase...lol..

they could be transformed into a residential area and the golf course could be left intact. PAF's main base will be transferred to sangley point in cavite.

Francis20

September 9th, 2006, 12:11 PM

NICE Shots there Tigs. Parang ako na rin ang nagtravel! :D If your plane is comparable with the United Airlines, then that must be a 747. Thanks for sharing. and yeah, NAIA 1 looks very deserted on that photo. Actually it does look deserted talaga. I dunno why. Maybe because there are very few international flights. And there are very few people sa check in area kung minsan.

richard fischer

September 9th, 2006, 03:21 PM

taken from CEB´s website today :
Cebu Pacific flies direct to Singapore from Cebu for only P1,499

Cebu Pacific (CEB), the Philippine’s low fare leader, will be operating four times weekly direct flights from Cebu to Singapore and three times weekly flights from Davao to Singapore (via Cebu) starting on October 23, 2006.

The Cebu-Singapore direct service is scheduled to operate every Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday while the Davao-Singapore service will operate every Monday, Friday and Saturday. Departure from Davao (to Cebu) is at 6pm and the flight consequently leaves Cebu for Singapore at 8pm to arrive in Singapore at 11:40pm. The flight leaves Singapore at 12:25am the following day, to arrive back in Cebu at 4:05am and in Davao at 6am.

CEB is launching these new services with a seat sale from September 5 to 12 only. The Cebu-Singapore service is on sale for only P1,499 one-way, while the Davao-Singapore service is offered at P1,999 one-way. Travel date for the seat sale is from October 23 to December 15, 2006.

After the seat sale, the lowest ‘Go’ fare for the Cebu-Singapore service starts from P2,499 one-way while the Davao-Singapore route starts from P2,999 one-way. Fares are exclusive of surcharges and government taxes. The easiest way to book and purchase tickets is through CEB’s website (www.cebupacificair.com).

“Cebu Pacific is aggressively expanding its domestic and regional operations. This signifies the airline’s commitment to further develop the tourism industry and encourage more Filipinos to fly,” said Candice Iyog, CEB marketing director.

Iyog also emphasized that the additional route is part of CEB’s expansion program. “This new service also comes in time for the 12th ASEAN Summit which will be held in Cebu City from December 11 to 14,” Iyog added.

The airline resumed its Manila-Singapore service last August 31 and also started flying to Laoag in June, Dipolog in July and Legaspi in August.

habagatcentral1

September 9th, 2006, 04:21 PM

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h291/berniemacksouthcentral/berseatsale.gif

papable

September 9th, 2006, 04:59 PM

kawawa naman AirPhilippines...i'd be happy if atleast they can have 737-400 atleast. With so much competition today they have tomake sure they are on par with competitors...5j are using new A320's/319s......maybe Airphil just ist financially capable of making these upgrades yet

Air Phil is also owned by Lucio Tan, PAL's owner. It supplements PAL's routes especially the Cebu sector. It was supposed to compete directly with Cebu pacific in these sectors, when the latter was still using old planes also. Now with CEB using an all-new fleet, I think Air Phil has to rethink its routing and marketing strategy. Maybe PAL would absorb Air Phil altogether and retire these old planes.

habagatcentral1

September 9th, 2006, 05:03 PM

BoNduRanT

September 9th, 2006, 07:28 PM

Baguio's airport? heheh

Anyway, may area ba sa around NAIA na may good spot for "plane-spotting"? I envy those people living near the airport na may view ng runway etc. :)

WawaY[625]

September 9th, 2006, 08:23 PM

I don't know if this has been discussed before. If you'll to be a pilot, whrere is the most difficult Philippine airport to take-off and land? Kung baga ang pinakanakakatakot at pinakamahirap na airport sa Pilipinas kung ikaw ang piloto.

sa lahat ng mga nasubukan ko ( sa flight simulator..hehe) pinakamahirap sa old CDO Lumbia airport, nasa bundok kasi..eh bano pa naman ako sa flight sim..but i think mahirap din sa Baguio Aiport

niconepo

September 10th, 2006, 01:28 AM

I don't know if this has been discussed before. If you'll to be a pilot, whrere is the most difficult Philippine airport to take-off and land? Kung baga ang pinakanakakatakot at pinakamahirap na airport sa Pilipinas kung ikaw ang piloto.

Basco, Batanes perhaps? I heard that sudden changes in the weather would result in cancellation. I think it has to do with the strong winds (?) in the area.

ianers_ianized

September 10th, 2006, 01:00 PM

But I don't think so with those who live in merville with a good place for plane-spotting. It was shown in a TV documentary "Kontrobersyal" that residents of the place where having hearing problems andlistening difficulties of the noise pollution contributed by the planes at NAIA.

I envy those people living near the airport na may view ng runway etc. :)

ianers_ianized

September 10th, 2006, 01:33 PM

it think it would be great to make NAIA complex a Manila Business Center rivaling Makati Buniness Center.

FrancisXavier

September 10th, 2006, 02:19 PM

^^tama ka.. ako malapit na rin magka hearing problem...lol..

Rodel

September 10th, 2006, 02:36 PM

it think it would be great to make NAIA complex a Manila Business Center rivaling Makati Buniness Center.

NAIA complex is located in Pasay City and a part in Paranaque, you may want to call it Pasay Business District?

Sou-jiro

September 10th, 2006, 02:56 PM

i know kahit dito sa Sydney..madami residents living near the runway nag co complain sa noise pollution... now they wanna expand on a 4th runway...good spot for plane spotters though there's a public beach nearby one of the runways

MarkiiBoi

September 10th, 2006, 05:56 PM

BoNduRanT

September 10th, 2006, 06:14 PM

But I don't think so with those who live in merville with a good place for plane-spotting. It was shown in a TV documentary "Kontrobersyal" that residents of the place where having hearing problems andlistening difficulties of the noise pollution contributed by the planes at NAIA.

Not for me :laugh: Whenever Im staying at my friends place in Bacoor. I could always hear the planes passing by. I love it :)

aUen

September 10th, 2006, 08:54 PM

I just wanna quote an entry of a friend's blog:Note: Cebu Pacific’s MLA-HK-MLA is really on the cheap side. What they provide is just C2 Tea drink, a highly sugared beverage and water upon request for the more or less 2-hour flight. A small instant cup noodle is sold for PHP50 or US$1 or HK$10 (actual grocery price in the Philippines is less than PHP15) and nothing else! They defend this by saying that they’re providing cheap fares. C’mon, is that cup noodle too expensive to add? Also, as I was seated at an exit row, the stewardess who gave the instructions re what to do in case of an emergency had just bad diction. And to think that she’s on an international flight!IMO, it's great that they serve drinks for free. I've seen this TV show in Discovery about the launch of Song (airlines) by Delta and in their inaugural flight, they showed that passengers had to pay for what they asked for. So Cebu Pacific isn't the only LCC that charge their passengers for meals. The price of the cup noodles suprised me, though, more than triple if it's only P15. For sure, that cup noodles is a product of Universal Robina, a JG Summit company like Cebu Pacific, so they could actually sell it for at least the same price as supermarkets do. Are they doing this for the convinience of people carrying US dollars and making profit at the same time?

Not for me. Whenever Im staying at my friends place in Bacoor. I could always hear the planes passing by. I love itI do too! Everytime we go to a mall near the 2 most active runways of SFO, I laugh when the mall trembles as if there is an earthquake.

Animo

September 11th, 2006, 02:30 AM

http://thestar.com.my/archives/2006/9/6/southneast/ms_p3airline.jpg
The Mosphil airline aircraft at the Sandakan airport during the trial flight from Zamboanga City recently.

KOTA KINABALU: An air link has been established between the Sabah east coast town of Sandakan and the southern Philippine city Zamboanga.

Philippines-based Mosphil Aero Inc is operating the service using a Russian made Antonov 24B aircraft from October.

The airline conducted a test flight from Zamboanga City to Sandakan on Aug 30.

Among those on board were Mosphil officials led by president Ibragim Sharifkulov and Zamboanga City government representatives.

They were received by Sandakan Municipal Council president Yeo Boon Hai and officials from the various government departments and representatives from local travel agencies.

Mosphil Aero will be operating a thrice-weekly flight between Zam-boanga City and Sandakan sfrom next month.

Yeo congratulated Ibragim for making the bold decision to consider Sandakan as his airline’s first East Asean Growth Area destination.

“We are very proud of his action in putting Sandakan on the world map, which I consider very timely as 2007 is already earmarked as “Visit Malaysia Year- Malaysia Welcomes the World,” he said.

Yeo said Sandakan, in fact has a very long history with Zamboanga especially in the Mindanao region which dates back to the 18th century.

Before the air service, the only transportation between the two places was by kumpit or ferry and the journey took more than 18 hours, he added.

He said Mosphil would initially use the Russsian made Antonov 24B which was quite similar to the normal Fokker F50. The flying time between Sandakan and Zamboanga City is only an hour and 10 minutes which is even nearer than traveling from Zamboanga City to Manila.

“I hope there will be more traders or tourists from the Mindanao region as well as other parts of the Philippines using Sandakan as the gateway to the rest of the world,” Yeo said.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/9/6/southneast/15326021&sec=southneast

ianers_ianized

September 11th, 2006, 07:05 AM

^ that would take around 10 years before it happens and it is not sure yet...

ramvingar

September 11th, 2006, 07:14 AM

Perhaps T2 can be turned into a modern art museum. I personally think that the white, modern interior would make a great backdrop for artwork.

That is actually a very good idea! The architecture of NAIA 2 is actually perfect for a museum of modern art.

Sinjin P.

September 11th, 2006, 07:20 AM

Open Spaces, Recreational Facilities and Museums (as Jonu suggested)

ianers_ianized

September 11th, 2006, 07:22 AM

This is what I call "superior and luxurious travel" on Etihad's A345.

Look at this photom, it shows a different way of traveling in superior comfort and luxury. I like the restaurant feel in dining w/ this photo. Nice concept of Etihad.
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b384/ianers_ianized/EYsPearlZone.jpg

Photo from Airliners.net

tigidig14

September 11th, 2006, 08:18 AM

Baguio's airport? heheh

Anyway, may area ba sa around NAIA na may good spot for "plane-spotting"? I envy those people living near the airport na may view ng runway etc. :)
may sampay sila, gulong sa bubong at cardboard, dapat taasan ng naia yung bakod

stephencua

September 11th, 2006, 08:26 AM

ei bustero, guess what, tigerairways now has flights from clark to darwin australia.. :) check out their site now! :D

JustHorace

September 11th, 2006, 09:00 AM

^^Wow! That's cool! Cheap flights to Australia! Wait, is that direct or via Singapore?

@ian: cool Etihad interior! like it!

JustHorace

September 11th, 2006, 09:21 AM

How about a Guggenheim Museum for Terminal 2?

I suggest that we relocate Manila Zoo there. Then, as everyone else said, build an observation tower on the present site of the control tower. Converting T3 into a unified bus terminal is a great idea. I don't like the current system wherein each bus company has their own terminals. Then to top up everything, the Philippine Village Hotel must be expanded, refurbished and reopened. It would be better if some international chain operates it. Then a sprinkle of retail centers, theatres, parks, BPO offices, and a residential development similar to that of Newport and Serendra...voila!

chevy_boy

September 11th, 2006, 09:43 AM

^^Wow! That's cool! Cheap flights to Australia! Wait, is that direct or via Singapore?

@ian: cool Etihad interior! like it!

Via Singapore....

bustero

September 11th, 2006, 09:59 AM

ei bustero, guess what, tigerairways now has flights from clark to darwin australia.. :) check out their site now! :D

Ayoko patay na idol ko si crocodile hunter, kanino ako makikitira!

Those first class seats on Etihad are outstanding!!

MMost merville folks I know don't care about the noise. It's like white noise for them. Parang the sound of the MRT, after a while you don't really notice it anymore. A lot of the people who live in that area work in the airport anyway and actually may enjoy it. We're looking at a project right beside the runway and most of the market are plane enthusiasts starting with the friendly folk in the airport:)

I think the model for the future in airlines specially LCC's is to charge everything. When you pay 6$ for a plane flight (MNL-SGP) they have to make money somehow. Ryan Air is one of the most aggressive with adverstising on their tables and looking for every bit of revenue from their assets. Hey you get what you pay for, you always have the choice to fly mainline from 20 to several hundred percent more!

I understand CDO is really tough specially since big planes land there, so tricky for the jets. BAguio on the other hand has the added dimension of having it's very own white lady! (I think the end of the runway is a cemetary) :angel:

stephencua

September 11th, 2006, 11:50 AM

really? i thought that the flights would be direct.. i guess i have to check their site again for that bit of info..

huistenmark

September 11th, 2006, 11:57 AM

IMO, it's great that they serve drinks for free. I've seen this TV show in Discovery about the launch of Song (airlines) by Delta and in their inaugural flight, they showed that passengers had to pay for what they asked for. So Cebu Pacific isn't the only LCC that charge their passengers for meals. The price of the cup noodles suprised me, though, more than triple if it's only P15. For sure, that cup noodles is a product of Universal Robina, a JG Summit company like Cebu Pacific, so they could actually sell it for at least the same price as supermarkets do. Are they doing this for the convinience of people carrying US dollars and making profit at the same time?

I do too! Everytime we go to a mall near the 2 most active runways of SFO, I laugh when the mall trembles as if there is an earthquake.

not serving drinks/food is part of the LCC mantra. The likes of Ryanair and Easyjet dont serve anything at all. Heck, Blue1, a subsudiary of SAS doesn't serve anything at all. 2 coffee and 2 bagels on ryanair will cost you 16£ (roughly about Php1600), while you can buy it for 8£ outside. I guess it's part of their money-making venture!!

Crazy4Airplanes

September 12th, 2006, 01:52 AM

Skyblade

September 12th, 2006, 02:42 AM

actually we are even lucky that CEB and PAL gives free food onboard their domestic flights.
Amen! Meal services for the majors (sans Continental) in the US had dwindled down to BOB (Buy on Board). I've seen domestic meal services evolve from a chicken with rice entree (10 years ago), to a hastily prepared, dry sandwich (2 years ago), and now BOB. In comparison when I connected with PAL on MNL-ILO, having that Goldilocks cake as well as the snack pack on ILO-MNL for FREE was a SERIOUS in-flight blessing.

actually we are even lucky that CEB and PAL gives free food onboard their domestic flights. In the case of Northwest, ive been on several of their domestic flights, and they only serve water and a bag of peanuts. If you want a sandwich, i think you can buy for i think $5 im not sure anymore. At least sa PAL merong snack pack and sa CEB may mga Jack and Jill na junkfood. hehehe
Unfortunately sandwiches are avaliable on Hawaii flights. On flights under 2 hours they offer snack mixes for $2 and for those over 2 hours, they offer snack boxes for $5.

ramvingar

September 12th, 2006, 04:34 AM

Amen! Meal services for the majors (sans Continental) in the US had dwindled down to BOB (Buy on Board). I've seen domestic meal services evolve from a chicken with rice entree (10 years ago), to a hastily prepared, dry sandwich (2 years ago), and now BOB. In comparison when I connected with PAL on MNL-ILO, having that Goldilocks cake as well as the snack pack on ILO-MNL for FREE was a SERIOUS in-flight blessing.

Unfortunately sandwiches are avaliable on Hawaii flights. On flights under 2 hours they offer snack mixes for $2 and for those over 2 hours, they offer snack boxes for $5.

Is this true for Jetblue and Song too? Been wanting to try those two airlines.

Askal82

September 12th, 2006, 04:49 AM

^^ I took Song Airlines on my way to Florida a year ago and they sell meals on board instead of including them in the airfare.

terrapinoy

September 12th, 2006, 05:22 AM

Is this true for Jetblue and Song too? Been wanting to try those two airlines.

On a recent IAD-LAS flight on Jetblue, a full can of soda and a bag of chips were given out. No meals for sale were available. Good flight though with Directv available on each seat. Made the time go by quickly.

ponso

September 12th, 2006, 06:56 AM

actually we are even lucky that CEB and PAL gives free food onboard their domestic flights. In the case of Northwest, ive been on several of their domestic flights, and they only serve water and a bag of peanuts. If you want a sandwich, i think you can buy for i think $5 im not sure anymore. At least sa PAL merong snack pack and sa CEB may mga Jack and Jill na junkfood. hehehe

Totoo yan - at least may pagkain sa Pinas. I've tried NW and DL on US domestic flights - gutom talaga, especially on regional flights on NW Airlink (Pinnacle and Mesaba) CRJ and SAAB. Tapos, and suwerte pa at very old DC9s ang gamit nila sa PHL - DTW - PHL tsaka ATL - PHL. At least, bago yung mga eroplano at siyempre iba pa ding mag alaga and mga Pinay na FA...!

Skyblade

September 12th, 2006, 07:20 AM

Is this true for Jetblue and Song too? Been wanting to try those two airlines.
jetBlue offers snacks for free (gotta love blue potato chips :D) and unfortunately Song no longer exists. The 757s are integrated back into DL's mainline fleet (albeit still with the same interiors including the PTVs...DL hopes to introduce it into a good portion of their fleet). If they only expanded the quality BOB program they had...I kept on hearing good reviews about the snacks offered for sale in Song. I sighted a DL 757 still in Song colors @ JAX/Jacksonville, Florida last Friday in my mileage run...gonna miss that airline within an airline. :(

huistenmark

September 12th, 2006, 12:06 PM

kiretoce

September 12th, 2006, 05:19 PM

Both my flights on Delta last August had free on-board meals, albeit not "hot" food, but crackers, sandwiches, and a full can of soda. Oh, and they were red-eye flights and the plane was less than half full on both.

WawaY[625]

September 12th, 2006, 06:24 PM

SOON IN DAVAO's SKIES!!!!

http://www.flyvivamacau.com/en/images/home_1.jpg

kiretoce

September 12th, 2006, 07:16 PM

^^ Is that an LCC or a full service airline? :dunno:

WawaY[625]

September 12th, 2006, 07:33 PM

LCC ata

Skyblade

September 12th, 2006, 08:20 PM

Incidentally, isn't AirPhil an airline within an airline since PAL owner Tan owns Airphil?? (Im still pissed off that Gatchalian sold Airphil to Tan).. Are they separate company or PAL owns Airphil? hmmm...
2P is still a seperate company though they share the Mabuhay Miles frequent flier mile program with PR.

terrapinoy

September 12th, 2006, 08:56 PM

Whatever happend to GrandAir?

From AviAsian Images
http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/1145/F-OHPN-001.jpg

FrancisXavier

September 13th, 2006, 03:24 AM

^^Luge.. GrandAir used to fly to CEBU, DAVAO, CDO, and ILOILO using only one fleet.

xXx carlos xXx

September 13th, 2006, 05:20 AM

slightly off-topic... national geogrpahic is airing the philippine airlines flight PR434 disaster... in fairness maganda ung interior.. i ddnt knw pal operated 747-200.. 2-4-2 ba talaga ang seat config ng 200 series?? l im sorta proud dahil magaling mag english ung pilots... haha.. jk

Skyblade

September 13th, 2006, 07:25 AM

Whatever happend to GrandAir?
I don't really know much about GrandAir (only first heard about them in my now-ancient Lonely Planet travel book on the Philippines) but IIRC, it was a short-lived airline that operated 737-200s and A300B4s on domestic as well as a couple international routes(HKG and/or TPE?).

I scanned this little segment from one of my Airliners World Magazine about a year ago:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v74/Skyblade04/grandair.jpg

slightly off-topic... national geogrpahic is airing the philippine airlines flight PR434 disaster... in fairness maganda ung interior.. i ddnt knw pal operated 747-200.. 2-4-2 ba talaga ang seat config ng 200 series?? l im sorta proud dahil magaling mag english ung pilots... haha.. jk
Indeed they operated the 742 starting from 1979 until just a few years ago. At one point, it was the bulk of their widebody fleet. The Y configuration was the standard 747 config at 3-4-3.

Since I spent some time digging through my Photobucket account for that GrandAir scan, I'll just post this PAL history and fleet segment from my old "Airlines of the World" book. I posted this last year but it's nevertheless still an interesting read. :D

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v74/Skyblade04/PAL.jpg

terrapinoy

September 13th, 2006, 03:52 PM

^^ Guys, thanks for the info. It is quite sad to see a once graceful bird grounded like that.

@Skyblade, it is quite a good read on PAL's history. It brings back childhood memories of riding a PAL DC3 from Tagbilaran to Cebu. The DC3 rests on an incline so you literally had to "walk up" to your seat. :)

Francis20

September 13th, 2006, 04:11 PM

Unfortunately, Song didn't really work out. I think the 757s are too big, they should've used 737s. Ah, well everything has an end. I hope though, that jetblue will continue to grow and conquer the market.

Incidentally, isn't AirPhil an airline within an airline since PAL owner Tan owns Airphil?? (Im still pissed off that Gatchalian sold Airphil to Tan).. Are they separate company or PAL owns Airphil? hmmm...

I also read from a ticketing office that since August, AirPhil will be using NAIA 2. And PAL is operating AirPhil. Really confusing. Perhaps PAL is using Airphil in its lesser known locan destinations. In fact the flight number starts with PR for Airphil flights.

niconepo

September 13th, 2006, 07:25 PM

huistenmark

September 14th, 2006, 01:35 AM

I've never flown with grandair either, wish i did. They had a good start, i think, then after that their stategy went down the drain.

Does anyone remeber AirSoutheast or something? I vaguely remember an airline of that name...

FrancisXavier

September 14th, 2006, 01:49 AM

Although I never flown GrandAir, I remember GrandAir commercials. "GrandAir in the sky!" I believe it was owned and flown by former PAL pilots in 1995 or 1996, and they primarily flew to Cebu and Davao. In their ads, they offered hot meals, compared to PAL which only offered snacks. I think their inflight magazine's name was GrandLife. Like what Skyblade said, they also flew to HKG and TPE. Then it collapsed back in 1997 or 1998.
I've flown with grandair, when i was toooo small yet.. Like any other domestic carrier, GrandAir also served snacks only. I can still remember, Grand Air's terminal was that hotel in Nayong Pilipino. You would then have to be transported to NaiaT1(where the plane is parked) through their free shuttle service. The plane was pretty shakey.. Scary.. They used only 1 plane for 4 domestic routs(Cebu,Davao,Iloilo,CDO).

Skyblade

September 14th, 2006, 03:07 AM

Does anyone remeber AirSoutheast or something? I vaguely remember an airline of that name...
Huisten, is SEAir (http://www.flyseair.com/) possibly the airline you were thinking of?

ianers_ianized

September 14th, 2006, 06:20 AM

Grand Air also flies to Seoul but this route was just recently introduce before their collapse... bcoz I've seen their Check-in stall beside PAL in Kimpo Airport when I've visited Korea in 1997-96... can't remmber the exact year.

I've flown with grandair, when i was toooo small yet.. Like any other domestic carrier, GrandAir also served snacks only. I can still remember, Grand Air's terminal was that hotel in Nayong Pilipino. You would then have to be transported to NaiaT1(where the plane is parked) through their free shuttle service. The plane was pretty shakey.. Scary.. They used only 1 plane for 4 domestic routs(Cebu,Davao,Iloilo,CDO).

bustero

September 14th, 2006, 06:53 AM

Grand Air was owned by the Panlilios of Puerto Azul and Sulo Hotel and rest fame.

I took Grand Air all the time no problem with the service. They had a separate terminal in the Philippine Village Hotel and then was bused to the tarmac. This was when the Centenial Terminal was being built.

Basically the airline business is very risky and they just didn't cut it with their plan. With the Asian Crisis this was the nail on their coffin.

ergit222

September 14th, 2006, 08:18 AM

Thursday, September 14 2006 @ 12:48 AM BST

Business

The Poro Point Management Corporation (PPMC), a subsidiary of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), recently signed a contract worth P8.514 million with engineering firm Schema Konsult, Inc. (http://www.schemakonsult.com/) to prepare a detailed engineering design to upgrade the San Fernando Airport in La Union.

PPMC President and CEO Felix Racadio said the upgrade could enable the San Fernando Airport accommodate larger aircrafts similar to the Boeing 737 or Airbus 320.

The airport will provide vital infrastructure support to the existing and future tourism facilities in the Poro Point Special Economic and Freeport Zone and to the economic development of La Union.

He said the contract would involve the extension of the runway by more than two kilometers, the expansion of the existing apron and terminal building and the construction of a new state-of-the-art control tower.

Racadio said the design work is expected to be completed by December this year but he wants it done sooner to ensure completion of the upgraded airport before the end of 2007.

He said he BCDA will infuse about P500 million for the project.

The San Fernando airport upgrade is in compliance with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's call for the development of the San Fernando Airport in La Union during her recent State-of-the-Nation Address.(PNA)

source (http://biz.balita.ph/html/article.php/20060914004814261)

JustHorace

September 14th, 2006, 12:36 PM

I just wanna quote an entry of a friend's blog:

Too bad. They served hot meals when I boarded CebPac from HKG October last year. They even had better utensils than PAL. The plane was 2 hours delayed though. At least it was because of the weather conditions in Manila.

Sou-jiro

September 14th, 2006, 03:18 PM

^^ do CebuPac normally serve meals on MNL-HK flights?....because a group of me & my friends flew to HK on a morning flight, but some of us flew with PAL's morning flight PR300 (744) including me and the rest Cebupac...when we all arrived in HK Intrnl Airport. they said they had no meals in 5J...PAL arrived 30 mins before cebupac did...we slightly earlier

one thing i notice though...PAL never gave ammenity kits between MNL-HK flights...how come...is it because it not a very long flight?

i normally get it in Manila-Sydney via Melb (PR209)

after seing Hong Kong International, i can see why its one of the best in the world....its big but very organized.....and the gates are literally right next/in front of the runways.....i was drooling watching Plane's come & go right before my eyes on the runway....HK airport is quite busy i'd say...what i good place for plane spotters.....still, i miss Kai Tak....along with singapore's Changi..i think not many can beat these two...hopefully things go right for NAIA 3 & it get a good reputation too

JustHorace

September 14th, 2006, 04:25 PM

-deleted-

JustHorace

September 14th, 2006, 04:27 PM

^^Yeah, Chek Lap Kok was huge...both horizontally and vertically. Yup, 5J served hot meals on that flight. If I remember it correctly, the plane left HKG at 9.40pm, 2 hours later than the original schedule. In flight, they served only one choice of meal, it was beef with some veggies on it. And then we had a choice of coffee, milk, orange juice, softdrinks or water for the beverages. It was so not like an LCC. There was no bring me game though. The HKers on board were quite impressed. I guess they never boarded a budget airline that served hot meals before. And now I'm hearing 5J never serves food like that on board again. They might have thought they'll have an "edge" over other LCCs when they have meals on board. Siguro, they found it financially incapable..

Yup, PAL never gave out amenity kits for its HKG, BKK and SGR flights...in my experience. So possibly, they never do on TPE, Xiamen and SGN flights too.

Solblanc

September 14th, 2006, 07:26 PM

^^

Perhaps they only serve meals during mealtimes. It's like economy class on CX. If your flight is in the morning or the afternoon or late evening, you get a sandwich. If your flight is at lunchtime or dinnertime, you get a meal.

chevy_boy

September 14th, 2006, 08:50 PM

But the singapore flights only have free C2.. with noodles and some crackers for sale... They must also serve hot meals on the singapore flights cause its a longer flight...

chevy_boy

September 14th, 2006, 08:51 PM

Two more airlines to fly into KLIA by November

PETALING JAYA: Two international airlines – Kuwait Airlines and Cebu Pacific – are expected to fly into KL International Airport (KLIA) by November, making them the first two new passenger carriers to fly into the airport this year.

For next year, talks are under way for at least four new airlines – Finnair, Ethihad Airlines, Shanghai Airlines and Hainan Airlines – to fly into KLIA.

“We are continuously working towards getting more airlines to fly into KLIA and getting the existing carriers to increase their frequencies so as to ensure KLIA offers greater connectivity and higher passenger traffic volumes,” a Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said several existing airlines had or would be increasing their frequencies this year and some others were expected to do so next year. This year’s list includes Saudi Arabian Airlines, Qatar Airways, Cathay Pacific (which began plying the Hong Kong-Penang route in April) and Emirates.

For now, 45 airlines – including three cargo carriers and one mail transporter – fly out of KLIA and the figure should reach 47 with Kuwait Airlines and Cebu Pacific.

Gading Sari Aviation Services Sdn Bhd began flying from KLIA this year, transporting mail between Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah and Sarawak for Pos Malaysia Bhd. The three cargo carriers are Cargolux, Federal Express and United Parcel Service.

It has taken KLIA a long time to get Kuwait Airlines to fly into KLIA and Finnair is expected to fly in from Helsinki beginning May 2007.

Hainan Airlines operates charter flights from Haikou to KLIA, but intends to have scheduled flights from Xian to KLIA, capitalising on the route that Malaysia Airlines (MAS) developed but has pulled out of.

Even though MAHB would like to see more carriers flying into KLIA, rising jet fuel prices remains a major concern for global carriers and some are finding it hard to maintain their extensive network. Some are beginning to review and scale back routes even though other aggressive players are still expanding.

In the case of MAS, it has pulled out of several destinations in an effort to reduce cost.

Although this year may see only two new carriers flying into KLIA, last year seven made their way here – India’s Jet Airways, the return of Pakistan International Airlines, Thai AirAsia, PT Awair, Thai Sky Airlines, Air Nepal International and Shenzhen Airlines.

As part of MAHB’s efforts to draw more airlines here, it is participating in the forthcoming Routes 2006 airport/airlines forum, scheduled from Sept 16 to 19 in Dubai.

Routes 2006 is where airport operators woo airlines to their airports and MAHB officials are expected to meet more than 30 global airlines at this year’s forum in the hope that some will consider flying into KLIA.

At this year’s event, MAHB will also be promoting the other four international airports – Penang, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching and Langkawi – as additional destinations in the country.

Last year, KLIA handled 23 million passengers and MAHB managing director Datuk Bashir Ahmad recently said he expected passenger traffic to increase by 5% this year. In the first half of 2006, KLIA saw a 4.6% increase in passenger traffic to 13.7 million from a year ago.

Next year is Visit Malaysia Year and given the aggressive promotional activities that Tourism Malaysia has undertaken thus far, industry experts are predicting higher passenger traffic volumes although they are not able to give any estimates.

MAHB manages 39 airports in the country – five international, 16 domestic and 18 short take-off and landing sites.

chevy_boy

September 14th, 2006, 08:52 PM

^^^^ The link: http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/9/14/business/15427843&sec=business

Crazy4Airplanes

September 15th, 2006, 01:34 AM

maybe the reason why CEB stopped serving hot meals on their flights is because they made their fares dirt cheap. Although im not sure coz ive never been on a CEB flight except from MNL-CEB way way back..

ryanr

September 15th, 2006, 01:49 AM

I miss Grand Air. I like their livery.

stephencua

September 15th, 2006, 05:05 AM

@chevy_boy - great news for cebu pacific! hopefully it goes to bangkok next :D

bustero

September 15th, 2006, 05:36 AM

Wow Great news. More flights, hopefully at low prices to stir greater travel mart and tourism. Love all these new developments and planes!

ianers_ianized

September 15th, 2006, 05:46 AM

PR only gives amenity kits on their long haul flights such as LAX, SFO, HNL, MEL, SYD, LAS and YVR.

one thing i notice though...PAL never gave ammenity kits between MNL-HK flights...how come...is it because it not a very long flight?

i normally get it in Manila-Sydney via Melb (PR209)

Solblanc

September 15th, 2006, 08:52 AM

Cebu Pacific at KL? I'm surprised that they wanna try that route considering that PAL discontinued operations. Besides, MAS and Air Asia already serve the Philippines with daily frequencies. Is there enough traffic to warrant another airline? At least Singapore has a fairly large Filipino population.

I wonder, maybe Cebu Pacific should try direct nonstop flights to Jakarta. They'll have little competition on that route.

ryanr

September 15th, 2006, 09:52 AM

kiretoce

September 15th, 2006, 02:37 PM

Post away folks! :colgate:

kiretoce

September 15th, 2006, 02:39 PM

I wonder, maybe Cebu Pacific should try direct nonstop flights to Jakarta. They'll have little competition on that route.

I agree. Cebu Pacific should give PAL some healthy competition on this sector. :colgate:

Solblanc

September 15th, 2006, 03:06 PM

docz

September 15th, 2006, 03:10 PM

I have a question to those with more technical knowledge than me...
How old are N751, N752, N753, N754 and RP-C8168? And did PAL acquire N751-N754 brand new? I know that RP-C8168 is an ex Canadian/Air Canada unit.

And how about the three 747-200's in Marana, Arizona? (eg. RP-C8830) How long were they in service before scrapped in Marana?

I know the first two were delivered in November and December of 1993, so that would make them 13 years old. I know that the third was delivered in May 1995 (11 years old). And I remember that the fourth was delivered in 1996 (10 years old). As far as I know they were delivered to PAL brand new, just like the 747-200's delivered to PAL in December 1979, February 1980, March 1980 and December 1980 were all brand new (I remember they only costed $45M at the time for the first three, and a bit more for the fourth).

It is amazing to note that before PAL purchased the 5 A300's, 4 B747 and 1 DC10 between 1979 and 1983, almost all the previous planes were not new. The first DC10 in July 1974 was second hand from KLM, so to with the 2 additional DC10's that were delivered in 1975 and 1976. Many of the DC8's also came from KLM. Does anyone know why PAL had to depend on KLM? Was PAL partly owned by KLM like Thai International was partly owned by SAS?

Solblanc

September 15th, 2006, 04:42 PM

In a.net, they said that PR won't be taking the extra 747 off Air NZ's hands. Aww...

xXx carlos xXx

September 15th, 2006, 04:59 PM

nabasa ko din un sa a.net.. sayang

terrapinoy

September 15th, 2006, 05:24 PM

Saw this vintage PAL DC-6 poster from Enjoyart.com. "Linking 5 Continents - America Asia Australia Europe Africa" I wonder what year this was since the description on their web site does not match the poster.

http://www.enjoyart.com/library/transportation/aviation/large/phillippine_world.jpg

Originally posted by docz
Many of the DC8's also came from KLM. Does anyone know why PAL had to depend on KLM?

From skyblade's scan in the previous thread, this could have been the "cash injection from the private sector" that allowed PAL to acquire some DC-8's in the early sixties. From airliners.net there are also several photos of DC-8's that have KLM logos on PAL planes and vice versa. A couple of the photos described leasing arrangements between KLM and PAL. KLM was very active in the Philippines in the 60's and 70's. Is the KLM building still standing in Makati?

xXx carlos xXx

September 22nd, 2006, 03:55 AM

i missed this thread..

anyways... nakita ko sa pal website... part na ung A319 sa fleet nila... im so happy for them... sana din tinupad nila ung AVOD at ung new interior..

sad din ako dahil hindi na ata illease ng pal ung 744 ng Air New Zealand.. sayang..

habagatcentral1

September 22nd, 2006, 04:45 AM

Guys, SSC is back after a week!

I don't know if you have been here but for aviation fanatics, try this website:

www.flightlevel350.com

one of the most comprehensive websites of aviation videos.

Hopefully, may makapost naman sa mga aviation videos sa Pinas. :D

Sinjin P.

September 22nd, 2006, 04:52 AM

Cebu Pacific’s Cebu-Clark service

Cebu Pacific (CEB), the country’s low fare leader, will commence its Cebu-Clark service starting on Oct. 12 for an introductory seat sale of only P99 one-way.

CEB will use its brand new Airbus A319 for the daily service, which leaves Cebu at 10:20 a.m. to arrive in Clark at 11:40 a.m. The return flight leaves Clark at 12:10 p.m. to arrive back in Cebu at 1:30 p.m.

Lance Gokongwei, CEB president and chief executive officer, said that the latest addition to the airline’s service will connect two of the country’s fastest growing airports and regions.

“We are confident that the Cebu-Clark service will further boost business and tourism between these two key growth regions.

Very importantly, this will also give more Filipinos in Central Luzon access to our year round low fares,” Gokongwei said.

CEB will launch its Cebu-Clark service with a seat sale of only P99 one-way. The promo fare is available from Sept. 19 to Sept. 26 only and the travel date is from Oct. 12 to Dec. 15, 2006.

“Cebu Pacific is all about making air travel more affordable and convenient to more Filipinos. With the Cebu-Clark service, travelers now have the option of flying direct between the two regions without having to spend more time and more money traveling up and down the expressway to take flights or ferries from Manila to Cebu,” added Gokongwei.

After the seat sale the lowest ‘Go’ fares between Cebu and Clark starts at P568 one-way. The promo and year round ‘Go’ fares are exclusive of surcharges and government tax.

With the addition of Clark, CEB now services 20 domestic destinations and also flies to Hong Kong, Seoul, Korea and Singapore.

http://sunstar.com.ph/static/ceb/2006/09/22/life/cebu.pacific.s.cebu.clark.service%A0.html

Sinjin P.

September 22nd, 2006, 05:08 AM

Locked. Archived.

Onwards to the next: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=395153

niconepo

September 22nd, 2006, 06:47 AM

[QUOTE=terrapin]Saw this vintage PAL DC-6 poster from Enjoyart.com. "Linking 5 Continents - America Asia Australia Europe Africa" I wonder what year this was since the description on their web site does not match the poster.

http://www.enjoyart.com/library/transportation/aviation/large/phillippine_world.jpg

True, in a way. PAL did not fly to Australia until late 1965 to Sydney; then to Melbourne in 1971, and Brisbane in 1982. But from the poster (pre-1954), PAL back in the day flew to London (Heathrow), Frankfurt, Zurich, Rome, Madrid, Hamburg, Cairo, Beirut, Tel Aviv, Karachi, Calcutta, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Taipei, Okinawa, Tokyo, Honolulu, San Francisco. PAL was supposed to be the first Asian airline to Latin America (Mexico City), but I think Pan Am blocked the route, because of fear of competition (the routing was to be MNL-Guam-Wake Island-Honolulu-San Francisco-Mexico City. Sayang.

Back in 1959, PAL ordered 2 DC-8s in order to relaunch flights to San Francisco, due for delivery in 1961/2. But the government would not give out a previously promised loan needed to pay for the jets, so PAL requested help from KLM. They got one DC-8 in February 1962 named Sampaguita, and soon resumed flights to SFO. The pilots were from KLM, while PAL pilots were on training. The frequency to SFO was 2 flights a week by the end of the year. I believe PAL was the first airline to offer inflight movies on trans-Pacific flights. (1965). Yes, KLM played a significant role in PAL's development. No surprise that when PAL resumed flights to Europe in 1968, the terminus was Amsterdam. They even gave PAL a loan to pay for 2 DC-10s, PAL's first wide-bodies in 1973. I think KLM's influence died out by 1979, when Roman Cruz took control of PAL. On a side note, Thai Airways International received technical assistance from Scandinavian Airlines System the same period PAL received KLM assistance.

PAL received their first 2 DC-10s fresh from the factory. A third one was leased from KLM in 1975/6 to increase capacity to Europe and Australia. I don't think KLM had part ownership. Until the government takeover (GSIS) in 1977, PAL was owned by Benigno Toda, who was a good friend of Pres. D. Macapagal. Rumor was that Toda presented a bill to Marcos for Imelda's trips, and then the government bought out PAL.

ryanr

September 22nd, 2006, 07:03 AM

I have a question to those with more technical knowledge than me...
How old are N751, N752, N753, N754 and RP-C8168? And did PAL acquire N751-N754 brand new? I know that RP-C8168 is an ex Canadian/Air Canada unit.

And how about the three 747-200's in Marana, Arizona? (eg. RP-C8830) How long were they in service before scrapped in Marana?

I think they took delivery of N751-54 brand-new. N751-53 were delivered in the early 90's, N754PR, while originally meant for Kuwait Airways, went to PAL instead in the late 90's.

As for the second question, and more details on the first, perhaps Skyblade can help you out there :)

I know the first two were delivered in November and December of 1993, so that would make them 13 years old. I know that the third was delivered in May 1995 (11 years old). And I remember that the fourth was delivered in 1996 (10 years old). As far as I know they were delivered to PAL brand new, just like the 747-200's delivered to PAL in December 1979, February 1980, March 1980 and December 1980 were all brand new (I remember they only costed $45M at the time for the first three, and a bit more for the fourth).

It is amazing to note that before PAL purchased the 5 A300's, 4 B747 and 1 DC10 between 1979 and 1983, almost all the previous planes were not new. The first DC10 in July 1974 was second hand from KLM, so to with the 2 additional DC10's that were delivered in 1975 and 1976. Many of the DC8's also came from KLM. Does anyone know why PAL had to depend on KLM? Was PAL partly owned by KLM like Thai International was partly owned by SAS?

Thanks for answering my questions:)

Imo, PAL shouldnt try to acquire any more 744s. They should focus on trying to get either new 777s 747-800s or possibly the A380. So i dont really mind that PAL isnt get Air NZ's 744.

stephencua

September 22nd, 2006, 09:42 AM

taken from philstar.com.. from the column of boo chance.. great great news.. hopefully the BOT of the domestic airport pushes thru ASAP..

Domestic airport
In a recent conversation with NAIA GM Alfonso Cusi, he told me that he had taken steps to improve conditions at the domestic terminal. He confessed that he shares my embarrassment with that poor excuse of a terminal but that he can only do so much in the meantime. He thanked me for bringing to his attention our sad experience of having to wade through the flooded tarmac from our plane to the terminal when we arrived after a heavy downpour. He said he didn’t know it was a problem until he read my column, but they now have contingency measures to address that.

Cusi said they are constructing another toilet facility to accommodate the large volume of passengers to minimize the long wait, specially for the ladies, a problem I also pointed out. He said they are reconfiguring the layout of the departure lounge to more comfortably accommodate more passengers. But he said, he can only do so much with the old building. At least it seems Cusi is the rare public official who does something after a problem is brought to his attention.

The airport official said he is exploring the possibility of having the Gokongweis build their own facility for Cebu Pacific under a BOT or any other arrangement wherein construction expenses would either be shouldered or advanced by the taipan’s group. He also said he agrees with my suggestion that the LRT should be extended to connect with the Domestic terminal so that passengers will have an easy access to other parts of Metro Manila.

Now that he has full control over all government employees working at the airport, including police, customs and immigration under Administrative Order 151, he has required everyone to undergo a values and decorum seminar. Hopefully, he said, everyone would be more customer service oriented and thus reflect the best side of the Filipino to locals and foreigners alike.

habagatcentral1

September 22nd, 2006, 11:32 AM

Ito na po ang MIA Dometsic Terminal 1 Arrival Area
http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h291/berniemacksouthcentral/BernieMack_136_.jpg

Ito naman ang Mactan-Cebu International Airport tarmac sa gabi
http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h291/berniemacksouthcentral/BernieMack_131_.jpg
(PAL A330 from Tokyo is the farthest, then PAL A320 from Manila. I'm on CebuPacific A319 bound for Manila)

terrapinoy

September 23rd, 2006, 03:00 AM

@niconepo - Thanks for the info on PAL's history. I've always loved the DC8 and the DC10's!

aUen

September 23rd, 2006, 03:57 AM

In a.net, they said that PR won't be taking the extra 747 off Air NZ's hands. Aww...I was really hoping they'd lease Air NZ's 747 and start the retroffiting of their current fleet this year.

Ito na po ang MIA Dometsic Terminal 1 Arrival Area
http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h291/berniemacksouthcentral/BernieMack_136_.jpgThough it is small and doesn't have jetways, the domestic terminal doesn't look bad at all!

oz.fil

September 23rd, 2006, 08:12 AM

so... no news of any planned routes to europe?

Skyblade

September 23rd, 2006, 08:16 AM

In a.net, they said that PR won't be taking the extra 747 off Air NZ's hands. Aww...
There goes a freshly refurbished 744...looks like AI is gonna get it. Lucky them. :( They already have one with an ex SQ 744 and ex UA 777-200ERs that still retain the cabins of the respective former owners. Talk about in-flight product diversity. ;)

Though it is small and doesn't have jetways, the domestic terminal doesn't look bad at all!
Indeed! I haven't visited the domestic terminal ever since PR moved to T2 so I've been clueless on the interiors ever since.

kunoL8

September 23rd, 2006, 09:00 AM

^^ i would have to agree. interior-wise, the current domestic terminal isn't that bad. in fact it's very well-lit, looks spacious enough and it actually looks clean. it's the exterior that's really an eyesore. it looks like a palengke from the outside.

FrancisXavier

September 23rd, 2006, 09:43 AM

But the pre-departure area is messy and too narrow.. esp at the check in counters..

tigidig14

September 23rd, 2006, 11:18 AM

nah Manila domestic should have better airport than cebu, davao, or clark. PAL should give it back to the really right owner and not just keep it to themselves

@niconepo: neat :)

habagatcentral1

September 23rd, 2006, 01:38 PM

Originally posted by IAMME in Iloilo thread
5J A319 taking off from Iloilo bound for Manila

Cebu Pacific taking off from Iloilo Domestic Airport:
http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i80/IAMME00/iloilo/th_101_0381.jpg (http://s69.photobucket.com/albums/i80/IAMME00/iloilo/?action=view&current=101_0381.flv)

Rolls-Royce

September 25th, 2006, 03:12 AM

I just want to share, although way off the topic, something that is worrying and quite disturbing fact about our country. According to aneki.com, Philippines is ONE of the 16 MOST DANGEROUS PLACES TO LIVE IN. If this is indeed true, it is such an unfortunate state we are in and needs to be addressed. If tourism is to thrive in our country, we should make our country safer....

Solblanc

September 25th, 2006, 04:52 AM

^^ it makes life here more exciting :D

stephencua

September 25th, 2006, 07:01 AM

taken from inq7.net.. i envy them for the fact that their new airport is already open.. and their tourist numbers.. man.. when could we reach even half of that number?!

Bangkok kicks off race to be Southeast Asia's top airport

Agence France-Presse
Last updated 10:57am (Mla time) 09/25/2006

BANGKOK -- The opening of Thailand's new airport will spur competition as Singapore and Malaysia boost their own air traffic capacity in a bid to be the region's top aviation hub, analysts say.

The Suvarnabhumi Airport near Bangkok, with an annual capacity of 45 million passengers, will open on Thursday, becoming Southeast Asia's largest airport and on a par with Hong Kong International Airport.

Thai military leaders, who toppled the government of prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra in a bloodless coup on September 19, have promised that the takeover will not affect the airport's operations.

But analysts said Suvarnabhumi, which means "Golden Land" in Thai, faces cut-throat competition from Singapore and Malaysia as the rivals plan to build new air terminals to increase passenger capacity and outpace Thailand.

"Even after the opening of Suvarnabhumi, Thailand cannot sit still," said Choosak Ratanachaichan, an aviation analyst at Kasikorn Research Center.

"We have to think about expansion as well. We cannot be satisfied with 45 million passengers because others, mainly Singapore, will soon catch up with us," Choosak said.
Singapore's Changi Airport, which received a record 32.4 million passengers last year, will finish building a new terminal by 2008 as part of efforts to defend its position as the region's leading aviation hub.

The new terminal will double Changi's annual passenger handling capacity to 64 million, far outpacing Suvarnabhumi's initial scope.

The expansion could also turn Changi into the world's fourth-busiest airport behind Atlanta, which saw 85.9 million passengers in 2005, Chicago's O'Hare at 76.5 million and London's Heathrow at 67.9 million, according to Airports Council International.

Siriwan Naphawaranon, an aviation analyst at Siam City Securities, said Bangkok's new 3.0-billion-dollar airport must quickly boost its capacity to beat Singapore and Malaysia.
"Since global demand for air travelling will remain robust for the next 20 years, everyone wants to increase their air traffic capacity to attract more passengers," Siriwan said.

"Everyone wants to become a key regional hub, so competition for Thailand is very tough," she said.

While Suvarnabhumi's initial capacity stands at 45 million passengers per year, the airport can increase it to 100 million once the new facility becomes fully operational.

"Thailand is well aware of the regional competition. Most of our neighbors' airports are pretty new, so they can easily upgrade facilities to attract more passengers," said Sukhbir Khanijoh, an economist at Kasikorn Securities.

Malaysia's Kuala Lumpur International Airport, which opened in 1998, will finish building a second satellite terminal by 2008 to double passenger handling capacity to more than 40 million per year.

Hong Kong International Airport also opened in 1998 and received 40.3 million passengers last year.

Thailand's airport authority plans to build a separate terminal for low-cost airlines at Suvarnabhumi to compete with Singapore and Malaysia, which both opened no-frills terminals in March this year.

Suvarnabhumi, located 25 kilometers (15 miles) east of Bangkok, has been under development for more than 40 years and suffered repeated delays due to construction problems and graft allegations.

The new airport will replace the overburdened Don Muang Airport, which handles about 37 million passengers, two million more than designed.

"The timing of opening Suvarnabhumi is good. If we missed this opportunity, Thailand would be left behind regional competitors for good," aviation analyst Choosak said.

oz.fil

September 25th, 2006, 07:46 AM

well... at least they're happy with their airport, that airport is a work of art ;]

habagatcentral1

September 26th, 2006, 01:32 PM

Another pic of Manila Domestic Terminal 1
Pic took last September 24 around 4:30AM and most of the 5J flights here are first flights to several destinations. Asian Spirit is the earliest turbo-prop flight bound for MPH (Caticlan)

Pre Departure Area
http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h291/berniemacksouthcentral/BernieMack_157_1.jpg

richard fischer

September 26th, 2006, 01:44 PM

does anyone have new images of the shortly completed/renovated domestic runway in manila ?

Sinjin P.

September 26th, 2006, 02:43 PM

Archived

Sinjin P.

September 26th, 2006, 02:43 PM

Archived

MarkiiBoi

September 26th, 2006, 02:58 PM

Wikied (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuala_Lumpur_International_Airport):

Cebu Pacific's next stop: Kuala Lumpur.

JustHorace

September 26th, 2006, 03:37 PM

^^Yup, the KLIA management did confirm that they'll be expecting 5J landing in KL before the year ends.

tigidig14

September 26th, 2006, 07:37 PM

i just finish watching the corresponding in ABS about the life of military pilot transieting to commercial pilot. also, theyre talking about banning the pnoy pilot that are leaving the country by proposing some law not allowing them to leave the country because were lacking big time, similar to the nurses.

kiretoce

September 27th, 2006, 12:00 AM

Philippine Airlines Seeks Fleet Renewal Funding
September 26, 2006

Philippine Airlines hopes to secure this year a mix of foreign bank loans and guaranteed financing to fund its planned USD$800 million fleet renewal.

The airline, controlled by Filipino businessman Lucio Tan, may later use Tan's listed holding company, Baguio Gold Holdings, to raise some equity as well, PAL Chief Executive Jaime Bautista said on Tuesday.

"Baguio Gold is a vehicle which PAL can tap or can use in the future," said Bautista, a certified public accountant who started his career in the airline as comptroller in 1993.

Bautista, who has worked for Tan companies for 27 years, is also president of Baguio Gold, while Tan himself, a septuagenarian who flies around Manila in his personal helicopter, is chairman of PAL and of Baguio Gold.

"If Philippine Airlines would need additional funds, for example we need to finance additional airplanes and the creditors will ask us to get more equity, we can run to the holding companies that own us and those holding companies can go to Baguio Gold to ask for additional investments," Bautista said.

Under a plan announced in August, Baguio Gold is acquiring a set of six companies, also controlled by Tan, which between them hold 82 percent of PAL.

In a deal set to be completed by the year-end, Baguio Gold will pay PHP136 million pesos (USD$2.7 million) in cash for the companies, and acquire debts of PHP8 million - PHP9 billion (USD$160 million - USD$180 million), which could later be converted into equity.

Baguio Gold will then be renamed PAL Holdings after it raises its authorized capital to PHP20 billion (USD$398 million) from PHP400 million now.

PAL, the Philippine flag carrier which shut down briefly in 1998 due to labor disputes before entering into a 10 year rehabilitation program, is to acquire three Airbus A319s under operating leases this year and another one in 2007. It will acquire five Airbus A320s starting next year and into 2008.

"We are working on the financing of these. It can be direct purchase or it can be an operating lease also," Bautista said regarding the A320s.

"The downpayment will be funded by internally generated cash. For the balance we are looking at either commercial financing or export credit agency guaranteed financing."

PAL previously said it was planning to get guarantees from export credit agencies which would allow the airline to get more favorable interest rates from banks.

Since PAL has placed firm orders for narrow-body aircraft with Airbus, the airline could negotiate for guarantees from Britain's Export Credit Guarantee Department, German credit insurer Hermes and France's Coface, the company said earlier.

By the end of 2008, PAL plans to have a fleet of 36 aircraft, up from 32 at end-March 2006 after retiring some of its older planes.

PAL, which serves 32 international destinations, also has an option with Airbus to add five aircraft to its wide-body fleet between 2009 and 2012.

PAL has been back in profits for the past two years but this year expects earnings to fall because of high fuel prices.

Bautista said PAL continues to hold nearly 50 percent of the domestic air traffic market, despite aggressive marketing by its rivals, led by Cebu Pacific.

oz.fil

September 27th, 2006, 04:23 PM

so itll be a few years till we see new widebodies from pal....

oz.fil

September 27th, 2006, 04:24 PM

so itll be a few years till we see new widebodies from pal.... if pal doesnt speed up its refleeting and introducing its new bi class product then vietnam airlines will soon surpass pal as a better carrier...

trndskywrd

September 28th, 2006, 06:42 AM

I dont blame RP for being conservative in their fleet renewal process. Their timeline is consistent for improving the foundation for which they can one day surpass foreign carriers. Frankly, history has forced/intimidated RP from massive expansion. The volitility of foreign economies, not to mention that of the Philippines, can greatly impact a bussiness as a whole. So concentrating on narrowbodies and working to improve their product is an essential stepping stone from which they can, one day, expand to a more competitive field.

My guess is they are going all Airbus. It's smart, considering the consistency it will create. And i believe that is their intention, to create a consistent product. That is what people have come to demand from the airline industry and it is what RP is aiming to provide.

Previous comments have also suggested that RP ought to move to T3. I completely disagree. While RP is steadily growing out of T2, there needs to be a move to expand their current terminal. As I previously mentioned, consistency is what a passenger wants and for all operations to be under the "one roof" concept is consistetnt to what all major airlines do in their hub cities. We see this with Star Alliance in Narita and all airlines in the US. One roof encourages passengers to stay with one airline for the entire length of their trip for the purposes of convenience. RP is moving in the right direction, I just think that there needs to be a more defined vision fo where they want to be in the future.

c0kelitr0

September 28th, 2006, 06:55 AM

NAIA Terminal 2 Pre-departure Area

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g138/jafhoy3/112_1281.jpg

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g138/jafhoy3/112_1283.jpg

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g138/jafhoy3/112_1287.jpg

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g138/jafhoy3/112_1288.jpg

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g138/jafhoy3/112_1289.jpg

JAMAICUS

September 28th, 2006, 06:59 AM

^^ Thanks for the NAIA Terminal 2 updates!!! Love it...

c0kelitr0

September 28th, 2006, 07:10 AM

no prob :D here's another one

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g138/jafhoy3/112_1295.jpg

JAMAICUS

September 28th, 2006, 07:14 AM

May I ask, is this the domestic or international wing of teminal 2???

c0kelitr0

September 28th, 2006, 07:18 AM

that's the domestic wing

Sinjin P.

September 28th, 2006, 07:36 AM

ryanr

September 28th, 2006, 07:59 AM

I've never been to the international wing of the Centennial Terminal simply because I haven't travelled international! :D Anyway, are the facilities of the international wing just the same as the domestic wing or is there something special in there? :D

Nothing special...they are the same. Except that you have to go through immigration in the International wing, obviously.;)
Its also packed with more people and with longer lines.

xDieselJockx

September 28th, 2006, 08:31 AM

What happened to that proposed plan to build a covered area at the international wing where people wait in a long que of line before they pass the main entrance for xray and check-in? I guess people there hve been waiting to get in the building for hours under the heat of the sun or something, especially during summer time? Did they not push through it?

Nice photos cokey, good job!!!

Sinjin P.

September 28th, 2006, 10:11 AM

NAIA to resume operations at 6 p.m.

Operations at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminals 1 and 2 will resume at 6 p.m. Thursday after they were ordered closed due to tropical storm Milenyo (international codename Xangsane).

Aircraft operations in the terminals were halted Thursday morning after the Air Transportation Office declared that strong winds and heavy rains rendered flight operations unsafe.

Airline companies also canceled their international and domestic flights.

Philippine Airlines has postponed more than half of its domestic flights, including 38 round-trip flights to 13 domestic destinations and eight flights to and from Hong Kong, Bangkok, Shanghai and Busan.

Cebu Pacific Air canceled all international and domestic flights.

An Asian Spirit Airlines plane bound for San Jose, Occidental Mindoro was grounded while its Manila-Legazpi City-Manila trip had been postponed.

PAGASA Weather Branch chief Nathaniel Cruz said Milenyo's winds weakened slightly from 130 kilometers per hour to 110 kph after passing the southern part of Quezon province. Cruz said Milenyo's gusts decreased from 150 kph to 140 kph.

ABS-CBN News

Skyblade

October 1st, 2006, 12:16 AM

Found this through absent-minded's post in the PFSG forum:

Tiger Airways in tie-up with SEAir Philippines
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=51760

SINGAPORE - Singapore budget carrier Tiger Airways on Friday announced a marketing deal with a Filipino airline to establish Tiger’s first overseas base and give it a foothold in the Philippine market.

The deal with South East Asia Air (SEAir) gives Tiger a base at Clark Field, a former US Air Force facility north of Manila, Tiger Airways chief executive Tony Davis said.

Under the deal expected to take effect in February, Tiger Airways will lease two brand new Airbus A320s to SEAir, which will operate them on domestic and international routes from Clark, using the Tiger Airways brand.

"We are keen to add additional operations in other parts of ASEAN, so this is very much the first step down this road," said Davis, referring to the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

"We expect over the coming months and years to be announcing additional partnerships of this nature, and we expect Tiger Airways (to establish) a network of four or five bases across the region over the next two or three years."

Tiger Airways currently operates daily flights from Singapore to the Philippines through Clark Field. Two planes travel directly and a third flies via Macau.

SEAir will take over the Macau-Clark leg but the aircraft will still carry the Tiger Airways logo, Davis said. The two airlines will split the direct Singapore-Clark route.

SEAir will also use a leased A320 to operate domestic flights from Clark Field to the Philippine cities of Cebu and Davao using the Tiger Airways logo, he said.

Bookings on the SEAir flights can be made through the Tiger Airways website.

SEAir is a privately-owned 11-year-old carrier that flies from Clark to tourist destinations across the Philippines archipelago, including Boracay and Palawan.

Ownership of the two airlines will not be affected by the deal, Tiger said.

Tiger also flies from Singapore to Thailand, Vietnam, China, Indonesia and Australia. AFP

Francis20

October 1st, 2006, 08:37 AM

good news. larger carriers for a budget airline.

sandrn

October 1st, 2006, 12:29 PM

SEAir to lease 2 Airbus A320s
http://business.inq7.net/money/topstories/view_article.php?article_id=23973
Inquirer
Last updated 01:28am (Mla time) 09/30/2006

NICHE carrier South East Asian Airlines (SEAir) announced an agreement to lease two Airbus A320 aircraft from Singapore-based Tiger Airways for international and domestic flights.

SEAir said the contract would allow it to promote Philippine tourism and travel jointly with Tiger Airways as well as boost its own regional presence.

SEAir said it would lease two brand-new 180-seater Airbus A320 aircraft that would be permanently based at the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport in Clark, north of Manila.

SEAir will operate the Airbus planes under the Tiger Airways brand for region-wide marketing purposes.

“SEAir will employ at least an additional 100 Filipino technical professionals, including pilots and cabin crew, to run this expanded operation,” SEAir president Olma Inocentes said.

“The tie-up makes air travel more convenient, hassle-free, and accessible for those in the Northern and Central Luzon area through its operations based at the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport,” SEAir said in a statement.

The tie-up will also allow SEAir to provide additional low-cost travel alternatives to tourists, business people, overseas Filipino workers and their families, it said.

“The arrangement provides SEAir with the business know-how, distribution systems, product knowledge and access to new A320 aircraft from one of the region’s leading low fare airlines,” SEAir co-founder Nikos Gitsis said. With INQ7.net

habagatcentral1

October 1st, 2006, 04:05 PM

And the last of the series in Manila Domestic Terminal 1
http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h291/berniemacksouthcentral/BernieMack_155_.jpg

The Airport Check-in Counter. Very busy in the wee hours in the morning.

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h291/berniemacksouthcentral/BernieMack_154_.jpg
First security checkpoint in the domestic terminal

xDieselJockx

October 1st, 2006, 09:54 PM

Looks like A320/319 is the prefered aircraft type on most Philippinine airline companies from PAL to SeAir....

habagatcentral1

October 2nd, 2006, 05:19 AM

^^ Yeah. I noticed the flights with A319/320 are much smoother and doesn't make a lot of noise. The reason why CebuPacific chose A319 was because it is fuel efficient. I've noticed on long flights that the engine suddenly turns a bit silent (but running).

Although the problem with A319 is that it feels like its crampy. Its so compressed. But anyway I like the smooth flight even during thunderstorms. :)

chevy_boy

October 7th, 2006, 03:57 PM

I hope Seair would operate the A320s with its own colors......
Are there any plans for Asian Spirit to lease or buy brand new planes??? Sila nalang ang walang airbus...

FrancisXavier

October 7th, 2006, 04:00 PM

SeaAir has big aircrafts such as Boeing and Airbus?

phenom

October 7th, 2006, 05:00 PM

I hope Seair would operate the A320s with its own colors......

Both jets will be decked in TigerAir livery.

jameslab8470

October 8th, 2006, 08:14 AM

habagatcentral1

October 8th, 2006, 12:59 PM

NPA blows up P30M gear at Negros airport construction site

By Carla Gomez
Inquirer, Associated Press
Last updated 04:32pm (Mla time) 10/08/2006

BACOLOD CITY -- (UPDATE) A band of 30 New People’s Army (NPA) guerrillas blew up about P30 million in equipment owned by a Korean construction firm building the P4.3 billion Negros Occidental airport in Barangay Bagtic, Silay City, before dawn Sunday, officials said.

The airport is one of the priority mega region projects cited by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in her last State of the Nation address.

The rebels took only 30 minutes to disarm the guards and blow up Hanjin Corp.'s computerized batching plant, power generator and cement paver, Silay City Mayor Carlo Gamban said.

"This is an act of terrorism and economic sabotage. It is the poor people who will suffer from the delay in the work because the airport will create many job opportunities and other businesses in the area," Gamban added.

The rebels, led by a certain Sakay and armed with high-powered firearms, used improvised explosive devices made of gasoline and fertilizer, Army Task Group North commander Colonel Felicisimo Budiongan said.

Budiongan said the rebels carted away eighteen .38-caliber revolvers, three shotguns and eight handheld radios.

Twenty-one security guards were disarmed.

He said the rebels staged the attack after the Korean firm refused to pay revolutionary taxes.

According to Budiongan, the rebels sent the firm an extortion letter asking for an unspecified amount as contribution.

"This is also part of the NPA's “Oplan Hakot Armas” (Operation Plan Seize Weapons) to collect firearms to give to its new recruits, and economic sabotage to prevent job opportunities from being given to the people so they can attack government for failing to uplift the lives of the people," Budiongan said.

The rebels did not harm any workers in the attack on the sprawling site but the attack could delay completion of the project by several months, police said.

The P4.3-billion airport, funded partly by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, was scheduled for completion in the second quarter of next year, Transportation Assistant Secretary Ricardo Tan said Sunday.

"We will discuss with the contractor how the project can continue so it can be finished on schedule in spite of the bombing, by possibly tapping the use of local batching plant," Tan said.

He said a military or police detachment would be set up at the construction site to secure the area, he said.

"This is an act of terrorism, an act of economic sabotage," Silay police chief Superintendent Celestino Guara told The Associated Press by telephone as he inspected damage at the airport.

Negros Occidental Governor Joseph Marañon also noted the adverse impact of the attack on the province's economy.

"By hampering the construction of the airport the rebels will delay needed economic progress for the people with the job opportunities it will create, and vital tourism development," Marañon said.

The Maoist guerrillas, disguised as policemen and armed with assault rifles, barged into the construction site shortly after midnight, disarmed the guards then destroyed the equipment, Guara said.

South Korean engineers and Filipino workers who live at the site were not harmed, he said, adding that Japanese engineers were staying at a hotel away from the site.

Army troops and policemen were trying to pursue the attackers in Silay, which is in the country’s main sugarcane-producing region 470 kilometers (280 miles) southeast of Manila.

The rebels have about 7,200 fighters operating in 5 percent of all villages nationwide and attack rural troops, police and businesses who refuse their extortion demands, according to the military.

Two years ago the rebels withdrew from Norwegian-brokered peace talks on ending 37 years of insurgency, saying the Manila government was not making efforts to remove them from US and European lists of terrorist organizations.

Source: INQ7.net 8.september.2006

chevy_boy

October 8th, 2006, 02:35 PM

Wala din naman sigruo Airbus and Boeing aircrafts and SeaAir. Diba maliliit lang planes nila? Yung Asian Spirit, I think they are considering Airbus and Boeing. Pero sa sunod pa siguro yun. Sa ngayon, AVRO RJ 85 pa sila. okay nga yung AVRO nila, diba? nice. :)

Seair will lease 2 A320s from Tiger Air but will wear the Tiger Airways livery, but still operated by Seair...

Yung Avro nila (Asian Spirit) di naman brand new, halatang luma na sa loob, maingay pa... They should consider leasing or buying Airbus jets to compete with 5J and PR on the domestic market...

chevy_boy

October 8th, 2006, 03:11 PM

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l293/jjc1384/pal742.jpg
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l293/jjc1384/b7422.jpg
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l293/jjc1384/b7422.jpg
The First PAL B747-200 landing in General Santos - May 2000

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l293/jjc1384/b7443.jpg
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l293/jjc1384/Pal744.jpg
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l293/jjc1384/palb7442.jpg
The First PAL B747-400 landing in General Santos - January 2004

chevy_boy

October 8th, 2006, 03:16 PM

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l293/jjc1384/7423.jpg

PAL B747-200 in General Santos... Just Landed..

WawaY[625]

October 8th, 2006, 05:48 PM

PAL B747-400 @ DIA

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g261/waway625/arr-1.jpg
http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g261/waway625/DSCN3676.jpg

may nakikita din akong A340 minsan..how often do they use B747s and A340s sa Davao? coz AFAIK dapat A330 ang ginagamit diba?

I like the A330s interiors more than the 747s though, on one DVO-MNL flight, B747 ang ginamit anf the interiors looked old..maybe itd be better if they used the A340 instead? how much bigger is the A340 than the A330? or yung extra engines lang ba ang difference?

FrancisXavier

October 8th, 2006, 05:59 PM

Pal uses B747 and A340 for domestic flights? At anong ginagawa nung B747 sa Gensan?

WawaY[625]

October 8th, 2006, 07:03 PM

^^ yup, davao-manila..i think pag walang A330 na available, or mataas ang passenger load, they use the B747s (since it makes more sense to use bigger capacity a/cs than to have extra flights diba?)

SKYLINEPIGEON

October 8th, 2006, 09:14 PM

Pal uses B747 and A340 for domestic flights? At anong ginagawa nung B747 sa Gensan?

i think those 747-200 pix in gensan are quite old, those planes were already retired when pal bought the 747 400s and a340s many years back

aUen

October 8th, 2006, 10:41 PM

;10071290']
I like the A330s interiors more than the 747s though, on one DVO-MNL flight, B747 ang ginamit anf the interiors looked old..maybe itd be better if they used the A340 instead? how much bigger is the A340 than the A330? or yung extra engines lang ba ang difference?Actually, PAL's A330s can carry more passengers than their A340s. Their A330s are regional aircrafts while their A340s are for long haul. The interiors should look the same, only the A330s don't have First Class. They added several more Business Class seats, instead.

FrancisXavier

October 9th, 2006, 01:32 AM

i think those 747-200 pix in gensan are quite old, those planes were already retired when pal bought the 747 400s and a340s many years back

oo nga eh.. take a look at the date stamp.. it's 1992..

niconepo

October 9th, 2006, 04:23 AM

Pal uses B747 and A340 for domestic flights? At anong ginagawa nung B747 sa Gensan?

I think its for additional cargo capacity. I heard that GenSan has a significant tuna industry (please correct me if I'm wrong), and that tuna is very likely flown to Tokyo or other Japanese destinations.

Sinjin P.

October 9th, 2006, 05:21 AM

http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/eco-pic.jpg
CEBU PACIFIC, a budget airline, ventures into the country’s untapped routes to stay in competition for profits.

Cebu Pacific serves untapped
routes to stay profitable

By Manuel T. Cayon
Reporter

DAVAO CITY—Airlines do not have to cramp and squeeze themselves into the profitable major routes in the country, but they just have to look around the other routes and earn.

This was how Cebu Pacific did, for instance, to turn around the competition with the country’s two flag-carriers and still profit in serving what it considered as untapped routes in the country.

“There’s a lot to grow domestically and regionally,” said Candice Iyog, marketing director, in a huddle with reporters here recently.

The airliner has already the most number of domestic destinations, serving 80 flights to 20 areas. It has retired this year its 110-seater DC9s and refleeted itself with the Airbuses, the 150-seater A319s and the 179-seater A320s.

Cebu Pacific has also added Singapore destination to its regional routes, which already included Hong Kong and Seoul.

The drawback to tapping more areas were the small runways of some cities that could not accommodate the Airbuses, but Iyog said “there are a lot of potentials for many other untapped routes.”

“We are looking at the capabilities of the runways that can accommodate us, but there are really a lot of destinations that can be served,” she said.

It just added this year Laoag, General Santos, Dipolog and Clark for its most aggressive expansion in its 11 years of doing business for this Gokongwei-owned airliner. “And [the expansion program] is not yet finished,” Iyog said, saying that more routes would be opened until the year ends.

She said the domestic destinations already posted profitable load factor at between 60 percent and 70 percent. With bigger aircraft, Cebu Pacific also notched a company record of 260,000 passengers on a month-to-month average this year, up from 190,000 passengers last year.

“We are enjoying this [patronage] because of the low fares that we offer,” Iyog said. She said Cebu Pacific has to make this marketing move “to attract more travelers because we have new planes that we have to fill up.”

Another strategy that it used was to make extended flights from domestic and regional two-destination flights, such as the Cebu-Hong Kong route that now included Davao City, and the Cebu-Bacolod route, that now extends to Davao City also.

“We know there’s a lot of potential for this city in terms of business, tourism and in-bound tourists,” she said.

By Business Mirror
(link not posted because of the site's daily archiving and updating)

Sinjin P.

October 9th, 2006, 05:23 AM

AirPhils expects to post losses
in Q3 and for entire year

By Lenie Lectura
Reporter

AIR Philippines Corp. (AirPhils), the low-cost carrier of business magnate Lucio Tan, expects to post losses in the third quarter and with the likelihood of finishing the year with a net loss as competition heats up amid soaring fuel prices.

In an interview, Air Philippines vice president for comptroller Peter Rapada said the airline was in the red from July to September, its third straight quarter this year.

“We don’t have the figures yet, but based on the July and August results we are going to incur another net loss for the quarter,” he said.

In the first quarter this year, Rapada said Air Philippines recorded a net loss of P22.9 million. The sister company of Philippine Airlines (PAL) was able to bring this down to P4.3 million in the second quarter.

Rapada said that even if Air Philippines will be profitable in the last three months of the year, the airline would still be in the red this year.

“It looks like we are going to post negative results again after having recorded a net income last year. Competition is tough and the price of aviation fuel just keeps on increasing,” added Rapada.

In 2003 and 2004, the airline was also in the red.

Like any other company, Air Philippines intends to cut down on its spending. “We have to minimize our capital expenditure. We have to save on everything,” said Rapada.

Although the airline does not have plans to hike fares, it implemented an adjustment last week in fuel surcharge by P50 in all of its domestic routes. The increase varies per destination.

“How can we increase fares if the trend now is to offer low fares so that people will be enticed to fly as their preferred choice for traveling,” added Rapada.

Its Manila to Cagayan de Oro, Davao , Zamboanga and General Santos destinations impose a P1,100 fuel surcharge. Manila to Bacolod, Cebu, Dumaguete, Iloilo and Puerto Princesa with P870 fuel surcharge; and Manila-Legaspi route, P700.

By Business Mirror
(link not posted because of the site's daily archiving and updating)

ianers_ianized

October 9th, 2006, 05:40 AM

PAL has so far transported 25,000 passengers to Beijing since it resumed its direct flights there last November 2005. Starting with 3-times-a-week frequency (Tuesday, Friday and Sunday), the service added another flight every Thursday and is looking forward to making the service a daily one.

Ruth Chuaunsu -PAL district manager-Beijing invites Filipino travelers to visit Beijing and says, "When in Beijing, one should never miss out on three de rigueur experiences: a gastronomic feast of ther noble dish, Peking Duck, an enchating walk through the Forbidden City and an ardous climb of the Great Wall of Chine for the workout of your life."

Thursday service is PR358, leaves Manila at 7:30am and arrives at 11:55am at Beijing. The PR359 return service leaves at 12:55 and arrives at Manila at 17:15pm. Airbus320 is the aricraft that will serve the new frequency.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer

ianers_ianized

October 9th, 2006, 06:00 AM

I think those untapped routes were Baguio, Catarman, Daet, Mamburao, San Jose, ,Virac, Calbayog, Surigao, Tandag, Jolo, Tawi-Tawi. PAL used to fly on these roustes either with their Fokker 50 or B737. But since the PAL crises and closure and opening again, these routes were haven't flown yet. I think other local airline flies these routes like SeAir and Asian Spirit.

I think this is wat 5J is eyeing as untapped routes. If these city airport be rebuilt to fit for airbuses is not soon that 5J wil fly also on these routes. I know there runways were only used to be for F50 or B737.

CEBU PACIFIC, a budget airline, ventures into the country’s untapped routes to stay in competition for profits.

Cebu Pacific serves untapped
routes to stay profitable

By Manuel T. Cayon
Reporter

DAVAO CITY—Airlines do not have to cramp and squeeze themselves into the profitable major routes in the country, but they just have to look around the other routes and earn.

This was how Cebu Pacific did, for instance, to turn around the competition with the country’s two flag-carriers and still profit in serving what it considered as untapped routes in the country.

“There’s a lot to grow domestically and regionally,” said Candice Iyog, marketing director, in a huddle with reporters here recently.

The airliner has already the most number of domestic destinations, serving 80 flights to 20 areas. It has retired this year its 110-seater DC9s and refleeted itself with the Airbuses, the 150-seater A319s and the 179-seater A320s.

Cebu Pacific has also added Singapore destination to its regional routes, which already included Hong Kong and Seoul.

The drawback to tapping more areas were the small runways of some cities that could not accommodate the Airbuses, but Iyog said “there are a lot of potentials for many other untapped routes.”

“We are looking at the capabilities of the runways that can accommodate us, but there are really a lot of destinations that can be served,” she said.

chevy_boy

October 9th, 2006, 10:44 AM

Pal uses B747 and A340 for domestic flights? At anong ginagawa nung B747 sa Gensan?

The date in the picture is wrong, the first B747-200 landing in GenSan was May 2000.... PAL operated the MNL-GES-MNL route with B747-200 for 3 years until January 6,2003 almost daily (alternating with either A330 or A343)..

PAL operates B747-400 to GenSan whenever there's a need for bigger aircraft or when the A330 and A343 is not available....

The B747 pictures in GenSan are the first landing of a B747-200 and B747-400 in the island of Mindanao, Philippines... PAL first deployed its B747-400 to GenSan last January 2004 and Davao recieved it first B747-400 flight in December of the same year....

chevy_boy

October 9th, 2006, 10:50 AM

i think those 747-200 pix in gensan are quite old, those planes were already retired when pal bought the 747 400s and a340s many years back

PAL leased 3 B747-200 after their closure last 1998... I guess the 3 B747-200 were in service last 1999 and was returned in 2003... Those planes were used for flights to Cebu and General Santos and to some international destinations... Naalala ko dati kapag B742 yung plane from GenSan to Manila, sa may north wing kami nag papark at sakay ng cobus papuntang arrival...

kiretoce

October 9th, 2006, 11:22 PM

Cebu Pacific starts Manila-GenSan route
Tuesday, October 10, 2006

The inaugural flight of Cebu Pacific to this city from Manila went on as scheduled despite bad weather Monday last week.

Cebu Pacific's entry here, which was warmly welcomed by government and business leaders, brought to three the daily flights to and from Manila.

Daily flights since the United States Agency for International Development Agency-funded airport started operations in the mid 1990s have been serviced by Philippine Airlines and Air Philippines.

Mayor Pedro Acharon Jr., expressed optimism that Cebu Pacific's entry will boost the chances of the locality to lure more investors and tourists.

"This is another cap on our feather. The entry of Cebu Pacific gives the signal of our growth that we hope would not be lost to the eyes of interested investors," he said.

Lance Y. Gokongwei, Cebu Pacific president and chief executive officer, earlier said they will render daily flights from Manila to this city.

"We are confident that our entry into this market will once again bring down the fares significantly. Now, the people in General Santos and its nearby towns will have a low-fare alternative with Cebu Pacific," Gokongwei said in a statement.

Cebu Pacific's maiden flight, through an Airbus A-319 which has a capacity of 150 passengers, touched down here around 3:57 p.m., delayed by more than 30 minutes from the scheduled 3:20 p.m. arrival.

It has a cargo load capacity of four tons, according to Cebu Pacific insider.

Gokongwei said that the launch of its Manila-General Santos service is part of the airline's expansion program.

General Santos is the 19th domestic destination of Cebu Pacific and the second in Central Mindanao.

"Cebu Pacific's vision is to bring air travel closer to more Filipinos. As we expand our operations and open new markets, we will continue to offer the lowest fares in the destinations we fly to," Gokongwei said.

The company introduced its Manila-General Santos service with a seat sale fare of only P99 one-way. The sale started August 29 up to September 5 and is good for travel from October 2 to December 15, 2006.

After the seat sale, the year-round 'Go' fares to General Santos start at only P868 one-way, almost 60% lower than the current regular airfare. The promo and "Go" fares are exclusive of regular surcharges and government tax.

The company charges P1,400.68 for taxes and fuel surcharges, which means the year-round "Go" fares would just be at P2,268.68.

Orman Manansala, a local bank manager here, said the entry of Cebu Pacific would augur well to ordinary passengers.

"This will definitely start massive adjustments in the fare rate which has long been our complaint. For me competition is always good, the customer benefits. Gensan will also benefit because we will be more accessible and rates will be affordable," he said in a text message.

Jose Emmanuel Santos, president of Santa Cruz Seafoods, Inc., said the entry of Cebu Pacific would surely spell competition and in effect would make freight rates competitive between other southeast ASEAN tuna suppliers.

"At present, among southeast ASEAN countries, the Philippines has the highest air freight rate to the United States," he said.

Current air freight charge from the Philippines to the United States, he added, is at least $3.70 per kilo.

Asked if by how much rate reduction tuna shipment from here to Manila, which serves as the transshipment point to other countries, could benefit, Mr. Santos projected that Cebu Pacific can easily give off 50% of the cargo fees.

"That is if you base it on their fare rates," he added.

Now on its 11th year, the airline also flies to Hong Kong and Seoul, South Korea. It started servicing Singapore last August 31.

Gokongwei said the airline has the youngest fleet in the Philippines and one of the youngest in Asia as it operates 11 brand new Airbus aircraft.

FrancisXavier

October 9th, 2006, 11:40 PM

PAL leased 3 B747-200 after their closure last 1998... I guess the 3 B747-200 were in service last 1999 and was returned in 2003... Those planes were used for flights to Cebu and General Santos and to some international destinations... Naalala ko dati kapag B742 yung plane from GenSan to Manila, sa may north wing kami nag papark at sakay ng cobus papuntang arrival...

Wow..i cant believe they are using those giant aircraft for demestic flight..

WawaY[625]

October 10th, 2006, 05:36 AM

The date in the picture is wrong, the first B747-200 landing in GenSan was May 2000.... PAL operated the MNL-GES-MNL route with B747-200 for 3 years until January 6,2003 almost daily (alternating with either A330 or A343)..

PAL operates B747-400 to GenSan whenever there's a need for bigger aircraft or when the A330 and A343 is not available....

The B747 pictures in GenSan are the first landing of a B747-200 and B747-400 in the island of Mindanao, Philippines... PAL first deployed its B747-400 to GenSan last January 2004 and Davao recieved it first B747-400 flight in December of the same year....

correction, december 2003 pa lang, when the new DIA terminal opened, ginagamit na ang B747-400 sa DIA..actually nung flight ko, January 27,2004 Manila-davao, B747-400 ang ginamit namin..i remember that coz its the first time na nkaskaya ko ng B747

chevy_boy

October 10th, 2006, 11:22 AM

January 2004
PAL flies B747-400 ‘jumbo’ jet to Davao

Philippine Airlines notches another aviation milestone today when it deploys its flagship aircraft, the Boeing 747-400, on its regular service to Davao, marking the first time the world’s largest passenger airplane lands in this city.

The 425-seater “jumbo” jet is assigned PAL’s third flight of the day to Davao, the flag carrier’s main hub in Mindanao. Flight PR 815 takes off at 3:40 p.m. from Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport and lands here at 5:25 p.m.

There will be simple welcome ceremonies at the new Davao International Airport terminal, to be led by PAL president Avelino L. Zapanta, after which return flight PR 816 takes off at 7:10 p.m. It arrives back in Manila at 10:50 p.m.

On board the maiden flight are top officials of the Air Transportation Office, led by its chief, Assistant Secretary Nilo Jatico, who will be assessing the B747-400’s performance.

At the controls of PR 815 / 816 is a high-powered crew composed of PAL’s most senior management pilots: senior vice president for operations Capt. Julio F. Hernandez, vice president for flight operations Capt. Johnny R. Andrews, and chief pilot of the B747-400 division Capt. Alex Campos.

The deployment of the B747-400 is the highlight of a busy day for PAL’s Davao service. The flag carrier will operate a total of five round-trip flights today – two more than scheduled – to accommodate the heavy seasonal demand.

To augment its three regular flights, PAL will add two special flights in the evening: PR 817 / 818, departing Manila at 6:30 p.m. and returning at 10:40 p.m.; and PR 819 / 820, leaving Manila at 7:00 p.m. and back at 11:15 p.m.

While the B747-400 will not be assigned permanently to the Davao route, it will be deployed on a semi-regular basis depending on market demand. Still, the jet’s operation is a major boost to the trade and tourism sectors in southern Mindanao.

Davao is the third domestic point to be served by the aircraft. Cebu and General Santos City had previously welcomed the jumbo jet.

The 400,000-pound B747-400 is PAL’s top-of-the-line aircraft. Powered by four General Electric-made engines, it is used mainly on long-haul services across the Pacific to the US West Coast as well as on the premium Japan service.

The B747-400’s cavernous interior can accommodate 425 passengers, including 42 in Mabuhay (Business) Class and 383 in economy. Its underbelly can load up to 21,450 kilograms of cargo.

PAL has five B747-400s in its fleet of 30 aircraft. The latest arrived last December 21, 2003.

Sorry, January 2003 pala yung first na B747-400 sa GenSan......

BTW, Cebu PAcific is flying to KL... nasa website na nila....

chevy_boy

October 10th, 2006, 11:24 AM

Yung sa KL flights ng Cebu Pacific, kung wala pa sa frontpage, check niyo sa book and buy....

chevy_boy

October 10th, 2006, 03:17 PM

Checked again with Cebu Pacific this evening, KL was removed from their list of destinations maybe because their still trying to finalize something... CEB will be using the LCC terminal... Try to check again tomorrow, maybe it'll be there..

WawaY[625]

October 11th, 2006, 04:06 AM

pero between the B747 and the A330 (interior wise) i choose the A330.luma na kasi ang interiors ng B747 ng PAL

JAMAICUS

October 11th, 2006, 10:36 AM

Senate panel okays P5.5 B for 2 West Visayas airports

The Senate finance committee approved the other day a R5.5-billion infrastructure fund that will pave the way for the operation next year of two of the biggest air transport projects in Region 6, the New Iloilo International Airport and the Negros Occidental Airport.

The finance committee’s approval came despite the bombing last Sunday of the Negros Occidental Airport allegedly by elements of the New People’s Army, destroying some R30 million worth of equipment being used for its construction. It was set for completion in the second quarter of 2007.

"The bombing of the Negros airport is certainly a setback, but the move of the committee to provide funding for this airport sends the signal that we are determined to push through with the project that will bring to the region economic progress," said Sen. Franklin Drilon, chairman of the Senate finance committee.

During the committee hearing on the R17.6 billion budget of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) for 2007, Drilon declared the allocation for the new airport in Iloilo amounting to R2.712 billion and R2.788 billion for the Negros airport is considered submitted for Senate approval.

Realizing that the new airport being built in his hometown in Iloilo is as vulnerable to attacks as the airport in Silay City, Drilon called on the Philippine National Police (PNP) to strengthen security measures surrounding the Iloilo airport, so as not to delay its opening on March 2007.

"The rise of a first-rate airport in Western Visayas that is compliant with international standards is crucial to the development of the country. This will boost our air transportation services, making the Philippines more accessible to the rest of the world," said Drilon, a native of Iloilo.

Drilon played a lead role in the facilitation of the R6.2 billion Iloilo airport project in the past eight years. He is part of the steering committee which oversees the project implementation. In November 1998, then President Joseph Estrada issued a memorandum creating the Iloilo Airport Coordinating Committee, with Drilon as adviser.

Last Sept. 29, Drilon conducted an inspection of the site of the new airport in Iloilo and was pleased to see that the construction of the airport is on schedule.

The three-storey passenger terminal, about 12,000 square meters in floor area, houses the baggage conveyor on the first floor, the check in area and the airline offices on the second floor and the pre-departure area on the third, and the arrival area along the corridors that lead to the first floor. The airport can accommodate six aircraft simultaneously parking at a time. Air navigation systems, including a radar area, is also in place.

"Iloilo, whose airport has the fourth highest passenger traffic in the country, will benefit from the influx of tourists and investors once the new airport becomes operational in March 2007," Drilon said.

Drilon, along with President Arroyo and DoTC Secretary Leandro Mendoza, launched the project in Iloilo in January 2004. The airport is seen to increase air passenger and cargo traffic in the province.

http://www.mb.com.ph/PROV2006101176738.html