did anybody see already the new logo of PAL? ....what I meant was the new look of their soon to come airplanes? I'm not sure if the pic has already been posted here.....thanks..

did anybody see already the new logo of PAL? ....what I meant was the new look of their soon to come airplanes? I'm not sure if the pic has already been posted here.....thanks..

Haven't seen it. Is it a new logo or livery? Or will the planes take an all-new look?

I think the logo's fine but the plane's white exterior and the "Philippines" emblazoned on the sides are so blah!

I just saw this in the internet...Is there a truth to this??? Maybe the airline enthusiasts can validate....

Old PAL Planes
http://www.cardatabase.net/modifiedairlinerphotos/photos/big/00001838.jpg


New PAL Planes (Not verified yet)
http://www.cardatabase.net/modifiedairlinerphotos/photos/big/00000468.jpg

holy sweet!! I'd love to see PAL's fleet in that livery!! grabe!! WOW!! haha... it looks HOTT on the B744!!

Hmmm....now I'm not sure about the change. I know the rising sun in the logo only has eight rays as they lifted it from the Philippine flag.

The supposed new design has about 13 rays?

Sorry folks, but thats not official new design for the PAL, it just a drawing from people over the internet, there are many drawing there which are for hobbies.

cheers

PAL never had A310s in their fleet, I believe that A310 in the picture was a Pan Am plane in the original; and that "new" livery is just a fantasy design, personally I don't like it I mean why put the Coat of Arms on the aircraft?

PAL never had A310s in their fleet, I believe that A310 in the picture was a Pan Am plane in the original; and that "new" livery is just a fantasy design, personally I don't like it I mean why put the Coat of Arms on the aircraft?

I agree, that coat of arms/official seal looks so tacky, unless the aircraft's use is "official government business" (like Air Force One). But the tail looks great, and I also agree that the sun's rays should remain the original eight. And I noticed that the sun's positions are opposites, in the former photo the sun is placed to look like it's rising above the red horizon line into the blue field. In the latter photo, it seems like the sun is peeking out from under. Personally, I prefer the "rising sun," it's more symbolic. The other conveys a feeling that we're ashamed or hiding from something.

The "new livery" is very pretty, and highly politically incorrect. For one, the red shouldn't be in the left like that.

Matthew SUTHERLAND on 05/26/2000 03:45 PM ZE8

Thank God for a little light in these dark days. The story of the man who
hijacked Philippine Airlines flight 812 from Davao to Manila yesterday is a
gem from start to finish.

This guy boarded his plane in Davao, which is in Mindanao, scene of the
current battle with Muslim separatist terrorists. As a result, Davao airport
is subject to some of the most stringent security measures supposedly
available. Yet the guy still managed to board the plane with a gun, a
grenade, and home-made parachute. This led to one of the funnier comments,
from a Philippine Airlines executive, who was quoted as saying "it is not
unusual for our passengers to carry parachutes". OK......

No-one knows how he managed to get on board carrying all this stuff.
Apparently, despite the stringent security measures, Davao airport's
metal-detector gate that all passengers must walk through has actually been
broken for three months, but rather than get it fixed, security staff just
pretended it was still working, assuming it would act as a deterrent.

The hijacker then held up the pilot with his gun and grenade, accidentally
firing a shot into the cabin roof. He said he was having marital problems
and was short of cash. He then robbed the 200+ passengers of cash, raising a
massive total of P15,000 (US$340).

He then forced the pilot to come down to 6,000 feet, depressurise the cabin,
and open the rear door. He was intending to jump out with his loot and his
home made parachute. However, at the last minute he got cold feet. But while
he was standing in the doorway vascillating, a quick-thinking steward pushed
him out anyway. He jumped still carrying his grenade - without the pin.
Quite what he was intending to do with this on the way down I don't know, as
a grenade and a human in freefall move at the same rate - so he couldn't
have dropped it. Anyway, that's all academic, because his well-laid plan had
one flaw - his home made parachute. Sadly, it didn't open.

But the best story of all came from a friend of a friend who was on the
flight. When asked if there was panic he replied, "No, I cannot recall a
sense of panic during the attempted hijacking. However, panic did start to
take place when the passengers realized that there were not enough
sandwiches for everyone.... then there was a furious scramble and shouting"!
I am not making this up.

Only in the Philippines!

Best regards

Matthew Sutherland

this is such a nice shot! (http://www.airliners.net/open.file/634210/L/) brings PAL's logo to life with the way the sun seems like it really is rising out of the red of the flag. credits go purely to Torin Wilson.

Awesome! It captures the essence of the "rising sun."

http://www.cardatabase.net/modifiedairlinerphotos/photos/big/00000468.jpg

I like this

That paint scheme is pretty cool. the artist should send that design to PAL...:D

the livery rendering had been discussed a page back and has been deemed by most people politically incorrect. I fell in love with it at first glance as well, but I hope the guy who came up with it could modify it a bit. looks really nice and modern though.

the Philippines text looks better in that size and format, and I like the little wavy red of the flag. the little boxes on the body looks cool but it is a bit strange. makes it less boring than the plain white though...

this is such a nice shot! (http://www.airliners.net/open.file/634210/L/) brings PAL's logo to life with the way the sun seems like it really is rising out of the red of the flag. credits go purely to Torin Wilson.

yeah, that is awesome. Looks like the sun is real.

was searching on Airliners forum on PAL and came across this. dated July 26, 2004. sounds extremely good!! hope this is actually true...


Philippine Airlines--

'Sampaguita Class'- soon to be introduced upgraded Business Class cabin on select intercontinental 747-400 and Airbus A340-300 aircraft. Sampaguita Class will be PAL's premium class of service and will replace existing First Class cabin.

'Mabuhay Class'- soon to be enhanced Business Class cabin on regional Airbus A330-300 and Airbus A320-200 aircraft. To be also introduced on regional and domestic flights operated by Boeing 737-300 and 737-400 aircraft.

'Super Fiesta Class'- soon to be introduced Premium Economy Class cabin on select 747-400 and A340-300 aircraft. Open to full fare economy class passengers and Mabuhay Miles members traveling on a Y ticket.

Fiesta Class- soon to be enhanced, (re: PTV/IFE) on intercontinental Boeing 747-400 and Airbus A340-300. Minor changes to Airbus A330-300, Airbus A320 and Boeing 737-300/400 aircraft.

PTV/IFE on every seat on B744 and A343!! sweet! nothing new to airlines like Cathay and SQ, but this raises PAL's standards up another notch!! we, or they, could actually compete with THAI and MAS! Sampaguita Class, in no offense, sounds a bit cheap for First Class (maybe cause of the way sampaguita has been dragged along roads of Manila for so long), but I would love to see wood grained panels and new generation seats for First Class. same goes for Mabuhay. I like those new shell-like mostly lie-flat seats Cathay put in (I only saw them in pictures. haha!). I wonder what they have to offer for Super Fiesta though. the upgrades seem like they affect everyone from long-haul to domestic.

Sweet.... Mabuhay class is too expensive for us when flying to Vancouver, while Fiesta Class is too cramped. A Super Fiesta Class would be great for that long haul flight. I agree, Sampaguita Class sounds cheap for a First Class.

New Micronesian airline to begin flights to Philippines
Posted: 3:19 PM | Aug. 07, 2004

NEW airline Palau Micronesia Air (PMA) will launch twice-weekly flights to the Philippine capital from Saturday, spokesmen for the Pacific island nation's carrier said.

PMA's inaugural flight from Koror to Manila departs later Saturday with a leased Boeing 747 servicing the route.

The airline will serve Manila, Tokyo and soon, Darwin, Australia, the airline spokesmen said without giving further details.

The Manila flights will cater to the large number of Filipino overseas workers going to and from the Pacific archipelago 850 kilometers (520 miles) east of the Philippines as well as the tourist market, they said.

"The new airline aims to develop other segments of the market not pursued by Continental Airlines," PMA added.

Sweet.... Mabuhay class is too expensive for us when flying to Vancouver, while Fiesta Class is too cramped. A Super Fiesta Class would be great for that long haul flight. I agree, Sampaguita Class sounds cheap for a First Class.

until PAL completes this upgrade, I would choose to right now take Cathay for business class and up if ever I was given a choice and a chance. hahaha! I think PAL has to bring in new generation cabin design for premium classes already. has THAI done it yet? last time I took it (may), their business cabins seemed almost exactly like PAL (when I took it june). for economy though, I'd never hesitate to go with Philippine Airlines. I just personally feel it is at least as good (actually, better than, but oh well...) as Cathay for long-haul (leave for PTV, which seems to be on the way. the mainscreen IFE is actually pretty good).

anyway... good new for NAIA. it seems to be very little serviced anymore nowadays.

Honestly while in talking about amenity to premium class in asia carrier
CX and SQ are the best to chosen :) :)

Yeah for me, SQ is still the best. Thats why i always use SQ for regional flights (long haul is too expensive).

As much as I would love to ride PR, everytime our family goes on trips, it's either CX or SQ for us, mostly CX. The passenger conveniences and amenities on CX and SQ, especially in Business/First, override the direct flights of PR, at least that's on a personal point-of-view.

yup... like I said, I would go for CX/SQ for business and first (if ever, which is technically never... haha!) until I see changes and upgrades in PAL's fleet/cabins. as for economy though, I'd let go of the PTVs of CX/SQ and go with PAL's leg room, food, and [mostly] direct services to MNL. especially for long haul in economy...

It's a shame though that PR hasn't resumed services to Europe.

Can someone posting some inflight meal since I never be as passanger to PAL before

Thanks

Air Meal ~~~ WHO WIN and taste of superb (http://skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=120363) :eat:

Can someone posting some inflight meal since I never be as passanger to PAL before

Thanks

Air Meal ~~~ WHO WIN and taste of superb (http://skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=120363) :eat:

A meal? here:

http://www.airlinemeals.net/images/meals/philippineairlines026.jpg
http://www.airlinemeals.net/images/meals/philippineairlines020.jpg

for more: go to http://airlinemeals.net :D

Ooh those foods are making me hungry :) But I must say CX and SG are the airlines, still for me :)

Y class meals seem more luxury than CX/SQ :)

i tried finding cebu pacific.... it was all junk food hehe... cool site kiel!

http://www.airlinemeals.net/images/meals/philippineairlines026.jpg
http://www.airlinemeals.net/images/meals/philippineairlines020.jpg


Looks edible enough. Better than the ones they serve here in the US for intercontinental flights, all you get are small bags of peanuts or pretzels and half a can of soda for a four or five hour flight!

Y class meals seem more luxury than CX/SQ :)

if that means PAL's Y class meals seem better than CX/SQ's equivalent, then I have to agree. I'm not saying CX food is bad, cause I'm not one of those big, picky critics. anything is good for me. but after around 7 years with cathay (of which, maybe two or three years I can actually remember... haha!) and then all of a sudden shot at PAL, I was actually quite surprised. before I took PAL last june, I actually thought it was a really, really crappy airline. but then I was truly impressed with what I got and so maybe that's why what I have to say may seem biased even though it really isn't. hahaha! anyway, I haven't tried food on F/C class of either carrier, but both look quite good...

In franky, CX Y class meal is really suck apart from any other asia competitor even long-haul flight :)

PAL has awesome food!! in economy at least, it beats most other top airlines...

U are already voted for your best :cheers:

PR food is really good, ever since they were a young airline, they have been receiving awards for their inflight menu. In recent years, they had a "Food Festival in the Sky" where PR would invite guest chefs to design their inflight menu. I was able to ride a flight during one season in which Glenda Barretto was the guest chef, and the food was definitely scrumptious.

i hope they keep their flights on time start following the boarding time printed on the boarding pass.... nagkakagulo tuloy mga tao when they start boarding.... only in this airline have i seen it.

Competitive Spirits
Posted: 1:41 AM | Aug. 11, 2004

Victor Agustin
Inquirer News Service

THE AIRLINE Asian Spirit is negotiating for acquisition of a 90-seat jet that it plans to field on the route between Manila and Tagbilaran, capital of the island province of Bohol, in time for the Halloween and Christmas rush.

Manila-Tagbilaran used to be served by an Asian Spirit turbo prop until Philippine Airlines (PAL) decided to return to what had traditionally been classified as a "missionary" route and fielded a faster jet plane that knocked the wind out of the fledgling Asian Spirit. Not only that, business magnate John Gokongwei's Cebu Pacific Air has also added the route to its fare-busting network, prompting Asian Spirit to momentarily stop its Tagbilaran flights altogether until it has acquired a more competitive plane.

Controlled by investment banker Noel Oñate, the Turralbas of the Active Group and the Po family with 32 percent each, Asian Spirit also plans to use that first jet on the route between Manila and Catarman in Northern Samar province.

Oñate confirmed the impending jet acquisition but declined to add details, given an announcement of Air Philippines, which is controlled by tobacco tycoon Lucio Tan like PAL, that it was acquiring a fleet of 40-seat planes to serve PAL's abandoned missionary routes like the provinces of Batanes, Romblon and Catanduanes, which incidentally are the destinations currently being served by Asian Spirit.

According to the grapevine, Asian Spirit also plans to make Cebu City a secondary hub and, like Cebu Pacific, connect underserved Visayan cities with Cebu.

Likewise, given the improving peace and order situation in Mindanao, Asian Spirit plans to revive its Zamboanga City hub and resume flights to connect Zamboanga with the islands of Tawi-Tawi and Sulu.

According to Oñate, Asian Spirit posted a respectable 2003 net income of P150 million by merely concentrating and oftentimes being the lone airline flying what were money-losing provincial routes that PAL had abandoned.

During the high season, Asian Spirit flies as many as 15 flights a day to Caticlan town, the gateway to the world-famous resort island of Boracay.

P150M seems quite big for such a small airline... seems like its got quite a bit of unfair competition though.

any news about Cebu Pacific's refleeting? What's taking it so long?

they're close to closing a deal to buy airbus planes

airbus planes... cool. what models?

A318s?

In a blow to Boeing's struggling 717, Cebu Pacific has reportedly decided on the Airbus A319. Boeing badly needs new orders to keep the 717 program going.

I thought its not yet decided, last time i heard from my fellow in manila, there is still on going talks between airbus and 5J because of the problem with the agreement.


cheers

Last I heard 5J was opting for A319s and a couple A320s. Was still anticipating that they'd go for the 717 though.... :(

as they say buying planes take months to negotiate and agreements in particualar financing is a long drawn project

I do believe that it is confirmed that 5J got new Airbus A319s to replace their old MD/DC planes.

Not yet grey, there is still problem with the agreement, Airbus hasnt give any press release too about this, maybe in 2 or 3 months if they reached the agreement.


cheers

oh. What is the problem with their agreement?

As usual, its not from 5J, cebu got the money but its airbus way with their complicated agreement :D


cheers

guys, i usually travel to LAX kasi. I have tried PAL, Asiana, CX, NWA, Singapore Air. I'm considering JAL this year. Does JAL allow overnight stay at Tokyo prior to LA? or kahit a 5 hour city tour or something. CX and Sing Air allow kasi at HKG and SIN respectively.

Usually JAL allow you stopover, my experiences with JAL from Jakarta to Honolulu & LAX was 1 day stopover and you got free hotel. But it also depends in your tickets too. Usually i stopped at Osaka or Tokyo.


cheers

wow! that's nice. maybe i'll take JAL. Do they have PTV's in economy? (am poor)... :)

How about MNL-LAX via TPE? China air and EVa does not allow ata...mukhang ok din kasi stopover at Taipei...overnight. never been to Taipei eh

taiwan's awesome, if you have people to take you around...

I will take JAL over China air/EVA :D

Btw Yeah they have ptv onboard, the coolest thing is, you can see the rear view, front view, when you take off, in the sky or landing from your ptv :D


cool eh? go try JAL

cheers

oh yeah... I personally wouldn't take China air. EVA maybe... but my first choices would be JAL or PAL (on the A340 flight... twice a week). CX would be ok, but it's such a long flight just going to HK and it doesn't even end there. CX had the live camera thing on their PTVs a while back. then it disappeared. or I think it did. dunno bout now...

PAL taxiing at HKIA. Taken last during my trip.

http://tinypic.com/2ml9h

Posted: 1:36 AM | Aug. 19, 2004

Clarissa S. Batino
Inquirer News Service


THE PHILIPPINES has refused to participate in a proposed ASEAN multilateral agreement to liberalize air policies in the region, Inquirer sources said.

The proposal is being spearheaded by Singapore and Brunei.


The government recently submitted to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations' secretariat, opposing a multilateral open skies agreement, the sources said.

"We don't want to participate in the plan to forge a multilateral agreement on open skies," a high-ranking government official said. "We have expressed our objection in a position paper."

Indonesia is also against the proposal, another source said.

"We feel that air services agreement should be done bilaterally," the source said." The Philippines' situation is not the same as those of other countries such as Singapore and Brunei."

Singapore, Brunei and Thailand signed early this year a three-way agreement to liberalize their air cargo policies.

The Philippines should have been a signatory to this agreement but pressure from Philippine Airlines (PAL) prevented government representatives from participating in the deal, a source said.

The ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Liberalization of aviation policies in the region is being discussed actively in line with efforts to improve trade and investments in the region.

The United States and Europe are discussing opening up their respective aviation industries.

"Adopting open skies cannot be done drastically," a government official said. "We just want enough time, say, five to 10 years from today."

PAL, controlled by tobacco tycoon Lucio Tan, has long opposed open-skies arrangements, saying the Philippine aviation industry and its workers would suffer under a deal that would benefit only foreign airlines.

PAL says that while a multilateral air policy usually offered reciprocity, the Philippines is unlikely to nothing substantial from it.

It says opening up the aviation sector would only let foreign airlines compete more aggressively by offering lower prices.

Transportation and Communication Secretary Leandro Mendoza said the government would pursue a "progressive liberalization of the air transportation sector."

A gradual opening up of the air industry is to be done by increasing traffic rights, promoting "missionary routes," and granting of incentives for investments in alternative gateways, officials said. With INQ7.net


======================

...part of me thinks that they should sign the damn agreement to force PAL to become competitive... too much protectionism led it nowhere.

Agreed. anyway open skies is not 8th freedom right agreement, open sky means you can fly from any other asian cities to any philippines port without any political problem whatsoever, but you cant fly within the philippines or domestic.

PAL should know the different between open skies and 8th freedom right agreement though

Indonesia is also against the proposal, another source said.

No, Indonesia is not against, In fact Indonesia just signed an open skies agreement with USA and China. Indonesia also have open skies agreement with singapore, malaysia, thailand.




cheers

so aside from PAL and its political allies, who else is against this open skies policy? i don't see anything wrong with it except for tough competition for PAL.

I am personally not against it. Same as rico's position with regards to PAL. However, there are already many seat allocations not being used though.

it is better to have an open skies policy. it will increase tourist arrivals since airlines will be able to offer more flights and seats to the Philippines, If we have more tourists, more dollars will come in, and when we have more dollars coming in, it will also have a positive effect on the Philippine economy. And besides, i think its about time for PAL to act competitively. I know that they are still undwer a rehab plan but it will be better if their plans would include competition. By doing so, then they can really say that they are making progress. Also, competition means that PAL will have to reconsider opening new routes to its network

Btw, guys. I just found out. Starting November 1, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines 5 times a week flight from Manila to Amsterdam will be nonstop!!!! Yay!!!!!! Finally, we have 1 european airline that offers nonstop service to their hubs again!!!! But the sad news is that they are downgrading. Instead of using Boeing 747-400s, they will be using the smaller Boeing 777. And even sadder is the fact that Air France will suspend its manila service totally. Thats because Air France and KLM just merged. So that is the catch on the nonstop amsterdam flights. So basically in november, we will only have 2 european airlines operating in NAIA left: Lufthansa (manila-frankfurt via Bangkok) and KLM (manila-amsterdam nonstop). We used to have a very nice lineup of european carriers: Lufthansa, KLM, Air France, British Airways, Swiss International, AlItalia, even Aeroflot. that makes me sad.

well you can always take SQ. it's not really a Manila-Europe flight, but a Frankfurt-SQ, SQ-Manila flight. we used to fly that.

any direct flight is good. i think it makes sense too. why fly a 747 when it won't be full?

Sweet..good news on the KLM nonstop flight. Moving from 747 to 777 is not bad news, it is good because the 777 is more efficient and can still handle lots of passengers. I guess they can see that if they fly 747, the will loose lots of money.

So as of now, what other European airlines fly to NAIA?

there is really not much demand in the Manila-EUR flights... however, I hope these new route of KLM spikes up demand somewhat...

long-haul pala yung 777... cool! AF is moving out? awww.

Wait.....didn't Swiss stop MNL a while back? :?

Wait.....didn't Swiss stop MNL a while back? :?

They did. Thats why crazy4airplanes said that they used to fly to MNL.

Now my question is what European airlines still fly to MNL??

Direct Flights
-none-
--->I hope PAL makes one attempt though.

via a Transit point
Air France = MNL-CDG via BKK
Lufthansa = MNL-FRA via BKK
KLM = MNL-AMS via KUL

well at present, there are 3 european carriers operating in NAIA. but none of them is direct:
Air France = daily service Manila-Paris via Bangkok (code-shared with PAL)
Lufthansa = daily service Manila-Frankfurt via Bangkok
KLM = 5 times weekly Manila-Amsterdam via Kuala Lumpur (code-shared with PAL)

starting Nov 1:
Lufthansa = same sked still non-direct
KLM = same route but will be nonstop instead of via bangkok
Air France will not operate anymore

Btw, what will happen to the code share of PAL with Air France? hehehe. it was only introduced last June. Sobrang short lang ng period. hehehehe

no traffic....

stunning shot of PAL744 at LAX! (http://www.airliners.net/open.file/645154/M+)

so nice! taken by Paul Paulsen...

One word...

Astounding. :D

i thought it was KLM which PAL had codeshare with? i remember it was a nonstop Manila-Amsterdam Schipol

PAL codeshares with both KLM and Air France. The Air France codeshareship (is this a word? lol) only began june of this year. And KLMs MNL-AMS service isn't nonstop. it stops by Kuala Lumpur. But this will change this november.

23 August 2004
PAL introduces new chef, Filipino-oriented menu

MANILA – Philippine Airlines unveils today an enhancement of its inflight cuisine with the introduction of its new executive chef, Ian McKenzie, and a restyled inflight menu that puts more emphasis on Filipino flavors and ingredients.

The changes are part of the flag carrier’s thrust to promote local products onboard its flights, including the offering of two internationally known Filipino food brands – Goldilocks baked products and Figaro specialty coffee.

The new cuisine is anchored on the prodigious culinary talent of McKenzie, a world-renowned chef with vast experience in both hotel and airline catering. For PAL, McKenzie will develop menus that evoke the rich ethnic palates of the islands, but with a modern twist.

“We really have to start with our own food. Filipino cuisine has its merits vis-à-vis other world cuisines and it has to be a mainstay of our menu. What I want to do is revisit old standards, update them and make them more contemporary,” says McKenzie. “It’s a bit like putting new wheels on an old car.”

Accordingly, the Scottish-born Australian chef has taken such Filipino kitchen staples as patis (fish sauce), calamansi (a local lime), achuete (annatto seed), hibi (dried shrimp) and coconut vinegar, and incorporated these into his preparations.

"I'll be doing the best we can with local ingredients,” says McKenzie. He passionately makes the case for the oft-overlooked patis, an everyday seasoning that’s the local version of the celebrated Thai fish sauce.

“We should not make patis like something that’s poison out of a jar. Thai fish sauce has been elevated to culinary heights. But the only reason it got there is because the Thais spend a lot of time promoting their food, whereas Filipinos don’t have that high an opinion of certain ingredients. Why shouldn’t we use patis? I like it and am proud of it.”

"I'll also be using more lettuce and sprouts from Baguio and Tagaytay for my salads, as well as kangkong (swamp cabbage) and talbos ng kamote (young leaves of the sweet potato plant) in a variety of ways,” he shares. For dessert, he plans to make ample use of tropical fruits like mango, langka (jackfruit) and santol.

Says McKenzie: “There are a lot of interesting things you can eat. You just have to explore your cuisine and reinvent it for the modern clientele. As the country’s premier international airline, PAL can promote Filipino food in a big way.”

The new menus will be gradually introduced on PAL flights starting September 1, 2004. By December 1, all flights will serve the new recipes and these will run in varying cycles on the flag carrier’s international, Asian regional and domestic services until November 2005.

sounds nice. always a good idea to spice up what's happening up in the air :)

Indeed, it's also good to hear that they'll also be bringing more local products onboard. :D

Wednesday, September 01, 2004
Cebu Pacific to buy 12 Airbus planes, lease two more.

MANILA -- Budget Philippines carrier Cebu Pacific said Wednesday it is to buy 12 A319 aircraft from Airbus and lease two A320s in a 670 million-dollar refleeting program.

This would extend the range of the regional operations of the country's number two carrier and help it gun for the leadership of the domestic market, where it now holds a 38 percent market share, airline president Lance Gokongwei told a news conference.

The refleeting costs 670 million dollars, he added. Internally generated funds, export credit agencies and sale-leasebacks would cover the acquisition price, he said without elaborating, citing confidentiality agreements.

Cebu Air Inc., which began operations in 1996, would take delivery of two 168-seater A320s in April and May 2005. The leases are understood to be for five years.

The first of the 150-seater A319s, would be delivered in September next year, one a month later, and two in December 2005.

Airbus would deliver six aircraft in 2006 and the other two not later than February 2007.

"Once our re-fleeting is completed by early 2007, we shall have the youngest fleet in Asia," Gokongwei said.

Cebu Pacific would gradually phase out its current fleet of McDonnell Douglas DC-9 aircraft, used for domestic destinations, and its regional workhorse of Boeing 757s, over the next 18 months, general manager Bong Mojica said.

Cebu Pacific, which runs 85 flights daily to 19 destinations including Hong Kong, Seoul, Canton and Xiamen, carried 1.88 million revenue passengers last year and expects 16 percent growth in 2005, Mojica said.

The new aircraft should boost the no-frills airline's efficiency and cut operating costs, giving it the opportunity to consider an "even more competitive" fare structure in future, Mojica said.

"We estimate that the Airbus 319s would provide us at least 20 percent savings in operating costs per trip versus the DC-9s," Gokongwei said.

"The expanded range of the aircraft gives us the opportunity to review our regional operations" as well as to "compete more effectively internationally," he added.

He listed China, Japan and South Korea as growth markets but would not elaborate further on possible expansion plans.

For the domestic network, "part of our operational plan is to try to target domestically to have a leadership position in the Philippines," Mojica said. That position is now held by local rival and fellow flag carrier Philippine Airlines.

Gokongwei said Cebu Pacific's turnover reached four billion pesos (71.24 million dollars) in the six months to June, leading to an interim net profit of 480 million pesos. However, he said soaring oil prices were a cause for concern.

"The price of fuel has really been very unpredictable," he said.

"I have to caution you that April to June is the best airline months and we expect that the profit for the balance of the year will not be as great," he said without giving specific figures.

Mojica said Cebu Pacific has imposed a fuel surcharge of 6.50 dollars on its international flights, but have not increased fares for the domestic routes. (AFP)

Nice to hear! so this is final now, huh? Very good, its about time Cebu Pacific got new plane to replace their old DCs. Imo, Cebu Pacific is a very good airline.

And I hope they transfer to Terminal 2.... Solo ng PAL daya....

I think that's impossible, federal. PAL won't share it with anyone since they used their own money to build the airport, right? (Correct me if I'm wrong) :D

Cebu Pacific to buy 12 A319 aircraft from Airbus and lease two A320s
... a 670 million-dollar refleeting program.

Here's what they're up to: :runaway:
.... a sample of an A319 & an A320 from Airbus.

http://www.airbus.com/MultimediaElements/605.jpg

Go forward CEBU PACIFIC! Wish u luck in ur refleeting program. :cheers:

came across a few articles re: 5J refleet today. great choice, I believe. I love airbus!! haha... hopefully Cebu Pacific will continue to grow in the next few years up until the point it starts operating B747s and A340s!! hehehe... can't wait till that day comes along. oh yeah, I ran into this article at philskies' forum the other day. very inspiring behind the scenes look at the awesome people behind the airline. here (http://philskies.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3736&sid=ebd2c386b30d39794771eaefc6f194e1). must read!

I think that's impossible, federal. PAL won't share it with anyone since they used their own money to build the airport, right? (Correct me if I'm wrong) :D

No. It's not PAL's. The government built it. MIAA operates it. PAL seems the only one interested at the moment since Parking, Docking, Lighting fees are more expensive in Domestic Centennial Terminal 2 than the Manila Domestic Terminal.

Nice to hear! so this is final now, huh? Very good, its about time Cebu Pacific got new plane to replace their old DCs. Imo, Cebu Pacific is a very good airline.

Are these A319 :cheers: planes new? If they are, looks like 5J is very profitable now...

I think they are new. it wasn't mentioned anywhere in the article that its refurbished or repainted.
And also, it said that they will buy it from Airbus. Imo, this is a good move for 5J. Their DC 9s are really old. DC 9s have been around for ore than 40 years now. It gives the airline a bad image regarding safety. I can't wait to see an A319 and an A320 in Cebu Pacific Livery!!!!! For those of you here who have artistic talent and have photoshop. do it!!!!!! hehehe

Whoo hoo! Brand new planes:okay:

Thanks for the picture, rmb.:)

Here's the official release from Airbus, I've yet to see renderings on the website though:

CEBU PACIFIC SELECTS AIRBUS A319 AND A320 FOR TOTAL FLEET RENEWAL
SEPTEMBER 01, 2004

Cebu Pacific, the Philippines’ second largest carrier, has signed a contract for the purchase of twelve Airbus A319s and will additionally lease two Airbus A320s to totally replace its existing fleet of DC-9 and B757 aircraft. The A319s are scheduled for delivery from September 2005 until 2007 and will be deployed on the airlines’ domestic network that currently extends to 19 destinations. The A319s will be configured in a 150-seater all-economy configuration.

Cebu Pacific is a new customer for Airbus in Asia–Pacific and the latest in a recent series of low cost carriers from the region to select A320 Family aircraft. Over 300 Airbus A320 Family aircraft are already in service with 28 airlines from the region. With the Cebu Pacific order, the backlog of Airbus A320 Family orders destined for Asia-Pacific customers is increased to over 120 aircraft. The A320 Family has a widespread reputation for high dispatch reliability even on short hops, with wide aisles facilitating quick turnarounds for efficient operations.

“After several months of careful and prudent study, we finally decided to re-fleet using the Airbus A319 and A320 because of the long term benefits to Cebu Pacific in terms of economy and operations, “said Cebu Pacific president and CEO Lance Gokongwei. “We believe that our partnership with Airbus will further boost our position in the local industry and improve our international operations. Furthermore, the Cebu Pacific-Airbus team up will surely play a key role in the development of our country’s tourism, which is a vital component of the airline’s Vision and Mission.”

“Airbus is delighted to welcome Cebu Pacific to the family of Airbus customers in the dynamic Asia-Pacific region. I am confident that the A319’s combination of low operating costs, high on-time performance and outstanding passenger appeal will prove to a further boost to the airline’s reputation amongst its passengers in the Philippines market,” said Airbus President and Chief Executive Officer Noël Forgeard.

The A319 offers optimum cabin comfort in its class, reflecting a common commitment that is found in all Airbus aircraft. And like all the passenger aircraft that Airbus produces today, it features many modern technology features at no extra charge – such as advanced fuel-saving aerodynamics, including winglets, widespread weight-saving carbonfibre composites, and pilot and maintenance-friendly fly-by-wire controls and centralised maintenance.

Widely accepted as the industry standard, the best–selling Airbus A320 Family comprises a variety of seating configurations that allow for a customised lay-out depending on the airliner’s needs. All of them share the same airframe – only the fuselage lengths are different – and the same cockpits, systems and engines, delivering unmatched operational commonality and savings to airlines.

Airbus is a leading aircraft manufacturer with the most modern and comprehensive family of airliners on the market. They range in capacity from 100 to more than 500 seats and incorporate the latest state-of-the-art technologies. Airbus has delivered more than 3,500 aircraft to some 260 customers and operators worldwide, and boasts a healthy delivery backlog of some 1,400 aircraft, which, at current rates, represents close to five years of production. With an annual turnover of €19.2 billion in 2003, Airbus is a global company with design and manufacturing facilities in France, Germany, the UK and Spain, as well as subsidiaries in the US, China and Japan. Headquartered in Toulouse, France, Airbus is an EADS joint Company with BAE Systems.

Well thus ends my hopes for the 717 in 5J colors....:(

Though its gonna look good in the A319 and A320! :D

Guys, Airbus has posted the Cebu Pacific news on their website. and check out their pic. its small and its cartoonish. but it should give us an idea on how the 5j scheme would look like on an A319.

http://www.airbus.com/MultimediaElements/3097.jpg

Well, now I hate to say but I just realized it looks kinda bland in 5J's regular livery, give it a "City of Cebu" or "City of Davao" and lets talk. :D

Kawawa naman PAL... d makapag-refleet...

I hope 5J launches MNL-LAX... worth trying hehe... Am sure the company would be more profitable due to the underserved transpacific route by PAL...

5J going for the LAX-MNL run would be a big plus for us sitting here in California, if not the West Coast, as it would bring another airline that offers direct service to the PI as well as bringing (hopefully) an airfare war with PAL. :D

kawawa naman talaga ang PAL. almost all their planes are leased lang. whereas ang 5J bumibili ng bago. hahahaha. the last time na nagtry magrefleet ang PAL, nagsara. wrong timing kasi nun. ang daming strikes tapos Asian crisis pa. hehehehe. They ended up letting go of more planes than they have acquired. The irony of it all. hahahaha

5J MNL-LAX would be cool. Btw, how long can the a319s and a320s travel ba without stopping with a full load? If they are gonna introduce a LAX service using their A320's, im sure there's gonna ba a stopover. Either that or they will add at least an A330 on their fleet. But i don't see that happening anytime soon. it looks like they are gearing towards beefing up their regional and domestic network. So most likely hanggang Asia lang sila. Guam siguro kaya. Can Australia be reached by an A320 from manila?

can an A320 last for 8-10 hours? that's how long a Manila-Sydney flight is. i think Sydney was around 8000 kms from Manila, and LA 10 000kms.

5J will use A320 for their existing international route and possibly to re-open route between SIN - MNL. At least, thats what i know :D


cheers

that's great @David! i hope they really resume their SIN-MNL flight! and retain their cheaper rates... hehehe... i badly need a cheap ticket for December, I'm in a fiscal crisis right now... wehehehe :bash:

Here is the article, anyway thank you babystan for the article. :D

Business Times - 03 Sep 2004

Cebu Air may reopen Singapore service

Philippine airline expects capacityto double after refleeting

By AL LABITA
IN MANILA

CEBU Pacific Air, which pioneered budget flights in the Philippines, plans to reopen its Singapore-Manila route after it sealed a US$670 million purchase-and-lease deal with French aircraft maker Airbus.

'Our refleeting programme has given us the option to consider reopening the Singapore-Manila route,' Cebu Pacific (CEB) president Lance Gokongwei, the son of tycoon John Gokongwei, told a news conference shortly after the signing of the deal with senior Airbus officials in Manila on Wednesday.

He said, however, that CEB officials have yet to review the Singapore-Manila route which was stopped last year due to poor passenger load factor which made the airline company, the country's second largest carrier after the Philippine Airlines, uncompetitive.

Using the 179-seater Boeing 757, CEB booked only a 30-35 per cent load factor, forcing it to incur a 60 million pesos (S$1.83 million) loss in its first two months of operations. CEB launched the service last Oct 1, 2002, making Singapore its third foreign destination then.

Under the new purchase deal, CEB would purchase 12 Airbus 319 aircraft and lease two A320s from Airbus to replace the airline's existing DC-9 and B757 aircraft. 'Once our refleeting is completed by early 2007, we shall have the youngest fleet in Asia and make CEB the country's No 1 domestic carrier in five years,' Mr Gokongwei said.

Mr Gokongwei said CEB's buying of the new aircraft was spurred by the company's rapid growth after only eight years of service with an annual 20 per cent revenue growth based on an almost 40 per cent share of the airline passenger and cargo market.

'We are growing fast and this would double our capacity in terms of more seats and flights,' the official said. CEB transported two million local and foreign passengers last year and the number is expected to rise to 2.5 million by year-end.

Mr Gokongwei said CEB will remain an 'on-time carrier' which, he said, 'is among the best in the world and way above the international norm'.

'We want CEB to be equated with punctuality wherever we fly,' he added.

Copyright © 2004 Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. All rights reserved

Guys, Airbus has posted the Cebu Pacific news on their website. and check out their pic. its small and its cartoonish. but it should give us an idea on how the 5j scheme would look like on an A319.

http://www.airbus.com/MultimediaElements/3097.jpg


It's cute...I like it..It looks like a holiday airline (specialized for tourism purposes) :cheers:

Here's the range for the A319 and A320-200:

A319:6845km
A322:5639km

Well at least by coincidence I had my request fufilled...:D

http://www.philskies.net/library/WW/a319.jpg

nice!!!! the yellow engines look hot!! haha... can't wait til these aircraft are delivered!!! that livery looks so much better in that rendering than in pictures of the DC-9! hahaha...

weird how the A319 runs further than the A320. haha... I doubt they can deploy either of them on non-stop flights to Australia though. but that's just pure speculation - no facts/figures to back that up. PAL uses the A333 on their MNL-MEL-SYD-MNL flights though. a few articles I've read say that 5J plans to open up more routes to China (maybe Shanghai, beijing, etc..?) and posibly to Singapore after the refleet. I wanna see the A333/A340 in Cebu Pacific livery!! love those two... :D

any news of PAL refleeting? their B737s are hella old!! hahaha... they should get them replaced with A319/20s as well...! hehe!! and the B747s too... PAL should acquire more airbus wide-bodies!! A345 would be sweet!! nonstop to the east coast!!

Regarding 5J A319... it can't make a MNL-LAX (about 7400 miles) non-stop... the A319 only does 7000 km!... maybe a technical stop in HNL will do... pero not in the near term I think will 5J launch MNL-LAX.. but am defintely hoping for it... pity PAL :(

An A319 doing a Trans-Pacific run!? Believe me you'd be needing alot of runway, auxilary fuel tanks, and alot less passengers and cargo to make it through the trip. :nuts:

Though it is possible for an A319 to do a scheduled Tran-Atlantic run, but of course with payload restrictions. PrivatAir fitted their A319LRs with an all business class cabin configuration for use between Dusseldorf and Newark and Chicago O'Hare. Again though these all C class 319s carry less passengers than a regular A319 so it dosen't have to worry about weight penalty for doing this run and other stuff...

Still, doing a Trans-Pacific run on a narrowbody would be torture for me!!!! :runaway:

Never heard anything new in PAL's refleeting of the regional narrowbody fleet yet but I'm itching to see some new metal in PR colors. :D

I also remember this one Cebu Pacific article in Airways Magazine in 2002 (or 2003, I sorta forgot...) in which a 5J represenative said "In 5 years we will have our 757s replaced by 767s and have them do the MNL-LAX run (with a refueling stop I suppose...), if not then we would codeshare." or something along those lines, again sorry its been a while since I seen that article... :bash: They are already FFM partners with Northwest so that gives Cebu Pacific an advantage in terms of frequent flyer miles since Summit Club Members (5Js FFM program) can gain miles in Northwest flights while WorldPerks members can do the same with 5J whereas in Philippine Airlines, you can only earn but not redeem miles in PAL's partner airlines. I believe the 767 would be a good choice for 5J due to its commonality with the 757 (though both are of different size...) which makes it easier for crews to transition from either type to the other.

Sweet pictures, guys! 5J is really making PAL look bad, even though PAL has more flights and bigger planes. At least 5J has brand new planes coming up, and not leased.

It would be cool to see 5J have more international flights. Then it get rival PAL just like Grandair (which later died) did. I would love to see 5J getting 777-ERs or A345..:)

Yay! Cebu Pacific is gonna start becoming a serious threat to PAL! I hope this will get the new president of PAL to start thinking competitive and whip PAL up to the level of CX and SQ as it should have been!

Thankfully Cebu Pacific has a better strategy than what Grandair had since its expansion into the international market is done slowly instead of rapidly. Indeed I hope as well that this makes the guys at PAL wake up and smell the coffee and see that they have some competition going, like in Korea with Asiana and Korean Air, Japan with JAL and ANA, etc. :D

yeah... maybe Cebu Pacific could run 777 on trans-pacific routes! haha...! but they seem to be interestingly hesitant in opening up to destinations outside of the asian region. I really do hope that PAL seriously takes on this threat though. it'd be awful to see it go down again like it did a couple of years back. luckily, they take this up in a good way that'll get them back to where they're meant to be. one of asia's top airlines alongside CX, SQ, MAS, THAI, Emirates, etc... I love PAL!! hahaha...

What 5J needs to do is not expand too fast. So their domestic flights and few international flights are good enough for now. It is only later when they should get more wide-body aircraft to go global. Meanwhile, this will surely push PAL to improve their services, aircraft and facilities.

Thats true. they should establish themselves first in the regional market before expanding to trans-pacific routes. Its just a nice thought for them to be present in LAX. and 2nd philippine carrier in LAX. Wouldn't that be great? Hehehehehe. Btw, now that i have thought about it, using an A320 to LAX even with a stopover is impossible unless 5J wants to get bankrupt. Especially now that fuel prices are skyrocketing. PAL is able to do long haul because widebodied planes have more seats. meaning the consumption of fuel going to LAX or SFO from MNL is divided by the number of passengers. For example: PALs A340 can carry approx 300 pax. That means that if they consume like $1000 of fuel (not sure of the value), that is divided by 300. Whereas if 5J would use their A320, its gonna be double the amount because the A320 can only handle 150 pax. Tama ba yung naisip ko mga peeps?

And I don't think passengers would wanna be cooped up in a narrowbody for a trans-Pacific flight...:eek:

Yup. that too. hehehehe. btw guysd i just found out. you know the 5th B744 of PAL, i knew that it wasnt brandnew. I thought PAL was its 2nd owner. it turns out that it is the planes 3rd owner. Before PAL, it was with Air Canada, but even before Air Canada, the plane was with Canadian Airlines (which cloesed down). Based on the info, the plane was manufactured in 1994!!! Jeezz. that means the friggin thing is more than 10 yo already.WHy would PAL buy something THAT old? I mean, they could have leased an A346 instead. both have relatively the same passenger capacity, or if they really want another B744, they couldhve looked for something that is relatively new. Like a plane that was made during the late 90's. the plane is Hell'a old. if you take a close up pic, it shows age already. especially on the tail part of the plane.

What 5J needs to do is not expand too fast. So their domestic flights and few international flights are good enough for now. It is only later when they should get more wide-body aircraft to go global. Meanwhile, this will surely push PAL to improve their services, aircraft and facilities.

Though direct competition with PAL is healthy, maybe Cebu Pacific should find it's own niche to expand into. MNL-LAX/SFO/YVR/LAS via YVR are routes already monopolized by PR and are profitable, 5J should establish new routes and destinations elsewhere, like Europe. That move would threaten PAL immensely and it will follow suit and launch services also given the potential market growth. That will also trump PR and gain added exposure to "the little airline that can" because they flew (back) to Europe first than the country's flagship carrier.

Actually yes that is a good idea, cover markets PAL dosen't serve and go from there. :D .....though again I'm still up for some trans-Pacific competition. :D

Actually yes that is a good idea, cover markets PAL dosen't serve and go from there. :D .....though again I'm still up for some trans-Pacific competition. :D

then cebu pacific will have to acquire bigger ultra long range jets to serve these trans-continental routes

i agree with Cebu Pacific tackling routes which are mainly "untouched" by PAL.

May Cebu Pacific, should cover the ones PAL has lost in the crisis. Like Chicago, SO MANY pinoys over there, they should do that. (maybe new york too!!! <- not sure about this one). Maybe Paris and London again? And they should explore other places too, like seatle or something? How come no one goes to latin america? Brazil is nice and so is like Mexico, they're kinda rich. Open up to more tourists, don't you guys think? I doubt they'll open it, but i hope the rest they do! :)

Sunday September 05, 2004
Revive Laoag flights to Hawaii, Gov't urged
By Leilanie G. Adriano , Northern Luzon Bureau

LAOAG CITY—The Department of Tourism (DOT) in the province is eyeing the revival of direct flights from Laoag to Honolulu after travel agents held a familiarization tour here and noted the province’s historical landmarks and scenic spots.

Maria Milagros R. Gonzales, officer in charge of the DOT suboffice here, reported that with the continuing aggressive tourism promotions of Laoag and Vigan’s rich cultural heritage, the travel agents and tour operators noted the importance of the reviving the air route.

Maggie Pasion Domingo, head of the group of travel agents, noted that the proposed revival of the direct air route could immediately push through upon approval of concerned authorities.

The travel agents were lodged at the Fort Ilocandia Resort and Casino, where Gov. Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. of Ilocos Norte welcomed them at the FIRC coffee shop extension.

Besides the 12 travel agents, Gonzales said another group of travel agents from Honolulu, Hawaii, is expected to arrive today at the Laoag International Airport in Barangay Calayab, Laoag City for a three-day orientation tour in Northern Luzon, particularly this city.

While the DOT suboffice is concentrating on catering to the Chinese and Taiwanese tourism markets, Gonzales said the DOT national office is contemplating the revival of the balikbayan program aimed at providing better quality services to Ilocano balikbayan and overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

But the balikbayan program, which started during the time of former President Ferdinand E. Marcos, still has no established and specific mechanism and guidelines from the DOT main office in Manila for its fulfillment.

According to Gonzales, a number of balikbayan, particularly in Northern Luzon uses the Laoag International Airport as their entry point.

She said that it is timely to reconsider the DOT’s program for balikbayan, consider giving big discounts, incentives and other quality services for them specially with the nearing tourist peak season in November and December.

“In line with this, dagiti efforts dagiti naduma-duma a Hawaii travel agents, tour operators ken Philippine Airlines connecting flights ket sapay koma ta ma-appreciate dagiti OFWs, especially dagiti aggapu iti east and west coast of the United States iti ar-aramidenda a promotions,” she said.

Earlier, the national media and different travel agents from China and Taiwan visited this province, resulting in the inauguration of chartered and connecting flights from these two international markets.

May Cebu Pacific, should cover the ones PAL has lost in the crisis. Like Chicago, SO MANY pinoys over there, they should do that. (maybe new york too!!! <- not sure about this one). Maybe Paris and London again? And they should explore other places too, like seatle or something? How come no one goes to latin america? Brazil is nice and so is like Mexico, they're kinda rich. Open up to more tourists, don't you guys think? I doubt they'll open it, but i hope the rest they do! :)


like said before Cebu Pacific is gonna need long-haul airplanes, something which needs investing in.

and it wont be until a while before they will go for long haul. I think its quite soon to think about long haul for 5J.

PAL already serves Vancouver which is very near to Seattle, so a flight to Seattle will not be feasible for PAL and maybe 5J. There are not that many pinoys over there anyways. PAL used to fly to Chicago and NYC so i hope they go back.

PALs Chicago service didn't last long either. and besides, with Northwests twice a day US service via their hub in Japan NGO, and NRT, and with another daily frequency that is pending, not to mention PALs daily service to both SFO and LAX, i don't think that there is great demand for either ORD, EWR, or JFK service from MNL since passengers can easily take a connecting flight to the said destinations. So if ever 5j is gonna expand their international network, i don't think a US service will be a prudent step. European flights are not a good idea either bcause rarely anyone goes to Europe. I think that they should introduce though a service to the Middle East. PAL now only flies to Riyadh. with codeshared flights to doha and dubai ( which don't count since neither destinations are serviced by PAL planes). 5j should go those destinations vacated by PAL: Dharhan, Jeddah, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi. Even Karachi.

PALs Chicago service didn't last long either. and besides, with Northwests twice a day US service via their hub in Japan NGO, and NRT, and with another daily frequency that is pending, not to mention PALs daily service to both SFO and LAX, i don't think that there is great demand for either ORD, EWR, or JFK service from MNL since passengers can easily take a connecting flight to the said destinations. So if ever 5j is gonna expand their international network, i don't think a US service will be a prudent step. European flights are not a good idea either bcause rarely anyone goes to Europe. I think that they should introduce though a service to the Middle East. PAL now only flies to Riyadh. with codeshared flights to doha and dubai ( which don't count since neither destinations are serviced by PAL planes). 5j should go those destinations vacated by PAL: Dharhan, Jeddah, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi. Even Karachi.

Why not Europe? There are a lot of overseas Filipinos there, I'm sure that they'll be glad for any Philippine carrier (not just PAL) that provides direct non-stop services to their part of the world. Same is true for the large Pinoy communities here in the US, namely Chicago, New York/New Jersey, and the Washington DC metro area. I also agree that services to the Middle East should be expanded since there is a great need there too. :)

yeah... I was thinking about Middle East routes as well. I think it would be better for PAL to try opening services there when they try to expand their route network, before going back into europe or central/eastern US. there are a ton of OFWs there, so I believe those flights could be pretty lucrative...

Cebu Pacific, on the other hand, is more of a low-cost carrier that is trying to cater mainly to tourists going into the Philippines, according to them. so I don't think they'd have plans on opening up to the US or Europe, even if they had the equipment and all. even if we do get a large number of tourists coming in from the US, I doubt too many would go for a long-haul flight with a Southwest type of airline - especially with PAL and a bunch of other American carriers already widely available. probably around the Asian region only...

absent-minded has a good point on his last paragraph. Cebu Pacific is low-cost, and so long-haul flights will be a big investment on them. they can still survive even without those routes. what they need is less thinking on mammoth expansions, and concentrate on regional routes. SEA cities, Chinese cities, Indian cities (PAL, afaik, has no connections to the Indian subcontinent), and maybe Northern Territory and Queensland here in Australia.

i very much doubt the statement "people go rarely to Europe". but it is right that it's not a good market for an airline such as Cebu Pacific

Cebu pacific is not actually a low cost carrier, their price is maybe cheaper than PAL...but not that low. Something to remember guys, when you try to open international routes, you really need to consider the yield and how profitable the routes.

For example, Maybe the seats from Hongkong to Manila are full but does it means the yield are profitable? if not then you need to consider reevaluate the routes.

My opinion is let cebu pacific or 5J are doing what they already done before, they are the best on-time carrier and let it be. Even the management that are considering to re-open the SIN-MNL flights are still thinking twice. As i said, The yield is the most important thing in opening new international routes.

cheers

i agree.

PAL hopes to get out of rehab early next year
By Marianne V. Go
The Philippine Star 09/13/2004

Newly-designated Philippine Airlines (PAL) president Jaime J. Bautista is aiming to take the country’s flag carrier out of rehabilitation by early next year.

In his first interview after his assumption of the PAL presidency last Aug. 27, Bautista said that all of PAL’s creditors, except one, has already signed the rehabilitation program of PAL.

From a debt load of P100 billion in 1998, Bautista said, PAL has been able to successfully pay off some of its debt and is current in all interest payments.

Thus, PAL’s debt, Bautista said, is now at a manageable P70 billion.

Majority of PAL foreign creditors are European banks and financial institutions, while American banks come next as well as suppliers and other creditors.

Almost all of the Philippine creditors, Bautista disclosed, have been paid off.

PAL is also now a much leaner institution with 7,300 workers, down from the 14,000 employees it had back in 1998.

PAL’s fleet is also down to 24 aircraft from 30 in 1998.

PAL, in fact, Bautista said, had intended to get out of rehabilitation this year, but the Sept. 11 terrorist bombing of the New York World Trade Center and the SARS crisis had delayed PAL’s plans.

"Once PAL is out of rehabilitation the country’s flag carrier will be able to undertake a long-term plan for its future, including a refleeting program," Bautista said.

According to Bautista, while PAL is still under rehabilitation, it faces a lot of constraints, first and foremost of which is being able to borrow again to expand its operation and securing its creditors’ approval for any refleeting plans and route changes.

PAL, back in June 1998, ran into trouble following a nasty strike by its pilots which grounded most of PAL’s airplanes, thus adversely affecting PAL’s revenue.

A series of other strikes by flight attendants and the PAL union almost broke PAL’s back, forcing it to actually stop operation for two weeks in 1998.

PAL eventually had to ask its creditors for a financial debt restructuring and filed a petition for rehabilitation with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in June 1998.

However, PAL’s first rehabilitation plan was rejected by most of its creditors because of the provision of only a $50 million additional capital infusion by PAL’s major stockholder Lucio Tan.

Tan eventually agreed to infuse $200 million and most of PAL’s creditor banks have approved the second rehabilitation plan except for one holdout whom Bautista refused to identify.

Bautista is optimistic though that the holdout creditor will eventually approve the rehabilitation plan.

Bautista has also set some initiatives for PAL which include upgrading the customer service of PAL from the time a customer buys his ticket up to the time he retrieves his baggage at his end-destination.

Good luck, PAL.

considering PAL's current financial situations, it's done a pretty good job keeping airplanes in the air. imagine if the pilots strike and the billions of debt did not occur.

hold it!!!! it says there that pal now only has 24 planes from 30 in 1998? I beg to differ but PAL (well, based on their website at least), has 30 planes. In 1998, PAL had 54 planes or even more. They had to reduce the fleet to 29. And ever since, PAL has added just 1 antique 747-400 which is an ex aircanada and ex canadian airlines.

or maybe the statement is true. Maybe PAL was forced to again downsize its fleet without properly informing us aviation enthusiasts. :weirdo: So from 30, its down to 24 now. :eek2: If this is the case, then how does PAL plan to restructure their network with only 24 planes? thats ludicrous!!! :bash:

oh. btw, i have a friend whose brother in law is a PAL pilot. Sobrang may VIP treatment pa din daw sa PAL. My friend went to LA last month. he bought an economy ticket, fiesta class ang boarding pass nya, pero when he boarded the plane, the chief purser guided him to the first class area!!! Immagine!!! Na double upgrade sha!!! Plus, ang PAL sobrang mamigay ng libreng ticket. Like my friends sister, Yung may asawa na piloto. ang binayaran lang nya is the travel tax of 1650 pesos!!! The ticket is free!! At shempre first class nanaman. At hindi lang sha, yung siblings, anak, parents, grandparents nung piloto libre din!! Grabe talaga. Yan ba ang sinasabing close family ties na trademark ng pinoy? hehehehehe. Although i have to agree that when it comes to performance, naging ok ang PAL compared sa before 1998. At least ngayon, mejo (and i will stress on the work mejo) hindi na sila Plane Always Late. Instead of 5 hours delay. 2 hrs nalang. kasi daw hinihintay pa yung mga vip na non revenue passengers magboard kasi late magcheck in (no kidding. thats true. Its one of the primary reasons why pal flights are almost always delayed.

well lets hope pal will exit from the rehab programme by early next year so it can pursue its refleeting program its abt time they buy new modern planes like the 777, airbus a-340 500 or 600 series or maybe the future airbus a-380 or b-7e7 dreamliner???

well lets hope pal will exit from the rehab programme by early next year so it can pursue its refleeting program its abt time they buy new modern planes like the 777, airbus a-340 500 or 600 series or maybe the future airbus a-380 or b-7e7 dreamliner???

err, there is no way naia can handle an a380 :) b-7E7's are more likely, though. What PAL needs though, is a complete fleet overhaul. They can start by getting rid of those ancient 737s.

737's can still be handy you know. maybe a little refubishing would do. but hell, what do i know about airplanes:D

an A340 or a B747 would increase chances of a new long-haul destination:)

yeah... their 737's are old... really old and cramped

Yeah...they could start by buying/leasing 737-800s. And also 777-ERs and A345 to replace their old 747s (777s and A345 save more money). The 7e7 would be a good choice for regional flights also. what a dream:D

I dont think PAL will change their fleet anytime soon, their 737s are okay. One that bother me, GMA tend to use PAL 737 and A330s for her international trips, I hope the PAF can come with a presidential plane. Leasing PAL plane means so much money for the government, they need to lease the plane, crew, staff and pilots.

I know that PAF has fokker 28 for presidential plane and it was having major upgrade and refurbished at Indonesia, now the plane is back at services but someone said its in the condition of misery. I think PAF just need to sell that plane and replace it with 737.

cheers

Yeah i agree...

Does Megawati have a presidential plane? Last time i saw, she was using Garuda.

I dont think PAL will change their fleet anytime soon, their 737s are okay. One that bother me, GMA tend to use PAL 737 and A330s for her international trips, I hope the PAF can come with a presidential plane. Leasing PAL plane means so much money for the government, they need to lease the plane, crew, staff and pilots.

I know that PAF has fokker 28 for presidential plane and it was having major upgrade and refurbished at Indonesia, now the plane is back at services but someone said its in the condition of misery. I think PAF just need to sell that plane and replace it with 737.

cheers

i believe the fokker plane that ur talking abt has been has been refubished and repaired in fokker based in singapore. there was actually an issue because the afp was not been able to pay the fokker firm in singapore on time after it was refusbished, and fokker refused to return the plane to the phil government. finally the military paid the company i beleive the cost was around USD2M and the plane was returned to the philippines.the afp said the plane was good as new. the president is using the plane for her domestic trips around the country, i dont think she can use the plane for trips abroad since her entourage are usually large and the plane is small to accommodate all that usually comes with her and i afraid this fokker plane has limited range and is not efficient, that is why the government has to charter pal planes or use modern executive jets with wider range

I have to agree with you guys. as soon as they get their resources, PAL Should get rid of their 737-300s and 737-400s. One has to be blind to not see that those planes are just really really old and dirty. Boeing does not even manufacture those anymore. They may still use 737s although it has to be the next generation 737s like the 737-600,700,800, and 900. And if they really want to still use B747-400s well they just have to buy new ones and get rid of the existing 5. coz the 5 that they use right now are also old. They have been around for 10 years now. Their A340-300s and A330-300s are still new so they are still ok and clean. they can retain those. I cant say anything though on their A320s. In my years of traveling, i still have to try PALs A320s. But if they still want to use it they by all means they should order more. Or even the 7e7 dreamliner since their markets are practically just the same. for middle range travel

or another thing that they could do is to not use boeing planes anymore. replace 737s with A319s, continue and order more A320s A333s and A343s, and order A345s and A346s as replacement for their 744s.since most airbus cockpits are similar, PAL can save a lot coz they won't have to train pilots every time they "drive" :D a new type of aircraft. Isnt that feature what Airbus prides itself of?

and also, they should invest on a brilliant invention in aviation. Its called economy class PTVs with AVOD features. Their mabuhay and first class seats don't even have the AVOD feature. It doesnt have to be as nice as SQs executive economy class on their A345s (which ive tried. For those of you who are going to either LA or NW, i totally recommend it. they are the longest non stop flights today, but i promise you with the entertainment options available, you wont find it boring. You will have lots of options to do. I mean i didn't feel like ive traveled for 18 hours on board that plane) but if they really want to show their customers value, then they should do it. CX has them already. and NW has started them with their A330s.

But hey, these are just my two cents. PAL can do whatever they want as long as they refleet and enhance their onboard entertainment when they get out of rehab. :drunk:

Does Megawati have a presidential plane? Last time i saw, she was using Garuda.

Grey, Garuda doesnt want to lease more airplane to the government, Now the Indonesian air forces is ordering 2 Boeing 737-700NG for presidential transport. For the time being Megawati use Bae-146

i believe the fokker plane that ur talking abt has been has been refubished and repaired in fokker based in singapore.

Are you sure in Singapore? ST singapore only refurbished 20 UH-1 Helicopters for the PAF, AFAIK. Yes i know the f-28 is only for short haul, thats why i want PAF to sell the fokker and replace it with 737, at least the 737 can refuel in Honolulu if GMA want to fly into America. :)

cheers

So in that case, PAF should get a new model 737 for the president:)

can't wait until a PAL refleet or fleet renewal finally comes along. hahaha...! the 737s they operate stretch all the way back to late 80s or early 90s!! they should be replaced with, like you guys have said, either newer generation 737s or the A320 family. the 747s are also pretty old. 1994 to around 96, I think... maybe even older. they should be refleeted with the A340 or 777. two awesome planes!!! their current airbus fleet is pretty new. they should be added to though.

as for PTVs and AVOD, these are somethings PAL should indeed consider. some of their B744s don't even have PTVs in Business class... I did read about them redoing their various aircraft and introducing enchanced First/Biz classes and a new Premium Economy class for long haul routes though. that was unofficial from Airliners forum. maybe they are planning to get the A345 and fit them with the Super Fiesta class like SQ did to theirs! that'd be so awesome... we'll just have to see. hopefully, after ending the rehab plan, the airline doesn't fall back down all over again...

O/T - saw PR106 taking off from YVR to LAS today. right when I came out of school at around 2:57 or so... pretty much on time! haha... I knew I would see it someday. cuz the planes can be seen landing/taking off from a distance at my school. so happy seeing that red, blue and yellow A343 tail at the end of the day! hahaha...!

gusy, major news for Northwest Airlines.

CONTINENTAL, KLM AND NORTHWEST JOIN THE SKYTEAM ALLIANCE
Solidifies Position as a Leading Global Alliance

NEW YORK, September 13, 2004 - Global travelers will have additional route and fare choices as SkyTeam today announced that Continental Airlines, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Northwest Airlines are now full members of one of the world's fastest growing airline alliances. The SkyTeam Governing Board also revealed that effective September 15, passengers will be able to accrue and redeem frequent flyer miles interchangeably on any of the nine member airlines. With the addition of three new members, SkyTeam now serves 341 million passengers with 14,320 daily departures to 658 global destinations in more than 130 countries.

SkyTeam's Governing Board said, "The entry of Continental, KLM and Northwest into the alliance marks the single largest airline integration in aviation history and is an important milestone for global airline customers. When the alliance launched in 2000, we promised SkyTeam would alter the competitive landscape for airline alliances by focusing on the needs of our customers. Our growth over the past four years in terms of network reach, frequencies and destinations is a testament to our commitment to continually live up to that promise."

Growing the Network
The three new carriers add to SkyTeam's extensive network of hubs and destination cities, allowing member airlines to provide their passengers more travel options. Together, the three new members add ten additional hub locations and 141 new destinations to the alliance's roster, strengthening SkyTeam's reach in all key travel regions:

In Asia-Pacific, Northwest's hub at Tokyo's Narita airport and Continental's Guam hub will join Korean Air's Seoul-Incheon hub as SkyTeam's major hubs in the region, linking passengers to 11 new destinations in five countries. SkyTeam's Asia offerings now include Northwest's new service from Portland, Oregon to Tokyo-Narita and service from Detroit to Guangzhou, China, scheduled to begin in late October. In addition, Continental begins new service between Honolulu and Nagoya, Japan in December. Thanks to combined network and fares, Air France and KLM are able to offer unparalleled service between Europe and Asia.
In Europe, with four European carriers, including Europe's first pan-European airline group, SkyTeam will now offer passengers more choice on transatlantic routes. With Air France, Alitalia, CSA Czech Airlines and KLM, SkyTeam has hubs and strong market positions in all European regions and a very extensive intra European network.
In the Americas, with Aeroméxico and Delta Air Lines, the addition of Continental and Northwest will further open up service to and from Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean, adding cities such as Québec, Quito and Aguadilla (Puerto Rico) to SkyTeam's network. Continental's extensive transatlantic network serving 19 destinations will also provide SkyTeam customers with additional service options from its international gateways in Houston and Newark/New York. Northwest's Detroit and Minneapolis hubs provide additional travel options for European customers bound for Midwest cities.
In Africa, KLM's strong network will allow alliance passengers to access key cities such as Cape Town (South Africa), Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), Kano (Nigeria) and Nairobi (Kenya).
Underscoring the Customer Focus
In addition to more travel options, SkyTeam member airlines will provide customers greater recognition in terms of frequent flyer mileage accrual and redemption possibilities, all with consistent, high quality service. Effective September 15, 2004, passengers traveling with any of the nine member airlines can earn miles towards SkyTeam Elite status and redeem miles on any of the nine airline members. This means that customers can accrue valuable frequent flyer miles quicker than before.

On the ground, SkyTeam Elite Plus passengers have access to an additional 62 state-of-the-art airport lounges with amenities to make travel easier - bringing the total number of airport lounges to more than 390. For example, Northwest's WorldClubs at Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul and Tokyo and all of Continental's Presidents Club locations feature wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) access and computer battery charging ports. And Northwest's WorldClubs at Detroit and Tokyo have showers to provide a truly refreshing break for busy global travelers. In addition, passengers will continue to experience the existing SkyTeam customer benefits, including a single check-in for connecting flights and baggage.

Gordon Bethune, Chairman and CEO of Continental Airlines, said, "Around the world, today's air travelers demand reliability, flexibility and high-quality service. We know from our previous dealings with them that the SkyTeam members are world-beaters by all these measures, and we're proud to be part of a global alliance that shares our focus on the customer."

"SkyTeam is not only benefiting the passengers, but also the cargo customers", said Leo van Wijk, CEO and president of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. "SkyTeam Cargo, with Aeroméxico, Air France, Alitalia, CSA, Delta, KLM and Korean, offers the largest global cargo network for its customers. SkyTeam Cargo operates a worldwide system of more than 500 destinations in 110 countries and provides a consistent standard of performance, quality and service."

"We look forward to providing our customers with even greater access to the world through SkyTeam," said Richard Anderson, CEO of Northwest Airlines, "In turn, Continental, KLM and Northwest will provide the consistent, quality service SkyTeam passengers have come to expect."

Alliances in a Changing Industry
SkyTeam carriers are able to provide their customers with additional services and benefits because of their alliance membership. At the same time, the member carriers also benefit from a business perspective by maximizing efficiencies and exploring synergies with partner carriers.

Speaking on behalf of the founding members, Jean-Cyril Spinetta, CEO of Air France and chairman of Air France-KLM, said, "In an ever transforming industry, alliance membership is a necessity, allowing airlines to work together and navigate change. As illustrated today, SkyTeam continues to drive innovation in the industry as it welcomes two airlines from the US and incorporates Europe's leading airline group, Air France-KLM."

Each of the new members have long been recognized as among the top airlines in the world:

Continental serves 265 airports in 47 countries with a fleet of 358 aircraft. With 41,000 employees, the carrier enplaned 52.2 million passengers in 2003.
KLM serves over 130 airports in 65 countries with a fleet of 112 aircraft. The airline employs more than 29,600 people and carried 19 million passengers in IATA year 2003-2004.
Northwest is the world's fifth largest airline with hubs in Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Memphis, Tokyo and Amsterdam. Northwest serves 222 cities. With a fleet of 458 aircraft, the airline employs some 39,000 people and carried 52.1 million passengers in 2003.
SkyTeam is the global airline alliance partnering Aeroméxico, Air France, Alitalia, Continental Airlines, CSA Czech Airlines, Delta Air Lines, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Korean Air and Northwest Airlines. Through one of the world's most extensive hub networks, SkyTeam offers its 341 million annual passengers a worldwide system of more than 14,000 daily flights covering all major destinations.

Imo, PAL should get rid of all its 747s...They are just not cost efficient enough. To replace them, they should acquire long haul planes such as 777-ERs and A345s because even though they are smaller, they are more cost efficient. I love 747s, but in PAL's case, they dont really need them. Plus, PALs 747s are old. Several 777s and A345, A340s can be used for not only long haul but also regional flights.

I think PAL should consider refleeting later after they upgrade the IFE system, PTV, sms and games are now common in many airlines. This will save them more money than they need to lease new airplane, not to mention its getting difficult for PAL to get loan. Remember their last 744.

cheers

Air France to stop flying to Manila, give way to KLM
Air France will stop flying to Manila starting November to give way to its partner, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines.

The carrier will have its last flight out of the Philippines on Oct. 28. A three-day transition period will be given to Air France-KLM to get used to the new set up.

Some Air France employees will be left without jobs with the exit of the airline from the Philippines, although the number of affected workers cannot be immediately confirmed.

Air France Philippines General Manager Louis Vergeon was not immediately available for comment.

However, a BusinessWorld source said retrenchment is imminent.

"Some of us will move to KLM but the others will, unfortunately, not be absorbed," the source said.

Air France, which successfully took over KLM in May, flies daily to Paris, France via Bangkok, Thailand.

KLM services the Manila-Kuala Lumpur-Amsterdam route. With the exit of Air France, the Dutch carrier will take on the Paris route. It is also set to fly nonstop to Amsterdam starting November.

The merger six months ago created the world's top airline by revenue. It was considered an unprecedented takeover that heralds a new era for the industry.

KLM shareholders had tendered 41.76 million shares, or about 89.2% of the airline's capital, in the offer valued at nearly $1.03 billion.

The combination represented the first cross-border merger of major European airlines and created a company that ranks ahead of Japan Airlines System Corp. as the largest airline in the world by sales.

Air France-KLM is now third behind AMR Corp.'s American Airlines and UAL Corp.'s United Airlines in terms of passenger traffic.

KLM and Air France believe their deal will allow cost cuts and enhance revenues, helping to battle overcapacity in the market and face off growing competition from no-frills carriers.

The two airlines formed a joint holding company, Air France-KLM, under which the Air France and KLM brands will coexist for three years.

Air France-KLM owns 100% of both airlines but KLM remains Dutch, with 51% of its voting rights held by the state and two foundations.

Both Air France and KLM are members of the Sky Team, an alliance of mostly European carriers.

Locally, Air France has a code-sharing agreement with flag carrier, Philippine Airlines.

Code sharing allows two airlines to share seat capacity in a single aircraft, each selling under its own name or brand. -- Cecille S. Visto

Cebu Pacific eyes No. 1 position in domestic carrier


By LYNDA B. VALENCIA (PNA)


Cebu Pacific Air (CEB), the Philippines’ second-largest airline, aims to be the country’s No. 1 domestic carrier in five years after its acquisition of 12 brand new Airbus 319 and the lease of two A320s from the European aircraft maker Airbus worth $670 million.


Cebu Pacific and Airbus signed the agreement Wednesday for the A319 jetliners.

The airline company would source 85 percent of the $350-million budget from an Export-Import Bank loan and the remaining 15 percent from internal funds and sale leasebacks.

Lance Gokongwei, CEB president said the aircraft will replace the 12 DC-9 aircraft, which are about 25 to 27 years old, adding “these aircraft is meant to make CEB the country’s No. 1 domestic carrier in five years.”

He said CEB already has 38 percent of the market share after only eight years of service and has the momentum to gain more market share and eventually the industry lead.

“We are growing fast and this would double our capacity in terms of more seats and flights. Once our re-fleeting is completed by early 2007, we shall have the youngest fleet in Asia, making us even more efficient and competitive,” he said.

He added, “We will remain on-time carrier. Our record is among the best in the world and way above the international norm. We want Cebu Pacific to be equated with punctuality wherever we fly.”

Gokongwei also said the re-fleeting program, aside from being a strategic corporate move, is also a vote of confidence in the country.

“We are committed to the Philippines. We want to be a partner in its growth. This huge investment will make travel and tourism a more vibrant sector. It would also help push trade since CEB would have a bigger capacity to move cargo,” he added.

“CEB is currently the biggest carrier from Cebu, flying within Visayas and Mindanao in a loop service for regional passengers and tourists. The Manila and Cebu hubs will see increased activity as CEB adds more local and foreign destinations to help spark a travel and tourism boom,” said Bong Mojica, CEB general manager.

Mojica said the new 150-seat A319 is among the quietest and the most fuel-efficient in its class. Fuel represents an airline’s single biggest operational expense item.

“The airports of General Santos City, Laoag, Cotabato, Legazpi, Dipolog, Clark and Subic are the only possible new destinations that we can fly to, as their facilities can handle the type of A319 and A320 aircraft.

For foreign destinations, Singapore, Seoul, Darwin, Tokyo, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Taipei and Burma are being targeted.

The first A319 will be delivered in September next year. The rest will follow in the interviewing period ending in February 2007.

The two 169-A320s will be delivered in the second quarter of 2005 and eventually replace the fleet of B757s, its current workhorse for its regional flights.

Cebu Pacific pioneered low fares and fun flights in the country in 1996. It will carry over 2.5 million passengers in 2004.

----> If Cebu would be Cebu Pacific's main hub... sana in the future magkaron ng MNL-CEB-LAX flights... transit in cebu

Am I reading this right? Air France will cease services to CDG (via BKK) from MNL, but you can still fly to Paris on the same route on KLM as the carrier? Aside from KLM's service to AMS (via KUL) from MNL, and the direct non-stop MNL to AMS.


Air France to stop flying to Manila, give way to KLM
Air France will stop flying to Manila starting November to give way to its partner, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines.

The carrier will have its last flight out of the Philippines on Oct. 28. A three-day transition period will be given to Air France-KLM to get used to the new set up.

Some Air France employees will be left without jobs with the exit of the airline from the Philippines, although the number of affected workers cannot be immediately confirmed.

Air France Philippines General Manager Louis Vergeon was not immediately available for comment.

However, a BusinessWorld source said retrenchment is imminent.

"Some of us will move to KLM but the others will, unfortunately, not be absorbed," the source said.

Air France, which successfully took over KLM in May, flies daily to Paris, France via Bangkok, Thailand.

KLM services the Manila-Kuala Lumpur-Amsterdam route. With the exit of Air France, the Dutch carrier will take on the Paris route. It is also set to fly nonstop to Amsterdam starting November.

The merger six months ago created the world's top airline by revenue. It was considered an unprecedented takeover that heralds a new era for the industry.

KLM shareholders had tendered 41.76 million shares, or about 89.2% of the airline's capital, in the offer valued at nearly $1.03 billion.

The combination represented the first cross-border merger of major European airlines and created a company that ranks ahead of Japan Airlines System Corp. as the largest airline in the world by sales.

Air France-KLM is now third behind AMR Corp.'s American Airlines and UAL Corp.'s United Airlines in terms of passenger traffic.

KLM and Air France believe their deal will allow cost cuts and enhance revenues, helping to battle overcapacity in the market and face off growing competition from no-frills carriers.

The two airlines formed a joint holding company, Air France-KLM, under which the Air France and KLM brands will coexist for three years.

Air France-KLM owns 100% of both airlines but KLM remains Dutch, with 51% of its voting rights held by the state and two foundations.

Both Air France and KLM are members of the Sky Team, an alliance of mostly European carriers.

Locally, Air France has a code-sharing agreement with flag carrier, Philippine Airlines.

Code sharing allows two airlines to share seat capacity in a single aircraft, each selling under its own name or brand. -- Cecille S. Visto

“The airports of General Santos City, Laoag, Cotabato, Legazpi, Dipolog, Clark and Subic are the only possible new destinations that we can fly to, as their facilities can handle the type of A319 and A320 aircraft.

For foreign destinations, Singapore, Seoul, Darwin, Tokyo, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Taipei and Burma are being targeted.

This is very good news! I like the idea that they're flying to an Australian city other than Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane. Also the plans of making Cebu's Mactan International Airport as a "hub" is great, it would further decongest NAIA, and that's a good thing! :)

Regarding CEB. thats good news!!! more destinations for pinoys. regarding air france, yup. sadly its true. I have already posed that info on this thread a few weeks back.

so what are the routes KLMs gonna open up? MNL-KUL-AMS and MNL-AMS nonstop? or will only the MNL-AMS direct flight be left with an option to connect to Paris?

that's a nice news about Cebu Pacific... anyways... my bro's gf is a manager in Robinson's (main) and recently they went to China for a purchasing business... the Gokongwei twins are with her during the business trip... anyways... they used Cebu Pacific on their trip (obviously) and Cebu Pacific still have their games during the International flight just the same way as they do to domestic flights.... it's a very unique way of flying...:D

and the good thing with Cebu Pacific is its partnership with KLM and Northwest World Perks... unlike PAL which is not involved a big group of airlines.....this would easily make Cebu Pacific have a wider market specially if their international flights booms...

maybe codeshare.

anyways, gotta try out Cebu Pacific then when i go to Cebu City. :)

absent-minded. regarding the KLM news. nope. after Air France ceases to exist in the Philippines, all KLM flights to Amsterdam will become nonstop. So there won't be any MNL-BKK leg anymore for KLM. And since the flight is direct and im sure a 744 is too big to have a full load of filipino passengers, they are downgrading to a smaller yet more efficient plane. the 777. which is smaller but is more high tech. So basically, starting november, only two european carriers are left in NAIA: Lufthansa and KLM

and where does Lufthansa stop over? Bangkok?

yes

PAL aims for 99% on-time performance
Posted: 10:23 PM | Sept. 19, 2004

Clarissa S. Batino
Inquirer News Service

printable version email a story write the editor feedback


NO more "Plane-Always-Late" tag for flag carrier Philippine Airlines.

PAL president Jaime Bautista said the airline would like to initially improve its on-time performance to 90 percent for overseas flights and 95 percent for domestic runs starting this year.


Eventually, the airline controlled by taipan Lucio Tan would like to hit a 99-percent on-time performance.

The flag carrier's current on-time performance is slightly below the standard of 85 percent on overseas flights and 90 percent on local flights. Bautista admitted that PAL had been rating poorly in this area compared to its closest rival, Cebu Air Pacific.

Gokongwei-owned Cebu Pacific claims to have an on-time performance of 99 percent.

"Our on-time performance is very close to the airline standard of 85 percent for international and 90 percent for domestic. We acknowledge that we should achieve more than this to further meet the expectations of our passengers," Bautista pointed out.

In a bid to help solve the problem, PAL had started reducing the turnaround time in the provinces from one hour to between 30 and 45 minutes so the planes can come back earlier to Manila for the service checks and maintenance.

PAL is also reviewing flight schedules to improve the use of its planes. The PAL chief said the company wanted to use each aircraft for more than seven hours a day.

"If we do this, there is a better chance to generate more revenue," he said.

Bautista said that PAL would always start the day with on-time flights. A delayed flight in the middle of the day would start a domino effect of delays.

"What we are doing is to have the planes back in Manila as soon as possible and to spend less time on the ground in the provinces. The planes have to be in Manila because this is where the checks and maintenance are being done. We don't have that in the provinces," he explained.

He said PAL was now focusing on improving service to customers, increasing productivity and enhancing efficiency.

"We owe it to our customers to improve our service. Customer service is now the priority of PAL and we are talking about end-to-end, from ticketing to delivering the passengers and cargo to their destination," Bautista said.

But to improve efficiency, Bautista said PAL must first get out of rehabilitation so it would have more flexibility to improve its operations.

PAL had said that its creditors must allow it to get out of rehabilitation this year so it could consider borrowing funds for expansion. The company's 10-year rehabilitation started in 1999.

Asia's oldest airline was forced to go into rehabilitation in 1999 following crippling labor problems and a failure to settle debts totaling $2.2 billion. The rehabilitation called for $200 million in fresh equity provided by Tan.

Like any company under rehabilitation, the flag carrier is barred from incurring new loans and every material decision like the purchase of new airplanes or flying to new routes has to be approved by creditors.

The 47-year-old Bautista was named president of PAL last Aug. 26. He replaced Avelino Zapanta who retired.


---->IT's about time... (literally and figuratively) :)

yeah its about time!! It took competition to realize that they should boost their services:D

yep. about damn time. though 99 percent on-time for a major airline is big! even when i was with SQ it had an hour delay from Changi to Frankfurt

well, it just amazes me that PAL just realized how important on-time performance is. Pero its a good thing pa rin. at least now we know that thet are aware of the umber 1 concern of its passengers. Siguro PAL is pressured by the performance of Cebu Pacific. Oo nga naman, PAL is Asias first airline pero talong talo sila ng Cebu Pacific na sobrang bata pa. hehehe. its like david defeating golliath. hehehehe.

Btw guys, PAL hasn't released any news yet, but i went to their website. They have a new route!!!! Code shared nga lang. They started code-sharing with air macau on their manila-macau flights. ewan ko ba. hehehe. pal could easily open up a route naman to Macau since malapit lang naman yon pero they chose to code-share pa.

And, is there news na what will happen to PALs code share agreement with Air France once air france suspends their flights to manila? Sana wag nalang itigil ng PAL and manila-paris. I hope they would introduce their own service to CDG after air france. or kiahit hindi nalang paris, one european route lang para may presence namn sila sa continent na un. they reduced their frequencies temporarily (untill october 31) to LAX and SFO. they still go to these destinations daily. pero puro 744 services nalang. ung 2 additional flights a week nila sa LAX and yung 1 additional flight nila a week sa SFO both using their A343 aircraft is suspended temporarily. sana yung 3 flights na cinancel nila going to lax and sfo, gawin nalang nilang 3x a wk service to paris or london. tama na yung daily service nila sa LAX and SFO. Diba?

Btw guys, PAL hasn't released any news yet, but i went to their website. They have a new route!!!! Code shared nga lang. They started code-sharing with air macau on their manila-macau flights. ewan ko ba. hehehe. pal could easily open up a route naman to Macau since malapit lang naman yon pero they chose to code-share pa.

I just checked-out PAL's website and nothing's been mentioned about new routes in their "News" section. Where did you find it? :)

good news, re PAL's on-time performance improvement goal. last week or so, I manually calculated their departure statistics (using the online flight departure/arrival facility on the website) for all intl/domestic flights that day. hahaha...! yeah... I think it was around 75%+- on-time... took me like an hour or so to gather all the info. hehe... and on-time meant on the dot and upto within 15-minutes of scheduled departure - just like Cathay and Cebu Pacific do it. I hope they do make it to around 90%... 99% would be awesome. CX hardly even makes it past 90% (it's 81.5% so far today, according to their website)...

as for the new routes, they, for some reason, didn't post the code-share with Air Macau in their News section. I noticed it added to the drop-down lists and route maps the other day though... and yeah, its off-peak right now, I guess, for transpacific flights. YVR flights aren't being totally packed like they were around two/three weeks ago (my mom's friends took it yesterday, and they said it wasn't full). and for SFO, they now utilize either B744 or A343 on flight PR104 - depending on how full the flight gets. its been A343 the past couple of days, as per flight trackers (flightview.com)...

kiretoce. check out their timetables. then choose macau and then manila. or you can check out their route map or destinations page. the pal news page is rarely edited. dapat siguro "olds" ang tawag sa page na yun kasi palaging huli magpost ng info. hehehe

Have they done anything on the Stewardess Dept? No sure but I always like domestic ones, they're more beautiful than the PAL ones. Notice in PAL they're a lot older and not as pretty. Just my opinion! :)

yah... I agree, some of the PAL stewardess are very old... yung isa ngang nakita ko, ala ng kilay... wehehehe... but they do serve the passenger better... :)

i dunno why they put the senior staff at Long-haul flights.... fresh faces would be better :)

i dunno why they put the senior staff at Long-haul flights.... fresh faces would be better :)

Because it's more lucrative and I guess they get paid more compared to the "puddle-jumping" flights (domestic or regional). I have a friend who's an FA for Continental Airlines and she said that with more seniority you have, you can pick or choose the flights and the schedules you want, as long as you have the cummulative hours you're alloted for for the week or month.

About the on time performance, I read somewhere that when the aircraft pushes off from the departure gate on the dot, it's considered "on time," though you may be sitting on the runway for hours before take-off. That's why airlines are pressed to shove off from the gate even before the scheduled departure time so that they can count that as an "early departure" which is always viewed as positive. :)

i dunno why they put the senior staff at Long-haul flights.... fresh faces would be better :)

Yeah...PAL thinks older stewardesses are more experienced and better at their jobs. But i find that younger ones are much nicer, better at the job and better looking:) I once had this old stewardess serving me in a MNL-YVR, and she was so rude. I hated that flight because of her, really bad coz its a 12 hour flight.

i'd rather have a stewardess in her 40s thats nice than a mean biatch stewardess in her 20s. dont they go to stewardess school? i know in SQ flights young stewardesses are very nice. well they all are.

personally, I feel Cathay has some of the most unfriendly ground and flight attendants. even the Filipinos they hire turn out like the rest of their crew. always so cocky, so full of themselves... noses up in the air, just cause they belong to one of the world's top airlines. and they proudly advertise their "service from the heart" with the big plastic, unsincere smiles...

last month, we were checking my cousins in for a YVR-New York flight on Cathay. we decided to check-in early so we could go to church and drop them off just before boarding. the flight was scheduled for 1:XXpm, so the counters should've been open 9:30 or so... we get there at 9:45 and no one is there. we - along with half the flight's other passengers (who, for some reason, also decide to check in relatively early) - wait till 10:00 before one of their ground staff decides to show up and configure the computers. obviously, it was pretty crowded around the counters already and they had yet to set up the little poles with the retractable belt things that make up the lines. at 10:15, they finally try to start putting the lines up, so one attendant starts spazzing trying to move the passengers back to make room for those line divider things. passengers start complaining about them being so late and instead of immediately apologizing, she answers back with some stupid excuses and spurs up an arguement between her and the irate passengers.

then last may, after deplaning into HKIA for a stop over from YVR, my mom finds out she had left something onboard. we go to the cathay customer service counter and ask if there was anything we could do. the attendant - who could barely understand what we were trying to say - tells us the plane had already left for another flight. so we go "oh... ok... nevermind" and walk over to the gate for our connecting flight to MNL - which turned out to be right beside the gate we came in through from YVR (gate 2 and 3 I think they were...). guess what... the big fat B744 was sitting right outside where we'd just gotten off half an hour ago. it probably is against company policy to let passengers back on board after already deplaning, but the least she could've done was to explain that instead of lying white through her teeth...

I haven't had any bad experiences with PAL FAs yet, considering I've only been with them once in six years. SQ F/As look real nice and pleasant though, even though most of the F/As I've seen in pictures look pretty old...

hehe.... ok lang yan

PAL is quite ok naman. LAX-MNL, i forgot my toiletries bag on the plane!.... I remembered this when I was at the T1 immigration counter. I asked the ground staff if it's possible for them so accompany me back to the plane... they did :)

Philippine Airlines Flies to Europe Soon
Monday September 20, 12:33 PM | Yahoo! Finance Singapore

MANILA, Sept 20 Asia Pulse - Philippine Airlines, the national flag carrier, is considering the idea of flying to Europe soon to compete with other airlines.

The European countries are Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

Jaime Bautista, newly-appointed PAL president, said the management is seriously considering the idea of mounting flights there "but we are still on the planning stage and we still must renegotiate with Europe."

Bautista, concurrent president and chief executive officer of Air Philippines, believes that this is the time for PAL to resume flights to Europe, where an estimated 150,000 Filipinos are working.

Mounting flights to these European countries will not be possible unless the Philippine air panel forges an air service agreement (ASA) with the individual countries or with the 15-member countries.

"The situation in Europe is that Arab airlines are aggressively positioning themselves not only in the Arab destinations but in Europe as well," Bautista said.

The problem with the Europe destinations is that the market is being dominated by Arab airlines, he said.

PAL wants to fly within the routes in Europe -- the Honolulu from Guam route to San Francisco from the Honolulu route.

At the same time, PAL is also studying plans to get the Airbus all new double-decker A380 which is expected to treble air traffic over the next 20 years, he said.

The A380 will be setting new standards in the aviation industry when entering into service in 2006 with Singapore Airlines as the first client.

European-based manufacturer Airbus is hopeful that the Philippines is among the destinations of its 555-seater A380 when it first flies here through Emirates Airlines by 2008.

The A380 embodies the very latest technologies for materials, systems and industrial processes. Offering about a third more seating and far more available floor space than its closest competitor, the A380 will deliver an unparallel level of comfort, with wider seats and aisles, open spaces for passengers to stretch their legs and access to lower deck amenities.
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great news!!! exactly what we've been asking for...! haha...!!! the European routes sound real good... but the A380 plans seem quite bleak right now. hope everything goes well under this new leadership of Bautista. how lucrative do you guys think the European routes could be? and would they need to acquire more wide-bodies to service these? I'm batting for an A345 or A346. hahaha...

The stewardesses of Cathay aren't all that bad. On my flight from Hong Kong to Rome and also on my trip back, the FA assigned to me would be the soul of politeness; when I'm on the flight, I tend to call on the flight attendants for almost anything(a drink, cards, etc.) and they're polite the entire time, even when they can't fulfill one of my requests. The only thing that was kinda sad was that both of the FA's had thick chinese accents that were pretty difficult to understand.

there's more european countries than those mentioned. that's only the EUROPEAN UNION.. imo Frankfurt is the place to land in, but there's already SQ and LX that is stationed there. how about London-Heathrow, BA doesn't fly to Manila anymore right?

as for which aircraft they're gonna use, it will be hard to stretch out the capacities of their 747's and A340s. but either one of them can do it. i doubt PAL will be the first airlines to get the A380, maybe a couple of years after the big rich ones get one

Philippine Airlines Flies to Europe Soon
yeah, great news! :okay:

Profitable European routes in my opinion would be London, Paris, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Rome, Milan and Zurich where there a lot of Pinoys. While Madrid, Barcelona, Athens and the Scandinavian countries are secondary destinations/routes. PAL should go slowly and surely with their route network expansion, too fast can sometimes be too costly.

I may be reaching here, but it wouldn't it be cool if PAL has flights to the North American East Coast via Europe from Manila. :)

Superb news! Under new managment, its great to see that PAL is getting aggressive to get back on top. First with improving their services, now with improving their facilities and flight destinations. I totally agree with flying back to Europe as there needs to be a non-stop flight from MNL to European destinations. And an Airbus A380 would be AWESOME! I couldn't imagine them getting those big boys until now....It would really create much needed competitiveness. Good that their a considering on getting them, but its ok if they settle for A345/A346s or B-777s.

My guess is that they would either fly to Paris, Frankfurt or Milan. Amsterdam is already being served by KLM.

OMG!!! Great News!!!!! Hopefully this is the start of a new day for PAL. O still remember the tagline of PAL dati. Asias sunniest chaka shining through. may PALs sun really shine thru. Sana yung sun na nasa buntot ng plane nila talagang magshine na at hindi nagtatago sa pulang triangle. hehehehehe.

I hope they fly to london, paris and zurich. amsterdam has klm na kasi and frankfurt has lufthansa na. pwede sila sa mga destinations na wala ang kalaban. hehehe. at sana nonstop flights

hmm.. Milan, even though there are a lot of pinoys is the airport big enough to handle long-haul flights? i might have to check that one

imo the big-hub cities (Frankfurt, London, Paris) are the best places to land for PAL, because there are pinoys all over Europe. and these hubs can take them to there

could they open up a small hub in one european destination like Paris or London (since BA doesn't fly to MNL no more...) and then have a couple of aircraft stationed there to do connecting flights to the other european cities like Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Zurich, etc...? I mean, do any airlines do that in any part of the world? would it be practical...?

could they open up a small hub in one european destination like Paris or London (since BA doesn't fly to MNL no more...) and then have a couple of aircraft stationed there to do connecting flights to the other european cities like Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Zurich, etc...? I mean, do any airlines do that in any part of the world? would it be practical...?

it would be easier to enter into an alliance with a european low-cost carrier if that's going to be the case :)

BREAKING NEWS!!

Cebu Pacific is taking delivery of two ex-Singapore Airlines Boeing 747-400s in March of 2005, along with the two leased Airbus A320-200. They are slated for use on planned MNL-LAX and MNL-SFO runs!!! this is just crazy... hahaha! huge surprise. hopefully this is all true. read more here (http://www.philskies.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3975). "Windwalker" (the member there) is a DC-9 captain for 5J, I think...

if you didn't read the thread in that link, SQ can't assure the delivery of the 2nd B744 until June, so the transpac flights might not be opened up until then... once they do, however, imagine how badly this is going to hit PAL.

that's great news! should force PAL to up their performance in the US West Coast.

wow really? cool. so i guess once na dumating ang 744 ng ceb, eh mas maganda yon compared sa 744 ng pal kasi mas bago yung mga 744 ng SQ. mas well quipped pa. tatanggalin pa kaya ng sq yung mga ptvs nila? sana bilihin na din ng CEB yun. hehehe. Sobrang tumitindi na ang competition ng dalawang airlines na ito!!!! hehehehe.

so it's Manila to Los Angeles. i thought it would have been Cebu-Los Angeles. i could be dreaming too much

gaaaa....gaaaa...gaaa Is this for real?!? I did not expect that to be so soon. Wow. 5J with 747s for long haul. That ought to bring some serious competition:D

hmm.. Milan, even though there are a lot of pinoys is the airport big enough to handle long-haul flights? i might have to check that one

Doesn't SQ, TG, KE, and I think CX also have long-haul flights to Milan from their bases in SIN, BKK, SEL/ICN and HKG?

Yeah...and Milan is fast becoming a hub in Europe. It is cheaper and "closer" to asia.

so it's Manila to Los Angeles. i thought it would have been Cebu-Los Angeles. i could be dreaming too much

Yeah, I thought that it was CEB-LAX/SFO too. Why do they have to originate in MNL? It's already too congested and CEB needs more international exposure as a alternative gateway to the Philippines.

There just isnt enough traffic between CEB and LAX/SFO. An airline doing so will not make any profit. corporations are always looking for return on investment and high yield.

or an alternative could be MNL-CEB-LAX/SFO like what PAL is doing with MNL-YVR-LAS to fill up seats

Anyways, GreyX is right. Airline routes need to originate from cities with high density traffic

Actually, it would be better if the route would be CEB-MNL-LAX. so that only the vacant seats will be filled up by the Manileños. That way, priority is given for Cebuano travellers. They could even extend the service to SFO. So CEB-MNL-LAX-SFO. Although they will have to wait for both 744s. It is not advisable for them to operate the said route with only one 744. Magiging sobrang laspag ang 744 nila in just a few months kung 1 lang. hehehe. pero official na ba ito? I mean from the sound of the FO ng CEB, totoo na. pero he also mentioned that CEB CEO Mojica told him this info July pa. Way before they decided to acquire A320s and A319s. I don't want to be a party pooper pero couldnt they have changed their minds regarding this. Pero personally speaking, sana matuloy. I would love to see CEB move forward by acquiring wide bodied aircrafts, brand new planes, and more international and domestic destinations.

Grabe. How does the new CEB livery look like kaya? Anybody here has an idea? Their current livery kasi IMO is panget. Parang Southwest Airlines chaka America West. Sana mas elegante ang dating. Like PAL, SQ,CX, and the new NW livery. Siguro when the first of their new planes arrives, bago na yung livery na nakapaint sa kanya noh? cant wait!!!! If CEB would introduce a LAX service and their fare is much lower than that of PAL whose tickets are way more expensive than NW and SQ, i would definitely try CEB.

Doesn't SQ, TG, KE, and I think CX also have long-haul flights to Milan from their bases in SIN, BKK, SEL/ICN and HKG?

imo Milan is still not "worth it", because it is not a hub, and only pinoys living there can maximise the benefit. there are pinoys everywhere in europe, i know that because i lived there for 4 years. PAL should land in a hub, where you can catch other planes to Brussels, London, Madrid, Vienna, Rome, Milan etc. i don't think Milan has the capacity like Heathrow, Frankfurt, Charles de Gaulle.

I have mixed reaction when CP want to get 744 and enroute it to MNL SFO/LAX.

1. If i were them, I will use the 744 to Europe instead of America, before PAL considering even more to open back the european routes.
Start by opening MNL - Paris, since Air france will drop their Manila route this year, its very great chance for 5J to steal the market from PAL. Paris is a hub in europe and very close to other european cities.

2. Why does 5J jump from concentrating in Asian route to American route? do they losing their market in Asia? I checked airliners.net and 5J downgraded the plane from 757 to DC-9 in HKG-MNL route due of poor load.

3. Do they have the market in MNL-SFO/LAX? of course they have if they are considering it, but is the market enough to support the capacity?

4. Do they have the expertise or the pilot with 744 certificates for that? or do they will share the expertise and maintainance with PAL? or even SIA? would that means extra cost for them?

A lot of unanswered questions here but I wish the best for 5J, since they are the one who has the capability to topple PAL dominance in the Phil aviation industry. Good luck !

cheers

a budget airline would not be profitable in a MNL-CDG route....

I have mixed reaction when CP want to get 744 and enroute it to MNL SFO/LAX.

1. If i were them, I will use the 744 to Europe instead of America, before PAL considering even more to open back the european routes.
Start by opening MNL - Paris, since Air france will drop their Manila route this year, its very great chance for 5J to steal the market from PAL. Paris is a hub in europe and very close to other european cities.

2. Why does 5J jump from concentrating in Asian route to American route? do they losing their market in Asia? I checked airliners.net and 5J downgraded the plane from 757 to DC-9 in HKG-MNL route due of poor load.

3. Do they have the market in MNL-SFO/LAX? of course they have if they are considering it, but is the market enough to support the capacity?

4. Do they have the expertise or the pilot with 744 certificates for that? or do they will share the expertise and maintainance with PAL? or even SIA? would that means extra cost for them?

A lot of unanswered questions here but I wish the best for 5J, since they are the one who has the capability to topple PAL dominance in the Phil aviation industry. Good luck !

cheers


1) there's a reason why european carriers aren't really flying here: too little yield/too much competition. If someone in Manila wants to go to Europe, there are a variety of airlines to choose from: Cathay, SIA, Gulf Air, Emirates, KLM, and Lufthansa, among many others. Mind you, most people here wouldn't mind transiting in a beautiful airport.


2) As I understand it, there is a possibility that the seats on the flights would be sold by third parties, so break-even is guaranteed, as it is paid for. Also, if 5J wants to sustain a good asian network, a feeder from the united states with MNL or CEB as its hub is a good idea :) Since 5J likes to slash fares, I'm certain that its future network in southeast asia will attract a lot of passengers from the US (after all, why would I want to go to phuket or bali when I can go to el nido or mindoro for a way, way cheaper price?)

3) PAL flies 10x weekly or so to LAX, SFO, and HNL. If they had more planes, they would do more. Its the only route that keeps PAL alive. Its pretty lucrative.

4) yes, they do :) when PAL collapsed in 1998, a lot of people were laid off, including pilots. A couple of 747 pilots ended up in 5J flying DC9s.

hope that helps. feel free to correct me if something seems wrong :)

imo Milan is still not "worth it", because it is not a hub, and only pinoys living there can maximise the benefit. there are pinoys everywhere in europe, i know that because i lived there for 4 years. PAL should land in a hub, where you can catch other planes to Brussels, London, Madrid, Vienna, Rome, Milan etc. i don't think Milan has the capacity like Heathrow, Frankfurt, Charles de Gaulle.

Actually, Milan is becoming a hub. Smaller airlines choose Milan over higher profile airports. But yes, Paris, Frankfurt, Amsterdam and London are still the big guns.

guys, does PAL sell buy one take one tickets in fiesta class during the XMAS season? I plant to bring my bro along... or any airline for that matter.

Thank you SolBlanc for your informative post!

However, if 5J is considering to open european route, I would suggest this flight route.

MNL - SIN (to re-open their suspended MNL-SIN route)
SIN - Dubai (to get the lucrative market in UAE)
Dubai - Paris CDG (finally to get the european market)

What do you think? they can catch both Middle east, European and Asian market in one way :D Both of the 3 airport i mentioned have low operation cost, unlike Japanese airport, so it wouldnt be a problem for them.

The reason why I worried 5J want to take 744 is because too fast for them, its like jumping from operating small speedboat to big cruise liner ship. I had experiences with couple airlines that was good in domestic market and overseas, suddenly they decided to get the 744 and it went on financial crisis. Hope this wont happen to 5J.

Anyway 5J and PAL can be classified as major airlines not LLC, because low cost carrier doesnt offer free meal, snack and entertainment inflight.

cheers

@David-80: well, that is one interesting route, it could be profitable, but the only obstacle to it are restrictions. There are only nine or ten flights a week going to DXB from here because of insane travel restrictions (we refuse to give more frequencies for the childish reason that it would hurt PAL. However, I do find how this restriction is curtailing EK's chance to take advantage of the OFW market rather funny :) ) and all of these flights are operated by Emirates. I'm cool to that route proposal because I'm a fan of direct flights myself :) but other than that, its a nice route to operate, if 5J can compete with EK, KLM, AF, and SIA. I'm certain that they can, though. Well, at least I hope they'll be able to :)

Oh yeah, speaking of restrictions, one of the reasons why 5J is considering trans-pacific runs is because we have a weird lopsided open-skies agreement with the united states, so 5J won't have to go through much red tape and extra agreements and all of that. Its far easier for 5J to fly to the US with their B744 than to japan, for instance, or even DXB. :D

Yes, many airlines have died trying to expand too fast *cough* grandair *cough* but I trust 5J's ambitions. Besides, did you know that it is far easier to fly a B747 than a DC-9? :D

If cebu pacific does end up in a die-trying situation, then it'll be a story that'll last for two days in airliners.net :D

However, if 5J is considering to open european route, I would suggest this flight route.

MNL - SIN (to re-open their suspended MNL-SIN route)
SIN - Dubai (to get the lucrative market in UAE)
Dubai - Paris CDG (finally to get the european market)

What do you think? they can catch both Middle east, European and Asian market in one way.

cheers

That will be a mighty loooooonnnngg flight! Counting hours spent during lay-overs at those airports, total travel time can last more than 24 hours! :crazy:

kiretoce : Continental has MNL-Guam-HNL-LAX so i guess ok lang. And David-80's plan is to catch traffic on each leg to make it each segment profitable... not MNL-CDG

There are only nine or ten flights a week going to DXB from here because of insane travel restrictions (we refuse to give more frequencies for the childish reason that it would hurt PAL.

I dislike PAL even more now :bash:

Why the government is protecting PAL so much? do they have shares within PAL? does the government ever think if CP is way much better than PAL nowadays? :D


cheers

I think having a flight route from MNL-SIN-DXB-CDG-DXB-SIN-MNL wouldn't be too practical. it would technically defeat the purpose of opening up a route to europe from manila. the point is to open up more routes for Filipinos to get to Europe and vice versa. if 5J were to operate a leg like that, most of their customers from Manila would be getting off at SIN (or Dubai at most) because of the extensive travel time, and the CDG leg would either be totally free of Pinoys or be filled up by passengers from Dubai or Singapore. also, there's already too much competition from SIN onwards. Cebu Pacific can't provide drastically lower fares, so passengers would find it similarly affordable to take full service, first class airlines like SQ/EK/CX/etc... that's just my two cents... though the total opposite could also be true, and the flight, like you guys have said, could be filled up by pax from SIN/DXB...

as for the philippine govt being so overprotective with PAL, I believe its not only because the govt still has a few shares in the company, but also because they do not want to piss the country's richest man off. the economy can't afford to lose him and his businesses (or maybe they could... with him not paying billions in taxes and all. maybe gokongwei could take over PAL... haha...)

LOL, i mean that route is not a direct flight, its like step by step flight by taking the market, but i think it will just work fine, just like Garuda and KLM before, they flew jakarta - SIN - India/Riyadh - Amsterdam. the market was quite good, too bad oil prices are going up now, they had to cut some of the route.

cheers

but all together, i'm quite surprised 5J is actually considering two 744s. I hope they know what they are doing...

I dont like to many stopovers when i fly, so if i were to choose it should just be Manila-Dubai-Amsterdam or Paris. And if they fly to the US, it should be Cebu-Manila-LA.

Actually, Milan is becoming a hub. Smaller airlines choose Milan over higher profile airports. But yes, Paris, Frankfurt, Amsterdam and London are still the big guns.

but PAL is a biggie man! or at least getting big:D

RP carriers get 14 more flight entitlements from Japan
Posted: 5:24 PM | Sept. 26, 2004

Clarissa S. Batino
Inquirer News Service

JAPAN has given the Philippines 14 additional flight entitlements and opened Nagoya airport to Philippine carriers.

These, government officials said, were the result of the bilateral air rights meeting between the Philippines and Japan in Tokyo two weeks ago.

This would allow local carriers like the Gokongwei-owned Cebu Air Pacific and two others to fly to Japan. Philippine Airlines is the only local carrier that currently flies to Japan.

Transport Secretary Leandro Mendoza said the additional entitlements would bring to 61 the coefficients given by Japan to Philippine carriers.

Japan is an important destination to local airlines as it is the second largest source of foreign arrivals for the country after the United States.

During the bilateral talks, the Philippine air panel had asked for 28 additional coefficients to allow a separate allocation for cargo carriers.

Only 14 additional entitlements were given but government officials said this was already a big improvement considering the reluctance of the Japanese government to extend additional concessions. In 2002, Japan gave only four additional coefficients to the Philippines.

One coefficient is equivalent to one flight using a 200-seater aircraft. Japan determines aviation entitlements through coefficients, which are based on aircraft size.

The Civil Aeronautics Board said Philippine carriers must start making preparations for flights to Japan, especially with the opening of Nagoya.

The CAB said the additional entitlements could be used by both passenger and cargo carriers. Lucio Tan's Pacific East Asia Cargo and another small carrier, Asia Overnight, would like to carry freights to and from Japan.

"By this time, carriers should be drafting their plan so that they will be prepared for the opening of the Nagoya airport in February," according to CAB planning and research head Porvenir Porciuncula.

Cebu Pacific had been wanting to fly to Japan and said it needed only two coefficients initially to mount flights twice a week.

The Gokongwei airline said it could "offer lower fare and safe on-time service" like what it had been selling to passengers flying to South Korea and Hong Kong.

PAL flies weekly to Osaka, Tokyo, Fukuoka and Okinawa in Japan.

In 2001, about 260,000 Japanese came to the country and 290,000 in 2000. This market also include some 170,000 overseas Filipino workers.

The Philippines has been asking Japan to agree to an open skies regime that would lift restrictions on capacity entitlement and frequency of passenger, cargo and chartered flights. Japan, however, has refused to give in as it was also protecting its aviation industry.

A CAB official last year said that existing Japan frequencies were given to PAL to strengthen the country's hold in an important destination like Japan following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States.

i read this article in yesterdays newspaper din. cool. at least pwede na pumunta sa nagoya ang mga pinoy carriers.

Great news for Boracay!

Eva Air's Taipei-Kalibo Maiden Flight on Oct 27
KALIBO, Aklan, Sept 28 Asia Pulse - EVA Air's (TAIEX:2618) maiden flight in the Taipei-Kalibo route is tentatively scheduled on October 27, 2004.

This was revealed by Aklan Gov. Carlito S. Marquez even as he welcomed this development saying that it will further boost the tourism industry of the province.

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Marquez said since this will be the first international flight in Western Visayas, the Bureau of Customs and the Bureau of Immigration had already set up their offices at the Kalibo airport.

The provincial governor also expects that the long planned Seoul-Kalibo direct international flight of the Korean Airlines might possibly follow the Taipei-Kalibo flight.

It was learned that the type of aircraft EVA Air will be using for its Taipei-Kalibo route is the B737 jet planes which can accommodate some 136 passengers.

Kalibo airport manager Percy Malonesio has confirmed the scheduled EVA Air's maiden flight to Kalibo.

Malonesio has also confirmed the report that the Korean airlines may soon follow the EVA Air's direct flight to Kalibo.

This he said was reported to him by officials of the Bureau of immigration. Not only the Korean Airlines is planning to follow EVA Air's direct flight to Kalibo but Asiana Airlines, another Asian flag bearer, was also reported to be planning to fly direct to Kalibo airport.

As to the safetiness and security within the Kalibo airport facilities, Malonesio assured the public that the Air Transportation

Office in Kalibo is prepared to handle international flights.

The Kalibo airport runway has a present length of 1,850 meters while another 356 meters will be added.

Airbus 300 had already landed twice in the past at the Kalibo airport, Malonesio said.

All international flights to Kalibo will land during daytime but Malonesio said ATO is finalizing negotiations for the full installation of night landing facilities at the Kalibo airport.

that would good for the central visayas, to boost their tourism industry...

wow.. that is great news... that would probably help boost up Kalibo....and neighboring cities and towns.. I hope more of our major cities will be able to cater international flights...

yeah hows Kalibo's airport doing?

wow.. that is great news... that would probably help boost up Kalibo....and neighboring cities and towns.. I hope more of our major cities will be able to cater international flights...

Isn't Bacolod and Iloilo planning to build their own international airports also?

yeah, bacolod and iloilo are constructing their own airports. they'll be done in a couple of years.

here's the model of the bacolod (silay) airport from the JBIC site. its pretty cute

http://www.weblogimages.com/v.p?uid=rzuriqo&pid=202666&sid=uyW12pHVY5

http://www.weblogimages.com/v.p?uid=rzuriqo&pid=202667&sid=hoz85oCMR2

the one in iloilo... i heard over the radio... the ECC for constructing the runway was cancelled by the same governor who approved it on his previous term... the project is now delayed...

here's the model of the bacolod (silay) airport from the JBIC site. its pretty cute

http://www.weblogimages.com/v.p?uid=rzuriqo&pid=202666&sid=uyW12pHVY5

http://www.weblogimages.com/v.p?uid=rzuriqo&pid=202667&sid=hoz85oCMR2

Cute is the right description for the airport. So, the airport will only have three gates? I like how they have models of the three major airlines (PAL, Cebu Pacific and Air Phil) in the country parked side-by-side on the tarmac. :)

Indeed cute!! It looks pretty good, it doesnt need a lot of gates right a way. And from the looks of it, it is extendable.:okay:

wow!! that is nice...! our regional and provincial international and domestic airports are getting better and better by the day (almost... haha...)! imagine, from the current sari-sari store-like Silay Airport to that sleek and modern little thing...! not much filipino character compared to DVO though, but yeah... three gates should be enough. I read in an article dated a few days back that they're already working on the diversion road and that the terminal and runway construction should begin by November.

here's the current Bacolod airport...
http://mk37.image.pbase.com/u13/verto/upload/19975976.BCDAirport04.jpg

there's also DMIA being expanded... plus the new Caticlan, Panglao, Puerto Princessa and Iloilo airports underway. and NAIA-3's much awaited opening. so much development going on. I hope they all go well!!

yep Bacolod airport looks extendable. or maybe the modelists were just too lazy to show the real extent:D

the current Bacolod airport doesn't look like an airport at all.. reminds me of a palengke! lol

29 September 2004
PAL, Air Macau start code-share

MANILA – Philippine Airlines and Air Macau recently began a thrice-weekly code-share service between Manila and Macau, with Air Macau as the operating carrier.

PAL is now able to offer seats on Air Macau flights between the two cities, giving the Philippine flag carrier a commercial presence for the first time in the former Portuguese territory on China’s southwestern coast.

“We are delighted to partner with Air Macau in further growing traffic on this sector,” said Henry So Uy, PAL Executive Vice President-Commercial Group. “Macau is already well known as a gaming and leisure destination, and is certainly a welcome addition to the PAL network.”

“I am pleased to cooperate with Philippine Airlines to develop the market between Macau and Manila,” said Li Qiang, Vice President-Commercial of Air Macau. “The cooperation will enhance exchanges between the two cities, and upgrade trade and tourism activities as well.”

The service shall enjoy dual designation, with both PAL and Air Macau codes appended to the flight numbers.

Flight PR 851 departs Manila’s NAIA Terminal 1 every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 9:50 a.m. and arrives at Macau International Airport at 11:50 a.m. The return flight, PR 852, departs Macau at 7:00 a.m. and lands in Manila at 9:00 a.m. on the same days.

All flights utilize Air Macau’s Airbus A321 aircraft.

Members of Mabuhay Miles, PAL’s frequent flyer program, earn mileage credit points and enjoy their other normal benefits when taking these code-shared flights. However, redemption for travel awards can only be done on PAL-operated flights.

Now a special administrative region of China, Macau was administered by Portugal for over 400 years until 1999, giving it a unique heritage and culture. It is now one of Asia’s top gaming and entertainment centers.

Air Macau is PAL’s 11th international code-share partner, after Air France, Cathay Pacific Airways, Emirates, EVA Air (for cargo), Garuda Indonesia, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Qatar Airways, Royal Brunei Airlines and Vietnam Airlines.

Posted: 10:06 AM | Oct. 04, 2004

Clarissa S. Batino
Inquirer News Service

PHILIPPINE Airlines (PAL) and Cebu Pacific Air are preparing to fly four times a week to Nagoya, Japan, starting February 2005, officials of both airlines said.

The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB), however, has yet to make a decision on which of the two airlines will get the new flight entitlements from Japan.



PAL president Jaime Bautista said PAL wanted to fly four times weekly to Nagoya, whose international airport will open in February next year.

Cebu Pacific general manager Danilo Mojica said the Gokongwei airline had been asking the CAB to allow it to fly to Japan but all the coefficients had already been granted to PAL. Cebu Pacific believes the opening of Nagoya gives it a chance to finally fly to Japan.

PAL flies weekly to Osaka, Tokyo, Fukuoka, and Okinawa in Japan.

Mojica said with the 14 new coefficients given by Japan to the Philippines, as a result of the bilateral air talks three weeks ago, Cebu Pacific wanted to fly four times a week to Nagoya and three times a week to Osaka.

"Of the 14 coefficients, seven are to Osaka and seven are to anywhere in Japan except Tokyo where there are no available slots. PAL is already flying to Osaka so we won't be getting any of the new entitlements there. But we want to fly four times a week to Nagoya," said Bautista.

Mojica, however, said the CAB should make a fair decision considering that PAL had already cornered all the previously awarded 47 coefficients.

"I don't think it is appropriate for the government to again give this all to PAL. We have been wanting to fly to Japan but we can't because there were no more entitlements. Now there are new ones and we hope the CAB would award them to us," said the Cebu Pacific official.

Bautista said if PAL would use the bigger aircraft, it could consume all the available coefficients to Nagoya.

One coefficient is equivalent to one round trip flight using a Boeing 575 aircraft with a seating capacity of 228; 1.5 coefficients for an Airbus 330, which can carry 250 to 293 passengers; and 2 coefficients for Boeing 747, which has seating capacity of 347 to 490.

Japan determines aviation entitlements through coefficients, which are based on aircraft size.

Mojica said the new coefficients would have to be shared with cargo carriers. Lucio Tan's Pacific East Asia Cargo and another small carrier Asia Overnight would like to carry freight to and from Japan.

"There is more volume in Nagoya although the Japanese government is also aggressive in selling Osaka," said the Cebu Pacific official.

The Gokongwei airline said it could "offer lower fare and safe on-time service" like what it had been selling to passengers flying to South Korea and Hong Kong.

The Philippines has been courting Japan to agree to an open skies regime that will lift restrictions on capacity and frequency entitlements for passenger, cargo and chartered flights.

Boeing 575, haha!

Boeing 575, haha!

it think the article is referring to the boeing 757 the largest narrow bodied (one aisle) commercial aircraft

Philippines to negotiate air ties with India, Nepal, China
www.chinaview.cn 2004-10-07 22:51:13

MANILA, Oct. 7(Xinhuanet) -- The Philippines will soon negotiate air services agreements with India, Nepal and China to expand air access to and from the three countries.

The Civil Aeronautics Board's priority is to target countries where the Philippines stands to gain in the growing tourism and information technology (IT), the Philippines News Agency Thursday quoted board official Ner Porciuncula as saying.

Members of the air panel were set to meet with their Indian counterparts before the end of the year to negotiate for the air services agreement that will allow Philippine Airlines (PAL) and Cebu Pacific to fly to India, the report said.

PAL was the first international airline that began flying to India in 1946, particularly in New Delhi and Calcutta, all the way to Europe. However, Porciuncula said the old agreement with India already needs updating.

PAL President Jaime Bautista said, "India is becoming an economic power. It's a favorite destination of IT companies. PAL wants to take advantage of the growing tourism and IT industries in India."

Indian call centers employ more than 100,000 professionals who mainly answer calls from the US-based customers; The number of Indian tourists flying overseas is expected to jump to 6 million this year, up 30 percent from 2003, and in the next five years, the World Tourism Organization projected that outbound Indian tourists will grow 15 percent a year as the economy improved. With regard to Nepal, Porciuncula said the air talks are set for late November this year.

"An agreement will be signed and hopefully we can get the fifthfreedom right within the year to expand the international market of Philippine carriers," Porciuncula said.

Meanwhile, for China, PAL would want to be allowed to make a stopover in Shanghai on the way to Beijing. "There's a huge traffic in Shanghai where there are a lot of business establishments and tourists," Bautista said.

PAL wants to carry traffic to Shanghai and stay there for three to four days and fly the same passengers to Beijing.

sounds like both carriers are trying to rapidly expand their networks nowadays. how do the freedom rights things work, btw? I've never seemed to understand them... and oh yeah, what does that last sentence mean?

PAL wants to carry traffic to Shanghai and stay there for three to four days and fly the same passengers to Beijing.

what do they mean stay for three or four days?

It can be a Monday flight Manila-Shanghai, then a Thursday flight Shanghai-Beijing. then most probably after that its Beijing-Manila.

they do that when they fly to Oz. Manila-Melbourne-Sydney-Manila. not sure if they do that 3-4 day stop

sounds like both carriers are trying to rapidly expand their networks nowadays. how do the freedom rights things work, btw? I've never seemed to understand them.

From what I understand about Fifth Freedom Rights is that a carrier (the airlines) has to negotiate with a particular country to use its airports/facilities enroute to it's final destination, also for it to allow to carry passengers originating from the said country to destinations beyond it. A couple of good examples I can think of is PAL's flights to Las Vegas (LAS) via Vancouver (YVR) from Manila (MNL). PAL negotiated 5th freedom rights with the Canadian government to use YVR for their flights originating in MNL and terminates in LAS. PAL is allowed to take on and shuttle passengers boarding in YVR for LAS and vice versa. Another PAL flight like that is the Manila-Singapore (SIN)-Jakarta (CGK) route, PAL can pick up passengers in SIN bound for CGK and the same for the return trip. It also provides the flying public another option to use PAL instead of Singapore Airlines or Garuda Indonesia between the city pairs.

Governments are very protective about their own airlines and granting 5th freedom rights to a foreign carrier can be very tedious, there's a lot of negotiating going on if a foreign carrier wants to ply the routes also served by the two national carriers of said countries. I hope that explains it a little bit, I'm not an expert on the subject but that's what I understand about it. :)

Surge in Korean arrivals seen as Manila-Busan flights start


By RACHEL CASTRO-BARAWID


The country’s tourism industry is expected to get a major boost from our neighboring Korea — the Philippines’ third largest source market in terms of tourist arrivals, with Asiana Airlines’ (OZ) new Manila-Busan flights. Asiana, one of the fastest growing Asian carriers recently began its twice weekly flights to and from Manila and Busan, South Korea’s second biggest city, next to Seoul. The new flight addresses the Koreans’ (from other cities aside from Seoul and Incheon) growing interest to travel to the Philippines.


To cater to an expected huge influx of Korean travelers this year, Asiana Airlines also increased its Manila-Incheon flights to seven times weekly and Clark-Incheon flights to five times weekly, aside from its regular Manila-Seoul with seven flights a week and Seoul-Clark with five times a week.

OZ Regional manager for the Philippines Hyun Il Kim said the new flight and increased frequencies are the result of Koreans’ growing confidence to travel to the Philippines, and in general, a steady demand for air travel despite several crises affecting the airline industry.

Filipino travelers and businessmen, on the other hand, can now explore and find various opportunities in Busan which is Korea’s largest seaport.

This port city is famous for its seafood sashimi or hoe served in restaurants which line its shores. Every October, it plays host to the Jagalchi Festival, the largest seafood festival in Korea.

Shoppers will be delighted to find places with modern shops that sell high quality goods and Korean folkcraft items at bargain prices. Among these are the Gukje Market, Choryang arcade for foreigners, Lotte Department Store, and Nampo-dong Street. These shops are similar to those in Myeong-dong, Seoul.

Busan has also earned the confidence of the international community, as it was chosen to host next year’s Asia Pacific Economic (APEC) Summit.

The place boasts of having the best of both worlds — a land of history as well as a nature destination. Aside from its ancient temples, Busan has fine beaches which face oddly-shaped rocks and islands. Its famous attractions are the Busan Aquarium, Dalmaji Hill with its woods of cherry blossoms and pine trees, Beomeosa Temple, and World Cup Amnam Park.

With the introduction of this new travel destination and the availability of more flights to and from Manila and Clark, Asiana Airlines hopes to increase its 25 percent market share in the Philippines and its airline capacity which is at present, less than 25 percent, said Kim.

Currently, Asiana’s Clark capacity is smaller than in Manila. Kim explained that Clark produces a larger percentage of Korean inbound passengers while Manila has more outbound. A reason for this is Clark’s strategic location, offering better access to Central and northern Luzon compared to Manila. With this latest development, Kim projected that its Clark flights would contribute a 10 percent share in its overall sales in the country.

Reports from the Department of Tourism (DoT) revealed that tourist arrivals from Korea for the first half of the year reached 179,071, a 15.7 percent share of the total arrivals. DoT is confident that it would attain its target of 370,000 arrivals by end of 2004. Last year, Korea landed third in the Philippines’ list of top source markets for tourists, next to the United States and Japan, with arrivals totalling 303,280. It posted a growth rate of 5.3 percent despite the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) crisis in the region.

Kim said more Koreans would have visited the country if there were enough hotel rooms to accommodate them in the major tourist spots. He pointed out that the Philippines is specially popular with the group of Korean honeymooners and Cebu is their favorite holiday destination.

However, he disclosed that the huge influx that may come from this group are turned off by the lack of infrastructure in these areas such as five-star hotel facilities, hotel rooms particularly in Cebu and Laoag, Ilocos Norte.

Kim said the Philippines should work on its overall promotion and marketing and adopt an aggressive campaign to keep up with the competition from other Asian countries.

"The branding of its image needs to be reviewed and strengthened. Its safety and wealth of wonders should be highlighted rather than the negative news which are, if not exaggerated, so untrue at all," he said.

He also advised the DoT and tour operators to create more budget-friendly tour packages that will entice tourists to come to the country.

According to Kim, Asiana Airlines is eyeing other destinations within Central and Northern Luzon that would be attractive to Koreans such as Baguio, Laoag, Vigan, Palawan and Davao, in the south. Given the full infrastructure development in these places, the airline might even offer charter flights in the near future.

Throughout its 10-year presence in the Philippines, Asiana Airlines was able to establish a steady and solid market of regular customers who are drawn to the airline crew’s distinct personal service. Aside from having multi-awarded Filipina flight attendants on board, Asiana prides itself in having the youngest fleet (all aircraft are less than four years old) and the biggest economy seat pitch (distance from one seat and the seat in front) among its Asian competitors. So far, it is the only Asian airline that entertains passengers with inflight magic shows and musical birthday celebrations.

The award-winning airline was recently cited in the WallStreet Journal as one of the lesser-known carriers that offer a much better product for a better price. Its latest recognitions include the Airline Excellence for Asia Award from London-based airline and air travel industry analyst Skytrax and the Gold Award from the Mercury Awards 2004 for having the Best Onboard Service Products and Concepts.

By RONNIEL C. DE GUZMAN


NINOY AQUINO INT’L AIRPORT – Northwest Airlines has recently introduced here more self-service check-in options for travelers with the recent addition of its self-service check-in kiosks, part of a deployment of more of its customer service technology throughout the airline’s 15-city Asia/Pacific network.


The three new kiosks are currently available for customers’ use in the airport lobby at the end of Northwest’s ticket counter check-in positions at the NAIA, and allow customers flying on electronic tickets to check-in for their flights from Manila to Tokyo, Nagoya, Japan, the US or other destinations. Travelers can also use the kiosks to select or change their seat assignment, add WorldPerks frequent flyer information and more. The kiosks are also equipped with passport readers, allowing customers to quickly enter the required passport information by swiping it through the reader. Northwest customer service staff will verify customers’ travel documentation prior to departure.

Ray Nishihira, general manager for Northwest Airlines in the Philippines said, "The introduction of Northwest’s self-service check-in kiosks in the Philippines will provide travelers with more options to expedite the check-in process and enjoy greater control over their travel experience". He added that, "Travelers worldwide are embracing the convenience, speed and control of Northwest’s customer service technology."

Northwest first introduced self-service check-in in the Philippines in May 2003, when it expanded its comprehensive nwa.com Check-In service to customers originating their travel in the Asia/Pacific region. The service allows customers to print their boarding pass and check-in over the Internet at www.nwa.com/ph.

The deployment of self-service check-in kiosks at Manila is part of an aggressive customer service initiative at Northwest to expand the availability of kiosks to all 15 airports it serves in the Asia/Pacific region. Already, with 934 kiosks located in 198 airports, Northwest offers self-service check-in kiosks in more locations than any other airline in the world.

"In August, 74 percent of Northwest’s customers used one of our self-service check-in options to obtain their boarding pass," said Al Lenza, vice president of distribution and e-commerce. "Our experience has been that after just one use of our kiosks or nwa.com Check-In service, travelers become loyal users of this easy-to-use technology."

The airline’s self-service check-in program first crossed the Pacific and Atlantic oceans in November of 2002, when Northwest became the first US airline to enable customers to obtain their boarding passes for travel from the US and Canada to Asia, as well as to many destinations served in Europe, via its web site.

Through Dec. 31, 2004, first time users of Northwest’s self-service check-in kiosks will receive a one-time bonus of 1,000 frequent flyer miles for checking in at one of Northwest’s new kiosks across its Asia/Pacific network. Travel must be on an e-ticket.

No advance registration is required. Membership in Northwest’s WorldPerks frequent flyer program is required. Fast and easy online WorldPerks enrollment is available at www.nwa.com/asia/en/freqfly/enroll/index.html.

/\ Self-service check-in kiosks are cool! Saves time rather than standing in line for the next available check-in agent at the airline counter. Is NWA the first airline to do that at NAIA? :)

From what I understand about Fifth Freedom Rights is that a carrier (the airlines) has to negotiate with a particular country to use its airports/facilities enroute to it's final destination, also for it to allow to carry passengers originating from the said country to destinations beyond it. A couple of good examples I can think of is PAL's flights to Las Vegas (LAS) via Vancouver (YVR) from Manila (MNL). PAL negotiated 5th freedom rights with the Canadian government to use YVR for their flights originating in MNL and terminates in LAS. PAL is allowed to take on and shuttle passengers boarding in YVR for LAS and vice versa. Another PAL flight like that is the Manila-Singapore (SIN)-Jakarta (CGK) route, PAL can pick up passengers in SIN bound for CGK and the same for the return trip. It also provides the flying public another option to use PAL instead of Singapore Airlines or Garuda Indonesia between the city pairs.

Governments are very protective about their own airlines and granting 5th freedom rights to a foreign carrier can be very tedious, there's a lot of negotiating going on if a foreign carrier wants to ply the routes also served by the two national carriers of said countries. I hope that explains it a little bit, I'm not an expert on the subject but that's what I understand about it. :)

oh...!! ok... I think I get the idea... thanks!

good to hear self-service check-ins are now being introduced in Manila. other big carriers that serve NAIA like CX should follow suit. PAL should make the service available at T2 too. but do those kiosks only work for passengers without luggage to be checked-in? or can you check-in your baggage as well? I wanna try those one day... hehe...

i think pwede checked luggage...

www.nwa.com.ph
Airport Self-Service Check-In Kiosks
Self-service check-in kiosks are located at most of Northwest's North American airports (excluding Palm Springs) and allow E-Ticket passengers to check in and obtain a boarding pass in as little as 30 seconds.

Check-in kiosks are also available at the following Asia airports:

Tokyo - Narita Airport (NRT)

Osaka - Kansai International Airport (KIX)

Guam - A. B. Won Pat, Guam International Airport (GUM)

Saipan - Francisco Ada, Saipan International Airport (SPN)

Manila - Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL)

Nagoya - Komaki Airport (NGO) from September 1, 2004

And will soon be available throughout Asia!

Self-service check-in kiosks can also be used to:

Check in at least 60 minutes before your flights to international destinations or at least 30 minutes before your flights within the US (including Hawaii)* and receive a boarding pass and E-Ticket receipt
Check luggage (select locations) or use curdside luggage check (from North America only)
Change or confirm your seat assignment
Update your reservation with your WorldPerks number
Register passport and visa information
Obtain WorldPerks Elite member upgrades (from North America only)
Upgrade to First Class on qualifying flight/fare with a Northwest E-First upgrade (from North America only)
Change flights when the fare permits (from North America only)

cool...NAIA 1 is quite "advanced" for having self-service kiosks...:lol:

If you have bags to check-in, you can also use the kiosks. It (the kiosk) will ask you how many bags are you checking-in, you enter how many and other info into the kiosk about your flight, then proceed to the counter for the agent to tag your bags and put them on the conveyor belt. At least that's how it's done here in North America, I'm not sure what the procedure is there in Manila. :)

Saves space, something the NAIA1 check-in area doesn't have a lot. During a big flight the line in economy can get pretty long.. causing a few clever economy class ppl to check-in in Business.. not sure if it works though

Tuesday, October 12, 2004 1:27 AM

Cebu Pacific buys 12 Airbus A319s

Cebu Pacific had ordered 12 Airbus A319s in September to augment its fleet of carriers for domestic and international flights. The company which is owned by the Gokongwei family, will also lease two Airbus A320s. The new A320 Family aircraft will replace the airlines’ existing fleet of DC-9 and B757 aircraft.

Cebu Pacific’s new orders showed the popularity of the A320 Family in the Asia-Pacific region has enjoyed a further boost over the past 12 months, having won every campaign for new aircraft in the 100-200 seat category with the new wave of low-cost carriers.

The A320 Family has proved to be the preferred choice with both start up and established low-cost carriers across the region, with seven carriers from Australia, Qantas Airways’ new low-cost carrier, Jetstar, placed an order for 20 A320s in December 2003, with an additional three A320s on lease. The first three aircraft are already in service on Jetstar’s domestic network.

In India, Air Deccan inaugurated services with A320 in August 2004, following an announcement to order two A320 aircraft and lease a further five A320s in February 2004. Another Indian value airline, Kingfisher signed a memorandum of understanding to purchase four A320s in July 2004 and intends to lease a further four A320s.

Valuair, the first of three Singapore based start up low-cost carriers launched services with leased A320s in May 2004. Tiger Airways commenced operations with the first two out of four leased A320s in September 2004, whilst Qantas Airways’ as yet unnamed joint-venture low-cost start up in Singapore will take delivery of the first of eight leased A320s in November 2004.

With the recent spate of deliveries to low-cost carriers, the total number of A320 Family aircraft in service has reached 315 aircraft with 27 carriers across the region. Total orders for the A320 Family from Asia-Pacific exceed 400 aircraft.

The A320 Family features the most modern design, the widest and most comfortable cabin, and the highest degree of operational commonality of any single-aisle aircraft. It also has great economics, through lower fuel burn and maintenance costs, superior short field performance and a proven worth as an excellent financial investment. The A320 Family is a firm favorite with passengers, airlines and the investment community alike, consistently coming top in independent surveys, financial and operator polls. Widely accepted as the industry standard, the best-selling Airbus A320 Family comprises—the A318, A319, A320 and A321. All share the same airframe—only the fuselage lengths differ—plus the same cockpits, systems and engines, delivering unmatched commonality and savings.

Airbus is an EADS joint Company with BAE Systems.

I thought this was old news?.. :? well i also thought it was only gonna be leased too.. but good news for 5J

Btw have you guys heard, that Boeing is bringing Airbus case to the WTO? Do you think it a bit unfair for airbus or the otherway around?

@renell, they only leased the A320s but they bought A319s

Anyway, seems the SEasia region is turning into Airbus...

cheers

not all singapore airlines i still loyal to boeing

And Japan Airlines and ANA

I just tried Singapore Airline's internet check-in last week to go MNL-SIN-CGK. I was able to select my preferred seats on both legs. What's more, once I got to the airport, I got to queue at the Krisflyer Gold check-in desk (the only one on the queue, with somebody already at the counter) instead of the Economy counter (around 15 people in the queue), where they had my boarding passes waiting for me. :)

These new check-in technologies sure are great!

Kim said the Philippines should work on its overall promotion and marketing and adopt an aggressive campaign to keep up with the competition from other Asian countries.

"The branding of its image needs to be reviewed and strengthened. Its safety and wealth of wonders should be highlighted rather than the negative news which are, if not exaggerated, so untrue at all," he said.

He also advised the DoT and tour operators to create more budget-friendly tour packages that will entice tourists to come to the country.


SO TRUE!!! 100% :jk:

I tried CX internet check-in....

MNL-KUL via HKG... damn.. i arrived NAIA1 50 minutes prior to departure... stupid driver kasi. bago. doesen't know where the airport was. buti na lang i was able to online check-in.. kundi malamang naiwan ako. i was also able to choose my seat... :)

KUL-HKG. Also did online check-in at KL Sentral. very nice... in-town check-in facility. very convenient and good. only need to clear immigration at KLIA... I wonder when tayo magkakaganon

AL undertakes multi-billion peso refleeting program
By Mary Ann Ll. Reyes
The Philippine Star 10/17/2004

Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) is undertaking a multi-billion peso refleeting program until 2006 by replacing 13 of its existing aircraft either through leasing or the outright acquisition of new planes.

"We are looking at acquiring half of the 13 and leasing the rest. But we want to keep our options open. We have to study carefully the economics of acquisition and leasing," PAL president and chief executive officer Jaime Bautista said.

He pointed out that PAL cannot operate at the current capacity, especially since the market is expanding.

This year, with the term of lease of one of the aircraft units expiring, Bautista said the immediate solution is to enter into a short-term lease contract for the first and then decide later whether to lease or acquire.

Most of the planes scheduled for modernization and upgrade are leased by PAL for a period of three to five years, all expiring between now and 2006. Next year, another three aircraft are scheduled to be replaced. "By 2006, all the 13 will be replaced," he disclosed.

PAL has already received proposals from Airbus and Boeing but company officials would not disclose the terms of the proposal.

Bautista explained that there are advantages and disadvantages to leasing aircraft. The risk in the case of leasing, as when the value of the plane goes down, is less but the cost of leasing is higher. The lease charges can also be more expensive than depreciating the cost of new planes.

Earlier, Air Philippines Corp., another airline company controlled by business magnate Lucio Tan, completed its refleeting program with the arrival of two of its newly leased 118-seat Boeing 737-200 aircraft. Bautista used to head Air Philippines.

Air Philippines is the country’s third largest airline after PAL and the Gokongwei-owned Cebu Pacific Air. It began a modernization program in Oct. 2003 to improve operating efficiency with newer airplanes that would allow it to operate new routes for domestic and charter operations.

Bautista said Air Philippines and PAL are strengthening their alliance to improve domestic and overseas coverage. The two airlines have a code-share scheme, a practice in which an airline endorses a passenger to another airline on a route the former does not operate.

Bautista said Air Philippines’ refleeting would not involve a big capital outlay but only "several millions of pesos" for spare parts.

Good news :cool: Any idea which one will be replaced? what are PAL's oldest aircraft?

imo since Lucio Tan already owns Air Philippines, PAL should concentrate on the international routes..

Well from the looks of things i think the B737-300/400 are the oldest ones in the fleet. so i think they are going to replace em, I think its fast tracked now cuz Cebu Pacific is Refleeting too, PAL wants to still be #1 hehe

Yea they were talking about Merging Air Philippines and Philippine Airlines and making the Domestic Operations a Low cost Carrier called "Fiesta Air" but i don't think that went through, anyways if PAL Owned the 737s (which they don't) they should have transfered them to Air Philippines cuz they seem to have a lot of Old junky B737-200s haha

hehehe...yeah i have a feeling they are refleeting the smaller aircraft like the 737s.

Finally! PAL is refleeting! If its the crappy old 737s that are gonna go, boeing and airbus are gonna have a level playing field, since PAL operates both the A320 family and the 737 family, so commonality won't be an advantage. (incidentally, PAL operates 13 narrowbodies, so this could be the 13 aircraft they're talking about)

(also, lalang: air philippines operates the third 737 ever built. I seems cool on paper, but that knowledge prevents me from flying them. Antiques are nice, but I'd rather just look at them.)

If its the long-haul aircraft that are due to be replaced, then that means if they get new planes, they come with great IFE! PTV's in economy! :D