nice pics.....hope the airport being built for the boracay tourist will be as beautiful...

that is another positive development for us.....sana puro positive news lagi...konti lang nega...para tuloy na....unlad natin...

Jetstar rolls out first wireless payment service in RP (http://www.asianjournal.com/?c=190&a=21887)


MANILA, Philippines -- Regional airline Jetstar Asia has tied up with Globe Telecom for its first mobile payment service.

The service allows Globe subscribers to book and pay for flights to Singapore through the operator's GCash service.

GCash enables users to send and receive payments through SMS.

Raphael Saw, head of commercial for Jetstar Asia, said in a briefing that the airline's Manila-Singapore route serves one of its biggest markets.

"There were more than 400,000 Filipino visitors in Singapore last year," he said, citing figures from the local Singapore Tourism Board.

Globe, meanwhile, is looking to get Filipino subscribers abroad to use the service aside from a ready market of more than half a million GCash users in the Philippines.

"We also see a big market in overseas Filipino workers who may want to purchase flights for loved ones in the country," said Rizza Maniego-Eala, president of G-Xchange Inc., a subsidiary of Globe Telecom that runs GCash.

GCash is used by Globe subscribers in 15 countries outside of the Philippines.

Latest Cosco update...

Cosco picks two sites for $3-B project


CHINESE shipping giant China Ocean Shipping Co. is splitting between Sangley Point and Subic its planned investment in an Asian cargo hub worth at least $3 billion, having seen both sites during a visit here last month.

Francis Chua, presidential adviser on China trade and investments, said in an interview that a team of experts from Cosco's diverse operations in the region had seen the advantages of both locations and that the group did not want to pass up on either.

In a week-long sortie last month, half of the team visited Sangley Point--the subject of an executive order mandating its development into an international logistics hub--while another went to Subic, which is fast becoming a maritime center in East Asia.

"[They] want Sangley Point because of its nearness to Manila, and Subic, because it offers the best options for eventual expansion of operations," Chua said. "They found the two areas really attractive."

He said the team would meet up with Cosco top brass in Beijing to consolidate and assess their findings, and to figure out their next steps.

"Part of what they would decide on would be a second visit and how to go into a more detailed approach to realize their shipping hub," he said.

Chua, who is also president of the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said everything was still subject to a comprehensive assessment and feasibility analysis.

Still, he said that while Cosco was focusing on Sangley and Subic, local government executives in other provinces across the country was offering alternative sites for the project.

In an earlier interview, he said Cosco was prepared to foot the entire bill for the development of whichever site would be chosen, including land reclamation and port construction.

He said Cosco was fully committed to have a cargo hub in the Philippines, which would be a gathering point for shipments from all over the region on the way to the United States.

Cosco needs enough land area that could accommodate a pier and a container yard or about 50 hectares to 100 hectares.

Founded in 1961 as a pioneering international shipping carrier in China, Cosco is a $17-billion corporation that provides services in freight forwarding, shipbuilding, shiprepairing, terminal operation, trade, financing, real estate and information technology industry.

Cosco owns and operates a variety of merchant fleet of some 600 vessels with total carrying capacity of up to 35 million dead weight tons, which help accommodate a yearly traffic volume of at least 300 million tons.

The group has subsidiaries spread in Guangzhou, Shanghai, Tianjin, Qingdao, Dalian, Xiamen and Hong Kong, and owns and operates various types of ocean shipping fleets for the shipment of containerships, bulk carriers, oil tankers as well as specialized carriers.

Cosco's ships and containers call on some 1,300 ports in at least 160 countries and regions worldwide.

images here...

http://www.pbase.com/philippineaviation/pacific_pearl_airways


BRAVO!!!! EXCELLENT PIC THANKS:banana: :banana: :banana:

Jetstar rolls out first wireless payment service in RP (http://www.asianjournal.com/?c=190&a=21887)


MANILA, Philippines -- Regional airline Jetstar Asia has tied up with Globe Telecom for its first mobile payment service.

[FONT=Verdana] [FONT=Verdana]The service allows Globe subscribers to book and pay for flights to Singapore through the operator's GCash service.

GCash enables users to send and receive payments through SMS.

Raphael Saw, head of commercial for Jetstar Asia, said in a briefing that the airline's Manila-Singapore route serves one of its biggest markets.

"There were more than 400,000 Filipino visitors in Singapore last year," he said, citing figures from the local Singapore Tourism Board.

Globe, meanwhile, is looking to get Filipino subscribers abroad to use the service aside from a ready market of more than half a million GCash users in the Philippines.

"We also see a big market in overseas Filipino workers who may want to purchase flights for loved ones in the country," said Rizza Maniego-Eala, president of G-Xchange Inc., a subsidiary of Globe Telecom that runs GCash.

GCash is used by Globe subscribers in 15 countries outside of the Philippines.

Ibang level na talaga dito sa Pinas, you could even book a flight through texting!:lol:

How do we convince our airline companies to take missionary flights?

How do we convince our airline companies to take missionary flights?

Only if they get proper subsidy from the government:)

Few weeks ago I was just mooting the Idea of building an alternative airport for Southern Manila being built in Sangley as opposed to the one in Clark, Now mukhang reality na!

Few weeks ago I was just mooting the Idea of building an alternative airport for Southern Manila being built in Sangley as opposed to the one in Clark, Now mukhang reality na!

Hmm....while you're at it, why not cover all bases and build another airport on the eastern fringes of the Metro too? :lol:

NAIA for those within the Metro.
Clark for those north of the Metro.
Sangley for those south of the Metro.
???? for those east of the Metro.

:okay:

Philippine Air to buy 5 A320s, net profit to slow

MANILA, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Philippine Airlines (PAL) said on Thursday it would exercise an option to buy five more Airbus 320s as it expands operations but also cautioned that this fiscal year's net profit would slow from last year's peak.

Click here for complete article link from Reuters. (http://investing.reuters.co.uk/news/articleinvesting.aspx?type=companyOutlooksNews&storyID=2007-08-02T105107Z_01_MAN41696_RTRIDST_0_PHILIPPINES-PAL.XML)

Few weeks ago I was just mooting the Idea of building an alternative airport for Southern Manila being built in Sangley as opposed to the one in Clark, Now mukhang reality na!

actually NAIA should be converted to domestic airport.

Clark to be expanded to accomodate more heavy aircrafts... to be full fledged international airport.

another international airport can be built either in Batangas, Tagaytay, or
Sangley.

there is no point to built an airport east of Manila since it is already Sierra Madre mountain range. can build another international airport east of Sierra Madre mountain range.... that would be in Aurora province ( Infanta maybe )

an airport in Aurora should be convertible for military use ......

Linkage: http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/travel/korean-airs-coach-cabin-is-as-high+tech-as-their-country-285220.php

Korea's Coach Cabin is as High-Tech as their Country

http://gizmodo.com/assets/resources/2007/08/koreanair4.jpg

While the air travel industry in the States disintegrates into madness, with overbooking, delays more often than on-time flights, and people being crammed into uncomfortable seats like cattle, it takes Korea to come along and show us how it's done. Korean Air has just won the "World's Best Economy Class" award in the Skytrax 2006/7 World Airline Awards. Yes, these pictures are from coach. What the hell.

Korean Air Coach Cabin:
http://gizmodo.com/assets/images/gallery/4/2007/08/medium_986467730_b07a55b3fb_o.jpg

http://gizmodo.com/assets/images/gallery/4/2007/08/medium_986467020_5b4f400a11_o.jpg

http://gizmodo.com/assets/images/gallery/4/2007/08/medium_985615013_d973dcaf90_o.jpg

The runners-up in this contest? Malaysia Airlines and Singapore Airlines. What is going on in Asia where they're able to, you know, make air travel comfortable for people not willing to spend $1,000 more per ticket for business class? Here in the States, flying coach is like a form of punishment, punishment complete with a rubbery chicken entrée served while you're trying to sleep. Maybe when Virgin Atlantic finally starts flying domestically we'll get a taste of some of this hospitality in the skies.

@midwestguy

to clarify this, i want the philippines to trade with china. on every level, i welcome every investment done in the philippines. i am very excited about the Cosco-investment.

BUT, in the same time, i see, they COULD become a security threat, nobody knows. thats why, i want the philippines to do everything to prevent china to become a negative force.

i posted a link about a new article about this problem below, if you read it, you will see they mention a defence pact between usa-japan-australia. the reason is they want to be prepared if china would choose the path to become a negative force in the region, while working hard to integrate china and become a positive force, one that contributes to the development of the whole region.

for the philippines this means, support the security cooperation between the united states and it allies in the region, increase secuirty cooperation with like minded democratic states such as japan, australia and india. work hard within ASEAN to increase defence cooperation among south east asian states.
if this happens, china will not become a bully in the region.

the chinese know, that if they push around one state, all of them will gang up on china, this message has to be clear, and the philippines has done a great job so far. being the main driving force to have the asean south china sea declaration signed, still working hard to have a binding code of conduct. pushing for an ASEAN Union. signing of the just concluded defence pact with australia. i think these are the right things to do. to be prepared, but not to close door for working together and prosper together.

http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=news3_aug3_2007

^ My goodness... that's gorgeous! :)

Last time i flew was with US Air from LA to Chicago and back. US Air is Rubbish. I know its Economy class, but a little sachet of salty pretzel? The Cabin Temp is hotter than ussual and there's advert pictures on every single seatback tray tables. Bepto Bismol anyone? ridiculous... oh, i also brought my own earphones since they sell their own at 5 bucks each. I connected mine to the port and it doesnt even work. lol. anyhow, how's Phil-Air service? Ive flown once in a 747 before (PR102 i think back in 02) but i forgot how it was already

@gellox, boy you got a lot pent up inside!



This is a very good thread guys, keep it up. It really explores the evolving relationship the Philippines is experiencing with China and The United States. Its amazing because we are smack dab in between China and the United States. In the future, if anything happens between the two, we are going to be a major strategic area.

I hope nothing does happen between China and the US cause i don't want us getting caught in between. REMEMBER INTRAMUROS EVERYBODY, we lost priceless cultural artifacts and landmarks because of world war 2. We were a fucking battleground between Japan and America.

From the look of things, it seems that America is losing influence over ASEAN and that is a big mistake. To me, the Philippines is America's most important Asian Ally if you consider our location and cultural ties. China's growing influence however shows how America has lost focus since Iraq and China has been taking advantage of this. China knows how important we are strategically and that is why they have gone all out in investing on infrastructure here.

^^ actually even the low cost Jet Blue has seats like that...Well that is if you got lucky to book a flight with them

That looks more like a B777 interior? I could be wrong but just wondered if it's the case.

I think USAir is not doing very well just like most airlines in the US ISaric, that explains why it was like that. I've been in an Allegiant air flight to Orlando from northern midwest where I live, their friggin back seat don't even recline, no inflight entertainments and you have to buy the snack onboard, but I am not complaining much because it's an LCC, i only paid US$180.00 plus tax two way ticket where the average short term bookings with other airlines would cost 480.00 to 550 bucks.

^^ Frontier, Delta's trans-con 757s, and soon Virgin America also offer seatback PTVs w/ live TV. Frontier, however charges $5, Delta the satellite TV is free though any AVOD movies are $5, and jetBlue offers it for free as they own the company that provides the service, LiveTV. I tried out DL's new domestic Y product (introduced when they rolled Song back in) and was satisfied with it in my LAX-JFK flight connecting to an Emirates flight to Hamburg. DL utilizes the Panasonic eFX IFE system which is also found in the new Mabuhay Class cabins of the newer A32X fleet.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v74/Skyblade04/Germany/Germany3071.jpg

Last time i flew was with US Air from LA to Chicago and back. US Air is Rubbish. I know its Economy class, but a little sachet of salty pretzel? The Cabin Temp is hotter than usual and there's advert pictures on every single seatback tray tables. Bepto Bismol anyone? ridiculous... oh, i also brought my own earphones since they sell their own at 5 bucks each. I connected mine to the port and it doesnt even work. lol. anyhow, how's Phil-Air service? Ive flown once in a 747 before (PR102 i think back in 02) but i forgot how it was already

Look at the bright side, US has IFE whereas those of us in the Northwest boat get virtually nothing beyond a WorldTraveler magazine in the seat pocket. ;) If it wasn't for the generous mileage accrual opportunities of WorldPerks, nice hubs in Minneapolis-St. Paul and Detroit (esp. Detroit!), a better success rate in getting comped elite upgrades in domestic flights than other airlines that offer the same priveliges, and the fact that they're they're the larger of the two US airlines that still fly to the Philippines, I'd be flying a another airline. Of course, their recent crapfest in domestic flight cancellations has me testing my loyalty right now. ;) From my experience, PR's in-flight service MUCH nicer than what you get in US mainline.

Maybe when Virgin Atlantic finally starts flying domestically we'll get a taste of some of this hospitality in the skies.
Though technically it isn't VS operating US domestically but rather another airline under the Virgin brand known as Virgin America, indeed hopefully we'll be getting a bit of a boost in the quality of service available here. :D

Linkage:
What is going on in Asia where they're able to, you know, make air travel comfortable for people not willing to spend $1,000 more per ticket for business class?
When you look at the US domestic industry, it's plagued w/ competition, legacies that failed to quickly adapt to the post deregulation arena and the surge of LCCs. Higher operational costs and lower fares are among the reasons that have forced most legacies to cut it's domestic in-flight product to the bone. However, there are those have been slowly trying to enhance service (small things like NW putting Ben & Jerry's for dessert in First Class meals or delicious food that is worth buying onboard) but one has to consider that these airlines have large networks which can make progress slow.

That looks more like a B777 interior? I could be wrong but just wondered if it's the case.

Yep, all but one of those pics are of the 777 cabin. The second one is from the 744.


I think USAir is not doing very well just like most airlines in the US ISaric, that explains why it was like that.
Actually, US is doing pretty good w/ a $263 million profit last quarter (though a 14% drop from last year), which is MUCH better than the pre-America West merger when everyone was holding their breath on the possibility of liquidation. However, US is aiming to be more low-cost carrier style which pretty much means improvements for it's domestic soft product is small at best.

EDIT: Major heads up, I'm posting this at the wee hours of the morning so I maybe a bit off. ;)

I just finished the final trip report of my X-mas trip to the Philippines a couple days ago. Check it out!

MNL-NRT-PDX-LAX In NW World Business Class & AS F (http://www.airliners.net/discussions/trip_reports/read.main/105651/)

Here's the first two parts for anyone interested:
LAX-NRT-MNL-ILO On NW WBC & PR's New A319! (http://www.airliners.net/discussions/trip_reports/read.main/96780)
ILO-MNL-NRT-NGO-CTS-NGO-MNL W/ PR & JL Y And NW C (http://www.airliners.net/discussions/trip_reports/read.main/101008)

@ alo and midwesternguys, i think you guys have the same idea that's just being expressed differently.

China is a dragon right now and we cannot fight this dragon, the only way to play it right now is to maintain diplomatic relationships in order to avoid conflict. We can make China's rise positive for us if we play things right. While China rises, ASEAN must form a tight union in order to balance things out. No doubt, Japan and South Korea will be close allies for us. We cannot fight China's rise by seeming combative, i think we can do more good with diplomacy in that we can influence China's policies to make China's rise something positive, not negative.

We in Asia; ASEAN, Japan, and Korea are doing our part to counterbalance the rise of China. We are certainly living up to that challenge, but its America that is failing right now. America should've invested in sangley because it would've left China with little strategic option in the country. America's presence in Clark and Subic are still strong, especially with texas instruments investing 1billion in Clark. Sangley, which is just as prime a location as Clark should have been sealed by the United States in order to prevent greater Chinese presence in the country.

I hope the next American president can sense the shift in power over asia, because if SHE DOESN'T (wink, wink) it may be too late.

can someone confirm the rumors about PAL planning to acquire 787 Dreamliner jets?

^^ It is nothing but rumours,hehe! PAL's position on this is similar as that of CX. 787 is small compare to their current mid body size jets that it intends to replace and since Boeing is not keen to develope a larger version of 787 that will compete to capacity the earlier 777. It is (I believe)currently not into consideration

http://www.boeing.com/commercial/787/images/787_topshot_375.jpghttp://www.aerocontact.com/medias/img/head300507f.jpg
If you heard PAL's Gen. Manager and COO Mr Bautista on his interview. He in several times have mentioned considering A350 in the future and I would'nt wonder why. First 787 is indeed small compare to PAL's current A330's which can seat up to 400pax to an all economy configuration wherein the largest 787 version can only carry 290 on max. Logic is. If your buying a replacement aircraft for the future you would think of course about growth capacity. This where A350 has an advantage even if it will came off late in the market. For one A350 will at least be cheaper that 787 (if you would believe Airbus,but most likely to be true since historically Airbus is cheaper anyway). Second it was made to carry a similar capacity to that of A340/A340 that in intends to replace which is larger than the 757/767 that 767 tends to replace in the market. This is why I think that generally Asian carriers (specially those A330 operators) will more likely to choose A350 in the future.

^^ It is nothing but rumours,hehe! PAL's position on this is similar as that of CX. 787 is small compare to their current mid body size jets that it intends to replace and since Boeing is not keen to develope a larger version of 787 that will compete to capacity the earlier 777. It is (I believe)currently not into consideration

http://www.boeing.com/commercial/787/images/787_topshot_375.jpghttp://www.aerocontact.com/medias/img/head300507f.jpg
If you heard PAL's Gen. Manager and COO Mr Bautista on his interview. He in several times have mentioned considering A350 in the future and I would'nt wonder why. First 787 is indeed small compare to PAL's current A330's which can seat up to 400pax to an all economy configuration wherein the largest 787 version can only carry 290 on max. Logic is. If your buying a replacement aircraft for the future you would think of course about growth capacity. This where A350 has an advantage even if it will came off late in the market. For one A350 will at least be cheaper that 787 (if you would believe Airbus,but most likely to be true since historically Airbus is cheaper anyway). Second it was made to carry a similar capacity to that of A340/A340 that in intends to replace which is larger than the 757/767 that 767 tends to replace in the market. This is why I think that generally Asian carriers (specially those A330 operators) will more likely to choose A350 in the future.

thanks for confirming RavenCute......:)

B777ER would be perfect for PAL's transpacific routes. I'm not sure how fuel efficient are the newer B747-800. I hope PAL would consider this new B748 version.

Last time i flew was with US Air from LA to Chicago and back. US Air is Rubbish. I know its Economy class, but a little sachet of salty pretzel? The Cabin Temp is hotter than ussual and there's advert pictures on every single seatback tray tables. Bepto Bismol anyone? ridiculous... oh, i also brought my own earphones since they sell their own at 5 bucks each. I connected mine to the port and it doesnt even work. lol. anyhow, how's Phil-Air service? Ive flown once in a 747 before (PR102 i think back in 02) but i forgot how it was already

Try flying with Frontier and Continental next time. As Skyblade said, you get your own PTV with Frontier. They served a warm and chewy oatmeal raisin cookie during a DEN-LGA flight. Being quite a pig, one cookie wasn't enough so I asked for another one and they gave me two. :D They also have a flight tracker function on their PTVs. Continental serves meals for flights that are at least, 2 hours or longer, basing from experience. Both offer reasonable rates.

Rejections dim Cebu Pacific's Clark hub plan

By Riza T. Olchondra
Inquirer
Last updated 05:43pm (Mla time) 08/05/2007

CEBU PACIFIC'S plans to operate a hub in Clark in addition to Manila and Cebu have been as its flight requests were rejected in several destinations, most notably in Hong Kong.

Cebu Pacific was rejected for the second time by the Hong Kong Civil Aeronautics Division to operate daily Clark-Hong Kong flights.

Vice president for marketing and products Candice Iyog told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that Hong Kong authorities maintained there was not enough space in the bilateral agreement. However, HK Airlines continues to operate from Clark to Hong Kong.

The budget carrier said it also encountered dead ends in negotiations with the governments of Macau and Bangkok.

"We just heard from Hong Kong that there are few entitlements left so they will grant us daily Clark-HK flights if we give up some of our Cebu-HK entitlements. Bangkok entitlements are also used up. Macau said it has no air agreements directly with our government so it cannot grant our request, even though there are currently Macau flights to Clark. Singapore and Taipei have not responded," Iyog told the Inquirer newspaper, parent company of INQUIRER.net.

The events show that the open skies policy in Clark is only helping foreign airlines, not the local industry, she said.

"And the sad thing about this is that it dashes our plans to open a hub in Clark. We said then that we have to serve five destinations in Clark, otherwise it will not make commercial sense because the aircraft stationed in the hub would just be parked at the airport most of the time," she said.

In June, Cebu Pacific said it was seeking entitlements to be able to use Clark as its base for daily flights to Hong Kong, four times weekly to Singapore and Macau, and three times weekly to Bangkok and Taipei.

Cebu Pacific said it would carry about 300,000 passengers a year in and out of Clark. Traffic is expected to increase as growth continues in the former air base, being the gateway to the northern corridor.

But even then, president and CEO Lance Gokongwei said Hong Kong (home of Hong Kong Airlines) and Singapore (home of Tiger Airways) were particular concerns because Cebu Pacific would be directly competing with their respective airlines.

Bustero is right, they are never serious about Clark plan and only making a red herring statement about operating such hub and plan in Clark where Clark is only one hour from Manila. They already know they can never fill up the planes and they also know they are not capable of servicing both Luzon hubs with only 14 aircraft. I doubt them then and now it's confirmed. With limited number of aircraft each serving up to 14 hours per day, how they gonna do it? Talking about ATRs is also bullshit.

I suggest Cebu Pacific to keep their balls in MNL and leave foreign airlines wanting to serve CRK alone. Think of other way instead of making such ballless tactic. Applying CRK-to other airports route knowing that they will never get it nor having intentions to do so is PATHETIC.

COSCO to develop Sangley Point as int’l airport, seaport, logistics hub



By BERNIE CAHILES–MAGKILAT

China Ocean Shipping Company (COSCO), the world’s second biggest shipping company in terms of cardo carrying capacity, is now finalizing land development and engineering plans to convert Sangley Point in Cavite City into an international logistics hub with modern seaport and airport at a cost of $ 4 billion to $ 5 billion.


This has been made possible after President Gloria Macapagal Aroyo issued Executive Order No 629 last month allowing COSCO to proceed with the project after scouting several other sites in the counry.

Senator Ramon Revilla Jr. sought for Arroyo’s issuance of an EO to allow the conversion of Sangley Point into a fully operational international logistics hub.

Under EO 629, an executive committee was created to oversee the development of Sangley Point.

It also directed the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) to develop the Sangley Point into an international logistic hubs with container port and airport complex and an economic processing zone with cyberparks through a private sector joint venture under a build-operate-transfer scheme. An interagency technical committee was also created to assist the PRA.

COSCO will reclaim 4,000 hectares around Sangley Point, mostly near in Baccor, because the COSCO project is not supposed to displace the Philippine Navy, which is headquartered in Sangley Point.

Based on the EO, provision of an international container port complex that would include an airport and seaport in Sangley Point is necessary to maximize the use of the R-I Expressway Extension now under construction.

The viability of the project would be enhanced by undertaking reclamation work in the portions of Bacoor and Canaco Bays as this would provide a significant expansion district to the limited land area of Cavite City.

Sangley Point, is a former US, Naval Base Port located on the northernmost tip of Cavite City Peninsula, is presently being used by the Philippine Navy for ship repair and dry docking purposes. It is just 6 kilometers into the sea.

This facility has the following comparative advantages and potentials for growth: A bay location that provides potential for sea transport, existing air and port facilities which could be upgraded and improved, it has a military airport which has a concrete runway of 229 x 22 meters, and road links, which provide access to Manila and CALABARZON growth corridors.

Aside from Sangley Point terminal, no other terminal in Cavite was developed particularly for the purpose of commercial ferry services. The commercial ferry services from Cavite City to Roxas Boulevard in Manila and from Cavite City to Corregidor Island which had been using Sangley Point terminal since 1967 had been stopped in September 2001 for security reasons.

COSCO officials led by its CEO Capt. Jiafu Wei began looking for a project site in the Philippies few months ago considering that the rapid economic growth in Southeast Asia today has brought about transportation bottlenecks in the region.

"I believe we need to find an area where the transshipment would be reasonable, convenient and efficient. We are now in the process of re-identifying this area," Wei told a press conference.

"We want to look into the terminal, logistics, shipbuilding and repair and maintenance facilities," Wei he said. Wei further urged the Philippines to stay competitive with other countries, which are also offering the same transshipment hub concept.

"We are hopeful, in line with the National Economic and Development Authority’s vision of developing the domestic logistics system, that the Philippines will become another logistics center in Asia," Wei added.

With a fleet of 770 ships and a combined tonnage of more than 47 million deadweight tons, Wei said that COSCO is now in the best position to make investments in the region. Its vessels call on 1,300 ports in 160 countries.

Among countries in the region, Wei cited the rapid growth of trade between the Philippines and China from only $ 5.2-billion in 2002 to $ 10 billion in 2004. Last year, two-way trade reached $ 23.41 billion making the Philippines China’s fourth largest trading partner in Southeast Asia.

Aside from the logistics and shipping business, COSCO is also engaged in financing, real estate, information technology and soon in the mining business.

The COSCO group owns almost 1,000 companies all over the world employing a total of 80,000 people.

PAL wants gov’t to scrap subsidies to ASEAN airlines (http://www.manila-shimbun.com/category/english/news173658.html)

MANILA --Philippine Airlines (PAL), the country’s flag carries, on Monday called on the government to abolish all forms of subsidies to flag carriers of Southeast Asian countries as a precondition for the full liberalization of the airline industry.

”If ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) wants to liberalize the airline industry to encourage tourism growth, governments must first withdraw all subsidies to their flag carriers for the sake of air competition,” said Felix Cruz, PAL vice president for marketing support in a statement.

Cruz explained that subsidies and all other forms of state aid “can seriously distort competition.”

He said Asia’ first airline is ready to compete but stressed the need for “equal opportunity” for all in an “open skies” regime.

Among the ASEAN airline companies that receive government subsidies are Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways International and Malaysian Airlines.

Cruz said if ASEAN member-countries – Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam - want to establish a free market within the region, “a level playing field must be first created by eliminating the undue advantage of carriers who are subsidized by their respective governments.”

PAL has submitted its position to Philippine government for proposal to other ASEAN governments in ongoing regional multilateral air traffic rights negotiations.

ASEAN member-countries agreed in 2004 to adopt an open skies policy in the region beginning with unlimited flights between ASEAN capital cities by December 2008.

ASEAN flag carriers, except for PAL, are either fully or partially owned or subsidized by their governments.

Cruz said it was able to achieve a solid track of profitability without any subsidies from the national government.

It reported a record profit of $140.3 million for fiscal year 2006-07, the company’s third profitable year in a row.

PAL allots 420M dollars to buy more aircraft (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/man/2007/08/07/bus/pal.allots.420m.dollars.to.buy.more.aircraft.html)

Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) has earmarked more than US$400 million funds for the acquisition of six additional planes as part of their expansion program.

PAL president Jaime Bautista said the renewed confidence of their foreign creditors prompted them to purchase six additional Boeing 777-300ERs whose delivery will start in 2009 until 2011.

Arroyo Watch: Sun.Star blog on President Arroyo

A Boeing 777-300ER costs US$70 million and the airline will pay at least US$420 million for the six plans.

Citing its good financial situation after being placed under rehabilitation plan in 1998, Bautista said the company was able to recover and establish a solid track record of operational productivity and financial strength.

Bautista refused to divulge the total amount of loan which their creditors have committed for the new planes.

He said they expect the delivery of the first two B777-300ERs in 2009, another two will be delivered in 2010 and the remaining two will be delivered in 2011.

PAL started its modernization and fleet upgrade in September 2006 with the acquisition of 20 brand-new Airbus A320-family jets. Six of the aircraft are already in service and four more will arrive this year.

He said they are expecting the delivery of an A320 sometime this month, a second in October and a third one in November.

Arnaiz assures Dumaguete airport can now handle dawn, evening flights (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/dum/2007/08/06/news/arnaiz.assures.airport.can.now.handle.dawn.evening.flights.html)

Rep. George Arnaiz (2nd district, Negros Oriental) said evening and dawn plane flights will now be possible after the National Government assured to put in place enhancement at the existing Dumaguete Airport situated in Sibulan town.

The former governor and now elected congressman said he got an assurance from National Government officials that work on the long and delayed lighting systems at the airport will be started this month.

Arroyo Watch: Sun.Star blog on President Arroyo

Arnaiz said he made a follow up on the project weeks before the start of the opening of the regular session of the 14th Congress.

Constructing additional airports and enhancing and improving the existing ones to fast track economic development and to complement the existing Nautical Highway Program and the Super Regions are among the priorities of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

The congressman said once the enhancement will be in place, additional flights of existing airline companies serving Dumaguete-Manila could be possible through the dawn and evening flights.

Presently, Air Philippines and the Cebu Pacific serve the flight needs of the province with two flights a day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

Arnaiz is confident that with the additional flights, economic movement in the province could be accelerated bringing in more investments and job opportunities.

Local gov’t seeks rehabilitation of Tacloban airport (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/regions/view_article.php?article_id=80855)

TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines --The Tacloban City government plans to undertake the rehabilitation of the Daniel Z. Romualdez (DZR) Airport once it gets the agreement of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC).

Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez said Dalisay Muertique, former chief of the Air Transportation Office (ATO) in Eastern Visayas, will negotiate on his behalf with Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza.

"I am hopeful that they will agree to our proposal. Anyway, the fund that would be used for this purpose will come from the city government," said Romualdez of the airport, which is named after his grandfather.

The plan to rehabilitate the DZR Airport has been on the drawing board for about 10 years now but for some reason has not taken off.

Originally, the P1.3-billion funding for the airport's rehabilitation work would come from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation with the national government giving a counterpart fund of around P600 million.

In her State of the Nation Address last year, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo mentioned the proposed rehabilitation of the DZR Airport.

Once approved, Romualdez said the airport's rehabilitation would be undertaken through a build-operate-transfer (BOT) scheme, with the city government collecting terminal and concessionaire fees from passengers and others using the airport.

The city government will use the airport's earnings to pay off the loan for the rehabilitation project, he added.

Romualdez said he would tap a financial institution to provide the funding for the project, estimated to cost between P200 million and P300 million.

The first phase of the project would involve the repair of the airport terminal and the acquisition of a baggage carousel and X-ray machine, he added.

With the local government taking the lead in the rehabilitation and operation of the DZR Airport, Romualdez said the rehabilitation would be faster while the facility itself will be "self-liquidating."

The ATO-8 office has reported that for the first six months of this year, it was able to generate an income of about P10 million from terminal and concessionaires fees.

Im starting to like Aviation :]

Hey, is it true that Boieng has a far worst record than Airbus in terms of Accidents?

Share ko lang...got to see the blue angels do a practice flight. malayo nga lang ako masyado.

http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o30/chelseanayan/DSC_0052.jpg

http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o30/chelseanayan/DSC_0050.jpg

http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o30/chelseanayan/DSC_0048.jpg

PAL allots 420M dollars to buy more aircraft (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/man/2007/08/07/bus/pal.allots.420m.dollars.to.buy.more.aircraft.html)

Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) has earmarked more than US$400 million funds for the acquisition of six additional planes as part of their expansion program.

PAL president Jaime Bautista said the renewed confidence of their foreign creditors prompted them to purchase six additional Boeing 777-300ERs whose delivery will start in 2009 until 2011.

Arroyo Watch: Sun.Star blog on President Arroyo

A Boeing 777-300ER costs US$70 million and the airline will pay at least US$420 million for the six plans.

Citing its good financial situation after being placed under rehabilitation plan in 1998, Bautista said the company was able to recover and establish a solid track record of operational productivity and financial strength.

Bautista refused to divulge the total amount of loan which their creditors have committed for the new planes.

He said they expect the delivery of the first two B777-300ERs in 2009, another two will be delivered in 2010 and the remaining two will be delivered in 2011.

PAL started its modernization and fleet upgrade in September 2006 with the acquisition of 20 brand-new Airbus A320-family jets. Six of the aircraft are already in service and four more will arrive this year.

He said they are expecting the delivery of an A320 sometime this month, a second in October and a third one in November.


70m usd a perice for a b-777 er you must be kidding

yeah, that article is a big "WTF?" moment. Don't take the Philippine media too seriously when it comes to aviation;)
It doesnt even say anything about PAL buying more aircraft, it just reviewed what PAL has announced earlier this year.

previous articles mention the each plane will cost pal 250musd in fact if im not mistaken its the most expensive boeing commercal plane in the market today

The 70 million is probably the equity, as usual the press is not very accurate specially with the way it words things.

Re the two articles about 5J in Clark and no subsidies, does anyone else have a feeling a huge PR campaign is ongoing to squash pocket open skies and ASEAN open skies!

PR complained about equal rights but with regards ASEAN open skies it does not matter now because they will all be on equal footing and still they found a new argument now that the other airlines are being subsidized ( an old claim mind you), not that they themselves have no implicit subsidy themself.

Rejections dim Cebu Pacific's Clark hub plan

By Riza T. Olchondra
Inquirer
Last updated 05:43pm (Mla time) 08/05/2007

CEBU PACIFIC'S plans to operate a hub in Clark in addition to Manila and Cebu have been as its flight requests were rejected in several destinations, most notably in Hong Kong.

Cebu Pacific was rejected for the second time by the Hong Kong Civil Aeronautics Division to operate daily Clark-Hong Kong flights.

Vice president for marketing and products Candice Iyog told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that Hong Kong authorities maintained there was not enough space in the bilateral agreement. However, HK Airlines continues to operate from Clark to Hong Kong.

The budget carrier said it also encountered dead ends in negotiations with the governments of Macau and Bangkok.

"We just heard from Hong Kong that there are few entitlements left so they will grant us daily Clark-HK flights if we give up some of our Cebu-HK entitlements. Bangkok entitlements are also used up. Macau said it has no air agreements directly with our government so it cannot grant our request, even though there are currently Macau flights to Clark. Singapore and Taipei have not responded," Iyog told the Inquirer newspaper, parent company of INQUIRER.net.

The events show that the open skies policy in Clark is only helping foreign airlines, not the local industry, she said.

"And the sad thing about this is that it dashes our plans to open a hub in Clark. We said then that we have to serve five destinations in Clark, otherwise it will not make commercial sense because the aircraft stationed in the hub would just be parked at the airport most of the time," she said.

In June, Cebu Pacific said it was seeking entitlements to be able to use Clark as its base for daily flights to Hong Kong, four times weekly to Singapore and Macau, and three times weekly to Bangkok and Taipei.

Cebu Pacific said it would carry about 300,000 passengers a year in and out of Clark. Traffic is expected to increase as growth continues in the former air base, being the gateway to the northern corridor.

But even then, president and CEO Lance Gokongwei said Hong Kong (home of Hong Kong Airlines) and Singapore (home of Tiger Airways) were particular concerns because Cebu Pacific would be directly competing with their respective airlines.

Bustero is right, they are never serious about Clark plan and only making a red herring statement about operating such hub and plan in Clark where Clark is only one hour from Manila. They already know they can never fill up the planes and they also know they are not capable of servicing both Luzon hubs with only 14 aircraft. I doubt them then and now it's confirmed. With limited number of aircraft each serving up to 14 hours per day, how they gonna do it? Talking about ATRs is also bullshit.

looks like the planned cebupac hub at the davao airport is going to materialize after all....:lol:

Re the two articles about 5J in Clark and no subsidies, does anyone else have a feeling a huge PR campaign is ongoing to squash pocket open skies and ASEAN open skies!

PR complained about equal rights but with regards ASEAN open skies it does not matter now because they will all be on equal footing and still they found a new argument now that the other airlines are being subsidized ( an old claim mind you), not that they themselves have no implicit subsidy themself.

I get that feeling, too. Cebu Pacific knew that there was no more space in the bilaterals with these countries, and yet they made the applications anyway so that they could cry foul when rejected. Of course, they're not mentioning that the ATO is making it really difficult for Tiger Airways to serve Clark. Plus, I honestly don't think that Cebu Pacific has enough planes to establish another hub in Clark.

oh, PAL has no subsidies? What do they call skipping on terminal and aeronautical fees for years? pfft. I can understand if they complain about Thai or MAS, but SQ, while government-owned, is not subsidized. And which of those three carriers have the most flights to Manila?

Malaysian government also stopped giving subsidies to MAS since last year when Air Asia cry foul over it. Government used to subsidized local routes, only local routes....within Malaysia and take all the profits losses but stop doing so when new MD came in. Profits and losses are being taken care by the government so then , MAS was just a provider for local route. It has no effect on its profit and loss account.

Now, MAS run on its own, so perhaps somebody could tell Jaime Bautista about it. He got old data..bastard...

why cant they stop giving excuses and could they please start being more competitive?

By the way, what happened to the "Blue Diamonds" of the Philippines? They were legendary during the Marcos era and before it.

70m usd a perice for a b-777 er you must be kidding

sir! magkano po ba ang isang b-777? teka... makabili nga :lol:

sir! magkano po ba ang isang b-777? teka... makabili nga :lol:

http://www.boeing.com/commercial/prices/
^ At MSRP, it is $250 to 279 million dollars. But if you buy a bulk of them like Emirates, you'd get a huge discount. Happy shopping!:lol:

By the way, what happened to the "Blue Diamonds" of the Philippines? They were legendary during the Marcos era and before it.

wala na yata....sana magkaroon uli.

http://www.paf.mil.ph/Gallery3/bluedia5.html

http://www.boeing.com/commercial/prices/
^ At MSRP, it is $250 to 279 million dollars. But if you buy a bulk of them like Emirates, you'd get a huge discount. Happy shopping!:lol:

kong cash ang bayad mo taon pa ang bibilangin mo nago mo makakuha ang eroplano mo :nuts:

Koreans eye direct flight to LC (http://ilocostimes.com/jul02-jul22-07/update_3.htm)
Leilanie G. Adriano

KOREAN nationals will have another reason to visit this northern gateway of the Philippines as a direct flight from South Korea is being eyed to service the Korea-Laoag route.


Ms Milagros R. Gonzales, senior tourism officer of the Department of Tourism’s Laoag sub-office, made this announcement recently following the arrival of at least 50 Korean nationals, who availed of a connecting flight from Manila via Philippine Airlines on July 26.


With the influx of more Koreans wanting to visit Ilocos Norte’s popular historical landmarks and scenic tourist attractions, Gonzales said the Koreans are pushing for the opening of a direct flight from Korea to Laoag.
Among the top Korean destinations in the province are Pagudpud’s white beaches, which have been acclaimed as one of the top 10 beaches in the country, according to the DOT.


Presently, Korean nationals visiting the province avail of a connecting flight to the Laoag International Airport twice a week.


If plans don’t miscarry, a 100-seater Korean Air plane will soon be the carrier of Korean nationals who want to visit Ilocos Norte.


Aside from spending leisure activities in the province, Korean investors, such as a certain Juny Park, manager of Nam’s Golf Course Corporation, have also expressed their desire to invest in the province with an aim to attract more tourists by providing better services for them to enjoy their stay.


Citing one of the possible investment opportunities which the Korean investors are reportedly eyeing include the development of Paoay Lake, a project that has gotten the full support of Paoay Mayor Bonifacio C. Clemente Jr.


Since the lake is very the golf course, Gonzales said Korean investors want more support facilities such as spa and very good night clubs so Korean tourists would lessen travel time and instead stay near the city and the golf course. Golf is one of the Koreans’ favorite sports.

Hi,
I am new to this thread. I just want to know, is PAL ever gonna change their current color scheme??? It's beginning to look boring. Hopefully, they come up with a new color scheme and apply it to their soon to be released fleet of 773s :)

Larry

^^ :hi: Hello and welcome to SSC-Philippines Larry!

About PAL, no word (official or unofficial) about a livery design makeover in the works. Though its current design has been in use since the 1980s, it has stood the test of time with regards to brand recognition, and it has become a classic look for the airline. Also, PAL is one of the few carriers out there that has successfully incorporated the national flag in its design that has some aesthetic appeal to it, a fact that every Pinoy's beating heart can be proud of. :colgate:

^^ :hi: Hello and welcome to SSC-Philippines Larry!

About PAL, no word (official or unofficial) about a livery design makeover in the works. Though its current design has been in use since the 1980s, it has stood the test of time with regards to brand recognition, and it has become a classic look for the airline. Also, PAL is one of the few carriers out there that has successfully incorporated the national flag in its design that has some aesthetic appeal to it, a fact that every Pinoy's beating heart can be proud of. :colgate:

I like the Livery... Simple but easy to the eyes... well, cuz its white!

i wish they could add something to the fuselage like what Cebu Pacifc has. maybe run the blue, yellow, and red color throughout the whole body perhaps?

^^ :hi: Hello and welcome to SSC-Philippines Larry!

Thanks for the welcome :) I like PALs logo very much, It's just the fuselage is too plain. Specially for airspotters, they like lively schemes :D

doesnt the paint add weight to the plane which has a negative effect on fuel consumption?

doesnt the paint add weight to the plane which has a negative effect on fuel consumption?

Paint weight was an issue in the 70's so PAL striped the paints before... leaving the logo and a stripe.

doesnt the paint add weight to the plane which has a negative effect on fuel consumption?

It does. Which is why white is the most economical. Black and Red have the most pigment, thus making them the heaviest.

But I agree with Larry, at least simple colors running through the plane's white body. PAL has among the best tail logo in the aviation industry, so i wouldnt change it.

By the way, what happened to the "Blue Diamonds" of the Philippines? They were legendary during the Marcos era and before it.

Haha, Well we actually had jets then , now we don't.

By the way, what happened to the "Blue Diamonds" of the Philippines? They were legendary during the Marcos era and before it.

Meron pa naman..tumatakbo pa nga eh

at misayl pa yan....:lol:
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb20/atraqxis/5284_fighters.jpg

doesnt the paint add weight to the plane which has a negative effect on fuel consumption?

Yes:yes:. Some carriers even went as far as introducing silver or non painted fuselages like some of Air Canada's 767.

the two recent hollywood films that i watched (die hard 4 and transformers) featured the use of USAF's new F22 fighter planes. are these fighter jets in "actual" use now by the US military? the last time i checked about the plane, it's still in the testing stage.

Meron pa naman..tumatakbo pa nga eh

at misayl pa yan....:lol:
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb20/atraqxis/5284_fighters.jpg



Yes:yes:. Some carriers even went as far as introducing silver or non painted fuselages like some of Air Canada's 767.

hehehe ang kulet! lilipad ba yan?

uhmm regarding the paint, so which airline do you thing is the most paint heavy? hehehe SIA? Virgin Atlantic? 5J!

By MARY ANN LL. REYES
The Philippine Star

Philippine Airlines (PAL) has joined the call for the abolition of all forms of government subsidies to flag carriers of countries, particularly in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, as a precondition to the full liberalization of the aviation industry.

PAL, the only private-sector flag carrier in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), maintains that subsidies and all other forms of state aid "can seriously distort competition."

It added it is ready to compete but underscored the need for "equal opportunity" for all in an "open skies" regime.

PAL’s position was aired by Felix Cruz, vice president for marketing support, during Monday’s Kapihan sa Maynila media forum.

The Philippine flag carrier insists that if ASEAN wants to liberalize the airline industry to encourage tourism growth, governments must first withdraw all subsidies to their flag carriers for the sake of fair competition.

Earlier, several airlines, most vocal of which was Australia’s flag carrier Qantas, pushed for a ban on unfair subsidies enjoyed by Emirates, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines and other carriers.

In Southeast Asia, aside from Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways International and Malaysian Airlines are also known to have received government subsidies.

PAL was recently able to achieve a solid track of profitability without any subsidies from the National Government, officials emphasized. It reported a record profit of $140.3 million for fiscal year 2006-07, the company’s third profitable year in a row, emboldening the airline to apply for an exit from receivership from the Securities and Exchange Commission by the end of 2007.

PAL said if ASEAN member-countries want to establish a free market within the region, a level playing field must first be created by eliminating the undue advantage of carriers that are subsidized by their respective governments.

PAL has submitted its position to the Philippine government for proposal to other ASEAN governments in ongoing regional multilateral air traffic rights negotiations.

ASEAN member-countries agreed in 2004 to adopt open skies in the region beginning with unlimited flights between ASEAN capital cities by December 2008.

The unfair advantage of state-supported carriers had repeatedly been criticized in the past. Qantas previously attacked foreign governments for unfairly subsidizing their airlines that operate in Australia.

Lufthansa, likewise, hit back at the undue incentives given to the competition and called for a subsidy ban.

Air France also questioned the dramatic growth of Emirates, flag carrier of the United Arab Emirates, which is 100 percent owned by the Dubai government. The president of Emirates is also the head of Dubai’s Department of Civil Aviation.

The European Union Commission recently investigated foreign carriers that received state aid resulting in unfair pricing practices. Even in Europe, state aids have been granted to flag carriers. The British government in particular was reported to have extended a compensation package worth 40 million pounds to British carriers affected by the Sept. 11 attacks.

In North America, the US government granted more than $15 billion to 113 American carriers in the aftermath of 9-11. The amount includes $10 billion in loan guarantees. Many US carriers that are currently operating under bankruptcy protection are still on state aid. Mexico also granted $180 million in aid to Aeromexico and Mexicana Airlines.

In Asia, Japan Air Systems and All Nippon Airways were given emergency government loans totaling $760 million. Seoul also provided $195 million in financial assistance to Korean Air and Asiana Airlines.

Officials explained that ASEAN flag carriers, except for PAL, are either fully or partially owned or subsidized by their governments. The regional block includes the Philippines, Singapore, Brunei Darussalam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Lao Peoples Democratic Republic, Vietnam and Cambodia. With Helen Flores

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=87392

the two recent hollywood films that i watched (die hard 4 and transformers) featured the use of USAF's new F22 fighter planes. are these fighter jets in "actual" use now by the US military? the last time i checked about the plane, it's still in the testing stage.

yes, they are on active duty in the USAF.

It does. Which is why white is the most economical. Black and Red have the most pigment, thus making them the heaviest.

But I agree with Larry, at least simple colors running through the plane's white body. PAL has among the best tail logo in the aviation industry, so i wouldnt change it.


What about this scheme??? I found it with in these forum also. I like that the word PHILIPPINES is bolder than the current one. And i like it that the flag overlaps in the fuselage, kinda like Quantas :D

Larry

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

hehehe ang kulet! lilipad ba yan?

uhmm regarding the paint, so which airline do you thing is the most paint heavy? hehehe SIA? Virgin Atlantic? 5J!

Air Asia?

http://img523.imageshack.us/img523/9500/1228983yq2.jpg

By MARY ANN LL. REYES
The Philippine Star

Philippine Airlines (PAL) has joined the call for the abolition of all forms of government subsidies to flag carriers of countries, particularly in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, as a precondition to the full liberalization of the aviation industry.

PAL, the only private-sector flag carrier in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), maintains that subsidies and all other forms of state aid "can seriously distort competition."

It added it is ready to compete but underscored the need for "equal opportunity" for all in an "open skies" regime.

PAL’s position was aired by Felix Cruz, vice president for marketing support, during Monday’s Kapihan sa Maynila media forum.

The Philippine flag carrier insists that if ASEAN wants to liberalize the airline industry to encourage tourism growth, governments must first withdraw all subsidies to their flag carriers for the sake of fair competition.

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=87392



just a stupid comment

not sure but, does "not paying" fees for the use of NAIA count as government aid?

...not sure...i just heard this from the past that PAL owes MIA or something for past dues for terminal use fees or something...correct me if i'm wrong........


....would that count as government aide?

What about this scheme??? I found it with in these forum also. I like that the word PHILIPPINES is bolder than the current one. And i like it that the flag overlaps in the fuselage, kinda like Quantas :D

Larry

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

That's exactly what im thinkin! I wish they could do that

^^ I recall from the last round of discussions about that particular rendering of PAL, there wasn't too much enthusiasm for it. I think the main point of contention was the position of the sun, the majority like it "rising" instead of it peeking out from under.

I still think that this scheme is HOT!!! :D

Larry

Haha, Well we actually had jets then , now we don't.

We still have the handful of S.211s. ;) Okay, so it isn't much aside from being a trainer, but it's all we got.

Virgin America Airlines

http://www.boingboing.net/2007/08/08/getting_high_with_ri.html

____________________________________________________________________________________

another link: http://abcnews.go.com/Business/IndustryInfo/wireStory?id=3392774

Maverick airline Virgin America plans to begin selling tickets today, giving travelers their first chance to book a trip on planes equipped to pamper passengers even when they aren't flying first-class.

The airline's inaugural flights are scheduled to take off Aug. 8 from Los Angeles and New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport and arrive at roughly the same time late that morning in San Francisco, which will serve as Virgin America's hub.

Tickets for the flights were expected to go on sale Thursday around 3 a.m. PDT through Virgin America's Web site and customer service number, 877-359-8474. A one-way ticket between Los Angeles and San Francisco will start at $44, while one-way tickets for the San Francisco-New York flights will start at $139.

Burlingame-based Virgin America also will sell tickets for flights to Las Vegas and Washington, D.C., scheduled to start in September and October.

Conceived by British billionaire Richard Branson, Virgin America is promising to shake up the U.S. airline industry by making flying a more luxurious experience at affordable prices. The airline has raised nearly $300 million from investors, led by Branson's Virgin Group, which controls the British-based Virgin Atlantic airline.

Virgin America's fleet of aircraft will include the latest high-tech equipment so passengers can order food from their seats, watch movies or television, listen to music and even plan their travel itinerary using Google Inc.'s popular online maps. Access to the maps will be built into Virgin America's entertainment system.

A first-class ticket, which will start at $149 for one-way flights between San Francisco and Los Angeles, will buy seating in a massage chair, among other amenities.

Virgin had to weather an unusual amount of turbulence to reach this point.

Several major U.S. airlines, including AMR Corp.'s American, Delta Air Lines Inc. and Continental Airlines Inc., tried to block Virgin America from entering the market. The airlines argued that Virgin America's ties to Branson violated federal laws capping foreign control of a U.S. airline at 25 percent.

The U.S. Department of Transportation sided with the airlines and initially denied Virgin America's application late last year.

Refusing to give up, Virgin America made a series of concessions that included selling more stock to U.S. investors and making a commitment to replace its current chief executive, Fred Reid, who was hired by Branson.

Reid, a former Delta executive, must step down by mid-November to comply with the order that cleared Virgin America for takeoff.

"It's slightly bittersweet for me, but the important thing is Virgin America gets to fly," Reid said.

The airline already has about 400 workers and expects to expand its payroll to more than 1,000 employees during the next year. Virgin America plans to be flying to at least 10 cities by August 2008.

^^I was supposed to be heading down to LAX to see the inaugural LAX-SFO flight but unfortunately didn't have the time to head down below. It's great to see that the A320s are now flying instead of sitting in the old international terminal. Best of luck to them.



A first-class ticket, which will start at $149 for one-way flights between San Francisco and Los Angeles, will buy seating in a massage chair, among other amenities.


The beauty of introduction fares. :D

Excellent news. But why is this in Philippine thread instead of the international column for airlines. It will benefit more people out there and not just us here in SSC Philippines.

hey what aircraft are virgin america planning on using?

hey what aircraft are virgin america planning on using?

I think, they're using either a fleet of A319s or A320s???

:cheers:
Larry

^^ Currently A320s, the 2 A319s are leased out to Skybus until their own are delivered from Hamburg.

PAL: Stop unfair competition in "open skies" (http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/columns/view_article.php?article_id=81652)

MANILA, Philippines -- Should we sacrifice our three national airlines in exchange for more tourists? This raging controversy was one of the topics at last Monday’s Kapihan sa Manila forum in which the panelists were Tourism Undersecretary Oscar Palabyab; Robert Dean Barbers, general manager and CEO of the Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA); Jose Clemente III, president of the Philippine Tourist and Travel Association (PTTA); and Felix J. Cruz, vice president, and Jose Perez de Tagle, assistant vice president, of Philippine Airlines (PAL).

Many members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) believe that tourism in the region can be boosted by opening their skies to unlimited flights by foreign airlines. The logic is that the more airlines come in, the more tourists they bring. So, Asean member nations are now negotiating the implementing rules of the “open skies” policy.

The number of airline flights into a country is usually determined by bilateral agreements between two countries. You let four flights a week of our airliners into your country and we will let four flights a week of your planes into our country. But with “open skies,” any country can send as many flights into another country even if that country is sending only one plane into the other country. The logic is that competition among the different airlines will force fares down and therefore encourage more tourists to travel.

But competition must be fair. The airlines must compete on an equal footing. And that is not what is happening. Some airlines have an unfair advantage over their competitors. They are subsidized by their governments. They can therefore underprice competitors that enjoy no subsidies.

For example, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways International, Malaysian Airlines, Emirates, Qatar Airways and other carriers are heavily subsidized by their respective governments. The US government has granted more than $15 billion to 113 American carriers in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Many US carriers that are currently operating under bankruptcy protection are still on state aid. Mexico also granted $180 million in state aid to Aeromexico and Mexicana Airlines. The British government has given a compensation package of 40 million pounds to British carriers affected by 9/11.

In Asia, Japan Air Systems and All Nippon Airways were given $760 million in emergency government loans. Korean Airlines and Asiana Airlines were given $195 million in financial aid by Seoul. Asean flag carriers, except for our PAL, are either fully or partially owned or subsidized by their governments. (Asean includes the Philippines, Singapore, Brunei Darussalam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Burma [Myanmar], Cambodia, Vietnam and Lao People’s Democratic Republic.)

This unfair advantage of state-supported carriers have repeatedly been criticized, with good reason. Qantas criticized foreign governments for unfairly subsidizing their airlines which operate in Australia. Lufthansa also hit the undue incentives given to the competition and called for a ban on subsidies. The European Commission recently investigated foreign carriers that received state aid, resulting in unfair pricing practices.

PAL, the only private-sector flag carrier in Asean, says subsidies and other forms of state aid “can seriously distort competition,” adding that there should be “equal opportunity” for all in an “open skies” regime. If Asean wants to liberalize the airline industry to encourage tourism, PAL said, governments must first withdraw all subsidies to their flag carriers in order to have fair competition. There should be a level playing field.

PAL, which was in financial trouble only several years ago, reported a record profit of $140.3 million for fiscal year 2006-2007, the airline’s third profitable year in a row. It has applied to exit from receivership by the end of the year with the Securities and Exchange Commission. This it was able to do without any subsidy from the government. But instead of being rewarded for this very good performance, it is being punished by our government by accepting the “open skies” policy with subsidies.

The unfair competition PAL suffers from foreign airlines endangers its financial health.

As I see it, it would be difficult to make other countries stop their subsidies to their flag carriers. I think it is no business of ours if they want to give financial aid to their airlines. So, if other countries do not stop their subsidies to their airlines, shouldn’t the Philippine government level the playing field by giving subsidy to its flag carrier, PAL?

Thread is open again. I removed the off-topic posts and relocated it (users cannot see it however). They are NOT deleted, fyi.

Please refrain from going off topic. I decided to keep some of Alo and Midwestguy's early debate on the topic as it was a good, clean debate. From this point on, please stay on the topic of COSCO's development plans on Sangley Point. Thanks.

Love at 30,000 Feet - Jose Mari Chan - Philippine Airlines theme song

Dreamin' of love while cruisin' at high altitudes
Dreamin' of makin' love with you the way we should
Closer to heaven we're thirty-thousand feet up in the sky
Here among the stars our spirits will fly
Leave all your worries as we soar over the clouds
Jet love let's make it here while we're far from the crowd
While we're suspended locked in each other's sweet embrace
They'll be shooting stars through time and space

i still prefer the current livery :)

id dont like this one much though id like the bigger "Philippines" on this one to be put on the current livery

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

^ this looks like a malaysian carrier to me. must be the dominance of blue and the bigger star. id like to see more red than blue although the idea is having an equal amount of red and blue in it just like the flag. so id go for the current one too.

hello er'body....
i was wondering is PAL goin to join any alliance???

sorry, if this has been asked b4.... :)

^^ Not currently (at least that we know of). It'd be nice as a first step if they could at least expand on frequent flyer program partners (emphasis w/ other airlines) esp. abroad. Here in North America, I'm virtually reduced to a handful of hotels, mileage running on LAS-YVR, and a Grand Canyon tour for accrual opportunities. But I guess that's a way to prevent diluting the elite pool and miles. :lol:

hello er'body....
i was wondering is PAL goin to join any alliance???

sorry, if this has been asked b4.... :)

If they ever would join an airline alliance, I believe OneWorld would be the best fit for PAL.

makikisingit lang po. I just watched ang cute ng ina mo. and in the movie, there was this airport na maliit lang pero maganda itsura. Does anyone know kung saan tong airport na to? it even has airbridges.

Subic Bay International Airport.. Beautiful unutilized(yet) airport.

Any pic of the SBIA interior and exterior? Thank you.

hey what aircraft are virgin america planning on using?

I think, they're using either a fleet of A319s or A320s???

:cheers:
Larry

^^ Currently A320s, the 2 A319s are leased out to Skybus until their own are delivered from Hamburg.

I'm glad you guys have talked about VA,we no longer have to endure jetblue to get PTV's on cheap flights around US mainland. and It flies from CA! :banana:

This is what's inside VA airbus A320
CdK2ecxy9kU

This is their website,a lot of great pics too!
www.virginamerica.com

indeed. no more dried nuts for me hehe

are there plans to service chicago o'hare and denver in the emmediae future?

^^ It's definitely in the list of "40 cities under consideration".


PR Newswire article from January 31 (http://sev.prnewswire.com/travel/20070131/DCW02131012007-1.html)

Virgin America expects to serve as many as 10 cities within a year of operation and up to 30 cities within five years of service. Additional cities under Virgin America's consideration include: Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Hartford, Houston, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Miami, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Nashville, Newark, New Orleans, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Providence, Portland, Ore., Raleigh-Durham, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Jose, Calif., Sarasota, Seattle, St. Louis, Tampa and West Palm Beach.

^^ Woohoo! :cheer: MCO is on the list! :okay:

Though the First class offerings of Virgin America is something I am looking forward to try, the prospect of being stuck in their very restrictive economy seats will be enough to keep me away from this new airline.

I've been used to having atleast 36 inches to unlimited seat pitch whenever I have to fly in domestic economy. Comfort definitely trumps whatever IFE system offered in a cramp seat.

^^Been flying a lot of flights in Y+, jef? :D

Indeed the F product looks jawdropping for most domestic standards! Can't go wrong w/ a 55" pitch, real leg-rests, and personal reading lights. :okay: Indeed with just 8 seats and a pretty competitive product that looks like it's worth paying for, availability might be another story. :nuts:

^^Been flying a lot of flights in Y+, jef? :D

Indeed the F product looks jawdropping for most domestic standards! Can't go wrong w/ a 55" pitch, real leg-rests, and personal reading lights. :okay: Indeed with just 8 seats and a pretty competitive product that looks like it's worth paying for, availability might be another story. :nuts:


Ha, that's why "The Friendly Skies" is always the main choice for me.

Another thing is that since I am often on transcon flights, and of course (as you'll probably know) absolutely don't mind the connection, I always connect through SFO to take advantage of UA's jumbos (767/777) to ORD, DEN or IAD or even p.s. planes to JFK. Certainly not a bad way to fly in business class seats with 55 inches or more pitch, and occasionally a nice flat bed suite in F.

However, I can honestly say I have not flown on white leather seats yet and this alone will make VA's F worth trying :lol: .

We still have the handful of S.211s. ;) Okay, so it isn't much aside from being a trainer, but it's all we got.

hehe good luck on those! the private aviation sector is doing much better than the public side, no wonder their moving in droves. The PAF has become a flying school.

Eastern Samar airport rehab in full swing
(http://www.mb.com.ph/PROV20070814100303.html)

By NESTOR L. ABREMATEA

GUIUAN, Eastern Samar — The rehabilitation of the old Guiuan airport here has started following an order by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) to release funds for the purpose.

Presidential Assistant Victor A. Domingo said the construction of the airport’s apron is already being undertaken as part of the government’s rehabilitation works of the old American airport.

Domingo said President Arroyo personally ordered the release of funds for the old airport as the chief executive expressed concern for the fast track development of Guiuan as a tourist destination.

In fact, Guiuan was cited by President Arroyo during her State-of the-Nation Address (SONA) as a priority area for her Super Region program.

Domingo also said that additional funds will be released in the future for the total development of the old airport.

The old airport has a two-kilometer runway that remains to be in good condition and safe for the landing and take offs of commercial and private planes. of more than 2 kilometers and it is still in good condition and can still be used for landing and take off of commercial and private planes.

Meanwhile, Guiuan Mayor Annaliza Gonzales-Kwan said the government should prioritize the development of the old Guiuan airport as it will no longer need a sizable appropriation since it is already existingbudget from the government as it is already an existing.

Mayor Kwan said the DOTC has released R10 million for the rehabilitation of the old airport and another R40 million for the construction of the new Borongan airport in the capital city of Eastern Samar.

Once fully rehabilitated, the old Guiuan airport constructed during by the American soldiers during World War II, can accomodate bigger airplanes, for both commercial and private flights.

Singapore girl, a government employee (http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2007/aug/13/yehey/opinion/20070813opi2.html)

If you have access to the Internet you have probably received an e-mail that contains pictures of what are claimed to be the flight attendants’ quarters of various airlines.

The e-mail starts with the plush accommodations—complete with airbeds—that several foreign airlines supposedly reserve for their cabin crews. It ends with the picture of an Asian-looking flight attendant dozing off on a crappy jump seat; the picture is captioned “Philippine Airline” (sic).

It is one of those e-mails that a disturbing number of Filipinos seem to enjoy circulating as they engage in their favorite pastime—putting their own country down.

Indications are, however, that the e-mail is nothing but a hoax. For one thing, the “Philippine Airline” stewardess looks more like a malnourished stewardess of one of China’s regional airlines—a number of which are truly crappy, going by their horrible safety records—than a PAL flight attendant.

But even if the e-mail were authentic, it does not tell the whole story.

If foreign airlines are indeed able to make available deluxe accommodations to their flight crews, it is only because their bottom line regularly gets a big boost in the form of hefty subsidies from their own governments.

In contrast, our flag carrier and our other carriers get no such support from the Philippine government.

In our part of the world, many airlines are either partly or wholly owned by the state. For some Asian countries, keeping their airlines at par with the world’s best is a matter of national pride—and they don’t mind spending billions of taxpayer dollars just to be able to do so.

For instance, the charming Singapore Girl who promises to satisfy the fantasies of air travelers is actually a civil servant because Singapore Airlines is owned entirely by the city-state’s government.

Other Asian airlines such as Thai Airways International, Malaysian Airlines, Korean Air and Asiana regularly get infusions of state funds. Practically all of the countries in the Middle East also subsidize their airlines.

In other parts of the world—from North America to Europe to Australasia—governments continue to support their flag carriers notwithstanding admonitions from their own officials and economists that governments have—to borrow the free-traders’ mantra—no business going into business.

State subsidies to airlines are bad because they give unfair competition to those of countries like the Philippines that do not give financial support to their carriers.

What is worse in our case is that the government is giving undeserved advantage—in the guise of an “open skies” policy—to foreign airlines that are heavily subsidized by their own governments.

Despite the lack of government support, our carriers have managed to keep their heads above water. But the question is, for how much longer?

Philippine Airlines, for instance, was able to post profits without subsidies from the government. It registered record net earnings of $140.3 million for fiscal 2006-07—PAL’s third profitable year in a row.

The milestone has emboldened the private flag carrier—the only one of its kind in Southeast Asia—to apply for an exit from receivership from the Securities and Exchange Commission by the end of the year.

PAL, therefore, had good reason to take the moral high ground as it joined the global call for the abolition of all forms of government subsidies to flag carriers—especially those in Southeast Asia and the Middle East—as a precondition to the liberalization of the aviation industry.

PAL executives, led by vice-president for marketing support Felix Cruz, said at a recent press forum that subsidies and all other forms of state support “can seriously distort competition.”

They added that PAL is ready to compete but underscored the need for “equal opportunity” for the “open skies” regime, which certain government officials have long been pressing for.

PAL joins other airlines, such as Australia’s flag carrier Qantas, which has called for a ban on unfair subsidies enjoyed by Emirates, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines and other carriers.

^^ I just recently bought PAL shares but If I havent....

I'll tell that it's a crap! :puke: Emirates maybe be state owned carrier but they never had a history of loss except on its second year of operation.It is also not tied up to a corrupt individual (you know who am I talking about right?:naughty:) Nor have history of corruption. Emirates' strong profitability is created because of its low cost approach from its main base in Dubai and retains a lean workforce,and is the same with SIA...

but since I own PAL share I'll now keep my mouth shut:D ;)

^^haha that about sums the Philippines

Business (as of 4:43 PM)

PAL eyes to carry 7.5M passengers in 2007, adds flights

By JUDITH BALEA

Philippine Airlines (PAL) is adding more stops to its roster of destinations and is increasing the frequency of its flights in a bid to carry about 7.5 million passengers by end of the year.

Last year, PAL handled 6.9 million passengers. Its passenger volume rose 11 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2007.

Jaime Bautista, president and chief operating officer of PAL, said the flag carrier is increasing its frequencies of flights to the United States, Australia and China due to passenger demand.

In Australia alone, PAL will increase its flights from three times to six times a week, covering the route Manila-Sydney-Melbourne and back.

PAL is awaiting approval for more flights to southeast China, specifically to Sichuan Province, including the cities of Chengdu and Chongqing. PAL currently flies to Beijing, Xiamen, Shanghai and Hong Kong from Manila.

Henry So Uy, executive president of PAL's commercial group, said the airline sees huge passenger traffic in China, which has the largest population in the world.

"We really see a strong market in China that's why we are increasing our flights there," he said.

PAL is modernizing its fleet by acquiring 14 Airbus A320s, of which two will be delivered before yearend and five will be delivered next year.

Bautista said bulk of the airline's capital expenditure allotment for 2008 will go to the acquisition of the aircrafts and purchase of spare aircraft parts and engines.

PAL, which went into receivership in 1998 because of a $2.2-billion debt, is seeking to exit rehabilitation before the year ends.

Its outstanding debt is now down to $950 million, which will be paid over the next nine years.

^^ It's nice that PAL is expanding their route network in China, but I sure hope that they also commit to return of service to the Middle East and Europe soon, those markets has been clamoring for the return of direct flights to the Philippines ever since PAL suspended/terminated operations there.

Its outstanding debt is now down to $950 million, which will be paid over the next nine years.

It's great to hear that the debt is now no longer in the 10 figures!

Tqyiqalzktg
Link (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tqyiqalzktg)

Ever wanted to be a flight attendant for Singapore Airlines? Here are some rules and regulations you must adhere to. :colgate:

-Hair must be black or dark brown. No highlights allowed. Long hair must be coiffed neatly into a bun. Short hair should be above the collar line. Fringe should not touch the eyebrow.

-No fanciful, dangling earrings allowed. Only studs or pearls.

-No chains and necklaces allowed.

-A spare Sarong Kebaya must be brought for every flight, even short one-hour flights.

- Safety shoes, or covered sandals must be worn during takeoff and landing. At other times, she should wear the batik slippers. Toenails must be of the bright red color prescribed by the company.

- Eyebrows must be shaped, and cannot be the fake drawn-on or tattooed types.

- Eye shadow must be of the color prescribed by the company - either blue or brown, depending on skin tone.

- Lipstick color must be among the few shades of bright red prescribed by the company. Pink or plum colors are not allowed.

- Nail polish must be of the bright red color prescribed by the company. Nails should not be chipped.

- Only simple bracelets and rings can be worn.

ARfhfcvdZrs
Link (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARfhfcvdZrs)

PAL's looking to fly 7.5M people next year? Isn't that the limit of Terminal 2? If T3 doesn't open next year, the whole airport is gonna be screwed.

Tqyiqalzktg
Link (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tqyiqalzktg)

Ever wanted to be a flight attendant for Singapore Airlines? Here are some rules and regulations you must adhere to. :colgate:

-Hair must be black or dark brown. No highlights allowed. Long hair must be coiffed neatly into a bun. Short hair should be above the collar line. Fringe should not touch the eyebrow.

-No fanciful, dangling earrings allowed. Only studs or pearls.

-No chains and necklaces allowed.

-A spare Sarong Kebaya must be brought for every flight, even short one-hour flights.

- Safety shoes, or covered sandals must be worn during takeoff and landing. At other times, she should wear the batik slippers. Toenails must be of the bright red color prescribed by the company.

- Eyebrows must be shaped, and cannot be the fake drawn-on or tattooed types.

- Eye shadow must be of the color prescribed by the company - either blue or brown, depending on skin tone.

- Lipstick color must be among the few shades of bright red prescribed by the company. Pink or plum colors are not allowed.

- Nail polish must be of the bright red color prescribed by the company. Nails should not be chipped.

- Only simple bracelets and rings can be worn.

i wonder if they have height requirements.

You also cannot be more than a size two. If you gain weight, you are suspended until your weight returns to the SQ standards.

Yes there is a height requirement: Females at least 5'4" whilst men should be at least 5'7"

Ang lupit naman nun,suspension because of weihgt,kaya pala grabe ka slender yung mga Taga-SIA, malamang sagana sa Fitrum yung mga yun:ohno:

narinig ko nga yan sa malulusog kung mga pinsan na pangpapayat yang fitrum

You also cannot be more than a size two. If you gain weight, you are suspended until your weight returns to the SQ standards.

Yes there is a height requirement: Females at least 5'4" whilst men should be at least 5'7"


do they accept Filipino citizens?

^^ I don't know about FAs, but my mom's friend's husband, who is Filipino, used to fly (pilot) for SQ, he's now retired from service.

do they accept Filipino citizens?
Yes they do! many of their F/A came from diverse Asian nationalities Koreans,Japanese,Taiwanese,Filipinos,Thais,Indonesians....I havent seen an Indian though, but I think I saw a Tamil male F/A.....

Just heard in A.net, it looks like Typhoon Egay/Sepat has forced some Taiwanese airliners to divert to SFS.

19 Taiwan planes take refuge from typhoon in Subic (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/regions/view_article.php?article_id=83229)
Agence France-Presse
Last updated 07:39pm (Mla time) 08/17/2007

SUBIC, Philippines -- Nineteen planes from Taiwanese airlines were evacuated to the Subic international airport in the northern Philippines on Friday to save them from the approaching typhoon “Egay” (international codename: Sepat), officials said.

Seven MD-80s from Far Eastern Air Transport, eight Airbus and ATR-72 planes from Trans Asia Airlines, two Embraer 190's and two Fokker 100's from Mandarin Airlines all arrived at the former US Subic naval base north of Manila, which has been turned into a freeport and light industrial zone.

Subic airport general manager Marcelo Santos said he expects more planes to arrive from Taiwan and possibly Hong Kong as Egay, bearing maximum winds of 205 kilometers (127 per hour), moves northwest at 19 kilometers (11.8 miles) per hour towards the southeastern coast of Taiwan.

It is expected to hit Taiwan late Friday.

The storm did not hit here directly but brought heavy rains that left numerous Luzon areas flooded.

Went to Toys R Us Galeria Branch today and saw a baron die cast toy model of an A380 in the Airbus livery. hehehe. i don't care if its not as nice as the other models. At its price of PHP150 (a bit more than US$3) it was well worth it. theres another one there: a B777 and a B744 in UAs new livery. Will come back tomorrow to buy all of them. I didnt bring enough money. =)

Filipino engineer who worked on NASA projects comes home; hopes to develop RP's aeronautics education (http://globalnation.inquirer.net/news/breakingnews/view_article.php?article_id=83511)

After over two decades of working in the aerospace industry in the United States, Cebuano Ernesto Codina has decided to come home so he could help government develop the field of aeronautics.

Codina, a 67-year-old quality assurance engineer, has worked on projects, through private contractors, for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for 25 years as a quality assurance engineer.

He first worked as a senior manufacturing engineer for Ford Aerospace Corp. in 1979 and, then, he joined Raytheon Engineers and Constructors Division in 1986 as a manufacturing and quality assurance engineer.

Ford Aerospace designs, develops and manufactures mission control computer consoles and telecommunications equipment for space flight applications. Raytheon is a NASA contractor responsible for safety, reliability and quality assurance of hardware and equipment.

For his more than two decades with NASA, Codina said he was fortunate to be selected as one of the few engineers to design hardware for the astronauts.

One of the most important NASA projects he was involved in was the design of a jet pack in 1996 that would aid the astronauts during their space walk. The jet pack helps the astronaut propel them back to the spacecraft, said Codina, who was recognized Saturday by the University of San Carlos as one of its most outstanding alumni for 2007.

The project was very difficult since the US government gave them one year to design the hardware with only $1 billion budget, Codina recalled.

Working with NASA was a dream come true for Codina who dreamt of being part of the aerospace program as child. This was the reason he took up mechanical engineering. After he graduated in 1964, he worked with several companies in the Philippines until he migrated with his family to the US in 1969. He worked for several companies in the US and when his family moved to Texas, he applied for a job with Ford Aerospace, a NASA contractor.

But the ladder to success was difficult, according to Codina saying he had to hurdle a lot of trials before he was finally accepted in NASA.

But it was worth the trouble. He became the only Filipino who worked directly for NASA's space program while the other Filipinos were trained for other jobs, he said.

Codina retired in 2001 but he stayed on at Raytheon as a consultant for two years. He had been coming home for annual visits but he decided to stay for good.

Codina said he would love to help the government in establishing educational institutions that would offer aeronautics courses.

"I would like to contribute any of my engineering knowledge. I like to pass it back to my countrymen, as my way of helping the economy, helping the improve quality of life," he told the Philippine Daily Inquirer (parent company of INQUIRER.net) after the awarding ceremony.

Business (as of 4:43 PM)

PAL eyes to carry 7.5M passengers in 2007, adds flights

By JUDITH BALEA

Philippine Airlines (PAL) is adding more stops to its roster of destinations and is increasing the frequency of its flights in a bid to carry about 7.5 million passengers by end of the year.

Last year, PAL handled 6.9 million passengers. Its passenger volume rose 11 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2007.

Jaime Bautista, president and chief operating officer of PAL, said the flag carrier is increasing its frequencies of flights to the United States, Australia and China due to passenger demand.

In Australia alone, PAL will increase its flights from three times to six times a week, covering the route Manila-Sydney-Melbourne and back.

PAL is awaiting approval for more flights to southeast China, specifically to Sichuan Province, including the cities of Chengdu and Chongqing. PAL currently flies to Beijing, Xiamen, Shanghai and Hong Kong from Manila.

Henry So Uy, executive president of PAL's commercial group, said the airline sees huge passenger traffic in China, which has the largest population in the world.

"We really see a strong market in China that's why we are increasing our flights there," he said.

PAL is modernizing its fleet by acquiring 14 Airbus A320s, of which two will be delivered before yearend and five will be delivered next year.

Bautista said bulk of the airline's capital expenditure allotment for 2008 will go to the acquisition of the aircrafts and purchase of spare aircraft parts and engines.

PAL, which went into receivership in 1998 because of a $2.2-billion debt, is seeking to exit rehabilitation before the year ends.

Its outstanding debt is now down to $950 million, which will be paid over the next nine years.

:bash:
FINALLY! and to whoever wrote this article! its MANILA-MELBOURNE-SYDNEY !! argh!!!

its nice to hear that PAL is increasing flights down here for Filipino-Australians, i thought they forgot about us cuz all they were concentrating on was the American market!!! kudos to the dude who opened the eyes of PAL!

They should consider returning to Brisbane too, a destination they used to serve Down Under. :colgate:

I wonder why they went to subic and not clark, is it cheaper?

I wonder why they went to subic and not clark, is it cheaper?

or closer? isnt a little farther east? (clark)

CAB: Other airlines using RP’s flying rights to Mideast (http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?id=041)

Stiff competition has deterred local airlines from flying to the Middle East and allowed foreign airlines to use Philippine entitlements to the route, the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) said.

In a telephone interview, CAB Deputy Executive Director Porvenir P. Porciuncula said that Middle Eastern airlines have been using Philippine entitlements to the region.

"There is overcapacity already, and the foreign airlines like Qatar Airways and Gulf Air are now using Philippine entitlements — but the problem is, we have very stiff competition from the Gulf State airlines, like Emirates; they offer very low prices," he said.

Last year, a total of 1.17 million travelers shuttled between the Philippines and the eight Middle Eastern points on 45 flights. Exactly 50,218 travelers, mostly overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), flew out of the country.

Emirates Airlines, one of the national carriers of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), single-handedly carried 32% of the total passenger volume.

Qatar Airways followed with 18.42%; then Gulf Air, Saudi Arabia’s oldest airline, with 14.15%; and then another UAE flag carrier, Etihad Airways with 9.55%.

Last week, Etihad reported a 92% flight occupancy on its Manila-Abu Dhabi service during the first six months of 2007.

Mr. Porciuncula said, "the Saudi market alone is big, with the OFWs coming and going, but its only Saudia (Saudi Arabia Airlines) which flies there."

"But of course, even if there is a large OFW traffic, it’s not so lucrative because the pricing is low, [the routes] are low-yield [financially]," he added.

"But the market is definitely growing, and it’s the Middle East airlines that are getting all the business."

CAB records show that flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) registered 9,572 passengers or 0.8% of traffic on its books last year.

But the national carrier, which stopped flying to the Middle East last year, ferries its passengers on Saudia flights based on a code-sharing agreement.

PAL Vice-President for corporate communications Rolando G. Estabillo in a phone interview yesterday said that the airline wanted to service the route.
"We want to go to the Middle East too. One way or another we will find a way [but] there is an overcapacity in this area," he said.

"They (Middle East airlines) offer cheap rates, because they are subsidized. Whether they admit it or not, one way or another they get protection," he added.

PAL suspended its thrice-a-week flight to Riyadh last year and teamed with Emirates to fly to Dubai.

Mr. Estabillo said PAL could not compete with Gulf state airlines. "Our competitors are subsidized, how do we compete with their prices?" he said.

Former PAL President and now Southeast Asian Airlines President and Chief Executive Avelino L. Zapanta, however, said PAL employs double standards when it complains about subsidies than its competitors.

He said PAL is a private company that "gets remuneration without having a lot of expenses."

"This has several impacts, our foreign exchange reserves are being depleted, and then our image is bad," he said.

"We look like beggars, we are a country whose airline needs support from other airlines. And then look, millions of Filipinos go to the Middle East and they don’t ride on Filipino carriers," he added.

He added PAL was "whining too much." "There are other airlines, Air Asia, Jet Airways which compete with national carriers, and they are not complaining. So why should PAL?" he said. — Maria Kristina C. Conti

^^ lol cuz PAL is a little bitc*
their 'Omg everyone else is subsidized, we cant compete" is getting pretty old. they really need to pull their socks up! but they ARE just getting OUT of rehabilitation so we gotta give them a bit of slack... give them a few years and they'll be back on their feet.

PAL is being a big baby....boohoo! :cry: Puh-lease! If they're crying foul, it's they're own fault it came to that. :gaah:

I wonder if there is any possibility for Cebu Pacific to tap this market in the middleeast, they are considered LLC so they can compete with the low prices other foreign airliners are offering the Manila-Middleeast route.

^^as of now... i think its unlikely because their aircrafts cannot fly straight from manila to the middle east... their A319's and A320's can only fly up to 4 hour radius..

^^^ Maybe Cebu Pacific should buy some long haul aircraft now....so they can expand to place outside that 4 hour radius....maybe some A340-600s to go against PAL's 77W.... :)

^^5J is currently concentrating in regional expansion. There were plans to acquire aircraft with the legs for long-hauls but that was dropped as the efforts were placed in favor of replacing the DC-9s w/ the Airbuses.

taken by sushi125
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a91/EnozAnewor/sushi125.jpg
taken by suzie
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a91/EnozAnewor/NAIA.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a91/EnozAnewor/NAIAa.jpg

Maybe Cebu Pacific should buy some long haul aircraft now....so they can expand to place outside that 4 hour radius....maybe some A340-600s to go against PAL's 77W.... :)

The reason they're called LCCs is because they have shorthaul routes, short turnaround times, and have almost Spartan-like services onboard. To service destinations that are mostly longhaul, a conventional ("legacy") carrier will be a better fit.

taken by sushi125
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a91/EnozAnewor/sushi125.jpg
taken by suzie
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a91/EnozAnewor/NAIA.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a91/EnozAnewor/NAIAa.jpg

Hi, I just want to know when was these pix taken? I'll be entering terminal 1, 8 days from now and counting :)
:dance:

Thanks,
Larry

Hi, I just want to know when was these pix taken? I'll be entering terminal 1, 8 days from now and counting :)
:dance:

Thanks,
Larry

I think the rainy pictures where taken when typhoon sepat (i think that was it)...well it was the recent one that passed through last week.....maybe around august 17, as for the 1st photo, I think that was back in July...

its from FLICKR, type Manila Airport, and search by most recent, it should pop up, since there is not alot of photos, that gets updated quickly, so this three are fresh photos... :)

Thanks GANI :) I thought it was recent cuz of the wet ground, but wasn't sure.

Larry
:dance:

Anyway, I haven't visited Pinas for the last 12 years. I just want to know, how is customs @ Terminal 1? Do i still need to insert dollars in my passport so my baggages can pass thru :D:D:D???

Larry

Yes. Especially if you have lots of baggages. But that's not only at T1. It applies to all airports in the country. Thanks to the Bureau of Customs. And their script never changes: "Naku ang daming maleta. Pano yan kailangang buksan yan..." Then after handing over your passport, bag tags with an inserted Jackson ($20) theyd say "Sige na nga. Welcome po!!" O di ba? Tsaka eto the best. A Few years back when NW still flies from MNL to KIX,upon arriving there was this big sign saying MABUHAY!!! WELCOME TO THE PHILIPPINES!! THE ONLY CATHOLIC COUNTRY IN ASIA." There were pictures of Historic Churches and several Philippine Tourist attractions like the Rice Terraces, Chocolate Hills, Boracay, etc. Then right next to it was a letter sized hand written sign saying "BEWARE OF PICKPOCKETS."

:rant: :rant: :rant: :rant: :rant: :rant: :rant: :rant: :rant: :rant:

Yes. Especially if you have lots of baggages. But that's not only at T1. It applies to all airports in the country. Thanks to the Bureau of Customs. And their script never changes: "Naku ang daming maleta. Pano yan kailangang buksan yan..." Then after handing over your passport, bag tags with an inserted Jackson ($20) theyd say "Sige na nga. Welcome po!!" O di ba? Tsaka eto the best. A Few years back when NW still flies from MNL to KIX,upon arriving there was this big sign saying MABUHAY!!! WELCOME TO THE PHILIPPINES!! THE ONLY CATHOLIC COUNTRY IN ASIA." There were pictures of Historic Churches and several Philippine Tourist attractions like the Rice Terraces, Chocolate Hills, Boracay, etc. Then right next to it was a letter sized hand written sign saying "BEWARE OF PICKPOCKETS."

:rant: :rant: :rant: :rant: :rant: :rant: :rant: :rant: :rant: :rant:

Thnx for the tip. I guess they haven't change huh:ohno: :ohno: :ohno: :D My bro went last year via PR and he said, customs @ T2 just let him pass w/ no problems. I'm taking OZ so i have to pass thru T1, hmmmmm..... Better get my 20 ready:lol:

:cheers:
Larry

customs in cebu are also ok.. my first time to fly in from another country, I asked him - "ano po yung declaration?" hehehe and he just told me to pass thru

@Larry - In my years of travel to Manila, I have never experienced any hassles upon arrival in Manila. If they did give me any problems, I would let them search my bags. It seems like handing them $20 would just propagate the habit. It would seem too that they would not want you to report them to their higher ups. (Just like Luli Arroyo's situation)

Hope you have a nice flight and enjoy you trip back home.:)

Yes. Especially if you have lots of baggages. But that's not only at T1. It applies to all airports in the country. Thanks to the Bureau of Customs. And their script never changes: "Naku ang daming maleta. Pano yan kailangang buksan yan..." Then after handing over your passport, bag tags with an inserted Jackson ($20) theyd say "Sige na nga. Welcome po!!" O di ba? Tsaka eto the best. A Few years back when NW still flies from MNL to KIX,upon arriving there was this big sign saying MABUHAY!!! WELCOME TO THE PHILIPPINES!! THE ONLY CATHOLIC COUNTRY IN ASIA." There were pictures of Historic Churches and several Philippine Tourist attractions like the Rice Terraces, Chocolate Hills, Boracay, etc. Then right next to it was a letter sized hand written sign saying "BEWARE OF PICKPOCKETS."

:rant: :rant: :rant: :rant: :rant: :rant: :rant: :rant: :rant: :rant:

I don't know about this. I have been traveling to Manila several times and I have not inserted any money on my passport, neither do my cousin who holds a Philippine passport as well. Although a security guard tried to indirectly whisper to me Merry Christmas even if it's not even december (LOL D'oh). I Just looked at him straight in the eyes and passed by him...

What's KIX. what airport code is that?


@terrapin, yes, they know they can get fired if the traveler reported them, they would attempt but the do it with extreme caution. The immigration officer wouldn't even dare to ask although I've noticed that some would stare at you as if they were hoping you would give something but if you didn't insert any dollar bill in your passport, they won't say a thing either.

Thnx for the tip. I guess they haven't change huh:ohno: :ohno: :ohno: :D My bro went last year via PR and he said, customs @ T2 just let him pass w/ no problems. I'm taking OZ so i have to pass thru T1, hmmmmm..... Better get my 20 ready:lol:

:cheers:
Larry
Nah, you don't have to worry about it. Act like you know the deal. You're a dude so they won't try to harrass you. I doubt if they harrass any women either unless they noticed that the pinay looks like a easy prey, then, they would act on it. Just be confident when you pass through immigration line.

What's KIX. what airport code is that?

KIX = Osaka - Kansai International Airport :okay:

oh, I didn't know NWA don't have that route anymore. So, MNL -TKY _ US(dtr, MSP, SF, LA, CHgo) for NWA only? No more Kansai stop over?

NW flies to their Asian hub at NRT (Tokyo - Narita International Airport) from SEA, PDX, SFO, LAX, MSP, and DTW. They also have service to NGO from DTW. I'm not really sure if KIX is still used as a layover for onward destinations in Asia.

@Larry - In my years of travel to Manila, I have never experienced any hassles upon arrival in Manila. If they did give me any problems, I would let them search my bags. It seems like handing them $20 would just propagate the habit. It would seem too that they would not want you to report them to their higher ups. (Just like Luli Arroyo's situation)

Hope you have a nice flight and enjoy you trip back home.:)

Who's Luli Arroyo? Is she related to GMA??? And me, being "metichi":D, what was her situation @ customs???

Larry

Luli Arroyo is the daughter of GMA. :colgate:

Who's Luli Arroyo? Is she related to GMA??? And me, being "metichi":D, what was her situation @ customs???

Larry

It is ok now @customs check stand, the last time I did insert some $$$ was during the Martial Law days when the female customs officer insisted that putting out some grease money would speed up the line. :D

If they ask you "Anything to declare?" - just say "wala po" that means, "nothing to declare" unless you have diarrhea. :lol:

Thnx for all the tips people, really appreciate it :) Hmmmm......what to do when i get there???? HA......go to 168 to buy me a new cell :D
:dance:

:cheers:
Larry

I didnt mean to sound like I advocate what they're doing. Its just that at that time we had 6 balikbayan boxes with us. it would really be a hassle and difficult to go down that ramp at arrivals in T1 with those boxes open because they will not close the box anymore after openning them. (immagine cans of corned beef, bars of soap, shampoo, chocolates rolling down that ramp. That'd be humiliating)

Anyway, im not sure if NW still flies KIX to HNL. Coz that was our route. MNL-KIX-HNL. But im sure NW has stopped that service from MNL to KIX and onwards to the US. They used to have 3 daily flights out of MNL now they only have 2: MNL-NRT-MSP and MNL-NGO-DTW. Does anyone know why NW stopped their 3rd frequency? I think it was making money. The 744 that we rode to KIX was full. same with the return flight.

Another thing: i was not yet really into aviation back then so i never really found out about it till months after they stopped flying here but why did UA stop their services? Any news if they are planning to fly back? Coz i want to try riding UA on long haul because my only experience with UA was a flight from SFO-LAX back in 1994. And it would be more expensive to go thru HKG or SIN just to catch a conecting flight to the US on UA. Which one, do you guys think is better? UA or NW?

Anyway, im not sure if NW still flies KIX to HNL. Coz that was our route. MNL-KIX-HNL. But im sure NW has stopped that service from MNL to KIX and onwards to the US. They used to have 3 daily flights out of MNL now they only have 2: MNL-NRT-MSP and MNL-NGO-DTW. Does anyone know why NW stopped their 3rd frequency? I think it was making money. The 744 that we rode to KIX was full. same with the return flight.

NW still flies the HNL-KIX route, but the KIX-MNL has been discontinued, don't know the reason for the discontinuance of service though.

Another thing: i was not yet really into aviation back then so i never really found out about it till months after they stopped flying here but why did UA stop their services? Any news if they are planning to fly back? Coz i want to try riding UA on long haul because my only experience with UA was a flight from SFO-LAX back in 1994. And it would be more expensive to go thru HKG or SIN just to catch a conecting flight to the US on UA. Which one, do you guys think is better? UA or NW?

NW already had a strong presence in the Asia-Pacific region after WWII and UA can't compete with the much larger and well-established NW. It is indeed sad that UA had to discontinue services to MNL, it would have been good competition for NW which is the only American carrier that has a virtual monopoly on the routes between the Philippines and the United States, save for PR and the other Asian carriers that routes their flights via their respective homebase hubs, and of course CO's wholly owned subsidiary Continental Micronesia (CS) which hop-scotches its way across the Pacific Ocean to reach the US mainland. The closest that UA will ever come to serving MNL is from HKG and SGN which they serve, or through its Star Alliance partners; SQ via SIN, TG via BKK, OZ via ICN, and NH via NRT and KIX.

Fear of flying in the US (http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2007/aug/24/yehey/opinion/20070824opi6.html)

If you are complaining about how bad air travel is in the Philippines and how bad the service is of the local carriers, Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific and Air Philippines, not to mention Asian Spirit and SeaAir, take a domestic flight in the United States.

Filipino airline service is not bad at all. PAL and Cebu Pacific are often on time—defined as leaving or arriving within 15 minutes of schedule. For several days this August, PAL President Jimmy Bautista tells me, on-time reliability of PAL domestic flights has been 100 percent. Yes, 100 percent. Of course, PAL offers solid meals on its local flights, if you are flying business class.

What is bad about Philippine domestic flights is not the flights but the airports. They look like dilapidated comfort rooms compared with, say, the old airports of China’s provinces. China, it seems to me, no longer has old airports. Nearly all its airports look modern, especially the provincial facilities which can put to shame any*time, the old NAIA.

The present French-inspired Centennial Terminal being used by PAL and Air Philippines appears to me like a small airport in some off-the-beaten track in China.

Delayed departure and arrival times are standard on US domestic flights. Standard means three hours delay. Biscuits and water are standard for flights of two to four hours, even if you are flying from San Francisco or Los Angeles to New York or Washington, D.C.

The US carriers employ grouchy (I don’t like to say aging) stewardesses, except the attendants on SouthWest who try their best to serve and exude a sense of humor. The carriers offer no solid or hot meals complete with linen napkins and spoons and forks. They do offer, occasionally, red wine for free, handed out in plastic cups. Have you ever tried red wine with nothing to go with it? The NASA astronauts probably feel better while trying to fix a defect in their shuttle out there in outer space.

On the ground, security checks are so tedious and laborious I often wonder why no major al-Qaeda suspect has ever been found attempting to board those flights in the past six years since 9/11. Bags are routinely being opened in your absence. The only saving grace is that TSA leaves you a note inside your bag that it has been rummaged through and feels apologetic for it.

Even before 9/11, the situation with US domestic flights was already very bad. It just so happens the US government has 9/11 as good cover to make passengers get the mis*impression the hassle is all in the name of security.

June 2007 was the worst month ever for US domestic aviation with more flights delayed by three hours or more than in all of 1995.

The situation will get worse. Some 750 million passengers are taking to the skies each year. The volume will reach one billion in eight years. The result of that will be gridlock in the skies—and on the ground.

The Washington Post says the system was already in trouble way back in 2000 but got a reprieve with 9-11 which discouraged air travel.

Now, Americans have lost their fear of flying and disdain for high-priced airline tickets and high fuel charges. They are flying high, come hell or congested airports.

It’s ironic that a government that spends $200 billion of American taxpayers’ money a year trying to impose itself in Iraq and be loved by the Iraqis can’t pour as much to improve its domestic aviation.

New UAE carrier to take off in October (http://www.gulfnews.com/business/Aviation/10148519.html)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- An Indian businessman is launching Kang Pacific Airlines, making it the fifth airline based in the UAE, its owner said.

The airline plans to launch commercial service out of Fujairah in October, to tap the growing demand for air services to certain destinations.

Initially intending to serve the Philippines, Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka, Kang Pacific also plans to operate flights to the UK.

The airline will operate as a hybrid between a budget and a full service carrier. When launched, it will join Emirates airline, Etihad Airways, Air Arabia, and RAK Airways.

The airline is the brainchild of Paul Kang, an Indian businessman who previously owned companies involved in aviation catering as well as supplying to duty free shops in the UK and Fujairah.

Kang told Gulf News that he is self-financing the airline's launch with $10 million in startup capital, primarily to procure two DC-10s, a Boeing 747 and one Boeing 737 over the next six months. The fleet will primarily consist of leased aircraft roughly 20 years old.

The venture is the result of a two-year feasibility study conducted by a professor at Cranfield University, who will also be a partner, Kang said.

Kang said the airline will fly under an AOC issued by the Philippine government. It expects to receive its UAE certificate in six to eight months.

Cebu Pacific increases Manila-Jakarta capacity by almost 20% (http://peanuts.aero/low_cost_airline_news/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4517&Itemid=59)

Cebu Pacific announced plans to increase the capacity of its Manila-Jakarta service by close to 20%. At present, Cebu Pacific operates service to Jakarta three-times weekly using the 150-seater A319 aircraft. Beginning 02-Nov-07, the airline will utilize a 179-seater A320 aircraft.

Cebu Pacific commenced its three-times weekly Manila-Jakarta service on 31-Jan-07, and is the only airline operating a direct Manila-Jakarta service.

“We are confident that we can sell the additional seats with our low fares and stir both business and leisure travel especially since we are the only airline offering a direct service to Jakarta.” said Candice Iyog, CEB VP for Marketing and Product.

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

Philippine Carrier To Increase Service Capacity For Kuala Lumpur Route By 20 Percent (http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7008274300)

Manila, Philippines - Philippine low-cost carrier, Cebu Pacific (CEB), has announced that it will be increasing the service capacity of its Manila-Kuala Lumpur route by close to 20 percent. From using a 150-seater A319 aircraft, the upgrade will shift to a 179-seater A320 aircraft to fly four times every week to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia by November 3.

CEB aims to bring in more passengers to the country with the help of the Malaysian Tourism Board.

"We're very encouraged by both the loads for Kuala Lumpur and the continued support extended by Tourism Malaysia. We are confident that our joint efforts will further strengthen this route and the additional capacity will be filled-up quickly," Candice Iyog, CEB VP for Marketing and Product said in a statement.

Eva Carmona, Tourism Malaysia Marketing Manager said, "We are very pleased that CEB will increase its capacity after barely a year in operation. This will surely allow more Filipinos and tourists to visit Malaysia as it celebrates its 50th year of independence. We hope that many will avail of CEB's year round low fare offering so that they can spend less on air travel and more on their business and leisure activities."

"Now that we have more seats available for this route, it also means that we have more low fares to offer our guests." Iyog added.

CEB manages 14 Airbus aircrafts to cater to its 20 domestic and 12 international destinations pending the inclusion of Shanghai, Xiamen, Guangzhou, and Macau by the next quarter.

Who's Luli Arroyo? Is she related to GMA??? And me, being "metichi":D, what was her situation @ customs???

Larry

Here's a nice little blog entry on Luli Arroyo (http://gmapinoytv.igma.tv/sidetrip/blog/index.php?/archives/135-The-most-or-only-admirable-Arroyo.html).

I didnt mean to sound like I advocate what they're doing. Its just that at that time we had 6 balikbayan boxes with us. it would really be a hassle and difficult to go down that ramp at arrivals in T1 with those boxes open because they will not close the box anymore after openning them. (immagine cans of corned beef, bars of soap, shampoo, chocolates rolling down that ramp. That'd be humiliating)

Which one, do you guys think is better? UA or NW?

No problem @Crazy4Airplanes:okay: We just need to let them know we won't put up with that stuff anymore.

I recently took UA to HKG and then PR to MNL. The UA flight was not bad. IMHO, UA was a little better than NW. The planes are still old (NO PTVs), but the ORD-HKG flight had HKG based flight attendants who gave great service. Compared to my last NW flight which had some grouchy Detroit based FAs. UA is pretty aggressive with its pricing. I booked my next flight through Orbitz and they beat NW prices through Pinoy consolidators.

New UAE carrier to take off in October (http://www.gulfnews.com/business/Aviation/10148519.html)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- An Indian businessman is launching Kang Pacific Airlines, making it the fifth airline based in the UAE, its owner said.

The airline plans to launch commercial service out of Fujairah in October, to tap the growing demand for air services to certain destinations.

Initially intending to serve the Philippines, Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka, Kang Pacific also plans to operate flights to the UK.



OK this reminds me of Tair Airways that was supposed to fly from Clark to Saudi Arabia using some old 747-200 and DC-10's. What ever happened to Tair?

http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/manila/video/x2j5xi_manila-day-one-mnl-aristocrat-lunet_webcam

lol i miss flying philippine airlines so bad..

PAL really needs to start up their Middle East flights... and soon! With more and more UAE carriers starting flights up flights to MNL, if PAL doesnt act now, then theyll never compete with the ME carriers!

Airport authorities fixing leaks at NAIA :lol:


By Tarra Quismundo
Inquirer
Last updated 10:21pm (Mla time) 08/24/2007


MANILA, Philippines -- Before more heavy rains come, the Manila International Airport Authority has started remedial work on leaky walls, windows and corners of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 to prevent rainwater from seeping into passenger areas at the country's premier airport.

After the terminal's leaky areas showed themselves when typhoons recently battered Metro Manila, MIAA has directed its contractor to undertake waterproofing work around the terminal to plug the leaks.

“We did waterproof Terminal 1. Unfortunately, during the last typhoon, there were some leaks and we asked the contractors to rectify it,” said MIAA General Manager Alfonso Cusi.

MIAA said waterproofing work has begun at the terminal's vast roof deck area, the likely source of leaks that reached airline offices on the fourth floor, the conveyor area at the arrival level, and the departure immigration area during heavy rains in the past weeks.

"They've sent people already. They're correcting the defects now. The latest report I got from Engineering is that the materials to correct the defect have been delivered. We have to rush repairs before it rains again,” Cusi told reporters.

NAIA Terminal 1, a 67,000-square meter facility, holds the most international passenger traffic in Manila as it is being used by several airlines.

It is expected to undergo phase-by-phase repair work as soon as government opens the still mothballed NAIA Terminal 3.

Does anyone know why NW stopped their 3rd frequency? I think it was making money.
Note that full flights does not always equal great yields, esp. in Economy class and don't forget the non-revs as well. ;) Though flights may be backed, the fares that the passengers are paying aren't as profitable as in other routes. Up front, MNL is one of the rather cheaper Asian destinations for premium class cabins. Occasionally you'll see a World Business Class fare of $2000ish which I took advantage of myself last December. :D

but why did UA stop their services? Any news if they are planning to fly back?
A couple elements of the route's closure was the aforementioned low yields as well as a high amount of non-rev passengers that flew UA into MNL. Supposedly, MNL had the highest percentage of non-rev passengers in UA's network.

Which one, do you guys think is better? UA or NW?
Coming from a Northwest Silver Elite who is soon to be Gold in a couple weeks, my vote goes to...United. Why? Channel 9. :D However, if you can get onboard NW's A330s, definitely go for that as it has one of the better international Economy class products of any US airline. I usually have a bias towards UA but ever since they axed MNL, I've been turning my business elsewhere. Of course, I still have UA to thank for my love w/ aviation. ;)

NW domestic sucks, I prefer UA or DL (maybe even AA). Haven't tried UA international, so I have no opinions on that. NW international is so-so at best. Asian carriers are still tops for trans-Pacific flights.

what are non-revs? are they the ones that have a family member that works for the airline and get free flights but have to wait for seats?

Coming from a Northwest Silver Elite who is soon to be Gold in a couple weeks, my vote goes to...United. Why? Channel 9. :D

Haha, I'm surprised that other airlines dont have United's Channel 9. The banter that goes on is sometimes incredible. I remember one time being kept up to date on the Superbowl scores through Channel 9 since United doesn't have DirecTV.

what are non-revs? are they the ones that have a family member that works for the airline and get free flights but have to wait for seats?
Bingo. :)

Haha, I'm surprised that other airlines dont have United's Channel 9. The banter that goes on is sometimes incredible. I remember one time being kept up to date on the Superbowl scores through Channel 9 since United doesn't have DirecTV.
I'm surprised myself as well! Much better and safer than sneaking a scanner onboard. ;)
I remember one time being kept up to date on the Superbowl scores through Channel 9 since United doesn't have DirecTV.
Reminds me of a few quotes I've heard in A.net. :D I heard a better one but couldn't locate the complete dialog so here's what I could find. ;)

"Kansas City, United 345."
"Go ahead"
"I was wondering if you had a minute?"
"sure"
"I was wondering if you could get me the score of the Green Bay/Pitt game?"
"uhhhh...standby"
~5 minutes later~
"United 345, Kansas City"
"Yes sir?"
"21-7, Pitt"


One recent one at ORD (right after the superbowl)

UA: United xxx request taxi.

TWR: Taxi to and hold short of xx via x x x x

UA: [readback]

TWR: United xxx, where you off to this afternoon?

UA: Indianapolis

TWR: [serious voice] Attn all on frequency: please clear your current taxiway or runway so we can get United xxx off our turf asap.

Keep Loakan airport open (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/bag/2007/08/25/news/keep.loakan.airport.open.transpo.office..html)

The Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) regional office is willing to coordinate with the Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA) for the release of funds to repair the Loakan Airport.

Although the Air Transportation Office is now under the Office of the President, DOTC Regional Director Federico Mandapat Jr. said the department supports the clamor of the tourism sector not to close the airport.

Mandapat said those opposed to the closure of the airport have basis because it might be the only available access to Baguio in case another calamity like the 1990 killer earthquake happens again.

He, however, admitted that not much improvement can be done with the airport except for the upgrading of the terminal. He said the runway could no longer be expanded because at its end is a ravine.

During her visit last Holy Week, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo proposed that to accommodate the expansion of the Baguio City Export Processing Zone, particularly its biggest locator -- Texas Instruments (TI) Philippines Inc. --, the Loakan airport would have to be closed.

The plan did not push through as the TI expansion happened in Clark, Pampanga.

Here, tourist-oriented groups and the local officials opposed the plan, saying this would affect the tourism industry especially among those who prefer to travel by air.

Closure would also entail the shutting down of a landmark that is part of Baguio's history.

Went to Toys R Us Galeria Branch today and saw a baron die cast toy model of an A380 in the Airbus livery. hehehe. i don't care if its not as nice as the other models. At its price of PHP150 (a bit more than US$3) it was well worth it. theres another one there: a B777 and a B744 in UAs new livery. Will come back tomorrow to buy all of them. I didnt bring enough money. =)

where's toy r us galleria br located? robinson's manila?

Went to Toys R Us Galeria Branch today and saw a baron die cast toy model of an A380 in the Airbus livery. hehehe. i don't care if its not as nice as the other models. At its price of PHP150 (a bit more than US$3) it was well worth it. theres another one there: a B777 and a B744 in UAs new livery. Will come back tomorrow to buy all of them. I didnt bring enough money. =)

where's toy r us galleria br located? robinson's manila?

^^ at robinsons galleria., :)

Saka meron din sa Trinoma.

They say NAIA can accomodate the A380 but all other aircraft movements have to halt for the behemouth to taxi, take-off, or land.

Yes, the A380's Take Off Run at MTOW (Max. Take Off Weight) is 2,750m. NAIA's Runway 06/24 is 3,700+m long.

To give you a sense of comparison, the Take Off Run at MTOW of a B747-400 is 3,000m.

As for the load bearing capacity of Runway 06/24, that's a question I will leave to the facilities engineer of NAIA. However, according to Airbus, the pressure exerted by the wheels of an A380 is far lower than the B747 since it has 8 more wheels to distribute its weight.

Cheers!

Government urged to study RP's airline industry before "opening skies" (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/man/2007/08/28/news/gov.t.urged.to.study.rp.s.airline.industry.before.opening.skies..html)

Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) has urged the government to look into the plight of local airline firms before it implements an "open skies" policy.

PAL president Jaime Bautista made the appeal following reports that the Civil Aeronautics Boards (CAB) is finalizing amendments to Executive Order (EO) 500-A, which will give "exclusive privileges" to foreign carriers to fly to Clark and Subic.

Speaking before members of the Manila Rotary Club, Bautista said the goal of liberalization should be more for growth of the country and not for foreign carriers. "We therefore call on government policy makers to use the tool of liberalization wisely, responsibly, particularly in the crucial mission of negotiating aviation rights for access to international markets," he said.

Bautista said PAL does not oppose the "open skies" policy but what they are complaining is the way the Philippine Government favors foreign flag carrier even if other countries do not honor any reciprocity.

He also said EO 500, implemented during the time of former President Fidel V. Ramos, was a "one-sided and short sighted policy" because after granting Tiger Airways, Hong Kong Airlines and Asiana Airlines unilateral permit to fly the Macau-Clark, Hong Kong-Clark and Seoul-Clark routes, the home countries of the airlines rejected the application of two Philippine airlines to fly the Macau, Hong Kong and Korea.

Bautista said the US also has an "open skies" agreement with the Philippines "that assures US airlines of unlimited rights to fly to, through and from any point in the Philippines," however this is not the same case in local carriers.

He added that for the past years, PAL had been asking for the government to secure more access rights to Canada; Tokyo, Narita; China; Cambodia; and to the US but until this time, their frequencies remain limited.

Compared to other foreign airlines, Bautista said PAL and local carriers are not getting any subsidies from the government. "We are not asking to be pampered or sheltered. What we need is a fair chance to compete. What we need is equal opportunity. What we need is equal access to markets," he added,

Recalling when PAL nearly collapsed and then rebounded after it was privatized in 1992, Bautista said the government should now look on "open skies" as a magic scheme that will propel the Philippines to prosperity but it should be raised and give more air travelers, more revenues for the country and a healthy aviation industry.

"We ask that the Philippines always negotiate from a position of strength, and project the nation in a confident, optimistic and positive way," he said.

Negros officials eye 2010 completion for Kabankalan airport (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/regions/view_article.php?article_id=84793)

BACOLOD CITY -- Without hitches, the airport project in Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental will be completed in 2010, Negros Occidental Vice Governor Isidro Zayco said recently.

According to Zayco, the acquisition of the 100-hectare parcel of land for the airport is almost complete.

The Kabankalan City government has appropriated P25 million initially for the acquisition of the project site while the provincial government has allocated P30 million in counterpart funds.

Zayco said the Kabankalan airport, upon its completion, would spur economic activities and development in southern Negros, known for its agricultural and tourism potentials.

He said the Department of Transportation and Communications promised to allocate P400 million for the construction of the two-kilometer Kabankalan airport runway, with a width of 30 meters.

The airport complex will include basic structures such as passenger and cargo terminals, a control tower building and navigational systems, among others. The site of the proposed airport is three kilometers away from the Kabankalan proper, with a travel distance of 10 minutes.

Kabankalan Mayor Pedro Zayco said the city government provided relocation sites and financial assistance to 95 families affected by the airport construction. The mayor said these families would be given priority in employment during the airport construction.

"The airport will be crucial in providing market access and better delivery of basic social services as well as promoting the tourism industry in southern Negros," he added.

The airport would initially operate as a "feeder type facility," the mayor said.

Meanwhile, the P4.5 billion Bacolod-Silay airport in Barangay Bagtic in Silay City is expected to be operational in the first quarter of 2008.

Regarding dun sa article about Open Skies, the only reason why PAL is reacting this way is because they feel threatened since they know that once the other carriers penetrate the philippines without limits, their passengers would rather fly with these airlines. Lets just start with the most basic of the amenities: the seats. PAL still uses the Jurassic type of seats accross all of its fleet aside from the 8 business class seats on their new A319s and the 12 business class seats on their new A320s. let us not forget that these planes are used only for short and medium haul flights. And most filipinos fly in economy class. I appreciate the fact that PAL is going to upgrade its seats on the 343s, 744s and the soon to be delivred 773ER. The thing is, the saets that they're gonna upgrade to, these other carriers ive mentioned above already had these seats a decade ago. And these airlines are actually upgrading their seats again (like CX and SQ). Which means that by the time PAL finishes its retrofit of its seats, it would still be in the same place it is in right now: Still behind its competitors.

PAL should take this not as a deterrent to their success but rather as an added challenge to strive harder. I would love in the future for PAL to shine thru jst like what their ads say back in the day. Kasi syang eh. PAL is Asia's Oldest Airline. Pero its sad kasi napag iwanan na ng iba na dati rati walang binatbat sa PAL.

^^^^ I'm sure PAL have this hidden agenda but somehow, I feel like there is a credible reason to be alarmed or protest open skies. If Foreign airlines enjoys freedom with in the Philippine airspace but Philippine air carriers are barred like in Canada or Macau, then, yes, it will cause downfall in the Philippine local carriers. The Philippine Gov do need to protect the Philippine based companies because how else will the Philippine corparations would flourish and be able to expand overseas to bring in revenues in the Philippines? I mean foreign carriers are enjoying openskies in the Philippines but other countries like for instance canada weren't open to PAL because the Canadian gov is protecting canadian airline's interests...

I don't know if anyone's posted this yet but this sounds really cool.

WORLDBEAT - Singapore Airlines puts a Linux PC in every seat

By Sumner Lemon, IDG News Service, 08/22/07
Sponsored by:

Flying in economy class doesn't have to be a miserable experience.

To make flying more enjoyable for its passengers, Singapore Airlines Ltd. is adding bigger screens, more in-flight movies and a PC, running Red Hat Inc.'s distribution of the Linux operating system, in every seat on its newest planes.

Unlike many U.S. airlines, the carrier doesn't view in-flight service as a cost center where cutbacks can be made to reduce losses or boost profits. Instead, Singapore Airlines' latest investments in cabin service are designed to help it stand out from the competition and attract more passengers

KrisWorld, Singapore Airlines' in-flight entertainment system, is a main focus of these efforts, offering on-demand movies, television shows, games and music to passengers. Now, the airline aims to raise the bar, rolling out a new version of KrisWorld that improves significantly on existing systems and hints at what passengers can expect to see on the Airbus S.A.S. A380 and The Boeing Co. 787 Dreamliner, when these aircraft enter service.

In recent years, video-on-demand and audio-on-demand have become common offerings on many airlines.

"It's become expected," said Eric Tong, senior manager of inflight entertainment product innovation at Singapore Airlines, during a recent interview. Carriers have to push the boundaries of what's possible with these systems to stand out from the competition, he said.

The latest version of KrisWorld is based on Panasonic Avionics Corp.'s eX2 in-flight entertainment system and was jointly developed by the two companies. The system consists of a central Linux server that connects to a network of PCs installed in every seat on the aircraft. The KrisWorld software offers an improved user interface and each economy-class seat is fitted with a 10.6-inch LCD (liquid crystal display) screen that offers resolution of 1,280 pixels by 768 pixels.

They are larger in business and first class, where each seat comes with a 15.4-inch and 23-inch screen, respectively.

The heart of the KrisWorld system is the main server, which is equipped with "terabytes" of storage capacity to hold the content that's made available to passengers, Tong said. When passengers choose to watch a movie or listen to a CD, the content is streamed from the KrisWorld server to the seat's computer, which has 40G bytes of local hard-disk space and is based on a Via Technologies Inc. processor.

The amount of content that's available on the latest KrisWorld system for passengers to choose from is staggering: 100 movies, 150 television shows, 700 music CDs, 22 radio stations, and 65 games. Movies and television shows are refreshed on a monthly basis, meaning frequent fliers will always find fresh content. In addition, the system offers Berlitz language lessons, travel guides from Rough Guides, and live text news, among other choices.

KrisWorld can also be used as a PC and includes Sun Microsystems Inc.'s StarOffice application suite, which offers a word processor, spreadsheet, and a presentation program. Every seat is fitted with a USB (Universal Serial Bus) port that lets passengers access documents carried on a thumb drive or portable hard disk. The port can also be used to connect a USB keyboard or mouse, making it easier for business travellers to create and edit documents without having to dig out their laptops and power cords, Tong said.

Don't want to carry a keyboard with you? No problem. You can buy one on board the aircraft. Alternatively, the handsets installed in each seat that offered controls for the in-flight entertainment system on one side and a phone on the other, have been replaced with a model that offers user controls on one side a QWERTY keypad on the other.

Unfortunately, since the demise of Boeing's Connexion service, Internet access hasn't been available on Singapore Airlines. But the carrier is looking for another way of providing Internet access, hoping to offer yet one more way to for passengers to spend all those hours in the sky.

"We are reviewing options and once we find that there are viable options, sustainable ones over the longer term ... we will certainly look at it," Tong said.



The IDG News Service is a Network World affiliate.

http://www.networkworld.com/news/2007/082207-worldbeat-singapore-airlines-puts-a.html?netht=082207dailynews2&

^^^^ I'm sure PAL have this hidden agenda but somehow, I feel like there is a credible reason to be alarmed or protest open skies. If Foreign airlines enjoys freedom with in the Philippine airspace but Philippine air carriers are barred like in Canada or Macau, then, yes, it will cause downfall in the Philippine local carriers. The Philippine Gov do need to protect the Philippine based companies because how else will the Philippine corparations would flourish and be able to expand overseas to bring in revenues in the Philippines? I mean foreign carriers are enjoying openskies in the Philippines but other countries like for instance canada weren't open to PAL because the Canadian gov is protecting canadian airline's interests...

I agree, open skies is really not open skies, I think that if the U.S. or any other country want the Philippines to have open skies, then they have to set the example first, in opening their airspace, do you see this countries, allowing foreign carriers to provide service from city to city within the country (i.e., do you see a PAL (let's say based in LAX), servicing cities from Austin, Denver, Chicago, Sacramento, Santa Fe?). I think this is another attempt for the WORLD BANK, IMF, WTO to implement their power on the indebted philippines....so I think that PAL and other Pilipino carriers are justified in being alarmed by the open skies policy. I am not sure, if PAL or Cebu Pacific are fully owned Filipino (Taipan) investments, but do you really want other foreign investors controlling "our" airlines, once the open skies policy has destroyed Philippine carriers? COrrect me if i'm wrong....



maybe it is a good idea to have open skies, maybe competition will grow, and business will increase...but who will benefit in the end...maybe monetary gain will be good for the Philippines at the beginning, but this is only short-term, and then what....I think people are too concerned about the immediate benefits, but do they really think about the future consequences.....we borrow from these so called "helpful banks" that want to eliminate poverty, and improve the lives of the Pilipino People, but what do you see......the top 10% of the Philippine population getting richer, and the Pilipino people are becoming more impoverished.....the same goes with the PAL and other Pilipino carriers.....once the foreign airlines come in, the Pilipino carriers will just suffer further.....on a side note.....what pilipino goods do you see now that are truly filipino....since we are so indebted to the WB, IMF, and WTO, we had to liberalize our economy, sure its good foreign investment to "improve" the Pilipino lives, but this eliminated Pilipino goods, now that foreign establishments are present in the Philippines. Do we have Pilipino electronic company (like Sony)? NO! Do we have a car company that we can export (Honda, Ford)? NO! Do we have any banks that can be franchised in other countries (like Citibank or HSBC)? NO! So wouldn't it be nice to have a Pilipino carrier flying for the Philippines, so what if it's a little expensive, and so what if their products are not as good, who really needs it, I mean it's good competition, but we have been so spoiled, that do we really need all of this extra gadgets and LUXURIES? Maybe just market it a little differently? All the goods and resources we have are exported at a low price to the Global north, while their exports (which is our imports) are sold to us at a higher price. If you call that fair, then bring on the OPEN SKIES POLICY........just a thought and off topic deviation (being the devil's advocate...but not really, since this is the truth!)

from CNNMoney.com (http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/prnewswire/LAM12627082007-1.htm)

August 27, 2007: 11:16 PM EST

HONOLULU, Aug. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Hawaiian Airlines expects to begin service between Honolulu and Manila in the Philippines in March 2008, pending U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) approval.

Mark Dunkerley, Hawaiian's president and CEO, commented, "This is exciting news for travelers, our community and our company. We see tremendous opportunity to increase travel on this route in light of the deep historical and cultural ties Hawaii has to the Philippines, Manila's large population of over 10 million people, its growing international business sector and substantial middle class with the inclination and means to travel."

"Hawaiian's flights will increase business, cultural and educational opportunities for Hawaii, provide additional international travel options and help bring our communities even closer together," said Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle.

Hawaiian plans to start service with four or more flights per week, which will more than double current capacity on the nonstop route and enable significant growth in traffic. Hawaiian's research shows that approximately 170,000 people traveled between Manila and Hawaii during the past year.

Hawaiian will operate the new route using its wide-body, twin-aisle Boeing 767-300ER aircraft that seat up to 264 passengers. Earlier this year, Hawaiian added four B767 aircraft to its transpacific fleet.

Dunkerley added, "Hawaiian has grown in 2007 faster than any other airline in the U.S. We serve more mainland destinations on a nonstop basis than any other airline, and we're thrilled to be expanding our international operations into Asia with new nonstop service to Manila."

Hawaiian is ranked as America's #1 airline in the 2007 Airline Quality Ratings, which was announced in April. This comprehensive industry-wide study evaluated the overall performance of the nation's 18 largest carriers using a weighted average of 15 elements in four major areas important to consumers when judging quality in airline services.

In addition, earlier this month, readers of Travel + Leisure magazine rated Hawaiian as the nation's top airline serving Hawaii for the 9th consecutive year.

Hawaiian has also recorded the best overall service performance as measured by DOT in 2004, 2005 and 2006 and been the nation's #1 on-time airline for 41 of the past 44 months.

About Hawaiian Airlines

The nation's top-ranked airline for service in the 2007 Airline Quality Ratings, Hawaiian also led all U.S. carriers in on-time performance for 2004, 2005 and 2006 (including a record 36 consecutive months from November 2003 to October 2006,) and in fewest misplaced bags for 2005 and 2006, as reported by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Consumer surveys by Conde Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, and Zagat all rank Hawaiian as the top domestic airline serving Hawaii.

Now in its 78th year of continuous service in Hawaii, Hawaiian is the state's biggest and longest-serving airline, as well as the second largest provider of passenger air service between the U.S. mainland and Hawaii. Hawaiian offers nonstop service to Hawaii from more U.S. gateway cities than any other airline (nine), as well as service to Australia, American Samoa and Tahiti. Hawaiian also provides approximately 100 daily jet flights among the Hawaiian Islands.

Hawaiian Airlines, Inc. is a subsidiary of Hawaiian Holdings, Inc. . Additional information is available at HawaiianAirlines.com.

^^ I almost fell out of my chair when they announced this on local Honolulu news!:banana: This is great news for Philippine aviation and it is great that a US based airline of Hawaiian's quality is headed to the Philippines.

yay

Cool! HA's service from HNL to MNL will provide good competition for PR on that route, since PR has the monopoly on the direct non-stop service between the two cities. Hopefully HA can also commence service to LAO and/or CRK too. :okay:

Thats actually long overdue. PAL's MNL-HNL route typically have load factors of around 90% which is almost the same as its hyper jam packed MNL-YVR route....I hope Air Canada and UAL too will compete in the Market.

^^ AC and UA are partners in Star Alliance, I don't think they'd want to compete with each other on those routes. Besides, Star Alliance already has four Asian carriers that have extensive Asian networks (SQ, TG, OZ, and NH) and has saturated the market.

^^ wasn't there news earlier in this thread about air canada wanting to come to MNL...but they would wait for their 787s......

anyways how exciting for HA and MNL....more liverys to see!!! and hopefully T-3 is open by then...

Yes. Manila is in Air Canada's medium term plan when they get 787s..

exciting for Hawaiian, although from what i hear the cabins for their 767-300s are low yielding so that means lower business class seats/less pitch and more seats and less pitch in economy...

Philippine Flag Carrier Doubles Earnings (http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7008333483)

Manila, Philippines - Philippine flag carrier Philippine Airlines Inc. (PAL) on Tuesday reported that its first quarter net profit jumped two-folds to $34.5 million from March to June, up from the $17.2 million recorded during the same period last year. PAL said the positive performance was due to increase in passenger volume and cargo business

In a statement, PAL said gross revenue rose to $373.4 million from $331.2 million since last year.

Jaime Bautista, PAL president said load factor also expanded to 82.18 percent from March to June, from 79.32. A total of 7.5 million passengers took PAL flights during the period he said,.

Bautista said, "The company's performance confirms that we are now restructured to achieve sustained profitability. It also validates our decision to exit from receivership as soon as possible."

Over the past years, PAL have settled an estimated $1.87 billion of its debts and is expected to complete payment of the $980 million balance over the next seven years.

The carrier was forced to be placed under receivership in June 1998 after suffering from financial trouble caused by external and internal problems.

Great to hear HA announce Manila! It's been up for speculation and rumors for quite a bit but it's great to have something firm for a change. It's always great to hear a US airline willing to step up to the US-MNL plate. :D Looks like I have another good excuse to transfer to UH Manoa. ;)


WORLDBEAT - Singapore Airlines puts a Linux PC in every seat



It is great to hear IFE advance even more. :okay: Today though a lot of IFE systems run on Linux (NW's Panasonic system for it's AVOD come to mind esp. whenever it has to reboot :/).

exciting for Hawaiian, although from what i hear the cabins for their 767-300s are low yielding so that means lower business class seats/less pitch and more seats and less pitch in economy...

HA's Y pitch is actually pretty average for American standards a w/ 32" pitch and the pitch for F is somewhat roomier than DL's domestic 763s (which in turn is better than what NW has on their 753s deployed from the HNL flights to the mainland save MSP *shudder*) OTOH, indeed the low yields can be reflected by the amount of F seats onboard (18) Then again, MNL can be known for low yields as well. ;)

EDIT: forgot to add an important link. A hurdle in making this flight possible is the route authority for this flight so HA is definitely gonna need some help on this: Sign the petition to make this route possible! (http://www.hawaiianair.com/Aboutus/Pages/Manila.aspx)

^^ AC and UA are partners in Star Alliance, I don't think they'd want to compete with each other on those routes. Besides, Star Alliance already has four Asian carriers that have extensive Asian networks (SQ, TG, OZ, and NH) and has saturated the market.

Yeah true,but they can serve us from different markets anyway. Air Canada for the PI-Canada Routes and UAL for US-PI routes. Though Air Canada might be flying soon I doubt whether UAL will do. Not that I'm over dreaming but do you guys notice lately how Delta have been expanding recently to international routes because according to them its more profitable? Maybe they should fly to PI as well

Hawaiian Airlines Pictures
http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u127/Jetblue22L/Hawaii%2009-05/HNL_767_HA_N584HA_09_11_05.jpg

Cabin Shots Economy class(notice the 777 like overhead bins,which means this aircraft is new production 767's)
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb20/atraqxis/0289041.jpg

Upperclass cabin,no PTV's yet as of this time
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb20/atraqxis/0288853.jpg

Yeah, it'd be nice to have UA back on Philippine soil again, hope they do consider recommencing services to MNL. By the way, did AC ever fly to MNL? Before the merger and acquisition of Canadian Airlines?

If DL flies to the Philippines, that would be wicked awesome! :okay: I love DL and I try to take their flights whenever I need to fly somewhere in the continental US, the only downside to it is that they route most of their flights via ATL, their main hub, and it's madness to go through there! :rant:

Not that I'm over dreaming but do you guys notice lately how Delta have been expanding recently to international routes because according to them its more profitable?
You're definitely not dreaming! Either that or someone needs to wake the both of us up. ;) DL has been on an expansion internationally as, as you mentioned, they're hoping to tap more into the lucrative (and vastly un-touched by LCCs) international market. They recently acquired the P/W powered ex-TWA 757s from AA to help bolster their Trans-Atlantic expansion, begin putting their 767-300ERs into better use, as well as taking delivery of more 777s (esp. the -200LRs) next year.



Cabin Shots Economy class(notice the 777 like overhead bins,which means this aircraft is new production 767's)

Actually all but HA's 3 763s have a new/refurbished interiors. The first 3 they took delivery of that were new had the older bins. The former DL and LT a/c also have/had the older interiors but are either in the plans to be getting the refurbishment (the LT birds) or already have it installed (DL's).


Upperclass cabin,no PTV's yet as of this time
[/IMG]
This is where their portable DigE Player (http://www.digeplayer.com/) comes into the spotlight. :D

PAL doubles profit to $34M (http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=business1_aug29_2007)

Philippine Airlines, owned by taipan Lucio Tan, reported yesterday that its net income doubled to $34.5 million in three months to June, covering the first quarter of its fiscal year 2007, from a restated profit of $17.2 million a year ago.

Company president Jaime Bautista, in a news briefing, said the airline booked a 101 percent growth in net income in the April-to-June period, on the back of a 13 percent growth in revenues and 5 percent increase in passenger volume.

“Overall, the improved performance during the first quarter of current 2007-2008 fiscal year resulted in a significant increase in our bottom line,” PAL said in a report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Bautista said the airline carried close to 2 million passengers on 5,771 flights to 41 domestic and international destinations in the April-June quarter.

Despite the increased number of flights and seats, passenger load factor rose to 82.18 percent, its highest in over a decade, from 79.32 percent a year earlier.

These brought the airline’s total revenues to $373.4 million in the first quarter, up 13 percent from $331.2 million a year ago. Expenditures also rose 8 percent to $338.9 million, boosted by high jet fuel prices that accounted for about 30 percent of total cost.

Bautista linked the better-than-expected quarterly performance to strong passenger demand during the April-June period, which is considered the peak travel quarter in the highly seasonal air transport business.

He said the second quarter operation, covering the months of July, August and September, could result in a net loss because of lower load factor.

For the whole of fiscal year 2007 ending March 2008, Bautista said PAL may post a net income of at least $30 million and carry a total of 7.5 million passengers, up from 6.9 million a year earlier.

The flag carrier earlier declared a record net income of $140.3 million in its 2006 fiscal year ending March 2007.

“It confirms that we are now restructured to achieve sustained profitability and validates our decision to exit receivership as soon as possible,” Bautista said.

Bautista said the company was securing an approval from the SEC by December to move out of a receivership program in entered in 1998. The SEC approved the rehabilitation plan in 1999.

PAL is currently in discussion with American manufacturer Boeing Co. for six Boeing 777-300 ERs—four on firm order and two on lease, with a price tag of $250 million each.

The airline is also in the midst of acquiring 24 jets under the Airbus 320 family, comprising nine planes on firm orders, two leased A320s, four leased A319s, and five A320 option aircraft.

Bautista said the airline would use the new aircraft to open new flights to East Asia, North America, Europe and New Zealand.

^^ Funny how they snubbed returning services to the Middle East/Gulf region, a market that has been left alone to fend for themselves ever since PR abandoned their loyal pax from that corner of the globe. :ohno:

Bacolod City, Philippines — Without hitches, the airport project in Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental would be completed in 2010, Negros Occidental Vice Governor Isidro Zayco said recently.

According to Zayco, the acquisition of the 100-hectare land for the airport is almost complete while the clearing and leveling of the runway and its terminal are ongoing.

The Kabankalan City government has appropriated P25 million initially for the acquisition of the project site while the provincial government has allocated P30 million in counterpart fund.

Zayco said the Kabankalan airport, upon its completion, would spur economic activities and development in southern Negros, known for its agricultural and tourism potentials.

He said the Department of Transportation and Communications promised to allocate P400 million for the construction of the two-kilometer Kabankalan airport runway, with a width of 30 meters.

The airport complex will include basic structures such as passenger and cargo terminals, control tower building and navigational systems, among others. The site of the proposed airport is three kilometers away from the Kabankalan proper, with a travel distance of 10 minutes.

Kabankalan Mayor Pedro Zayco said the city government provided relocation sites and financial assistance to 95 families affected by the airport construction. The mayor said these families would be given priority in employment during the airport construction.

"The airport will be crucial in providing market access and better delivery of basic social services as well as promoting the tourism industry in southern Negros," he added.

The airport would initially operate as a "feeder type facility," the mayor said.

Meanwhile, the P4.5 billion Bacolod-Silay airport in Barangay Bagtic in Silay City is expected to be operational in the first quarter of 2008.

Hawaiian Airlines Announces Service to the Philippines (http://www.khnl.com/Global/story.asp?S=6991207)

Soon you can fly non-stop from Honolulu to Manila. It's the airline's first route to Asia and they are hoping more than 100,000 people will take advantage of the new flights. After an eleven hour flight, catch up on your sleep then set out to explore the Philippines.

It offers amazing scenery and tranquil waterways. Hawaiian Airlines is bringing the Philippines a whole lot closer. They are announcing non-stop service to Manila on Boeing 767s. The routes will compete against Philippine Airlines Hawaiian is not quoting any ticket prices yet.

It's a great opportunity to visit family. "As we all know Hawaii has deep family ties to the Philippines." says Hawaiian President and CEO Mark Dunkerley.

Bargain hunters can shop in the bustling city. Capture the culture of the friendly Filipino people.

This marks the first time Hawaiian expands it's service to Asia.

"This year Hawaiian Airlines has grown faster than any other airline in the nation and the new service to Manila will expand our reach and reinforce our position as the premier carrier in the pacific region. " believes Dunkerley.

The Honorable Ariel Abadilla, Philippine Consul General, maintains, "Today's announcement is certainly welcome news especially for the tourism and business sectors in the Philippines and Hawaii. "

Jack Legal, Filipino Chamber of Commerce adds, "Now it opens wide the possibility that not just the Philippine Airlines now we can fly Hawaiian Airlines and direct almost like flying direct to Las Vegas, you don't have to stop anywhere else."

Tourism officials welcome the new flights. Marsha Wiener, State Tourism Liaison, says "We are looking forward to the potential that the Philippines and Hawaii will have with additional service ."

From the Philippines the airline could expand further to China or Japan.

Before the flights take off in March, the airline is awaiting approval from the US and Philippine governments.

Post away folks! :colgate:

New thread! (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=15050417#post15050417) :colgate:



:lock:

Wow Thread XI lasted for almost 1000 post! Dami pa lang aviation enthusiast dito....

Let me start by adding pictures of Philippine Airports into this thread

Laoag International
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee196/ravencute83/630949357_4ebe289c43.jpg

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee196/ravencute83/414525092_524e41b843.jpg

Baguio Loakan, The Highest in the country

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee196/ravencute83/73351423_OjwTYYCL_102603188BAG27cu.jpg

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee196/ravencute83/1018194.jpg

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee196/ravencute83/73392849_ERS0EOHy.jpg

Clark Airport Interior
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee196/ravencute83/IMG_8685.jpg

Subic International
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee196/ravencute83/P2250023.jpg

Davao International
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee196/ravencute83/DIA.jpg

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee196/ravencute83/ioiuyg.jpg

Jolo:ohno:

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee196/ravencute83/IMG_7382.jpg

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee196/ravencute83/IMG_7390.jpg

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee196/ravencute83/IMG_7391.jpg

Jolo is so awesome !

yeah jolo is so great!! best airport in the country..

Ilo ilo International

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee196/ravencute83/iloiloAirport.jpg

the double gangway like that of Chek Lap Kok
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee196/ravencute83/iloiloiuygf.jpg

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee196/ravencute83/iloilojhgf.jpg

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee196/ravencute83/iloilolkjhgv.jpg

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee196/ravencute83/iloilo7uytrd.jpg

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee196/ravencute83/iloiloiuytgf-1.jpg

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee196/ravencute83/iloiloiuytgf.jpg

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee196/ravencute83/iloilokijhug.jpg

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee196/ravencute83/iloilooiuytg.jpg

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee196/ravencute83/iloilooiuytg-1.jpg

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee196/ravencute83/iloilouytfd.jpg

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee196/ravencute83/iloiloygfc.jpg

Pagod nako bukas ulit!:cheers:

ang galing mo talagang mag present ng pictures

PIctures Are great.....



Anyways....do you think PAL is goin to buy anymore wide-bodies this year to expand its network....didnt they want to go back Europe and New York and what not......I think they need more widebodies....maybe ordering more 77w or buy something new like 747-8 and etc....

what do you think?

P.S. Sorry if this has been discussed before....just wanted some updates or things like that...

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee196/ravencute83/IMG_7391.jpg

Looks like a waiting room to a sleazy run-down ghetto abortion clinic. :lol:

Ilo ilo International

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee196/ravencute83/iloiloAirport.jpg

the double gangway like that of Chek Lap Kok
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee196/ravencute83/iloiloiuygf.jpg

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee196/ravencute83/iloilojhgf.jpg

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee196/ravencute83/iloilolkjhgv.jpg

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee196/ravencute83/iloilo7uytrd.jpg

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee196/ravencute83/iloiloiuytgf-1.jpg

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee196/ravencute83/iloiloiuytgf.jpg

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee196/ravencute83/iloilokijhug.jpg

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee196/ravencute83/iloilooiuytg.jpg

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee196/ravencute83/iloilooiuytg-1.jpg

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee196/ravencute83/iloilouytfd.jpg

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee196/ravencute83/iloiloygfc.jpg

Pagod nako bukas ulit!:cheers:


WOW! ganda naman ng airport na2! :banana: :banana: :banana:
but i do hope it stays this way even after years of use.....
you know naman about pinoys and maintenance... :ohno:

^^ First time I've ever seen someone admit our poor maintainace issues!!

You're right! :banana:

jolo airport needs rehabilitation... bus stations are far better than jolo's airport. i think every airport in the country needs rehabilitation... we should prioritize our domestic infrasfractures for the dewvelopment of our local tourism and local economy

PIctures Are great.....



Anyways....do you think PAL is goin to buy anymore wide-bodies this year to expand its network....didnt they want to go back Europe and New York and what not......I think they need more widebodies....maybe ordering more 77w or buy something new like 747-8 and etc....

what do you think?

P.S. Sorry if this has been discussed before....just wanted some updates or things like that...


they already ordered four 777-300er and lease two more, the lease planes will come first i think in 2009 and the ones pal will purchase from boeing will be delivered on the succeeding years two planes per year if in not mistaken

Oh my God! Is that an airport? It doesnt even look like an abortion clinic. Looks like prison!!!

nakita ko south east asian airlines

CebuPac carried more domestic passengers than PAL in first sem
08/30/2007 | 02:50 PM
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Budget airline Cebu Pacific on Thursday said it carried 2.25 million domestic passengers in the first half of 2007, besting its closest competitor Philippine airlines which carried only 1.98 million passengers during the period.

In a statement, Cebu Pacific also said it attained an 84 percent load factor out of a possible 2.68 million seats, compared to 80 percent and 72 percent of its nearest competitors.

“This accomplishment proves our commitment to bring air travel closer to the public and should help the country’s economic and tourism agenda. We will build on this as we further expand our fleet, destinations, and frequencies to make flying more fun, affordable and accessible to all," Candice Iyog, Cebu Pacific vice president for marketing and product said.

Meanwhile, CAB data showed that the domestic air travel market rose by 24 percent in the first half of 2007.

“We are very happy with our growth and the overall progress of domestic air travel in the Philippines. The growth rate makes the country one of the fastest growing air travel markets today," Iyog added.

The budget airline has recently placed an order for up to 20 Airbus A320 aircraft and up to 14 ATR 72-500 aircraft. This will be used to achieve its target of carrying up to 15 million passengers by 2013. - GMANews.TV

^^Wohoo! Go CebuPac! :)

it should be go go go gokongwei, hello lucio

QrscVEBAKpA

Featuring PAL stewardesses

ei guys, FYI, theres an exhibit of PAL through the years at glorietta in the wing near mercury drugstore.. it was great seeing the old photos and seeing the grand history of PAL..

ZAMBOANGA CITY'S FLIGHT

Cebu Pacific A319-112 (Manila-Zamboanga-Davao) 1st flight in the morning

http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=5835915

PAL A320-214 (business class Manila-Zamboanga-Manila) 2nd flight in morning

http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=408277

South East Asian Airlines LET-L-410UVP-E Turbolet
(Zamboanga-Jolo-Zamboanga-TawiTawi-Zamboanga-Cotabato-Zamboanga)

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/0559721/M/

Cebu Pacific A319-112 (Davao-Zamboanga-Manila) 10:00am flight

http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=5835915

Asian Spirit Airlines NAMC YS-11A (Zamboanga-Jolo-Zamboanga-TawiTawi-Zamboanga-Sandakan,Malaysia(M-W-S)-Zamboanga)

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/1247422/M/

Cebu Pacific A319-112 (Cebu-Zamboanga-Cebu) 1:00pm flight
http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=5835915

Air Philippines B737-2H4(ADV) 3:OOpm filght
(Manila-Zamboanga-Manila)

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/0516257/L/

PAL B737-334 (Fiesta Class) 5:00pm flight
(Manila-Zamboanga-Manila)

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/0956046/M/

:wave: :drunk: :cheers: :)

ZAMBOANGA, PHILIPPINES
:banana: ASIA'S LATIN CITY:banana:

ang ganda nang ilolilo airport, lcd pa ang mga monitors, gaano din kya sa naia3 pag nabuksan na

Chrisvens, I dont think I see the pictures you posted. Maybe it's just me...

^^I don't see it as well. :sly:

Looks like a waiting room to a sleazy run-down ghetto abortion clinic. :lol:

No other words better than what you said can describe it!! :lol:

New bacolod silay airport..

The Terminal Building (Main Bldg.)
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb116/xavier_15_07/CIMG2096.jpg
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb116/xavier_15_07/CIMG2094.jpg
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb116/xavier_15_07/CIMG2095.jpg
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb116/xavier_15_07/CIMG2064.jpg
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb116/xavier_15_07/CIMG2062.jpg

Departure Area:
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb116/xavier_15_07/CIMG2012.jpg

Arrival Area:
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb116/xavier_15_07/CIMG2013.jpg

Check In Area:
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb116/xavier_15_07/CIMG2015.jpg
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb116/xavier_15_07/CIMG2016.jpg
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb116/xavier_15_07/CIMG2017.jpg
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb116/xavier_15_07/CIMG2043.jpg

Pre-Departure Area
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb116/xavier_15_07/CIMG2019.jpg
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb116/xavier_15_07/CIMG2020.jpg

Gate 3:
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb116/xavier_15_07/CIMG2022.jpg
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb116/xavier_15_07/CIMG2023.jpg
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb116/xavier_15_07/CIMG2093.jpg


Roof-Deck (u/c)
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb116/xavier_15_07/CIMG2041.jpg
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb116/xavier_15_07/CIMG2024.jpg
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb116/xavier_15_07/CIMG2025.jpg

Control Tower
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb116/xavier_15_07/CIMG2029.jpg

(photo courtesy of @Xavier15)

^^ NBSA Terminal can accomodate B747, A330 A340

but as for now, the runway can handle A320... once the 500-1000 extension is finished, it can handle A330 A340 and B747...

current runway length: 2000 meters... +extension of 500-1000 meters

^It's got a Bacolod/Masskara feel to it. Anyway, any updates on the extension of the runway?

Habang nasa SLEX pauwi coming from an overnight swimming in Laguna.

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c3/abercromb24/naia01-1.jpg

Ano yung tinatayo sa tabi ng Lufthansa Technik?
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c3/abercromb24/naia02.jpg

Cosco firms up plans for $3-B hub


By Ronnel Domingo
Inquirer
Last updated 06:20pm (Mla time) 09/02/2007


A TEAM of experts from Chinese shipping giant China Ocean Shipping Co. will be making a third visit to the country to figure out how to split a $3-billion regional cargo hub between Sangley Point and Subic.

Francis Chua, presidential adviser on China trade and investments, said in an interview that the team had visited twice in July to look over the former US naval bases.

Cosco originally considered building a base at Sangley Point in Cavite, where it would collect shipments from various points in the region, before sending these out to the United States and other destinations in the Pacific.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has issued an executive order mandating the development of Sangley Point into an international logistics hub.

But Chua said the Cosco team, comprising experts from the group's diverse operations in the region, had seen the advantages of locating in Subic as well. He added Cosco did not want to pass up on either site.

"(My office and Cosco) are working to have this project started promptly," Chua said. "I have reason to believe it could be within the year ... this is a very crucial investment (for both sides)."

In an earlier interview, Chua, who is also honorary president of the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, said Cosco wanted to build a shipping hub at Sangley Point, because of its nearness to Manila, as well as in Subic, because it offers the best option for eventual expansion of operations.

Chua said that while Cosco was studying Sangley and Subic, local government executives in other provinces across the country also offered alternative sites for the project.

He also said that Cosco was prepared to foot the entire bill for the development of whichever site was chosen, including land reclamation and port construction.

Cosco needs about 50 to 100 hectares on which to build a pier and container yard.

Founded in 1961 as an international shipping carrier in China, Cosco is now a $17-billion corporation that provides services in freight forwarding, shipbuilding, ship repair, terminal operation, trade, financing, real estate and information technology.

Cosco owns and operates a merchant fleet of some 600 vessels, with total carrying capacity of up to 35 million dead-weight tons.

^It's got a Bacolod/Masskara feel to it. Anyway, any updates on the extension of the runway?


once the McKinley Access Road is finish, they will start the extension....

Habang nasa SLEX pauwi coming from an overnight swimming in Laguna.

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c3/abercromb24/naia01-1.jpg

Ano yung tinatayo sa tabi ng Lufthansa Technik?
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c3/abercromb24/naia02.jpg


According to the grapevine eh yun daw yung extension ng hangar ng LTP being built to accomodate a single A330/A340 widebody for their aircraft overhaul division,syang you should have been there earlier,nakita mo sana yung Virgin Atlantic A340,a rare sight in Manila:)

According to the grapevine eh yun daw yung extension ng hangar ng LTP being built to accomodate a single A330/A340 widebody for their aircraft overhaul division,syang you should have been there earlier,nakita mo sana yung Virgin Atlantic A340,a rare sight in Manila:)


i saw that Virgin Atlantic aircraft while we were taxiing for take off last Aug. 25. :)

^^ Was it a -300 or -600? :D

Thanks Yatco for sharing these photos! Looking forward to checking it out after it opens, especially the observation deck. :okay:

Philippine Air sees loss in Q2 post-holiday lull (http://asia.news.yahoo.com/070828/3/371t2.html)

Philippine Air sees loss in Q2 post-holiday lull
MANILA, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Philippine Airlines [PHL.UL] net profit doubled to $34.5 million in its April-June first quarter, but the carrier expects to swing to a loss in the second quarter because of less demand for holiday flights.

"We expect a loss this quarter because these are the lean months," PAL President Jaime Bautista told reporters on Tuesday.

During the first quarter, PAL benefited from strong demand from domestic holidaymakers during the peak April-May period.

Revenues rose 13 percent to $373.4 million in April-June.

Last year, PAL had a net profit of $3 million in its July-September second quarter.

Like smaller budget rival Cebu Pacific , PAL has benefited from an improving domestic economy which has seen more Filipinos opt for air travel. A large diaspora of overseas workers also provides a large customer base.

PAL, owned by one of the Philippines' richest people, Lucio Tan, has had three straight years of profit after an erratic financial performance since 1998 when it briefly halted operations due to labour disputes.

The company started a 10-year rehabilitation programme in 1999 to restore its finances.

Earlier this month, CFO Andrew Huang cautioned this fiscal year's net profit would slow from last year's peak of $140.3 million. Core profit, which strips out one-offs, should increase to about $30 million from $20 million last year.

PAL is currently upgrading its fleet, with plans to acquire up to 20 Airbus A320s by 2008-09 for its regional and domestic service. It has also signed a deal to acquire six Boeing 777-300ER planes for its long-haul operations by 2009.

Shares in PAL Holdings , a company that holds a majority stake in PAL, gained 1.75 percent on Tuesday, while the main index added 1.4 percent.

^^ Was it a -300 or -600? :D



I think it was a -300. Im sure it was not as long as the -600 :D

Yeah it was a -300, then there was an Autrian A330-200, and Jetstar A330-200 before that.Yung jetstar daw, close hangar door policy daw sila cause they don't want unions in Australia to know that they are ouysourcing its maintenance here in PI

PAL return to Dumaguete underway (http://www.visayandailystar.com/2007/September/03/businessnews2.htm)

Philippine Airlines is eyeing a return to Dumaguete City after almost 10 years of absence from the capital of Oriental Negros, local manager Veronica Chuang of the Air Transportation Office said.

Chuang said PAL officials recently conducted an ocular inspection of the Sibulan-Dumaguete airport and its facilities, but have not yet scheduled the resumption of flights.

She said she will meet with PAL officials this month to discuss the details. In the past, the country's flag carrier was the only airline servicing Dumaguete until it stopped its Manila-Dumaguete flights and vice versa in June of 1998.

Before other airlines - Cebu Pacific and Air Philippines - launched their flights in Dumaguete, passengers commuters had to go either to Cebu or Bacolod to take flights to Manila, Chuang said.

She said the return of PAL to Dumaguete is a welcome with the increasing volume of passengers and cargo coming in and going out of Negros Oriental.

Traffic at the Dumaguete airport has increased significantly, Chuang added.

From the pictures above of the New Bacolod airport, and the New Iloilo Airport,nakakainggit kasi yung domestic airport naten dito sa Manila, parang bodega. Haaay......

PAL chief calls for fair play on open skies (http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2007/09/05/216550/pal-chief-calls-for-fair-play-on-open-skies.html)

Asia’s oldest flag carrier has stated it wants foreign governments to stop protectionist measures before implementing air liberalisation measures in 2008.

In a frank and honest presentation at the Congress yesterday, Jaime Bautista, president and COO of Philippine Airlines (PAL), says too many governments are espousing the policy of allowing a free market in aviation, but nearly all instigate protectionist measures.

“Let me state very clearly, we are supportive of responsible and equitable liberalisation,” says Bautista. However, he adds there are too many unfair practices, and liberalisation must be accompanied with a level playing field and a fair access to markets.

“This is not the case at the moment: we want more access to Canada, access to Narita, more Japanese points and barriers to gateways to the USA removed,” he says.

Bautista says that he is asking the Philippine government to intervene on the flag carrier’s behalf for more than two years, but to no avail. “We’ve asked our government to get more entitlements in countries such as Canada that are known to follow a blue skies policy. However, even though our growth in Canada has been phenomenal with five flights between Vancouver and Manila, it seems that some governments espouse open skies only where it benefits their own flag carrier.”

But the problem exists even within Asia. “Even in our own South-east Asia arena, too many airlines receive government support or even subsidies in some cases. All we are asking is for the same privileges as our foreign competitors. At PAL we sink or swim on our own performance.”

PAL plans new Chinese, Korean and US routes (http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2007/09/05/216545/pal-plans-new-chinese-korean-and-us-routes.html)

Philippine Airlines (PAL) is planning to launch services to Chengdu in China and Jeju Island in South Korea, and is considering services to San Diego and Seattle in the US.

President and chief operating officer Jaime Bautista says flights to Chengdu will be launched in early 2008 at about the same time as PAL’s new service to Chongqing. PAL unveiled plans in July to launch flights to Chongqing following the signing of a memorandum of understanding with local authorities but did not set a launch date.

Bautista also says “discussions are now going on with agents” over the new Manila-Jeju service and “we’re looking to launch it in December”. PAL already serves Seoul and Busan in South Korea but no carriers currently operate on the Manila-Jeju route, according to Innovata.

The addition of Chengdu and Chongqing will give PAL five destinations in mainland China. It currently serves Beijing, Shanghai and Xiamen. There are currently no scheduled services between Manila and Chengdu or Chongqing, according to Innovata.

Bautista says the new services to China and South Korea will be operated with Airbus A320s. He says PAL now operates 16 A320s with two more to be delivered in 2007 and five in 2008. Bautista revealed yesterday during a presentation at the Asian Aerospace International Expo and Congress plans to firm up option for five more A320s that will be delivered from 2009 to 2011.

Bautista, speaking to ATI following his speech, said the additional A320s will be used mainly to expand services to existing destinations including Bangkok, Jakarta and Singapore. He says PAL is also considering re-launching service to Kuala Lumpur, a route it dropped in early 2006 in favour of a codeshare with Malaysia Airlines.

Bautista says PAL also plans to double in November its Australia service, which is operated with Airbus A330s, from three to six weekly flights. The service now operates on a triangular routing connecting Manila with Melbourne and Sydney. Bautista says the triangular routing will continue but with the three new flights PAL will operate the triangle in both directions.

PAL’s international network now consists of 24 cities, down from 36 before it entered receivership in 1998. Bautista sees PAL’s international network going back up to 30 cities. He says possible new destinations include Seattle and San Diego in the USA. But these can only be launched in 2009, when PAL takes delivery of the first of six leased and purchased Boeing 777-300ERs on order.

He says PAL also plans to use the new widebodies to increase services to existing North American destinations Los Angeles, San Francisco and Vancouver. “We have a very simple strategy of adding more flights where demand is high and profitability is possible,” Bautista says, adding that all its international routes are currently profitable.

He adds PAL has no plans to resume services to the Middle East or Europe because the services offered by Middle Eastern carriers to Manila are currently exceeding demand. While in receivership PAL dropped unprofitable services to several destinations in the Middle East and Europe.

“We think there is still overcapacity in the Middle East,” Bautista says. He adds that Middle Eastern carriers now operate 45 weekly flights to Manila with connections to Europe. “We’ll maintain our presence in the Middle East by codesharing with all of them except Saudi Arabian.”

SEATTLE??? OMFG. That's what us Portlanders have been waiting for. Maybe I will get to visit the Philippines every year!!! :cheer:

guys... may 24hrs ba na airport sa pinas?

SEATTLE??? OMFG. That's what us Portlanders have been waiting for. Maybe I will get to visit the Philippines every year!!! :cheer:

yeah that's really good news. hope it materializes. lots of filips in Seattle and those northwest people are not very friendly.
i hate the portland seattle leg though,:ohno: with that mini plane.

guys... may 24hrs ba na airport sa pinas?

isnt Naia 24 hours?

isnt Naia 24 hours?

i think not..:) although its operation within the building is continuous..
what they stop though(temporary) is the landing and taking-off of planes.. they close their main runway for at least 2 hours.. but i think hindi nauubusan ng pasahero dun..:colgate:

that's what i wanna hear..akala ko sinasarado ang terminal... :colgate:

isnt Naia 24 hours?

nope. opens at like 5 or 6 in the morning. dunno when it closes.

nope. opens at like 5 or 6 in the morning. dunno when it closes.

you mean they close their terminal to the public? i don't think so friend..:)
they close their airport to the planes landing.. they close their runway, but not the building..:)

yes... kasi pumupunta kami sa naia 4am :P

guys... may 24hrs ba na airport sa pinas?

i think naia operates only 20 hours per day... lolz

you mean they close their terminal to the public? i don't think so friend..:)
they close their airport to the planes landing.. they close their runway, but not the building..:)

pretty sure they do.

doesn't JFK close their runways though? I remember watching "The Terminal" (starring the guy from Sleepless in Seattle, forgot his name someone remind me :P) and people were like sleeping in the terminal :lol:

pretty sure they do.

doesn't JFK close their runways though? I remember watching "The Terminal" (starring the guy from Sleepless in Seattle, forgot his name someone remind me :P) and people were like sleeping in the terminal :lol:

tom hanks is the name... JFK closes some part of its terminal.. i remember arriving here in NY through JFK(don't know what building) at around 2 am.. we btw took an ASIANA airlines.. at that time, the terminal does look inactive until you see the other side.. ETIHAD, EMIRATES, VIRGIN, ASIANA, were all being served by the terminal.. the immigration counters were so busy, (im an immigrant)...
-btw, i'll try to confirm that NAIA thing..:)
hey, im going to sleep, have a good day/night...:lol:

nope. opens at like 5 or 6 in the morning. dunno when it closes.

it opens at in the morning... because northwest leaves manila at 7:15 or so... and i remember entering the terminal around 4am.. and as far as i can remember, northwest check in counters palang ang open nun, di pa masyadong maraming tao

naia t2 sometimes open 2:30 in the morning especially during christmas... daming ofw..

Asian Spirit YS-11
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee196/ravencute83/IMG_7394.jpg

Interiors Ayaw kong manglait but the stewardesses looks like the tindera who will entertain you while buying your pandesal in the morning:lol: ,Tapos ka height pa ni GMA yung isa :lol:
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee196/ravencute83/IMG_7459.jpg

YS-11 in Sendakan,Malaysia
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee196/ravencute83/1247422.jpg

Fleet of Various YS-11 in GenAv area of Naia. Philippines currently holds the largest registry of flying YS-11 in the world. As this aircraft has been withdrawn from service in other countries.
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee196/ravencute83/1021276.jpg

Sangley Aiport in Cavite
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee196/ravencute83/sangley18.jpg
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee196/ravencute83/sangley03.jpg

Plan for Future Clark Expansion (I refuse to call it DMIA :puke:)
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee196/ravencute83/4grxoac.jpg

Google Shot of Laoag International's long runway
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee196/ravencute83/LaoagInternationalAirport.jpg

Google shot of Calbayog Airport. with an important Intersecting road in the middle
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee196/ravencute83/Calbayogairport.jpg

Zamboanga International Interiors
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee196/ravencute83/zamairport.jpg

Air Philippines 737-200 thrust reversers on the works
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee196/ravencute83/737-2thrustreversers.jpg

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee196/ravencute83/737-2.jpg

ganda ng interiors ng zambo! :D

guys... may 24hrs ba na airport sa pinas?
isnt Naia 24 hours?
i think not..:) although its operation within the building is continuous.. what they stop though(temporary) is the landing and taking-off of planes.. they close their main runway for at least 2 hours.. but i think hindi nauubusan ng pasahero dun..:colgate:
that's what i wanna hear..akala ko sinasarado ang terminal... :colgate:
nope. opens at like 5 or 6 in the morning. dunno when it closes.
you mean they close their terminal to the public? i don't think so friend..:) they close their airport to the planes landing.. they close their runway, but not the building..:)
yes... kasi pumupunta kami sa naia 4am :P
i think naia operates only 20 hours per day... lolz
it opens at in the morning... because northwest leaves manila at 7:15 or so... and i remember entering the terminal around 4am.. and as far as i can remember, northwest check in counters palang ang open nun, di pa masyadong maraming tao

naia t2 sometimes open 2:30 in the morning especially during christmas... daming ofw..


Airports, especially the major ones (hubs) are required to be open at all hours of the day in the event the need arises that an aircraft in distress needs to make an emergency landing. Operations at NAIA do not cease, but flight allotments and slots are limited to within reasonable hours, and to minimize noise pollution in the neighboring communities that borders on airport property.

Asian Spirit Bae 146
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee196/ravencute83/asainspirit.jpg
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee196/ravencute83/74499595_aO0ufogD.jpg
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee196/ravencute83/Bae146interior1.jpg

Cebu Pacific A319..in the future Cebu Pacific will have a total of around 32 Airbus A320 family aircraft and 14 ATR-72's
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee196/ravencute83/A319_DAVYG_059gl_jpg_60163.jpg
Interior shots
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee196/ravencute83/161699183_9b0256291e.jpg
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee196/ravencute83/airportscenes043pd8.jpg
ATR-72 on order
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee196/ravencute83/yourfile.jpg

It makes me wonder does cebu pacific has the ambition to go global? 32 A320s and 14 ATRs will still make them look small as an international LCC.

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee196/ravencute83/737-2.jpg

That's Cagayan de Oro City below....

^^ correct!,thats on approach to Lumbia

A380 World Tour continues with major airports in Asia and the U.S.
13 August 2007
Airbus Press Release

Airbus' A380 will embark for a series of demonstration tours starting on 30th August. Key airports in South-East-Asia and the U.S. will be visited.

The Asia-A380-tour will be conducted with flight-test-aircraft MSN (Manufacturer's Serial Number) 007, powered by four Rolls Royce Trend 900 engines. The world's largest and most innovative passenger jet flying today is equipped with a full passenger cabin, which can comfortably carry 520 passengers in an extra quiet and relaxing three-class cabin-environment. The International Airports to be visited are:

Thailand, Bangkok / Chiang Mai -- August 31 - September 2
Vietnam, Hanoi -- September 2-3
China, Hongkong (Asian Aerospace) -- September 3-5
Korea, Seoul -- September 5-7.

The US-tour will take the A380 flight-test-aircraft MSN009, powered by four Engine Alliance GP7200 engines, to the United States. The visits are part of the ongoing route proving process for this aircraft/engine-combination. The aircraft, which has no passenger-cabin, is on static display at the following airports:

Connecticut, Bradley International Airport (BDL) -- October 2-3
Kentucky, Cincinnati/N. Kentucky Airport (CVG) -- October 3-4
California, San Francisco International Airport (SFO) -- October 4-5.

Both demonstration tours are part of the extensive campaign to prepare the A380 for a smooth entry into service. Operating under typical airline conditions, both aircraft will undergo airport compatibility checks, ground handling and maintenance procedures to confirm its readiness to enter service. The A380 has already visited more than 45 airports and by 2011, more than 70 airports will be ready for A380 operations.

Total orders and commitments for the A380 are 173 by 14 customers. The first customer A380 will be delivered to Singapore Airlines in October. Subsequent aircraft, for delivery to Singapore Airlines, Emirates Airlines and Qantas, are also well on track.

The A380 will provide more comfort in every class and more open space for relaxation than any other aircraft. Passengers will enjoy a new way of flying while benefiting from the quietest cabin in the sky. The aircrafts‘ efficiency and advanced technologies will result in outstanding economics and higher operational flexibility as seat-mile costs are 20 percent lower and range 15 percent greater compared to today's existing large aircrafts.

Being cleaner, greener, quieter and smarter, the A380 is already setting new standards for transport and the environment. Per passenger, the A380 is as fuel efficient as a small economical family car. Requiring shorter runways for take off and landing, the A380 also provides vital extra passenger capacity without increasing the number of flights. So the aircraft is an ideal solution to today's congested airports.

Airbus is an EADS company.

Why dont they fly to the philippine for airport compatibility test? All other airports in ASEAN has been visited by A380. KLIA, Changi, Bangkok, Chiang Mai and now Vietnam...i'm not sure about Jakarta...

PAL makes it to World Airline Rankings

INQUIRER.net
Last updated 04:28pm (Mla time) 09/06/2007


MANILA, Philippines -- Philippine Airlines made it to the 2006 World Airline Rankings, a ranking of the top 150 airlines in the world, acknowledged as the most comprehensive survey of the airline industry as compiled by the respected aviation journal Airline Business.

PAL was the only Philippine airline included.

PAL ranked 61st in terms of revenue passenger kilometers (RPKs), the industry yardstick for passenger traffic, with over 16 million RPKs flown in 2006.

That put the flag carrier ahead of such Asian peers as Garuda Indonesia (64th place) and Vietnam Airlines (78th), European rivals Scandinavian Airlines (85th) and CSA Czech Airlines (99th), and U.S. regional carriers Hawaiian Airlines (82nd) and Continental Micronesia (134th).

PAL also flew a little over 21 million available seat kilometers (ASKs) -- the industry measure for total seat capacity offered -- in 2006, which, taken with its 16 million RPKs flown, meant that PAL operated flights close to capacity.

PAL also chalked an average load factor of 76 percent to earn a place as among the highest in the survey, matching or surpassing survey leaders British Airways (76 percent), Lufthansa (75 percent) and Japan Airlines (68.5 percent).

In terms of revenue, PAL was 68th in the rankings, with $1.39 billion earned last year. This enabled PAL to outstrip fellow legacy carriers Gulf Air (69th), Garuda Indonesia (76th), Brazil’s Varig (80th) and the UAE’s Etihad Airways (101st).

Among Asia-Pacific carriers, PAL’s revenue performance landed it 20th place in a highly competitive group that included two of the top ten airlines in the world, headed by Japan Airlines.

The survey results were published in the August 2007 edition of Airline Business, which is based in the United Kingdom. Both members and non-members of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) were equally rated.