Airlines, Airplanes and Airports - Compiled Threads [Archive] - Page 38

kiretoce

April 17th, 2008, 02:12 AM

PAL forms Cebu budget carrier (http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=news3_april16_2008)

Philippine Airlines is forming PAL Express, a company that will offer budget flights on a fleet of turboprop aircraft going to Cebu and Boracay.

In a news briefing yesterday, PAL president and chief operating officer Jaime Bautista said PAL Express would take over the Cebu hub operations of Air Philippines as well as its Manila-Caticlan flights.

Air Philippines would continue to fly from Manila to Iloilo, Zamboanga, Dumaguete and Tuguegarao, Bautista added.

Both airlines are majority owned by Lucio Tan.

“We will leverage on the strength of the PAL brand to make PAL Express the leader in the markets it serves,” Bautista said. “In turn, PAL benefits from the expansion of its network to areas it does not fly to.”

When fully operational, PAL Express was expected to add one million passengers to the PAL network annually and contribute P1 billion in revenues, including a net income of P300 million, Bautista said.

Bautista said PAL Express would be similar to operations in other countries where the legacy carrier sets up an operating division to serve a distinct market niche.

Bautista said PAL booked $1.4 billion in revenues in the 12 months ending March 31, up from $1.2 billion from a year ago, as it carried 7.5-million passengers with a load factor of 79 percent. He declined to cite the company’s net income in the last fiscal year, which he said had not been finalized.

For the fiscal year ending March 2009, PAL aims to increase revenues by 8 percent to 10 percent on a similar increase in passengers.

Bautista admitted that the high fuel cost would limit the company’s profitability this year, but did not elaborate.

PAL is spending $150 million for the acquisition and maintenance of nine turboprop aircraft—three Q300s and six Q400s this year. Bautista said the airline was borrowing $100 million from a syndicate of banks to partly finance the acquisition, while the balance would come from internal funds.

The airline is reopening its Cebu hub for the turboprop fleet, which will serve the growing intra-regional market in the Visayas and Mindanao. Turboprop planes consume less aviation fuel, are cheaper to maintain and are ideal for airports with short runways such as Caticlan, according to Bautista.

PAL’s turboprop services are scheduled to take off on May 5, with eight flights daily from Manila to Caticlan, gateway to the resort island of Boracay. Fifty-seater Bombardier Q300 aircraft will be deployed on the route.

In the third week of May, PAL will launch services of varying frequencies between Cebu and five points—Caticlan, Bacolod, Tacloban, Butuan and General Santos. In the same week, a daily flight between Manila and Busuanga in northern Palawan will also begin, along with a ninth daily frequency to Caticlan.

In the last week of May, three more points will be added to the Cebu hub network: Davao, with thrice-daily flights; Iloilo, twice daily; and Puerto Princesa, a single flight daily.

The airline is offering a promo one-way fare of P88, excluding taxes and surcharges, for the Manila-Caticlan service, as well as flights from Cebu to other southern cities. The special fare is available until May 18 and is good for travel from May 19 to Aug. 15 only.

Also yesterday, a Hawaiian Airlines flight arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, opening a new route between Manila and Honolulu.

On board the first commercial flight to the Philippines were Hawaiian Airlines president and chief executive Mark Dunkerley and Senator Richard Gordon.

Airport General Manager Alfonso Cusi said there were 160 passengers onboard the inaugural flight.

Hawaiian Airlines will fly to Manila every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. The flight arrives at 5:15 p.m. and departs for Hawaii at 7 p.m.

kiretoce

April 17th, 2008, 02:22 AM

Palawan airport repair fast-tracked (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/regions/view/20080417-130907/Palawan-airport-repair-fast-tracked)

The Department of Transportation and Communications (DoTC) said it bid out the P100-million second stage of the airport expansion project in Puerto Princesa City, capital of the western island province of Palawan, sooner than first estimated.

The DoTC said in a statement that the submission and opening of bid documents for Phase 2 for the renovation and expansion of the passenger terminal of Puerto Princesa Airport would be held on April 28 instead of May as originally scheduled.

The department has also moved to alleviate the reported warm temperature inside the existing terminal.

Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza has ordered “the immediate installation of at least four three- or five-ton air-conditioning units at the pre-departure area of the existing passenger terminal,” the department said.

The airport has long been on the priority list for expansion, but work started only last year, it said.

The first stage of expansion, which the DoTC said cost almost P30 million, was bid out last year and was finished last January.

DoTC project designer Art Balderas said that with the completion of the first stage, the terminal’s floor area was expanded to 21 meters by 81.5 meters from 16 meters by 81.5 meters.

The second stage will cover completion of the extension and rehabilitation of the terminal. It will also cover air-conditioning, plumbing, electrical works, fire alarm, communications system, and waste and drainage system.

It is being funded with shares of royalty from the Malampaya gas field off Palawan.

The DoTC said it had signed a memorandum of agreement with the Department of Energy in June 2007.

“The mechanics on the fund transfer to DoTC was not formalized until November 2007. This was one of the reasons for the delay in the implementation of Phase 2,” the DoTC said.

kiretoce

April 17th, 2008, 06:29 PM

PGMA invites PAL, Cebu Pacific to fly to Siargao (http://www.pia.gov.ph/?m=12&r=&y=&mo=&fi=p080417.htm&no=55)

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo instructed yesterday Trade Secretary Peter Favila and Tourism Secretary Ace Durano to invite the Philippine Airlines (PAL) and the Cebu Pacific Airlines to fly to Siargao Island from Manila in a move to make this tropical island paradise more accessible to foreign and local tourists.

The President issued the instructions upon arrival mid -afternoon at the Sayak Airport here after she was informed that the widening works on the airport are almost completed and by then could accommodate more airplanes.

"We should invite them...we should push them (to fly to Siargao)," the President said.

Favila informed the President that PAL and Cebu Pacific would be flying the so-called missionary routes now that they have acquired smaller planes.

Durano said Siargao Island is one of the few priority destinations of the missionary routes.

"Now that the planes have arrived, we should push them,"the President stressed.

So far, only SEAIR flies directly to Siargao Island from Cebu International Airport.

Getting to this surfing capital of the country from Manila is a little bit tedious as one has to fly to Butuan City or Cagayan de Oro City and travel by land for about three to four hours to get to Surigao City. From the Surigao City port, one has to take the roll-on-roll-off for about four hours.

The President, in a move to spur economic development in the countryside, has noted the need for vital infrastructure such as roads, bridges, airports and seaports.

kiretoce

April 17th, 2008, 06:34 PM

PAL to launch low-fare Vis-Min flights (http://globalnation.inquirer.net/cebudailynews/enterprise/view/20080417-130958/PAL-to-launch-low-fare-Vis-Min-flights)

National flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) has launched a low-cost carrier brand that will fly to selected destinations in the Visayas and Mindanao using propeller-powered aircraft starting May 19 with Cebu as the main operations hub.

PAL president Jaime Bautista said PAL Express, will address the growing demand for budget airlines.

PAL Express is set to take off on May 5 with eight flights daily between Manila and Boracay.

Flights from Cebu to Caticlan, Butuan, Davao, General Santos and Iloilo will start on May 19, while flights to Bacolod, Puerto Princesa and Tacloban will start on May 26.

“PAL will acquire nine turbo-propellers, three 50-seater Bombardier Q300s and six 70-seater Q400s, to comprise PAL Express’ initial fleet, which will be based mainly in Cebu,” the company said in a statement.

Bautista said the launching of PAL Express is a “groundbreaking step” for the company noting that it is the first time they created a sub-brand after 67 years.

He said the company will bank on the strength of the PAL brand to make PAL Express the leader in the markets it will soon serve.

“The structure for PAL Express is similar to the set-up found in several international airlines, where the ‘legacy’ carrier establishes an operating division intended to serve a market niche distinct from the mainline operation,” the company said.

“PAL benefits from the expansion of its network to areas it does not presently fly to. (This is) where PAL Express aims to draw traffic to feed the main trunk routes,” Bautista said.

Simoun Canton Jr., PAL-Mactan sales and services manager, said PAL Express may serve as a competitor to the budget airfare rates of another airline company.

“We saw the potential of the market, so we reopened it. PAL Express flies to these smaller airports in provinces that we were not able to accommodate already,” Canton said.

He said that even before PAL Express was launched, the company had promotions which catered to travelers looking for low fares.

Aside from giving travelers the convenience to travel to more provincial points, he said the new routes also support the government’s efforts to promote trade and tourism enabling small islands to develop local economies.

Tourism Undersecretary Phineas Alburosaid lauded the PAL move as a welcome development.

“Competition is always good for the industry because it brings down price and improves service,” Alburo said in a text message to.

WawaY[625]

April 17th, 2008, 06:45 PM

From PAL website:
http://www.philippineairlines.com/images/pal%20express.jpg

haha naaalala ko nung mga 12 years old ako..sumakay kami ng fokker f50 ng PAL from DVO to ZAM

scary flight..di nag on ang aircon till nung pa taxi na kami

REDcrazy

April 18th, 2008, 04:49 AM

;19755675']haha naaalala ko nung mga 12 years old ako..sumakay kami ng fokker f50 ng PAL from DVO to ZAM

scary flight..di nag on ang aircon till nung pa taxi na kami

I remember those Fokker F50's too, but the "sunriser" was scarier.

IsaganiZenze

April 18th, 2008, 11:40 AM

taken by tsharklv from flickr

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a91/EnozAnewor/tsharklvnaia3.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a91/EnozAnewor/tsharklvnaia.jpg

red_jasper

April 18th, 2008, 05:10 PM

MIAA asks US execs to exempt heads of state from frisking

By Tarra Quismundo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 21:48:00 04/18/2008

MANILA, Philippines -- To avoid any more embarrassing episodes involving visiting high foreign officials, aviation officials have requested the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to consider exempting all heads of state from the strict pre-boarding body checks required of passengers bound for the US.

Alfonso Cusi, general manager of the Manila International Airport Authority, said his office has sent a letter to the TSA asking the agency to institutionalize the exemption of heads of state from the stringent requirement of a “pat-down” body check for all passengers flying to any US destination.

“We have asked the TSA to make it part of their regulations that all heads of state be exempt from frisking and should be given courtesy,” said Cusi, who said he himself was frisked when he boarded a flight for Honolulu last Thursday.

“We asked that this be a regulation so that when that situation arises [a head of state taking a commercial flight bound for the US], whether or not he or she will be exempt from frisking will no longer be a matter of discretion,” he said.

MIAA has taken the step of writing to the TSA to avoid a repeat of the incident on April 2 in which the US-based carrier, Continental Micronesia, prevented visiting Palau President Tommy Remengesau Jr. from boarding a Manila-Palau-Guam flight when he refused to be frisked during a pre-boarding “redundancy” check.

Full story here (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20080418-131297/MIAA-asks-US-execs-to-exempt-heads-of-state-from-frisking)

absinthe_888

April 18th, 2008, 08:22 PM

PAL eyes 1 M more passengers with new fleet
Edith Regalado
Saturday, April 19, 2008
http://philstar.com/index.php?Headlines&p=49&type=2&sec=24&aid=2008041891

DAVAO CITY – Philippine Airlines expects to attract one million more passengers with its new “PAL Express” unit, which will connect various points across the country.

PAL president Jaime Bautista said the one million will be in addition to the over 7.5 million passengers of PAL on its regular international and domestic flights.

Bautista arrived here yesterday for the Davao City leg of the promotion of PAL Express which is scheduled to take off on May 5.

PAL Express is the flag carrier’s low-fares unit which will service areas that it used to consider as “missionary routes.”

The PAL Express fleet shall initially consist of three Bombardier Q300s and six refurbished Q400 aircraft.

“The low fares would cover missionary routes that would also allow us to recover our operations expenses,” Bautista said.

Bautista stressed that the hub of operations of the Q300 and Q400 aircraft will be in Cebu City.

“I am sure PAL Express shall go a long way in helping boost not only local tourism but also the local economy,” Bautista added. –

habagatcentral1

April 19th, 2008, 06:13 AM

;19755675']haha naaalala ko nung mga 12 years old ako..sumakay kami ng fokker f50 ng PAL from DVO to ZAM

scary flight..di nag on ang aircon till nung pa taxi na kami

Hahaha!! I remember that too, Cebu was lined with Fokker 50s back then
http://www.airliners.net/photo/Philippine-Airlines/Fokker-50/0651368/M/

I remember those Fokker F50's too, but the "sunriser" was scarier.
Right...Was that the Shorts 360? I remember riding one from Cebu to Pagadian then.
http://www.airliners.net/open.file?id=1165252&size=L&width=1280&height=956&sok=&photo_nr=

NightDog

April 19th, 2008, 07:38 AM

Subject: Fw: Impressive Souvenir with Shameful Impression...
From: Ethel_Sayo@pal.com.ph
Date: Wed, 16 Apr 2008 10:29:15 +0800
To:

AS RECEIVED -------
paalala lang po sa mga uuwi, **** balik po lang ang life vest na inyo pong kinuha at hindi po yan souvenir..
By Philip Tubeza
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 06:07:00 04/10/2008
HONG KONG—Think twice about taking 'souvenirs' from airplanes, especially on international flights.

A judge here Wednesday fined two Filipinos HK$2,000 (P10,700) each for taking with them life jackets from their Cathay Pacific flight from Dubai.

Tsuen Wan Principal Magistrate Andrew Ma imposed the fines on Edwin S. Antolin, 52, and Crisanto R. Ramos, 29, after they pleaded guilty to the charge of theft. The life jackets cost only HK$400 each.

'Do you know each other?' asked the judge, who got curious why the two would take life jackets from their flight. He apparently did not know that many Filipinos had a proclivity of taking with them 'souvenirs' from hotels, airplanes and other places they visited.

Both Filipinos denied knowing each other. They were seated on different rows when they arrived here at around 2:20 p.m. on Tuesday for a connecting flight to Manila.

Ramos occupied Seat No.. 35B while Antolin was in No. 47B, but they apparently had the same urge to take the life jackets under their seats.

Antolin put the jacket in his blue traveling bag, while Ramos hid his in a red shopping bag. They did not foresee that they would be arrested and charged in court for taking 'souvenirs.'

When they got to the passenger terminal building of the Chek Lap Kok International Airport, their belongings had to go through an X-ray machine before they take their connecting flight.

Airport security officers later told investigators that they noticed 'suspicious objects' in the Filipinos' bags.

The passengers were searched and the life jackets were found. Ramos supposedly even wrapped his jacket with a blanket.

The security officers reported the incident to the police and Cathay Pacific staff members, who confirmed that the life jackets were missing.

During police interrogation, the Filipinos denied any wrongdoing but they later pleaded guilty upon the advice of lawyers after they were brought to court.

------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ----

KABAYAN… PLEASE… BUMABABA NA ANG DOLLAR… WAG NA NATIN SADYAING BUMABA DIN PATI ANG ATING DANGAL…

ISAULI NYO PO ANG KUMOT, UNAN, KUTSARA, TINIDOR, KITCHEN KNIFE, PLATITO, CUP AT PERFUME OR LOTION SA CR.... DI PO KASAMA YAN SA BINAYAD SA PASAHE.

PATI ANG EARPHONE... HINDI NYO PO MAGAGAMIT YAN KASI PANG-EROPLANO LANG YAN, MAY EROPLANO BA KAYO SA BAHAY NYO???

NightDog

April 19th, 2008, 07:44 AM

Hahaha!! I remember that too, Cebu was lined with Fokker 50s back then
http://www.airliners.net/photo/Philippine-Airlines/Fokker-50/0651368/M/

Right...Was that the Shorts 360? I remember riding one from Cebu to Pagadian then.
http://www.airliners.net/open.file?id=1165252&size=L&width=1280&height=956&sok=&photo_nr=

yung SD-360 ang tinatawag na Shorts. yung parang kabaong. yung fokker 50 ata saka yung sunriser iisa lang. kaya ata tinawag na sunriser ang fokker50 kasi dyan sa mga eroplano na yan nagsimula ang logo ng PAL ngayon.

diz

April 19th, 2008, 08:30 AM

lmao they took the life jackets. bagay.. na fine sila

WawaY[625]

April 19th, 2008, 08:53 AM

PATI ANG EARPHONE... HINDI NYO PO MAGAGAMIT YAN KASI PANG-EROPLANO LANG YAN, MAY EROPLANO BA KAYO SA BAHAY NYO??? [/B]

:rofl:

i did try to steal the lighter nung sa A300 dati ng PAL lolz

kratos1211

April 19th, 2008, 08:57 AM

taken by tsharklv from flickr

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a91/EnozAnewor/tsharklvnaia3.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a91/EnozAnewor/tsharklvnaia.jpg

very nice.

NightDog

April 19th, 2008, 09:30 AM

;19810444']:rofl:

i did try to steal the lighter nung sa A300 dati ng PAL lolz

:lol:ako rin nasubukan ko rin dati magbaba ng aircraft items baguhan pa lang ako noon.

may lighter ba ang A300? hinde ko kasi matandaan.

REDcrazy

April 19th, 2008, 10:01 AM

The Old PAL Sunriser
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/68/PAL_Shorts_390.jpg

NightDog

April 19th, 2008, 10:36 AM

^^oo nga ano. sunriser nga ang SD-360. nakasulat pa dyan sa may landing gear. so, ano ang Shorts? nalito na ako a.

by the way, this plane is not pressurized. that's why it only travels in a low altitude. it doesn't use airconditioning(Packs/heat exchanger) used by our modern aircrafts. it uses the normal house airconditioning(freon-type). & nice to know: it has 2 small electric fans in the cockpit. one for the first officer & the other one for the captain.

ericlucky290

April 19th, 2008, 10:41 AM

I think I remember flight attendants reminding passenger about laws on stealing life jacket and tampering of smoke detectors on plane. Pati nga pag-upo ng mga flight attendants sinasabi kung anong law yon.

WawaY[625]

April 19th, 2008, 11:32 AM

:lol:ako rin nasubukan ko rin dati magbaba ng aircraft items baguhan pa lang ako noon.

may lighter ba ang A300? hinde ko kasi matandaan.

oops my bad

ash tray pala lols

yung sa dulo ng armrest :)

WawaY[625]

April 19th, 2008, 11:35 AM

The Old PAL Sunriser
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/68/PAL_Shorts_390.jpg

parang gawa sa karton :lol:

ano nangyari dyan at parang peke ang mga windows tapos yung sa cockpit window ay plastic wrapper na lang?

bacolodchamp

April 19th, 2008, 11:39 AM

The Old PAL Sunriser
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/68/PAL_Shorts_390.jpg

yaiks...scary.:runaway:

NightDog

April 19th, 2008, 11:53 AM

^^;19812436']parang gawa sa karton :lol:

ano nangyari dyan at parang peke ang mga windows tapos yung sa cockpit window ay plastic wrapper na lang?

mothballed na ang eroplano na yan. yung mga computers nya sa loob tanggal na. ang mga windows tinakpan lang yan ng protective covers saka pressurized tapes, pero andyan pa rin ang original. ang windshield andyan din ang original pero tinakpan din ng plastic at pressurized tapes. ang engine saka propeller tinanggal na rin baka dinala sa engine overhaul section. wala na laman ang eroplano na yan kaya nakatali na. tingnan mo sa may kanan meron pang airport terminal trolly. karamihan kasi ng mga aircraft mechanic noon sa PAL nangunguha ng trolly sa terminal tapos ginagawa nilang kargahan ng mga tools nila.:lol:
kaya ni-raid noon ang PAL Technical Center ng MIAA police para kuhanin lang yang mga trolly na yan. nice to know: mahigit isang truck na trolley ang nakuha nila.:lol:

NightDog

April 19th, 2008, 03:57 PM

Shorts 360, EI-BTH, Philippine Airlines
http://www.abpic.co.uk/images/images/1102264M.jpg

mali pala yung post ko na ang SD-360 ang Shorts, at ang Fokker 50 ang Sunriser.

SD-360, Shorts 360 & Sunriser are the same. Sunriser was the name given by PAL to this aircraft due to the introduction of the new logo.

arianespace

April 19th, 2008, 09:13 PM

Sou-jiro

April 20th, 2008, 02:40 AM

:lol:ako rin nasubukan ko rin dati magbaba ng aircraft items baguhan pa lang ako noon.

may lighter ba ang A300? hinde ko kasi matandaan.

haha ako naman dati sinubukan ko sa A330 ng PAL yung mga magazine before

but i never had the guts so i never did it...but for sure i have seen Pinoys do also on the A330s,..several times infact ..lol :D

ang ganda kasi ng magazine ng PAL before.it was that same reason it was discontinued

kiretoce

April 20th, 2008, 03:09 AM

^^ Airline magazines are free to be taken by the passenger when they disembark the aircraft. At least the ones I've ridden on, don't know about PAL though. :colgate:

diz

April 20th, 2008, 04:45 AM

^ i take pal's every chance i get! :D

bitoy

April 20th, 2008, 06:27 AM

I've taken home a loadmaster of a C-130. ... counted ba yun? :lol:

NightDog

April 20th, 2008, 06:57 AM

;19812387']oops my bad

ash tray pala lols

yung sa dulo ng armrest :)

:lol::lol::lol: malupit ka a. napalusot mo yun. airline property ang ashtray, saka may part number yan.

sabagay may barkada din ako ashtray saka seatbelt sa kotse nya galing sa eroplano, pati carpet. kulang na lang upuan ang ilabas.:lol:

Sou-jiro

April 20th, 2008, 06:59 AM

Damn ...then i really missed out.....sayang

NightDog

April 20th, 2008, 07:07 AM

These planes (Short 360) formerly of PAL are still flying today.
I think they are with Lanseria Air of south africa. try to look for this aircraft registry no.cn SH3717, that is for EI-BTH. It was previously leased to PAL by Dublin based Aircraft lessor. It was the same company whom they got their B737's and few of their A320's.:)

a ok. thanks for the info. lumilipad pa pala to. cguro baka hinde lahat ng Shorts napunta doon. di ko lang cgurado. pero tong pinost ni REDcrazy mukhang mothballed na to. kasi kasama ako dati sa grupo na pinadala para gawin ang mothball procedures ng Shorts, saka sa location din na yan sa picture namin trinabaho. pero parang dalawang eroplano nga lang ata ang ginawa namin noon, di ko na maalala.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/68/PAL_Shorts_390.jpg

FrancisXavier

April 20th, 2008, 10:41 AM

ano yung plane ng PAL dati ng may built in hagdanan? naaalala ko kasi dati yunginagamit nila sa CGY-MNL flight.

WawaY[625]

April 20th, 2008, 11:21 AM

:lol::lol::lol: malupit ka a. napalusot mo yun. airline property ang ashtray, saka may part number yan.

sabagay may barkada din ako ashtray saka seatbelt sa kotse nya galing sa eroplano, pati carpet. kulang na lang upuan ang ilabas.:lol:

di ko nakuha kasi sinaway ako ng barkada ko :lol: plano ko lang sana

NightDog

April 20th, 2008, 11:57 AM

ano yung plane ng PAL dati ng may built in hagdanan? naaalala ko kasi dati yunginagamit nila sa CGY-MNL flight.

kung may existing pa na B737 ang PAL sa ngayon, dating may hagdan ang mga eroplano na yan. ang location ng hagdan nasa baba lang ng L1 Door (First Door,Left Side). kaso naging sakit sa ulo sa katagalan ang mga hagdan kasi dagdag maintenance pa. may electric motor kasi na nag-ooperate nyan saka may conveyor saka railing. parating yan pa ang sira, minsan yan pa ang nagiging sanhi ng delay. saka dagdag pa sa total weight ng eroplano kasi medyo may kabigatan din ang buong assembly. kaya nag-request ang PAL noon sa Boeing ng modification para tanggalin yang mga hagdan. inaprubahan ng Boeing, mas makakatipid nga naman ang airline pag ang hagdan nasa terminal na lang.

ang fokker50 naman, turboprop yun, may kasamang hagdan din. yun ang hinde pwedeng tanggalin kasi yung L1 door ng Fokker 50 yun na mismo ang hagdan. ang L1 door nya bumubukas vertically, paglapat sa ground yun na ang magiging hagdan ng pasahero.

red_jasper

April 20th, 2008, 05:57 PM

Cebu Pacific confident of revenue growth despite fuel costs

Philippine Daily Inquirer (http://business.inquirer.net/money/breakingnews/view/20080420-131601/Cebu-Pacific-confident-of-revenue-growth-despite-fuel-costs)
First Posted 19:01:00 04/20/2008

MANILA, Philippines--Cebu Pacific said it could still grow its revenue and passenger volume despite soaring jet fuel costs.

The budget airline intends to do this through cost and revenue management measures supported by some technology solutions.

"We flew 5.5 million passengers last year and this year, we may exceed 7 million passengers. Last year we made P15 billion in revenue and this year we are going for P20 billion. The first three months have been good so we are on track," airline president and CEO Lance Gokongwei told reporters in a briefing.

"But there will be headwinds," he warned. "First, jet fuel prices are already 80-percent higher in the first quarter of this year compared with the first quarter of last year. The second is recession, which some say is already happening in the US."

Cebu Pacific will raise local airline ticket prices by P50 to P100 starting April 18 after getting a provisional approval from the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB). Rival Philippine Airlines (PAL) went ahead on March 28 with a P100 increase for domestic routes after a similar approval due to rising oil prices.

Gokongwei said the airline was already addressing higher jet fuel prices through fuel hedging and imposing higher surcharges in domestic and regional routes.

xzibit31

April 20th, 2008, 06:07 PM

kung may existing pa na B737 ang PAL sa ngayon, dating may hagdan ang mga eroplano na yan. ang location ng hagdan nasa baba lang ng L1 Door (First Door,Left Side). kaso naging sakit sa ulo sa katagalan ang mga hagdan kasi dagdag maintenance pa. may electric motor kasi na nag-ooperate nyan saka may conveyor saka railing. parating yan pa ang sira, minsan yan pa ang nagiging sanhi ng delay. saka dagdag pa sa total weight ng eroplano kasi medyo may kabigatan din ang buong assembly. kaya nag-request ang PAL noon sa Boeing ng modification para tanggalin yang mga hagdan. inaprubahan ng Boeing, mas makakatipid nga naman ang airline pag ang hagdan nasa terminal na lang.

ang fokker50 naman, turboprop yun, may kasamang hagdan din. yun ang hinde pwedeng tanggalin kasi yung L1 door ng Fokker 50 yun na mismo ang hagdan. ang L1 door nya bumubukas vertically, paglapat sa ground yun na ang magiging hagdan ng pasahero.

parang ang bac1-11 may stairs din ata....

WawaY[625]

April 20th, 2008, 07:37 PM

^^ sa likod diba? naaalala ko pa yun, sa likod kami dumaan..before gumamit ng A300 ang PAL sa DVO-MNL bac 1-11 naman gamit nila diba?

mwg12a

April 20th, 2008, 07:55 PM

^^^ B727 has door at the back, i'm sure of it. I have a friend who owns a 727 he flies around with instead of a cessna.

WawaY[625]

April 20th, 2008, 08:35 PM

nagka B727 ba ang PAL? :ohno:

mwg12a

April 20th, 2008, 08:46 PM

I thought pal had 727 before for their domestic routes, it could be 737, but I think 737 does have a door at the back.

bitoy

April 20th, 2008, 09:36 PM

^^ Meron, alam ko, may nasakyan ako nuon na sa likod ang daan.

May 1966
Twin-engine BAC1-11 services to Cebu, Bacolod and Davao commence.

July 1974
PAL advances into the widebody era with the acquisition of its first DC-10.

November 1977
Government reassumes control of PAL with the Government Service Insurance System holding majority shares.

July 1979
Boeing 727 trijet joins the PAL fleet. (http://www.philippineairlines.com/TEMPFILES/61.asp?nivSel=9_2_0)

December 1979
PAL’s first super-widebody Boeing 747-200 arrives.

December 1979
The “Love Bus,” PAL’s first Airbus A300-B4, goes into service on a flight to Singapore.

November 1982
PAL commences flights to Paris from Manila via Zurich.

absinthe_888

April 20th, 2008, 11:19 PM

DOTC to install 4 aircon units at Princesa airport
By Rainier Allan Ronda
Monday, April 21, 2008
http://philstar.com/index.php?Nation&p=49&type=2&sec=28&aid=2008042047

Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza ordered the immediate installation of four five-ton air-conditioning units at the pre-departure area of the Puerto Princesa City airport, whose passenger terminal is currently undergoing rehabilitation and renovation.

The order came after no less than Puerto Princesa City Mayor Edward Hagedorn expressed outrage over the failure of the Department of Transportation and Communications and Air Transportation Office (ATO) to keep a portion of the airport presentable and passenger-friendly while the airport is being improved.

Hagedorn said the renovation has turned the airport into a “stinking, termite-infested hellhole that could collapse anytime.”

“Tourists flocking to the city this summer are being subjected to torture by the DOTC and ATO because the airport terminal is virtually an unbearable, stinking oven,” Hagedorn said in a statement.

For his part, Mendoza said the installation of the air-conditioners is expected to provide “comfort and relief from the present hot temperature at the pre-departure area.”

Mendoza said a DOTC-ATO team has been dispatched to the Palawan capital city to “assess the current situation at the airport.”

Mendoza said the renovation and expansion of the existing passenger terminal was undertaken due to its fast deteriorating condition and to address the increasing passenger traffic.

The first phase of the renovation and expansion of the existing passenger terminal, which would cost about P30 million, is funded by the government’s “pump-priming funds” of 2006, as requested by Palawan Rep. Abraham Mitra.

It would cover the structural framing and roofing of the passenger terminal.

Phase 2, which would cost about P100 million, is funded from the share of royalties from the Malampaya natural gas project.

It would cover the air-conditioning system, plumbing fixtures, electrical works, fire alarm, communications system, and waste and drainage system.

Puerto Princesa is currently hosting the Palarong Pam*bansa 2008, where thousands of student athletes are taking part.

mwg12a

April 20th, 2008, 11:33 PM

^^ Meron, alam ko, may nasakyan ako nuon na sa likod ang daan.

^^^^ Thought so. Thanks Tsinoy.....

WawaY[625]

April 21st, 2008, 04:22 AM

magpaka nostalgic tayo :) here with the old livery :)

http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/9841/philippinebac1111jn7.jpg

JEFFjr_25

April 21st, 2008, 04:25 AM

^^BAC-111 , right?

WawaY[625]

April 21st, 2008, 04:29 AM

yup :)

REDcrazy

April 21st, 2008, 05:18 AM

venntro

April 21st, 2008, 06:35 AM

HAWAII AIRLINES' maiden flight to Manila

Hawaii's largest airline, HAWAII AIRLINES, flies four nonstop flights a week between Honolulu and Manila. Hawaiian Airlines doubles the air capacity between Hawaii and the Philippines. Hawaiian uses twin-aisle Boeing 767-300ER jets that hold 264 passengers.

manchowyin

April 21st, 2008, 06:57 AM

Gov’t allots P550 M for airport project in Bicol
http://www.mb.com.ph/PROV20080421122399.html
Florencio P. Narito

LEGAZPI CITY – The national government has allotted R550 million for the development of the proposed P3.4-billion Bicol International Airport in Barangay Alobo, Daraga, Albay.

Raul Basallote, Bicol area manager of the Department of Transportation and Communication (DoTC), disclosed last week the information to members of the sangguniang panlalawigan of Albay.

In a briefing, Basallote said that P250 million was initially earmarked last year for the project. He said that the DoTC has asked for P600-million budget for this year, but only P300 million had been included in the General Appropriations Act (GAA) for 2008.

The DoTC official said he is optimistic that the project would be pushed through because President Arroyo has included it as one of her priority projects she announced in her state-of-the-nation address (SoNA).

Conceptualized in 1992 by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the proposed international airport was intended to replace the existing Legazpi airport in Legazpi City.

Basallote said the Legazpi airport could not be developed into an international airport that could accommodate big airplanes like Boeing 747 or Airbus because it has a short runway and the obstruction posed by Mayon Volcano and Ligñon Hill.

In 1997, the Philippine government requested the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to undertake a study on the possible site of an international airport in Bicol.

Furthermore, he said that an instrument landing system could not be installed at the Legazpi Airport due to the two obstructions.

"If the Bicol International Airport in Barangay Alobo becomes operational, the area occupied by the Legazpi Airport would be disposed of," Basallote said.

A study concluded showed that Barangay Alobo in Daraga is the most suitable alternative site for the new international airport because of its flat topography, low population density, and the agricultural land is mostly unirrigated.

"We have already made parcellary survey, conducted advanced feasibility study, and the engineering design is going on," he said.

During an open forum, Fred Mansos of Barangay Kinawitan, one of the affected barangays, voiced his opposition to the project because, he said, Albay Gov. Joey Sarte Salceda had asked the President to order a moratorium on land conversion in the wake of the food crisis.

Board Member Neil Montallana, head of the technical support group, had arranged the meeting with the affected residents.

manchowyin

April 21st, 2008, 07:00 AM

Skyway project in Camarines Sur town readied
Mike A. Aguilar
http://www.mb.com.ph/PROV20080421122402.html

NAGA CITY — A skyway project will soon rise in Libmanan town, Camarines Sur in preparation for the implementation of a plan by the national government to build a new International airport in the province.

Observers said that the place is ideal because people coming from Samar and Leyte in the south, and Quezon province in the north would have easy access to the airport.

Negotiation for the skyway project is now on-going, and the work is expected to start this year.

Sources said the skyway, which is almost a kilometer long, will pass through Bungad island alongside the Bicol River and extend to San Miguel Bay and the municipality of Canaman which is a few kilometers from this city.

Many Bicolanos are in favor of having the new airport constructed in Camarines Sur because of the danger posed by volcanic ashfalls in Albay when eruption occurs.

The ash falls of Mayon Volcanao is a threat to aircraft and air travelers during take-off and landing.

The flagship projects of Congressman Dato Macapagal Arroyo (1st district, Camarines Sur) include the rehabilitation with asphalt overlay of Andaya Highway with total length of more or less 97 kilometers starting from the Quezon-Tagkawayan boundary to Tara in Sipocot this province. An amount of R500 million for the repair work has already been set for release, according to the central office of the Department of Public Works and Highways.

All the infrastructure facilities here, when finished, will greatly boost the development of Camarines Sur and the region. It will also help create employment.

Likewise, air travel to other places in Asia will be much easier.

At present, several new first-class hotels, rural and commercial banks are already cropping up in this city.

The development of first-class subdivisions is complemented by the opening of new shopping centers, like the E Mall, Avenue Square, Olivan Home Depot, LCC, and SM.

NightDog

April 21st, 2008, 08:10 AM

parang ang bac1-11 may stairs din ata....

oo meron din built-in step ang BAC sa likod. parang sa fokker50 din ang style ng pagbukas ng pinto sa likod. yung pinto na rin nya ang nagiging hagdan pag lumapat na sa ground.

kaso hindi ko masyadong kabisado ang configuration ng eroplano na to. naka-display na lang kasi tong mga to ng pumasok ang batch namin. saka binubuksan na lang nila to noon pag may nagpi-fieldtrip na mga estudyante sa PAL.

meron din eroplano ang PAL dati na dinonate nila sa ATO, AVRO ata yun. may built-in hagdan din yun. sa may gitnang kanan naman ang location ng hagdan nun. kahit sa ATO na yun, dinadala pa rin nila sa PAL pag may problema kasi nasa PAL ang mga senior technicians na nakakaalam ng sistema at configuration ng eroplano na yun.

mwg12a

April 21st, 2008, 08:15 AM

I wonder why they always publish alot of airports in the Philippines being built as international airport, but once it openned, it usually caters domestic routes only.

FrancisXavier

April 21st, 2008, 08:26 AM

i guess they meant Airport ofinternational standards. Just like BCD and ILO.

ianers_ianized

April 21st, 2008, 09:10 AM

^^ Wow! I thought that was PAL, hmm..maybe it was with 5J but I'm not sure even. Can you check Sabre or Worldspan too? PAL is using PACERS as their resa system i thought they were abacus bec they are one of its founders.

TG, EY and QR are Amadeus users. And so the rest of Europe.

absinthe_888

April 21st, 2008, 07:40 PM

http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/6366/naiahx7.jpg

PAL adds more Mindanao flights
— CQF
http://bworld.com.ph/BW042208/content.php?id=047

DAVAO CITY — Philippine Airlines (PAL) has increased its Mindanao flights following its acquisition of nine small Bombardier aircraft for its Express brand, as it expects more traffic to tourist sites in the region.
pal

Lawyer Domingo T. Duerme, the company’s vice-president for Mindanao sales, said the airline had decided to add another Davao City-Manila flight after it found out that its five-flights-a-day schedule, which covers 1,560 seats, is overbooked.

Mr. Duerme said PAL would use the 150-seater A-320 airplane for the additional night flight. "There are travelers who will go to Manila at night and report to their office in the morning," he said.

In December, the company added a fifth schedule to its Manila-Davao flight. Mr. Duerme said the latest addition is in response to the competition. PAL is trying to regain its number one position in the domestic market.

The company has also scheduled by June 1 eight other flights to and from Mindanao cities. Three flights are between Cebu and Davao. PAL will use six Q-400 and three Q-300 aircraft. The planes were bought from Bombardier Aerospace of Canada.

The thrice-a-day Cebu-Davao flights, which will use the 72-seater Q-400 aircraft, will also replace the twice-a-day Air Philippines schedule, Mr. Duerme added.

Other scheduled flights in Mindanao that will open on June 1 are between Cebu and General Santos, Cebu and Cagayan de Oro, Cebu and Ozamis, Zamboanga and Davao, and Cebu and Butuan. All will use the smaller 50-seater Q-300 aircraft.

Mr. Duerme said the company is looking forward to making more money out of these new flights involving missionary routes. The profitability of missionary routes is in question because of budget air fares.

"This is good for our economy and tourism. This will mean more money for the local economy," he said.

In his visit to the city last week, PAL President Jaime J. Bautista said the company was trying to strengthen its hold on the local market.

arianespace

April 22nd, 2008, 03:19 AM

http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2008/apr/21/yehey/business/20080421bus1.html

Now it can be foretold with certainty whats really happening with Air Philippines. They are on the RED in 2006 and at 3 figures in a million at that. The cat is now out in the open. Well of course I knew that already only that it wasn't official yet. Now at least PAL have publicly acknowledged it courtesy of Darwin Amolejar of Manila Times. Curious? Thank this forum.

The reason really was low yield in its B737 flight compared to newer A319/320 of Cebu Pacific. In fact it has better loads in its Vis-min leg than Manila destination except Naga, Ozamiz, and Tugegarao. Why? Because they are alone on this route. But profits from these routes cant offset the losses from trunkline routes, for example Davao, Cebu, and Cagayan de Oro. And with fares of PAL only higher by as much as P500.00, more opted to ride with their brand new plane, at least they still have some cookies and coffee and videos.

The problem was few people are now willing to risk their life with 30 year old planes. Its the best reason for their shrinking market share despite expansion of domestic traffic. Most of them went instead to Cebu Pacific and the rest to PAL.

So, how are you going to address competition in the LCC when Air Philippines can't even compete honorably?

Solution, create another LCC with the prestige of its parent, PAL Express. Remember this is only for turboprop operation. Trunklines will still be served by Air Phil as the mogul is not bent on conceding defeat yet. Next year 2009, if he does not change his mind, you will see 5 new A320 in its color. Psst... I should not be saying this yet. Its still a corporate secret. My bad! Anyway go figure.:)

xzibit31

April 22nd, 2008, 03:46 AM

a s i a n a

April 24th, 2008, 02:18 PM

http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/6366/naiahx7.jpg

Great image. I've never seen a PR air-to-air footage.

habagatcentral1

April 24th, 2008, 05:14 PM

How I wish AirPhil (2P) would change their aircraft. Looks like naiiwanan na sila ng PR at 5J (or maybe even by AsianSpirit and SEAir)

mambo

April 24th, 2008, 05:18 PM

^^BAC-111 , right?

^^^^napaingay nyan especially during takeoff

Chrisvenz

April 24th, 2008, 05:32 PM

^^
as per pal insider, sure na sure na itong a320's na ito.....pal will buy it for them....but here is the catch.....air philippines will cease to be air philippines...it will be renamed pal express na rin....

Change ng PAL express ang logo nila... Ung mukhang pang LCC tlga... wag nila gamitin ang original logo ng PAL. Tapos, if PAL will buy a320's for Air Phil, wag nang gawin PAL express, bilhin na lang nila ang Air Philippines. Then baguhin ang fleet nito para gamitin nila ang Air Phil pang laban sa regional Low-cost carriers sa south east asia...

ramvingar

April 24th, 2008, 09:33 PM

kiretoce

April 24th, 2008, 10:08 PM

^^ That's depends on whether you love the journey or the destination. If it's the journey, then take JAL. Better comforts and amenities, plus your layover at Narita/Kansai will break up the monotony of flight. If it's the destination, then PAL is the airline of choice, since T2 is a whole lotta better than T1 when it comes to the ease and conveniece of exiting the terminal.

On a personal note, it's sad to know that you're leaving, but I'm wishing you all the luck on your return to the Philippines, Chot. You'll be sorely missed!

driftwood

April 24th, 2008, 11:02 PM

ramvingar

April 24th, 2008, 11:03 PM

Hi Kimber!

Thanks for the reply. Yeah, I guess I should take JAL. What's a few hours of torture at the airport compared to several hours flight time? Hehe!

Hello Andy,

I remember you told me you were going to Manila. Thanks for the input too. When are you going back? Or perhaps I'll see you in Europe soon. ;)

Yep! I'm all set for my return. I've sold or shipped all my stuff already and basically living out of my suitcase. Also sold my car and still trying to dispose of the other one. :( Sorry I haven't been around. I don't have internet at home anymore. Also very very busy. Just got back from Vegas , flying to San Jose next weekend, then to Huntsville, AL the following weekend.

driftwood

April 24th, 2008, 11:05 PM

^^ What am I, tinadtad na atay? Not even a "hello?" Hmph! :no:

Tampong kulangot lang... nakita ko in-edit mo na post mo. :lol:

Baka uwi ulit ako sa December, not sure yet. Pero kung punta ka sa Europe, make sure you drop me a line. ;)

kiretoce

April 24th, 2008, 11:06 PM

^^ That didn't sound right in Tagalog. :lol:

@Chot: When will you be in Huntsville? You're so close, yet so far! :(

arianespace

April 24th, 2008, 11:25 PM

Hello ya'll. :hi:

I am currently deciding on what airline to take to Manila. My estimated arrival date is May 28 (wednesday). My first choice is of course my favorite airline, JAL. However, I am being discouraged from using Terminal 1 at NAIA. I have heard so many horror stories about how crowded it is and about how it takes forever to get out of the airport. JAL flight arrives at 9:55pm by the way. So now I am thinking of taking PAL just so I can land at Terminal 2. I don't relish the thought of a 17 hour flight without having a Personal TV though. Plus, I personally love stopovers so I can explore other airports.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated especially personal experience with regards to arriving at Terminal 1. I have heard that it can take up to two hours just to get through immigration. Is that true?

I figured the best people to ask are here in this forum. :)
Thanks in advance!

I suggest you take HAWAIIAN Airlines dude. Why?
1. its in the middle of the pacific. you will have time to stretch and relax your leg before the next enduring journey. Unless of course you take business class when there is more leg room. Its 767 also has AVOD. You will also have plenty of time for your connecting trip to enjoy alohaland. Japan is also in the middle where Northwest and JAL have stopovers before connecting to the Philippines. But Whats the difference? The arrival time in PI.

2. early evening arrival at MNL is the best time. Its the lean time of the Airport. You dont have to worry about cues at the immigration counter. And of course you can still have plenty of time to sleep that night.

3. cost. I think they still have the promo for the MNL-HNL then LAX leg less than $1000 RT. Its until May. see this link:
http://www.khnl.com/Global/story.asp?S=8165292

4. time to roam HNL airport for the first time. But seriously, late night arrival is a shit from 9PM to 1AM. Its when all the big planes from hongkong, seoul, dubai, amsterdam, tokyo, singapore, qatar, abu dhabi, guam, port moresby, sydney among others arrived one after the other. If you love traffic this is the best time. Also from 10AM to 4PM, its all hell out there. JAL's morning flight will do you no good, arrival wise. If there is an airline arriving in the early morning grab it. its the best arrival time. I think KLM move their arrival time on that period.

5. Forget PAL until 2009, not until their 777 come to service. Unless you prefer sleeping all night long with a petrified leg. And you can't cherish guam in the dead of night.

6. Dont worry about T1. It can take care of its own and your convenience too if you love that time and hate it if you prefer the other. I'm telling you from experience. avoid the crowds and be happy.:)

absinthe_888

April 25th, 2008, 08:36 AM

i read in the special section of the philippine star about the anniversary of taguig that mayor tinga envisions that a world class international airport be build in taguig, specifically in the lakeshore area. a picture of the proposed airport was also shown. here are some excerpts from the article:

" ...the most ambitious project that the tinga administration is looking forward to pursue is the construction of an international airport in the lakeshore area. members of the airline and freight industries are now eyeing taguig as a potential landing field, owing to the need for bigger and more sophisticated airport facilities that will be situated in a strategic location..."

Airphils777

April 25th, 2008, 08:41 AM

Are you sure about this? Its not codeshare?

All of those flights are code-share. It means 50/50 on sales and revenue even all the remaining stations to be flowned by Q300/Q400.

Airphils777

April 25th, 2008, 08:49 AM

As I was saying Air Phils is suffering from a credibility problem although it is owned by one man. But in a corporate world it does not operate that way. OFW and foreigners don't rely on their website for booking as I was told. Much more on their flight schedules.Thats why they used PAL which more or less has secured international booking. Meaning its flight offering is more credible than that of its sister airline. You don't bargain your credit card with risk of unknown flight upon arriving in the Philippines. At least thats the international perception. Although they are quite okay and sound domestically.
But that is the real score as far as aircraft ownership are concerned.
As far as I can recall PAL don't intend to operate turboprop operations anymore. They are destined for the big league now and diversify its business operations through subsidiaries.Thats the trend worldwide.
Take for example Malaysia Airlines. They transfered turboprops operation to firefly, and Singapore Airlines transferred narrow-body fleet to Silkair which is flying to Cebu and Davao. Ground staff dont know anything about operational stuff. Try to talk to the manager. He may have a better insights, and in most cases its different from the ground crews.
That is of course if PAL doesn't have a change of mind, which I believed they are not. But I could be wrong you know!

You're right about PAL don't intended to operate turbo prop. However because PAL doesn't capturing the market share in domestic now they will and they grabbing from their little sister like us those flights that should be profitable. PAL dictated wrong operational and marketing strategies that suffer Airphils image. They let us use their legacy booking and ticketing systems. However, we have plans now to move on with a new system (SABRE) to compete booking and selling on-line.

arianespace

April 25th, 2008, 01:18 PM

You're right about PAL don't intended to operate turbo prop. However because PAL doesn't capturing the market share in domestic now they will and they grabbing from their little sister like us those flights that should be profitable. PAL dictated wrong operational and marketing strategies that suffer Airphils image. They let us use their legacy booking and ticketing systems. However, we have plans now to move on with a new system (SABRE) to compete booking and selling on-line.

Dont worry dude! You will be in better shape in the years to come. The mogul just lift his golden finger. Take this, the express service will only be turboprop and your company will have the jets-a brand new one.:cheers:

swahi

April 25th, 2008, 06:04 PM

http://www.malaya.com.ph/apr18/busi2.htm

Air Philippines cancels expansion plan

by Genivi Factao

Air Philippines will no longer pursue its expansion plans, as Philippine Airlines (PAL) will be taking new Bombardier turbo-prop aircraft within the year.

Jaime Bautista, president of PAL, said Air Philippines will not anymore acquire new aircraft which it had earlier planned to buy.

"It (Air Philippines’ acquisition) was stopped because we (PAL) will acquire all the Bombardiers," said Bautista.

PAL Express, a unit of PAL, will be servicing smaller airports in the domestic island points and is taking over some of the routes of Air Philippines.

PAL is expanding its fleet this year with new turbo props. Two Bombardier Q300s have already arrived and another one is coming in May. Six Q400s will start arriving by second week of May.

The Bombardier aircraft will be bought using internally generated funds or financing through banks and Export Development Corp., Bautista said.

PAL Express is scheduled to take off on May 5, 2008 with eight flights daily between Manila and Boracay. Services ramp up dramatically on May 19, when PAL Express’ Cebu hub operations commence with flights between Cebu and five points in Visayas and Mindanao.

Air Philippines used to fly the Cebu flights: Cebu -Davao, Cebu-Iloilo, Cebu- Bacolod, Cebu-General Santos. Now, it will just service the Manila Iloilo, Manila- Zamboanga, Manila-Dumaguete, Manila-Davao, Manila-Laoag and Manila- Tuguegarao routes.

Air Philippines started flying to Caticlan from Manila last December four times a day using Q300, but now PAL Express will take over this route.

Air Philippines earlier planned to acquire within the year six Q400, a 76-seat aircraft, to service the Romblon, Virac, Catanduanes routes. The aircraft has a list price of $20 million.

Bautista said PAL considers Air Philippines its sister company and even if they have a separate management and operations, the airlines benefit from the "synergy."

Air Philippines carries one million passengers in the Cebu routes, which PAL Express is targeting to have.

Bautista denied that PAL Express will be taking profitable routes, but said PAL will be taking previously served routes and that Air Philippines will be servicing new routes.

Air Philippines currently operates eight Boeing 737-200 jets serving a network of 12 points in the Philippines. It also operates regular chartered flights to points in Korea.

ramvingar

April 25th, 2008, 07:33 PM

I suggest you take HAWAIIAN Airlines dude. Why?
1. its in the middle of the pacific. you will have time to stretch and relax your leg before the next enduring journey. Unless of course you take business class when there is more leg room. Its 767 also has AVOD. You will also have plenty of time for your connecting trip to enjoy alohaland. Japan is also in the middle where Northwest and JAL have stopovers before connecting to the Philippines. But Whats the difference? The arrival time in PI.

2. early evening arrival at MNL is the best time. Its the lean time of the Airport. You dont have to worry about cues at the immigration counter. And of course you can still have plenty of time to sleep that night.

3. cost. I think they still have the promo for the MNL-HNL then LAX leg less than $1000 RT. Its until May. see this link:
http://www.khnl.com/Global/story.asp?S=8165292

4. time to roam HNL airport for the first time. But seriously, late night arrival is a shit from 9PM to 1AM. Its when all the big planes from hongkong, seoul, dubai, amsterdam, tokyo, singapore, qatar, abu dhabi, guam, port moresby, sydney among others arrived one after the other. If you love traffic this is the best time. Also from 10AM to 4PM, its all hell out there. JAL's morning flight will do you no good, arrival wise. If there is an airline arriving in the early morning grab it. its the best arrival time. I think KLM move their arrival time on that period.

5. Forget PAL until 2009, not until their 777 come to service. Unless you prefer sleeping all night long with a petrified leg. And you can't cherish guam in the dead of night.

6. Dont worry about T1. It can take care of its own and your convenience too if you love that time and hate it if you prefer the other. I'm telling you from experience. avoid the crowds and be happy.:)

Oh! I didn't know that Hawaiian Airlines flew to Manila. It would have been great to take a trip to Honolulu on the way back. I checked the price though and JAL was waaaay cheaper. But thanks for the info. I'll take that in consideration for my next trip. So I guess I shall be arriving at the worst possible time at NAIA T1, huh? Oh well, just gotta learn to deal with it, I guess.

CGYanon

April 25th, 2008, 08:50 PM

tigidig14

April 26th, 2008, 03:29 AM

swahi

April 27th, 2008, 06:31 AM

airphils777, if you are from airphils, what are airphils' plans now with PAL setting up PAL express, and taking over some of Airphils' routes?

naOki

April 27th, 2008, 06:22 PM

^^ hmm,. my guess is phasing it out eventually?!,. :dunno:

absinthe_888

April 29th, 2008, 08:03 PM

PAL to seek additional flights to Canada
By Mary Ann Ll. Reyes
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
http://philstar.com/index.php?Business&p=49&type=2&sec=27&aid=2008042919

The Philippines will be asking for additional flight entitlements to Canada, as the two countries start negotiations for an amended air services agreement (ASA) next month.

Philippine Airlines (PAL), the only local carrier flying to Canada, hopes to increase its number of flights to Canada from four per week to 14.

“The RP- Canada air talks will be held sometime in May. We hope there will be more entitlements so that we can increase our flights to Canada,” PAL president Jaime Bautista said.

Under the existing ASA, PAL and the designated airline of Canada are entitled to field up to four flights per week in each direction. While Canada’s flag carrier, Air Canada, has yet to launch its maiden flight into the Philippines, PAL, on the other hand, has used up all of the flight entitlements awarded to the Philippine government by Canada under their first air agreement signed in Jan.1997.

Due to heavy traffic, PAL said the current entitlements are not enough to service the demand. Under the ASA between Philippines and Canada, an entitlement is equivalent to one flight.

Bautista said PAL has long been asking for an increase in flight entitlements but the Canadian government had only provided PAL with a temporary permit equivalent to one entitlement. When the temporary entitlement was awarded, PAL’s Manila-Vancouver flight schedule was increased to five times weekly. This temporary permit is scheduled for review in May.

“Originally, there are four entitlements only. We borrowed one from Air Canada so that makes five now. But we want to fly to Canada at least twice a day,” said Bautista.

He said the current four weekly entitlements should be increased to at least 14 in order for PAL to service this route twice daily. “We are asking for 14 weekly entitlements. I hope the RP panel can negotiate this with its counterpart in Canada,” added Bautista.

The additional entitlements can help the flag carrier mount more flights and eventually operate in the East Coast and even possibly revive its San Diego route. “This will allow us flexibility so that we may service other destinations,” said the PAL official.

Air Canada, meanwhile, does not have any immediate plans to use the flight entitlements allocated by the Canadian Transport Authority to mount direct flights to Manila due to the limited number of aircraft.

John Reber, corporate communications manager for Air Canada, said in June last year that the entire fleet of Air Canada services “profitable” markets and Philippines is not one of them.

“There is no plan at this time to operate direct to the Philippines due to limited number of aircraft. We are constantly faced with a dilemma where it does not make an economic sense to take away some of the aircraft from our current markets and re-deploy them to the Philippines ,” said Reber.

PAL deploys its Airbus A-340 unit to mount flights to Vancouver. The airplane can transport about 264 passengers and almost all flights are full. The bulk of PAL’s flights from the Philippines to Canada is booked by overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

There are 80,000 Filipinos living in Vancouver. Bautista had said that load factor has been hitting between over 90 percent in these flights.

From Vancouver, the PAL flight goes to Las Vegas in Nevada, USA to pick up passengers going to Manila.

The possibility of a Manila-Vancouver-Manila flight is being looked at. “In case our entitlements to fly to Canada are increased, we cannot fly to the US on these additional flights because the US has placed us on Category 2,” Bautista explained.

Earlier this year, the US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) downgraded the Philippines to a Category 2 rating. The last time the Philippines was placed in Category 2 was in 1995 and took the government three years’ to return to its previous Category I status.

The Philippines is the 20th country in the world to be placed under Category 2.

PAL will bear the brunt of the ill-effects of the Category 2 downgrading being the only Philippine carrier with scheduled flights to the US.

While under Category 2, PAL will be forced to main a status quo of its current US operations and cannot increase the number of flights to the US and its territories, change the type or increase the number of aircraft utilized on US routes, and add new routes or destinations to the US.

kiretoce

April 29th, 2008, 09:10 PM

^^ Looks like YVR is positioning itself to be PR's North American hub with onward flight connections to LAS (already established), SAN (hopefully soon), and potentially to the major cities on the US East Coast from MNL.

kiretoce

April 29th, 2008, 11:32 PM

Jolo airport up for rehabilitation (http://www2.sunstar.com.ph/static/zam/2008/04/29/news/jolo.airport.up.for.rehabilitation.html)

The National Government is rehabilitating the airport in Jolo, the capital of Sulu province, after President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has managed to source out funds for its rehabilitation.

Engineers and other technical personnel with expertise in airport development are to begin a survey for the expansion of the airport. Once finished, huge planes such as 737s and cargo aircrafts will be able to fly and land safely.

Sulu Governor Sakur Tan said the project, which will begin in a few months, cost about $3 million and will be funded by the United States of America (USA).

During her visit to Sulu last October, US Ambassador Kristie Kenney said her government is allocating $3.7 million for the expansion of the airport expansion project and the construction of a potable water system in the province.

Tan said the project was made possible through the efforts of President Arroyo in seeking for funding for the rehabilitation of the airport.

"With a bigger airport, more aircrafts can fly and land safely in Sulu and the project will surely hasten trade and commerce," he added.

At present, only small planes such as with 19-seat capacity are serving the Jolo-Zamboanga route.

So far, the biggest plane that could land at Jolo airport is the military's C-130 cargo plane.

Tan said Jolo airport runaway will be expanded to more than 2,000 meters so it could accommodate bigger passenger planes not only from Manila or Zamboanga, but from neighboring countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei that makes up the East Asia Growth Area, a sub-regional economic cooperation initiative in Southeast Asia that included the Philippines.

Tan said the rehabilitation of the airport is expected to be completed next year.

Aside from the airport rehabilitation, Tan said President Arroyo has promised that more development projects will be poured in his province.

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

Rehab of Sulu airport to start soon (http://www.gmanews.tv/story/91931/Rehab-of-Sulu-airport-to-start-soon)

Filipino engineers are to begin a survey in Sulu province for the expansion of the airport and once finished huge planes such as 737s and cargo aircrafts will be able to fly and land safely.

Sulu Gov. Sakur Tan said the project, which will begin in a few months, would cost about $ 3 million. It would be funded by the United States.

He said the project was made possible because of President Gloria Arroyo who sought the funding for the rehabilitation of the airport.

"We thank President Gloria Arroyo and of course the United States' President George Bush and all the stakeholders in the project that will surely benefit our people," Tan told GMANews.TV.

“With a bigger airport, more aircrafts now can fly and land safely in Sulu and the project will surely hasten trade and commerce," he said.

The 1,800-meter runaway will be expanded to more than 2,000 meters so it could accommodate bigger passenger planes not only from Manila or Zamboanga, but also from neighboring countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei.

The rehabilitation of the airport is expected to be completed next year.

He said Mrs Arroyo has pledged more development projects for Sulu and so is Gov. Zaldy Ampatuan of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao to which Sulu belongs.

"The President has promised us more projects for the people and so is Gov. Ampatuan, who has been very supportive and working hard for the development of Sulu and of the whole autonomous region," Tan said.

In October last year, US Ambassador Kristie Kenney handed over to Tan the P27-million Jolo market road and several projects in the province, including computers for the Sulu National High School and aquaculture materials for former Muslim rebels now engaged in lobster fattening.

They were on top of the $3.7-million airport expansion project and the construction of a potable water system in Sulu.

Last year, Tan launched the "Fruits of Hope program" in partnership with the international non-governmental organization called the Asia America Initiative and the Philippine National Red Cross and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

The Fruits of Hope program was a model for reconciliation and terror prevention through creating livelihood opportunities in agricultural and fisheries-based communities. Because of the program, Sulu was able to shipped about six tons of assorted fruits bought from farmers and agricultural cooperatives and sold to supermarkets in Manila.

Just early this year, Tan led thousands of Muslims for a two-day peace caravan in Sulu.

He said the caravan was a collaborative effort of national government agencies and various non-government organizations to address the immediate health, education and livelihood needs of communities affected by conflict.

Dubbed as Health, Education, and Livelihood for Progress (H.E.L.P) Humanitarian Caravan, Tan said it was a mechanism designed to address the needs of communities in crisis due to the prevailing conflict in the area.

A second peace caravan, Tan said, would be held next month in Sulu. Tan said the H.E.L.P initiative is also aimed at consulting with the local communities on their medium and long term concerns particularly on livelihood and employment aspect.

Chrisvenz

April 30th, 2008, 12:38 PM

a s i a n a

April 30th, 2008, 02:40 PM

http://www.skyliner-aviation.de/photos/rp-c3018.jpg
PAL's new Q300

habagatcentral1

April 30th, 2008, 03:50 PM

^^ At some point, it really really reminds me of those Shorts 360 and Fokker 50's of PAL before.

habagatcentral1

April 30th, 2008, 03:53 PM

OMG!!! If Jolo Airport will be finish. Jolo, Sulu will develop faster than other cities or provinces in the philippines. Jolo has the potential to be the country's tourist center and beat boracay in terms of beaches, and other nature's gift...

Sulu indeed has splendid beaches (and I was so amazed about it) but the biggest hindrance for the development in Sulu is peace and order. If only there is peace, development would fully seep in the province.

naOki

April 30th, 2008, 03:53 PM

thanks for the pic @a s i a n a,. :okay:

PAL express looks like the baby of PAL,. :lol:

@Chrisvenz: where are you in doha?!,. pinoy ka rin ba :?

red_jasper

May 1st, 2008, 04:20 AM

RP signs air accord with Macau for more flights (http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=116736)

By ESTRELLA TORRES
Business Mirror Reporter

The Philippines has signed an air agreement with Macau providing for more flights to China’s leisure and casino capital, said an official of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

DFA Undersecretary for Finance and Administration Franklin Ebdalin said the air agreement signed on April 24 in Macau provides for rights for more seat capacity for carriers of the Philippines. Ebdalin is vice chairman of the Philippine negotiating team for air talks with various countries.

Under the agreement, there will be an entitled 3,600-seat capacity for Manila to Macau flights per week and vice versa. Another 6,000 seats weekly will be allowed for combined weekly flights for Philippine carriers flying from Clark and Subic.

Ebdalin also said that outside Manila, there will be 3,500 seats allowed for carriers coming from Cebu, Davao and Tuguegarao.

“We obtained a better deal with Macau because it [referring to the agreement] takes care of all the requirements for all our carriers in terms of seats capacity,” said Ebdalin in a telephone interview on Wednesday.

He said, “This is short of open skies with Macau.”

The DFA official, meanwhile, will leave for Vancouver, Canada, to renegotiate the air agreement signed with the Canadian government owing to the demands for more flights going to North American territory.

The negotiations for expanded air agreement with Canada that will take place over the weekend seeks to allow more flights of up to 14 per week to Canada.

“There is a demand for more seats due to the increase in the number of Filipinos going to Canada, as well as tourists coming from Vancouver, and vice versa,” said Ebdalin.

The air agreement signed with Canada last year only allowed for four flights a week from Manila to Vancouver and vice versa. “We need at least 14 flights a week,” said Ebdalin.

The Philippines is set to negotiate for air agreements this year with countries like Hong Kong, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Russia, Finland, Ukraine and Turkey.

IsaganiZenze

May 1st, 2008, 04:50 AM

i love the sound of russia, finland and ukraine....

mwg12a

May 1st, 2008, 05:16 AM

Sulu indeed has splendid beaches (and I was so amazed about it) but the biggest hindrance for the development in Sulu is peace and order. If only there is peace, development would fully seep in the province.

I myself would be leary to visit Jolo or Sulu area for safety reasons. What more with foreign tourists after the past incidents on tourists. So to me Sulu is a forbidden paradise that needs to be left alone but that's just my opinion.

diz

May 1st, 2008, 05:31 AM

i love the sound of russia, finland and ukraine....

gobble gobble~!

how bout them?

kiretoce

May 1st, 2008, 06:15 AM

i love the sound of russia, finland and ukraine....

I'd like to see Aeroflot, Finnair, and Ukraine International Airlines launch flights to any of the major Philippine airports from their respective homebases.

Sou-jiro

May 1st, 2008, 07:44 AM

yeh i'd love to see Finairs Md11s in manila..

Sou-jiro

May 1st, 2008, 08:24 AM

yeh i'd love to see Finairs Md11s in manila..

anyway ilil bit off topic:

now call myself an officially aviation photographer :D lol

its so fun and interesting hobby everything in there i meet & talk to alot of people who actually work in the aviation industry.

last week i was talking with this really friendly aircraft engineer who was an aircraft engineer for UAs 744..he says he says UA is planning to acquire Aloha's 737-700 & 800s ...dunno about the 200s series

then a couple of week back a Qantas 767-3 pilot was there as well...he told he's flow in Manila several time and the thjere are 2 particular 767-3 that are used in manila....plus i love it how passenger & tourist alike tend to ask locals (lol including me now about the local traffic of the airport) a lot of them mainly from Europe were there waitng for SQs A380...im going there again this weekend

jcb

May 1st, 2008, 12:29 PM

Wow Russia, Ukraine and Finland! sana maging positive ang negotiation nila sa mga bansang ito!

kiretoce

May 1st, 2008, 03:33 PM

Agreements don't necessary translate to these nations mounting flights to the Philippines at once, it just means that if they want to, their respective national carriers have been given permission to fly between the two countries. Like anything else in the commercial aviation industry, if there's demand and passenger loads are healthy, they will fly and service that route.

kiretoce

May 1st, 2008, 06:29 PM

Philippine Airlines will resume flying to San Fernando, La Union from Manila in August, thus giving Baguio-bound passengers an alternative airport in the likely event the Pine City’s Loakan airport gets blanketed in fog.

The new flight will also enable deep-pocketed Metro Manilans of a certain persuasion to make a discrete weekend trip to enjoy the offerings of the adjacent Poro Point’s Thunderbird casino-resort.

Source (http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=business5_april30_2008)

kiretoce

May 1st, 2008, 06:38 PM

Hawaiian Airlines Talks Philippines Flight (http://kgmb9.com/main/content/view/6055/40/)

At first glance Hawaiian Airlines direct route to and from Manila may seem like risky business. But the carrier prefers to call it a "calculated risk."

"We have every expectation that Manila is going to be a very successful route for us," said Hawaiian Airlines CEO Mark Dunkerley.

Dunkerley bases his upbeat outlook on three years of planning and projections. The airline opted to start direct service to the Philippines over a plan to fly to Japan. Still, airline analyst Peter Forman sees some hurdles.

"The problem right now is that fuel prices have gone up so that's going to put some stress on this particular route," he said.

The flight takes nearly eleven hours and crosses the international date line. One quarter of Hawaii's population is either full or part Filipino. Hawaiian wants to be their bridge.

"We cannot skip Manila because this is our port of entry in the Philippines," said Oahu resident Rey Piros.

Hawaiian is counting on finding frequent fliers in the Philippines. To connect with the country, the carrier recently took Filipino orphans on a special flight from Manila to Cebu and back.

"These kids get to see the Philippines, Manila in general, from the sky," said Hawaiian Airlines Debbie Nakanelua-Richards.

On the ground, Manila splashes the senses with color and culture. There is a lot to see.

"A lot of people come here to see this. It is a tourist spot in the Philippines," said tour guide Rodente Leceste.

The Philippines is Hawaiian Airlines first step into the Asia market.

"You never know which market is up and which one's down so diversification is an important strategy," Dunkerley said.

Which way Hawaiian's newest market venture goes is still up in the air.

kiretoce

May 1st, 2008, 06:44 PM

RP-Macau air deal raises seats from 850 to 13,100 weekly (http://globalnation.inquirer.net/news/breakingnews/view/20080501-133900/RP-Macau-air-deal-raises-seats-from-850-to-13100-weekly)

As more Filipinos work in Macau, the Philippines and the former Portugal territory signed an air agreement increasing the number of flight seats 15-fold from 850 a week to 13,100.

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Administration Franklin Ebdalin, vice chairman of the Philippine negotiating team for air talks with foreign governments, called the agreement finalized last April 24 as "short of open skies with Macau."

Under the Philippines-Macau agreement, a total of 3,600 seats will be allocated for Manila-Macau flights per week and vice versa; 6,000 seats weekly for Philippine carriers flying from Clark and Subic; and another 3,500 seats weekly for carriers outside Manila, Clark, and Subic (like Cebu, Davao, and Tuguegarao).

"We obtained a better deal with Macau because [the agreement] takes care of all the requirements for all our carriers in terms of seats capacity," he said.

bustero

May 2nd, 2008, 10:34 AM

well i hope somehow PR gets all the allocation and still crowds out the new players.

ianers_ianized

May 2nd, 2008, 11:01 AM

You're right about PAL don't intended to operate turbo prop. However because PAL doesn't capturing the market share in domestic now they will and they grabbing from their little sister like us those flights that should be profitable. PAL dictated wrong operational and marketing strategies that suffer Airphils image. They let us use their legacy booking and ticketing systems. However, we have plans now to move on with a new system (SABRE) to compete booking and selling on-line.

Are you saying that 2P will adopt the Sabre system? What's ur system before. Cebpac change their system too recently from Gabriel to Navitaire (correct me if I'm wrong) just to meet the IATA standards of all PH airlines must be e-ticket before the end of May 2008.

flying_olympic

May 2nd, 2008, 09:08 PM

Hey guys! i hear that N754PR is back in service! http://www.airliners.net/aviation-forums/general_aviation/read.main/3876237 yay! i want to see pics!

swahi

May 3rd, 2008, 12:47 AM

barrera_marquez

May 3rd, 2008, 12:57 AM

Teka tanong ko lang, kumagat na ba yung PAL/Cebu Pacific sa Airbus A380?

mwg12a

May 3rd, 2008, 01:13 AM

I went to Germany via Amsterdam on KLM because Lufthansa's pull out. My trip was on April 20-25. Mnl-Amsterdam was full, and the return flight Amsterdam-Mnl I believe there were maybe only less than 10 seats unoccupied. Talk about good business. Makes me wonder if Lufthansa's reason that the Manila route is not profitable holds water! Take note my flight was direct, no stopovers. Even the KLM skyhopper plane that serves their short routes was full.

I also took PAL's flight to LA this week. Again, maybe less than 10 seats unoccupied! The PAL personnel at the counter even told me that both Business and Economy is full! Business is good! My flight was the A340, with a 2nd flight using B744 taking off around 1 hour after ours, also full!

You've got to realize that these are prebooked flights, some even booked their tickets months ahead. It's not like one purchased a ticket on the same day, so, you can't use that as a determining factor for profitability. You have to look at their records and actually find out.

Now, PAL servincing US routes are definitely profitable because of the number of filipinos and filipino Americans living in North America which means it includes Canada. The bottom line is that you can't gauge the success of airline's profitability with what you observed in flights you are in.

swahi

May 3rd, 2008, 01:42 AM

empty seats equals no revenue. Yes, you cant gauge profitability on the seats utilization, has to be based on price. I am sure that they have done their homework. When you book it early, rates are cheaper, but not automatic, because they have limited allocation for cheap seats. Therefore, I go back to my inquiry, they must be doing good considering the high occupancy rates they have.

Even on PAL and Ceb Pac routes that I took (recently, Cebu-Manila several times, Manila-Legaspi), flights have been quite full, even on the red eye (1st flight) mid day, or even last flight. By keeping occupancy high, they can keep revenues inflow consistent.

swahi

May 3rd, 2008, 01:44 AM

Oh, by the way, I have taken over 30 one way flights for 2008, both domestic PAL, and international, and most, of these flights' occupancies were very high.

swahi

May 3rd, 2008, 01:46 AM

sorry, cant seem to edit my post. Domestic flights on PAL, Ceb Pac, Air Phils.

arianespace

May 3rd, 2008, 05:54 AM

Makes me wonder if Lufthansa's reason that the Manila route is not profitable holds water! Take note my flight was direct, no stopovers. Even the KLM skyhopper plane that serves their short routes was full.

Its true. Lufthansa's flight from Manilla is a dismal failure. I have had a couple of their flights. its flying almost empty on manila run and full from china. Call it an unfortunate management mistake. WHY and whats the difference with KLM?
1. KLM flies direct. that's why they survived. Other european carriers failed because they either stop somewhere in hongkong, bangkok, or china before proceeding to europe. Incidentally, traffic to china is bigger than RP. So if am their manager I prefer to go to China. Also Lufthansa, big as they are, currently are suffering from equipment deficiency. So they are maximising resources. Air France withdrew from RP because of the merger, not due to diminishing traffic, although it was part of the reason. Its frequency was added to the KLM run. No wonder it runs daily now.

2. Arab Airlines. they have been poaching european passengers since they introduced service in the philippines at a discounted rate by bringing them to their hub. It isnt bad if you dont undercut others, and besides OFW's are happy with it. the thing is, some of these airlines are subsidized by thier government that they can serve the route longer with half empty seats. Well, independent european carriers can't. Do the asian financial crisis in 1997 ring the bell to you? and what about post 911?

Basically, this was the period for contraction and many airlines fold including PAL. Almost all were in the RED including Singapore Airlines. Eventually, British Airways left. Even their lucrative hongkong run were in red but not bad as RP traffic.

3. OFW. Majority of Philippine bound passengers are OFW's who often look for bargain fares, and not EU tourist who enjoy our pristine beaches and bring with them their precious EURO. Its sad but the reality is most of this workers opt to ride the lowest fare even if its inconvenient for them to transfer from hub to hub. And sometimes i do have to take their flight for absence of other direct flight. One good thing is that they have modern entertainment system and good food to minimize your boredom.

by 2004, passengers are coming back, this time with foreign and filipino tourist only to be served by arab airplanes which offer cheap flights. So where will this euro carrier go from there? none.
Eventually,they might even suspend flight to the middle east. Some are doing it now already by code-sharing flight, like the KLMCityhopper you flew to deuchland. Probably flying the good old fooker 70 or 100. Thats the trend in aviation, minimize losses and maximize profit.

So forget the idea for them to go back to RP while we still have minimal number of EU tourist. WE ARE NOT THAILAND. Some Europeans don't even know where our country is notwithstanding the fact that they went to thailand already. how annoying!:ohno:

But nevertheless, have faith because one of this ME carriers will be bringing their A380 in 2009.:) This will be the only 380 to serve NAIA until 2015.

And yes, PAL is going back to Europe to be served by new planes. Nope, not the ones you already knew. This time without stop-overs alternating between london and paris. they sure keep their secrets up in sleeves. :cheers:

a s i a n a

May 3rd, 2008, 11:19 AM

^I think Lufthansa should have matched MNL to a destination with less traffic than China to survive (like three times a week FRA-HAN-MNL).:D

And you mentioned it right. Thailand's really popular. I think the Philippines have everything in Thailand except the temples, Buddha and tuk-tuk. Some explained that there are really Europeans who would have wanted to come to the Philippines but what hinders them is the fact that our country is an archipelago and not connected with the Southeast Asian Peninsula (talking about backpackers). Others prefer going to the Philippines as part of their itinerary in Southeast Asia (flying to Manila from Bangkok or Singa).

lantis8877

May 3rd, 2008, 02:47 PM

Hello to ALL,

I am new here i would like to ask if theres an Aircraft Mechanic or an employee of an airline who can tell me if i can work abroad.

I am an Aircraft Mechanic with ATO License (Philippines) almost 1 year OJT, but dont have yet a formal employment from local(philippines) airline.

and reply will be appreciated

Thanks a lot.

arianespace

May 3rd, 2008, 03:06 PM

I would like to cut you short on that mate.

Maybe it could be one but really what makes thailand a preferable destination in asia is its historical link with europe coupled with its shining buddha. its like our identity with the US. Forget the crap our politicians always told us. We are simply on the opposite side of the anglo-sphere world. Have you noticed bulk of our caucasian guests are american gigolos. Contrast that with European pedophiles of thailand, the difference is they went there in droves while we drive americans away. Good thing they are coming back now.

We were ones a USA remember?, but because our former president who is now laid to rest on the city which bears his name wanted this country to be run by filipinos like hell than heaven with uncle sam. That would have been a good idea but for the wrong time. Europeans are pissed with anything associated with uncle sam. Dont get me wrong with this but its true. why? they have the same feelings like ours on the bases issue if not for the gratitude.

Anyway, going back, Thailand has historical link with Britain, so is Malaysia, and Singapore. If you love history you will remember the attempt of the empire to submit the islands to england, but we defended king philip, and why not when we are name after him. Also the great divide in 1901. The americans could have annexed sabah easily if not for their treaty. Remember the american civil war? and why there is now a Canada and a USA? Its all part of the puzzle.

This is where the shift is, in 1960's our country is only next to japan in terms of economic progress. as american control wane, our economy and government go sideways. after that we went to spiral downwards. In 1970's, thailand develop their tourism trade while we are busy fighting dictatorship. They reap the fruits in the 80's while we are still trying to establish tourism trade and fighting coups. Government advisory as to risk of country really matters a lot, tourism wise. In fact, it was only in the late 90's when the tourism industry finally lift off but shut down by financial crisis.
I have a friend who owns a travel agency in Amsterdam and Berlin. I told them why not offer our country instead of the usual Singapore and Thailand holidays. You will be surprised with his answer.

Firstly, most tourist are not aware that philippines exist and that it is equally great if not better than thailand, and they would'nt dare visit an unknown country. come to think of it! Do you want to visit Monaco when you dont know where that country is?

Secondly, tour operators and hotel facilities, although i doubt this observation because we have plenty of hotels there don't we? or maybe not.

Third, safety. remember the sipadan siege? and the abu sayaff scare?

Its no surprise why DOT made tremendous effort to sell our country in Europe, and we have them in trickles now. Of course, still via thailand, as an extension of their asian tour. I hope the difference will stop there. Don't you know that bangkok is the sex capital of asia like amsterdam in europe? Its just one of those things which make them popular but they dont have what we got. Vintage planes.

I have a german friend who worked for airbus in toulouse and went to the Philippines just to ride our old planes with just barely $2,000 on his pocket and he went to Basco to Sandakan and returned a happy man. How pathetic can that be or was it a great adventure? You see our airplanes can also be a great tourist attraction. I told him to go with his partner to see our beaches and went instead to see and ride our planes. Its great to have those kind of attitude.

arianespace

May 3rd, 2008, 03:14 PM

I am new here i would like to ask if theres an Aircraft Mechanic or an employee of an airline who can tell me if i can work abroad.

I am an Aircraft Mechanic with ATO License (Philippines) almost 1 year OJT, but dont have yet a formal employment from local(philippines) airline.

Thanks a lot.

First thing you should do is to be employed first and gain actual work experience for about 2 years. when you have that its easy to go out. Why? employers would be looking at your resume whether you are competent to fix their planes or just make them flying coffins. the more you have the better your prospect would be, and if you have those already in your pocket, the best place to be is dubai. Well you still have plenty of time. So work your way out.:)

Arkdriver

May 3rd, 2008, 03:39 PM

there are plenty of pinoy technicians in SIA Engineering, but most of them has at least 2 years experience.

It would be better if you can come with type rating

NightDog

May 3rd, 2008, 03:44 PM

Hello to ALL,

I am new here i would like to ask if there's an Aircraft Mechanic or an employee of an airline who can tell me if i can work abroad.

I am an Aircraft Mechanic with ATO License (Philippines) almost 1 year OJT, but dont have yet a formal employment from local(Philippines) airline.

and reply will be appreciated

Thanks a lot.

where did you do your OJT? if not in Lufthansa Technik better to do it again in Luftech because after OJT, they will put your name in the line-up for employment. All you have to do is to ask for endorsement from your school, bring with you also your resume & picture. Go & give the requirements to HRD office of Lufthansa Technik Technical Center, Villamor Airbase, Pasay City. It's a good experience. Usually, other airlines in abroad & aircraft maintenance companies require at least 2 years experience in your field of expertise.

kiretoce

May 4th, 2008, 01:51 AM

Air Philippines to debut Ozamiz flights (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/cag/2008/05/04/bus/air.philippines.to.debut.ozamiz.flights.html)

Almost a year after opening flights to and from Manila here, Air Philippines Corp. is mulling a Cebu route, signaling the local airport's growing significance in catering to domestic travel needs.

According to Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog Sr., Air Philippines executives have targeted the Cebu flights to commence this June.

As planned, an Air Philippines aircraft will leave Cebu for a 45-minute 5:30 a.m. flight here with its return flight at 6:30 a.m., said Parojinog.

He added that the flights are expected to be carried out daily.

Air Transportation Office (ATO) local chief Napoleon Bael confirmed to a local radio that Air Philippines' Cebu flights "are in the offing."

At present, Cebu-bound passengers and cargoes from here are served by daily overnight boat trips.

The last Cebu-bound flight from here was that of a Philippine Airlines (PAL) BAC-111 in 1994 during which it decided to close its `missionary routes' owing to heavy financial losses suffered by the company that time. That was also the last commercial flight serviced by the local airport.

PAL had wanted to field larger bodied aircrafts here but the airport's runway then could not accommodate these, hence their abbreviated operation here.

Meanwhile, Misamis Occidental Representative Herminia Ramiro also disclosed plans by the Gokongwei-owned Cebu Pacific to open flights here, although she did not give specifics as to routes.

Amid this upbeat mood, Parojinog expressed optimism the growing importance of the Ozamiz airport would spur greater local economic activities, not only for the city but other parts of the province.

Already, tourist arrivals into the province have risen, especially during the weekends, many of them flying in to frolic at the province's premier destination - the Misamis Occidental Aquamarine Park (Moap).

The city returned to the country's flight map on July 18 last year with the opening of the Manila-Ozamiz-Manila flight by Air Philippines using a Boeing 737 aircraft, which can now be accommodated by the airport's lengthened runway.

Starting with a thrice-weekly schedule, Air Philippines' commercial flights here have been made daily after three months owing to the volume of passengers.

Parojinog is optimistic the city's airport is expected to play a more significant role in domestic travel as its facilities are further developed.

For this year, P43 million has been budgeted for improvements in its passenger terminal, perimeter fence, apron concreting, admin building, and setup of x-ray machine for luggage check.

kiretoce

May 4th, 2008, 01:59 AM

Airport arrivals up 10.5% (http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=police1_may3_2008)

Despite travel advisories issued by the United States, Australia and Britain last year, arrivals in the country increased by 10.5 percent in 2007, compared to the previous year, according to the Manila International Airport Authority.

Data from MIAA showed that the flow of foreign passengers topped the 11.2 million mark over the 10.3 million arrivals in 2006.

Balikbayans and returning migrant workers also helped perk up the figure especially toward the last quarter, a traditional peak travel season.

MIAA general manager Alfonso Cusi said that although KLM had ceased its operation and crossed out Manila as its destination, Macau Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines joined Naia’s roster of foreign carriers.

The upswing also defied the downgrading by the United States Aviation Administration of Naia Terminal-1 and -2 last January from category 1 to 2 for non-complicance with the standards set by the United Nation’s technical agency for aviation.

Industry observers noted that the travel dampener was somewhat arrested by the introduction of the visa-upon-arrival measure by Immigration Chief Marcelino Libanan.

The innovation appeared to have encouraged more Chinse and Indian nationals to pick the country as a destination.

The Philippine Airlines posted the highest number of international passengers flown with 3.38 million in 2007, from 3.055 million in 2006. Cebu Pacific notched 1.02 million or 142.85 percent up from 429,522 in the previous year..

Other airline companies with positive inflows are Cathay Pacific Airways, 1.33 million passengers; Singapore Airlines, 537,362 passengers; Northwest Airlines, 497,916 passengers; Emirates Air, 448,481; Japan Airlines, 435,429; Korean Air, 414,319 passengers; Thai Airways, 344,703 passengers and Qatar Airways, 329,077 passengers.

kiretoce

May 4th, 2008, 02:02 AM

Third connection to Manila begins (http://www.macaudailytimesnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10818&Itemid=28)

Philippine Airlines (PAL) took advantage of a new air agreement signed with Macau recently to launch a service between Manila and the SAR yesterday.

The deal which saw the number of seats airlines from the Philippines can fly increase from 850 to 13,100 per week, now allows the company to run a daily service to and from Manila.

“We are expecting to carry mainly tourists however we will also see a number of business travellers as well,” said Jaime Bautista, president and chief operating officer of the airline.

Initially the airline will offer five flights a week, however this will ramp up to a daily service from May 10. The company hopes its 67 years of experience will give it an edge over Air Macau, which offers a daily service and Cebu Pacific Air, which offers flights on a Thursday and Saturday.

Philippine Congressman Monico Puentevella, who was in Macau for the arrival and departure of the first flight yesterday said the route could also be used to connect gamblers with both casino destinations, once the country's current proposed large scale development is completed in 2010.

The new air agreement allows airlines from the Philippines to fly 3,600 seats to Macau from Manila, 6,500 from Clark and Subic and 3,500 between Macau and other parts of the country.

PAL is offering return-flights for 870 patacas until the end of June. The special is open for residents and expatriates residing in Macau. Flights depart Manila for Macau at 12.30pm and fly from Macau at 3.40pm.

In a move to attract more mainland tourists to the country, PAL also began a Manila to Chongqing and Chengdu service in March.

kiretoce

May 4th, 2008, 02:05 AM

PAL spends $8M on attractive pay package for its pilots (http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=116856)

Philippine Airlines (PAL) spent $8 million to make attractive the salaries and benefits of its pilots to prevent them from leaving the country and work for foreign airlines.

PAL president Jaime Bautista told reporters that the flag carrier even increased the retirement pay of the pilots from 22.5 days to 1.5 months.

“They [pilots] are flying the most special asset of the company. So we need to protect them. We are giving them better pay, better benefits, including better retirement pay,” said Bautista.

He added: “I think we shelled out $8 million to prepare for this. This is for them, so they won’t even think of leaving PAL.”

PAL lost nine pilots in 2003. In 2004 and 2005, 22 and 29 left, respectively. In 2006, 15 resigned. Bautista said the number dropped last year. “I think there were only around five who resigned,” he said.

A majority of these Filipino pilots and maintenance personnel now work for airlines in the Middle East. They receive as much as $10,000 a month.

Bautista said that if a foreign airline company would offer a Filipino commercial pilot with a monthly salary of $10,000, he would be receiving it in full, as these airlines are subsidized by the government.

In the Philippines even if the local airlines offer the same amount of salary to a commercial pilot, he would be taxed 32 percent, thus he does not take the entire pay home.

This year PAL is taking in 72 new pilots to fly PAL Express, PAL’s budget-airline brand.

“We will train, and we will need 72 new pilots for our interisland operation that will be under PAL Express. They will be trained to operate turbo-propeller aircraft,” added Bautista.

PAL Express will primarily fly intraregional routes in the Visayas and Mindanao from its Cebu hub, as well as secondary routes to smaller airports on island-provinces that are not able to accommodate PAL’s regular jet aircraft.

PAL Express is scheduled to take off on May 5, with eight flights daily between Manila and Boracay. Services ramp up dramatically on May 19, when PAL Express’s Cebu hub operations start with flights between Cebu and five points in the Visayas and Mindanao.

PAL will spend $150 million to finance the acquisition of three Bombardier Q300s and six Q400s and reopen its Cebu hub.

Bautista said financing will be from a combination of internally generated cash and borrowings. PAL, he said, is now in talks with local banks to partly finance the project cost.

“We are still in discussions with a syndicate of local banks. The amount will be in a magnitude of $100 million in terms of borrowing,” he said.

Two Q300s have already arrived. Three more Q300s will be arriving in the first week of May and one Q400 a week after. “This year we will take delivery of six turbo-props. We are looking at acquiring a total of nine units for the first year of PAL Express’s operation. We can probably increase the fleet by next year depending on the demand,” said Bautista.

PAL Express is offering promotional fares for as low as P88 for one-way flights between Cebu and Bacolod, Caticlan, Tacloban, Butuan and General Santos. The special fare can be availed of until May 18, and is for travel from May 19 to August 15.

PAL Express is expected to boost PAL profits by about P300 million every year once its low-fares unit goes full blast. PAL Express is also expected to carry 1 million passengers each year.

a s i a n a

May 4th, 2008, 03:27 AM

Talking about PAL, here's the oldest existing PAL commercial in YouTube:

G2y_Zch3dJs
1982 - Asia's First Airline

xl2HiCiqEHY
1990 - better and clear version of Cebu ad

a s i a n a

May 4th, 2008, 04:16 AM

ddes

May 4th, 2008, 08:57 AM

mwg12a

May 4th, 2008, 09:58 AM

Lack of ads and promotion is just one of the few reasons why. Partly, the safety and political instability is another reason. Manila doesn't have much to offer because it's just like any other modern metropolis but there are places like Cebu , Palawan, Davao etc etc that is worth seing, it's just a matter of promoting it more to tourist as a safe destination for travel because, it is still considered as safe.... I usually tell people from other countries that they just have to avoid certain areas to ensure their safety and enjoy what Philippines in general can offer...

NOVO ECIJANO

May 4th, 2008, 03:37 PM

http://http://business.inquirer.net/money/breakingnews/view/20080504-134524/P8-B-Cagayan-airport-to-break-ground-this-year

P8-B Cagayan airport to break ground this year

By Ronnel Domingo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 19:32:00 05/04/2008

MANILA, Philippines--Investments and tourism revenues are expected to flow stronger into Cagayan Valley as the Cagayan Special Economic Zone and Freeport prepares for this year's construction of an P8-billion airport.

Jose Mari B. Ponce, administrator and chief executive of the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority, said in a statement that the project, which will be undertaken through a joint venture with First Cagayan Leisure and Resort Corp., would cement the ecozone's status as the main lure for investments and tourism earnings in the region.

Ponce said the planned international airport would transform the free port into a major transshipment point for trade in the Asia-Pacific rim, competing with the likes of Hong Kong and Singapore.

The project involves a planned international airport designed to accommodate Boeing 737s and is targeted to start operations in 2010.

Cagayan Valley or Region 2 groups the northeastern Luzon provinces of Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino and Batanes.

Ponce said a six-month feasibility study was expected to be completed by mid-2008, which may allow the project to break ground within the year.

Citing the National Economic and Development Authority's 2007 regional economic situationer for Cagayan Valley, Ponce said the CSEZFP has lured a total of 70 locator firms that have committed to invest P8.19 billion--representing up to 3,236 jobs--since its creation in 1995.

Ponce said that as a major economic hub in Cagayan, the CSEZFP in Sta. Ana town was the fastest growing industrial, logistics and tourism hub in the country.

"With more investments expected to come in over the next few months (through the airport project), we expect CSEZFP to maintain its role as a catalyst of growth in the region," he said.

The official said Neda's report showed that investments in the region were largely dominated by the expanding number of locators in the free port.

He said the bulk of the investment growth came from interactive gaming support services, which increased by 70.6 percent to P2.9 billion in 2007 from P1.7 billion in 2006.

The report also credited CSEZFP for generating 2,609 jobs as of 2007.

Ponce quoted the NEDA report as saying "without the CSEZFP gains, decreases in investments experienced in the other sectors could not be cushioned."

He added that based on the data provided by the Business Name Registration of the Department of Trade and Industry, the region's total investment outside CSEZFP fell 74 percent from P6.7 billion in 2006 to P1.8 billion in 2007.

As for tourism, total expenditures in the region hit P1.43 billion in 2007 while the number of domestic tourists reached 623,431 and those of foreign arrivals reached 20,462.

CGYanon

May 4th, 2008, 04:11 PM

http://http://business.inquirer.net/money/breakingnews/view/20080504-134524/P8-B-Cagayan-airport-to-break-ground-this-year

P8-B Cagayan airport to break ground this year

The project involves a planned international airport designed to accommodate Boeing 737s and is targeted to start operations in 2010.

Cagayan Valley or Region 2 groups the northeastern Luzon provinces of Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino and Batanes.

congrats Region 2, its about time to have one in that region. baka maunahan nyo pa ang Laguindingan airport, super bagal ang construction dito. :cheers:

a s i a n a

May 4th, 2008, 04:15 PM

Did you guys consider the lack of publicity is why Europeans aren't coming?

Even as a Singaporean, I have no idea what Manila offers for a weekend traveller. That's why we prefer going Bangkok, KL, Jakarta, Hong Kong, and even Ho Chi Minh to Manila.

Honestly speaking, the lack of concentration of publicity is also what's hindering Europeans and Asians like me. Philippines is marketing too many of "similar" destinations. The Philippines isn't like Thailand yet where it can support Phuket, Phi Phi, Trang, Krabi, Koh Samui.

Manila should have its clone of Singapore Girl, what do you think?:) But yeah you're right, most of the recent advertisements on Philippine Tourism are aired here in our country with the usual Boracay and stuff. Why would they air those ads here in the Phils? They should air them abroad, no matter how expensive those ad placements.

iloilocitykid

May 4th, 2008, 04:34 PM

Php 8-B! That's big! And I'm expecting it to be at the same level as the ILO Airport, that costs roughly a bit more expensive, though the LGU can always ask for more..hehe

Solblanc

May 4th, 2008, 04:56 PM

Did you guys consider the lack of publicity is why Europeans aren't coming?

Lack of publicity isn't the problem. Our country gets featured in CNN and BBC all the time, just not in a very flattering way :D

Even as a Singaporean, I have no idea what Manila offers for a weekend traveller. That's why we prefer going Bangkok, KL, Jakarta, Hong Kong, and even Ho Chi Minh to Manila.

Actually, it goes both ways. For some reason, we just aren't that close. When the middle class here goes on a weekend trip, the primary destination is Hong Kong. Singapore and Bangkok are getting more popular, but they generally rank behind local destinations.

Honestly speaking, the lack of concentration of publicity is also what's hindering Europeans and Asians like me. Philippines is marketing too many of "similar" destinations. The Philippines isn't like Thailand yet where it can support Phuket, Phi Phi, Trang, Krabi, Koh Samui.

LOL, "support" similar destinations? Crappy marketing aside, I'd rather have a lot of tourists spread out over plenty of beautiful islands that feel like undiscovered paradises than tourists cramming into one destination, saturating and polluting it like mad before bringing the environmental destruction to another site. Besides, I'd hardly call promoting Boracay, Bohol, and Palawan stretching similar destinations. Boracay is basically a party place with a long white sand beach. Palawan is more for the nature lover, and Bohol is somewhere in between. There are soooo many other beautiful places that aren't marketed to tourists (like Jolo, because of security concerns).

But yes, we haven't been marketing our tourist spots as actively. It's difficult, because our budget for tourism is just a fraction of Thailand's. That, and infrastructure is still poor. In the future, I can see that it will change with the other provinces getting better interconnections with more turboprops from budget airlines. The private sector will do well in expanding the tourism industry in the Philippines.

ericlucky290

May 4th, 2008, 11:11 PM

Manila should have its clone of Singapore Girl, what do you think?:) But yeah you're right, most of the recent advertisements on Philippine Tourism are aired here in our country with the usual Boracay and stuff. Why would they air those ads here in the Phils? They should air them abroad, no matter how expensive those ad placements.

The government also promotes local tourism. The government will benefit more if Filipinos will visit local places instead of our neighboring countries. But since parang parehas lang ang gastos sa pagtravel sa abroad, many Filipinos choice to travel abroad than to visit tourist destinations in our country.

absinthe_888

May 4th, 2008, 11:36 PM

The government also promotes local tourism. The government will benefit more if Filipinos will visit local places instead of our neighboring countries. But since parang parehas lang ang gastos sa pagtravel sa abroad, many Filipinos choice to travel abroad than to visit tourist destinations in our country.

minsan mas mura pa nag abroad kehza magbakashon sa pinas..hindi competitive ang rates saten. dapat mapasa na yung tourism bill. sorry for being OT.

lochinvar

May 5th, 2008, 12:10 AM

It's going to be a contest between Laoag International and Cagayan. Bong Bong, kaunti pang sipag at Farinas try to be more civil.

kiretoce

May 5th, 2008, 12:42 AM

Will this new airport replace Tuguegarao Airport?

allan_dude

May 5th, 2008, 06:27 AM

^ No. Sta Ana/CSEZFP is 150 km north of Tuguegarao!

mygz14

May 5th, 2008, 07:30 AM

Participants for the Sangley Point Development Project will have it's first meeting on May 10, 2008, New Cheefoo Restaurant, San Roque, Cavite City

mwg12a

May 5th, 2008, 10:09 AM

What's the topic of discussion in that meeting? Any idea?

mwg12a

May 5th, 2008, 11:01 AM

The tourism industry doesn't promote other Philippine destinations as much to locals, Boracay is more of a word of mouth and since it is getting popular to foreigners (even Cebu's tourist spots), local filipinos wanted to experience the hype they hear about...

I think we are stirring away from the main topic here now....

jyvo_rez

May 5th, 2008, 04:21 PM

National and local government should also promote other tourist-potential places in the Philippines aside from boracay, cebu, palawan, bohol or baguio because they're already an established tourist destination...we have still many islands/places in the Philippines waiting to be discovered and be promoted to the whole world as an alternative vacation gate-away.

Chrisvenz

May 5th, 2008, 04:33 PM

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1385/1057365932_0cbf37e41d_b.jpg

Same with the PAL express. Continental Express is the low cost carrier of Continental Airlines right?

Chrisvenz

May 5th, 2008, 06:01 PM

My own rendition of ZIA hehehe, its still a draft

Facade

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj235/hakhaimo/ZIA2Rendition-1.jpg

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj235/hakhaimo/ZIA1Rendition-1.jpg

one of SSC zamboanga forumer created this one... =) His own ZAMBOANGA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Chrisvenz

May 5th, 2008, 06:21 PM

PAL flights to Boracay stalled by Arroyo’s plane

By Tarra Quismundo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 22:31:00 05/05/2008

CATICLAN, Aklan, Philippines -- “Express” flights bearing executives of the Philippine Airlines and Boracay-bound tourists landed here more than an hour later than scheduled Monday morning as Manila’s air space was closed for some 20 minutes to secure the departure of the nation’s top VIP: President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

Already delayed because of late turnarounds from Aklan, two morning flights of PAL’s new budget-fare service PAL Express to this beach gateway was stalled by around an hour as all air movements were suspended in Manila from 9 a.m. to 9:20 a.m. for the Presidential flight, security protocol whenever the chief executive arrives or departs from any airport in the country.

Set to leave one after another just a little past 8 a.m., PAL Express flights PR 35 and PR 59 took off soon after Arroyo’s private jet left for Naga at 9:18 a.m. Both PAL flights had already been delayed by half an hour as turnaround planes arrived late in Manila, cabin crew said.

As observed from the ramp, Arroyo’s plane was preceded by a tandem jet and then trailed on the runway by two zooming security vehicles as it took off.

Around 100 passengers of the two stalled flights, among them PAL president Jaime Bautista, members of the media and tourists, had already been strapped to their seats when takeoff was pushed back as courtesy to the VIP flight.

Upon landing here, PAL executives launched its new budget service PAL Express, which officials touted to give travelers the airline’s brand of safety and service at a lower cost. The service pits the flag-carrier head-to-head with other island destination players including South East Asian Airlines, Asian Spirit and Cebu Pacific Air.

PAL Express will fly to Caticlan from Manila 12 times daily, a “rebranding” of existing service to the island by PAL’s sister company Air Philippines, according to Joegil Escobar, PAL Caticlan station manager. The “Express” service replaces Air Philippines’ Island Holidays flights, which started on the route in December 2007.

Calling the new service a “milestone,” Bautista said in a press conference here: “This is the first time in PAL’s 67-year history that we are launching a sub-brand and we hope to make PAL Express a leader in this industry.”

The flag-carrier, whose domestic operations had only serviced major Philippine destinations where its wide-bodies could land, initially thought it impossible to fly to the tourist hub because of its congested airport and short runway, said Bautista.

“But after working with our departments -- safety, security, flight operations, technical, we agreed that flying to Caticlan with PAL’s safety standards is achievable,” Bautista said.

To fit into Caticlan’s 950-meter runway, PAL Express will be using 50-seater Bombardier Q-300s and 76-seater Q-400s to ferry passengers to the island. The airstrip already receives at least 50 flights a day on peak seasons, according to the local tourist information desk.

PAL Express is also expected to begin Cebu-Caticlan service on May 19, and then expand to other island routes including Puerto Princesa and Busuanga in Palawan, then Bacolod, Tacloban, Butuan, and General Santos.

Asked whether the Caticlan market was already isolated for PAL to enter, Bautista said they expected the demand for seats to rise with new developments in Boracay, which were expected to increase the island’s room capacity for vacationers.

kiretoce

May 5th, 2008, 06:42 PM

Same with the PAL express. Continental Express is the low cost carrier of Continental Airlines right?

Continental Express is the operating name brand of a number of independently owned regional airlines providing jet feeder service in association with Continental Airlines.

a s i a n a

May 6th, 2008, 04:01 AM

Continental Express is the operating name brand of a number of independently owned regional airlines providing jet feeder service in association with Continental Airlines.

So you mean Cogan Airlines is one of the independently owned regional airlines?

spearhead

May 6th, 2008, 05:49 AM

cge na nga ok na sakin na mainvade tayo ng mga intsik para lang magkaroon na tayo ng mga modern fighters, warships, missiles, radars, and tanks. kung aatakihin nila tayo, wag na rin tayo lumaban! jokelang para sa mga natatakot lagi na mainvade tayo ng china.... :lol:

Its a welcome news anyway to hear that the chinese investors are back. :okay:

freightrunner

May 6th, 2008, 06:09 AM

Makes me wanna come and visit my valley home so soon.

Manila-X

May 6th, 2008, 07:02 AM

For Christ's sakes the mentality of countries invading other countries are a thing of the past :eek:

In today's world, world wars are fought through business and economy not military :D

mwg12a

May 6th, 2008, 08:49 AM

Not really wanch, US invaded Iraq and afghanistan and if we remember back less than a couple of months ago, venezuela together with dominican republic almost invaded Columbia....(I might have mixed up the last two countries, anybody is welcome to correct me) then you have China threatening taiwan and still trying to take over Tibet.... then you have Israeli and Palestians constantly at war and attempting to invade the disputed territory so, INVADING OTHER COUNTRIES are not reallY A THING OF THE PAST...

diz

May 6th, 2008, 08:53 AM

venezuela and ecuador.

mwg12a

May 6th, 2008, 09:15 AM

Thanks man!!!

Manila-X

May 6th, 2008, 01:09 PM

pinas4real

May 6th, 2008, 04:45 PM

I was wondering did anyone tell what was the meeting about or does it even involve China?

Sky Harbor

May 6th, 2008, 06:02 PM

So you mean Cogan Airlines is one of the independently owned regional airlines?

Hi everyone! I'm new and since I've been reading SSC since 2006, I think it's only fair that I join. Haha.

To answer that question, yes, Colgan Air is an independent regional airline operating under the Continental Connection brand (and for US Airways Express and United Express too). Unlike PAL Express, whose flight numbers are part of the PAL flight numbering system (example: MNL-MPH on PAL Express is PR 035), regional airlines in the U.S. have their own airline designators and merely codeshare their flights with the airline that they operate for. So with that, CO 6019 (some random flight) is also 9L 331 (or something like that).

garzland

May 7th, 2008, 08:13 AM

That's a big amount of money... Just make sure that the airport is also big and beautiful.

Chrisvenz

May 7th, 2008, 05:19 PM

Malaysian budget airline plans flights to Mindanao
Anna Barbara L. Lorenzo
1 April 2005
BusinessWorld
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=142271&page=3

Malaysian budget carrier AirAsia is already looking at more flight destinations in the country even before its maiden flight to the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport in Clark, Pampanga on April 5.

AirAsia Chief Executive Officer Toni Fernandes yesterday said the airline would also like to fly directly to Davao, Cebu and Zamboanga from Kuala Lumpur and possibly Kota Kinabalu in six months.

Its one-way ticket to Clark from Kuala Lumpur costs P1,949, and from Kota Kinabalu, P1,799. A round trip, including travel taxes, insurance and administration fees, cost at least P5,000.

"Our direct investment here is $200,000. If we fly new destinations, we will need two additional planes, each costing about $30 million," Mr. Fernandes said.

He also said his company was not bothered by security concerns in Mindanao. AirAsia is the only budget carrier flying to Narathiwat, a Muslim province in Thailand.

As a new market, AirAsia expects Philippine flights to contribute at least 3% of total revenues. It also expects flights to be 80% full, with passengers averaging 200,000 to 300,000 annually.

"We want to bring Malaysians, Thais and Indonesians here. Many foreign tourists from Europe and America who use us to go to Phuket and Bali can also now go to the Philippines. There is tremendous potential for growth in the airline industry to be unlocked with low fares," Mr. Fernandes said.

AirAsia is just one of several no-frills carriers taking advantage of the country's "liberalized charter program," which aims to boost tourism, cheapen air travel for Filipinos overseas, and drive activity in airports outside Metro Manila.

Tiger Airways will launch daily flights to Clark from Singapore on April 4, while Thai Air Asia plans to run flights to Clark from Bangkok.

The government has prioritized airports in Clark and Subic for the charter program, but Civil Aeronautics Board Executive Director Tomas Manalac said international airports in Davao and Cebu could also be involved.

AirAsia will use only one aircraft for its daily flights to Clark. A 148-seater Boeing 737 will leave Kuala Lumpur at 7:20 a.m. and arrive in Clark at 11:15 a.m. The same aircraft will leave for Kota Kinabalu at 11:40 a.m. The 2:05 p.m. flight from Kota Kinabalu will arrive in Clark at 4:05 p.m., where it will again load passengers bound for Kuala Lumpur.

As much as 50% of all the seats on its first week of flying are already reserved.

Booking from the Philippines is done online, but Mr. Fernandes said the airline was in talk with mobile operators Smart Communications and Globe Telecom for SMS flight reservations - an option already offered in Malaysia.

Despite its low prices, Mr. Fernandes said AirAsia profits well from flying to more than 100 destinations in Asia. Sales also involve cargo services, in-flight advertising, and food sales on board aircrafts.

AirAsia is a subsidiary of Tune Air Sdn Bhd, with hubs at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport and Senai Airport in Malaysia, Bangkok International Airport in Thailand, and Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Indonesia.

What happened? bakit hindi na tuloy?

Sky Harbor

May 7th, 2008, 06:02 PM

^^ I have a feeling it's economic, or AirAsia had other priorities with regard to its expansion. But I would love to see them fly to CEB, DVO or ZAM...it should lower prices for Philippines-Malaysia travel and restore links to there from Davao and Zamboanga :D

a s i a n a

May 7th, 2008, 07:04 PM

^^Sky Harbor, under FAA restrictions, can PAL or any other Philippine carrier initiate dedicated cargo services to the US?

absinthe_888

May 7th, 2008, 07:05 PM

Cebu Pacific to add flight to Tacloban
http://www.bworldonline.com/BW050808/content.php?id=042

TACLOBAN CITY — Budget carrier Cebu Pacific will add effective today an additional flight from Manila to Tacloban to address increasing passenger volume.

In a statement, the airline said it would use its 179-seater Airbus 320 for the mid-day Tacloban flight.

Merla Negradas, manager of the Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport, said the additional flight means extended working hours for airport controllers, who will have to report for work one-and-a-half hours earlier at 3:30 a.m. and leave work 30 minutes later at 6:30 p.m.

From January to April, Cebu Pacific recorded 101,043 incoming and outgoing passengers at the Tacloban airport, higher than Philippine Airline’s (PAL) 72,867 passengers.

The total passenger volume for both PAL and Cebu Pacific almost doubled to 510,566 in 2007 from a year earlier.

Cebu Pacific resumed operations in Tacloban with two flights from Manila in early 2007. The additional flight brings to four the daily flights from Manila to Tacloban.

The Tacloban airport is being improved to accommodate air traffic until 2015. Ms. Negradas said the government has programmed P280 million this year to develop the new passenger terminal, P130 million to acquire more land, and P20 million to protect the shore. The airport is also overlaying the runway with asphalt, which costs P80 million. — SQM

Sky Harbor

May 7th, 2008, 07:40 PM

^^Sky Harbor, under FAA restrictions, can PAL or any other Philippine carrier initiate dedicated cargo services to the US?

Based on what I see, I think it's only for international passenger operations. If it's cargo, then the FAA has nothing. :(

At any rate, I doubt PAL or any other carrier can start dedicated cargo service to the United States.

kiretoce

May 7th, 2008, 07:56 PM

PAL Express links 22 rural routes (http://www2.sunstar.com.ph/static/bac/2008/05/08/life/pal.express.links.22.rural.routes.html)

PAL Express, the new, low-fares brand of Philippine Airlines, will serve 22 inter-island routes at the outset, including some provincial points currently without air service or underserved by other players, said PAL president Jaime Bautista.

"With PAL Express, Philippine Airlines is reassuming its traditional mandate of providing quality, affordable air service to outlying communities. Such air link has historically acted as a spur for the development of these areas," said Bautista.

"PAL Express also allows PAL to offer a low-fare yet high-value alternative in many trunkline and tourist routes such as here in Caticlan," he added during arrival ceremonies of the inaugural PAL Express flight from Manila Tuesday.

Caticlan, gateway to the resort island of Boracay, is the first destination of PAL Express, which will operate 12 flights daily from Manila starting Thursday.

Brand-new, 50-seater Bombardier Q300 turbo-propeller aircraft are deployed on the high-traffic route.

PAL Express will dramatically expand its network over the next two months, with service scheduled to be launched on 22 routes.

Thirteen of those new routes emanate from PAL Express' main hub of Cebu, where operations start May 19 with services to five points - Caticlan, Bacolod, Tacloban, Butuan and General Santos.

Other PAL executives onboard the maiden flight were deputy chief executive officer Henry So Uy and assistant vice president for sales Antonio Herrera.

On hand to welcome the PAL delegation were Aklan Vice Governor Gabrielle Calizo, members of the travel trade, and representatives from the media.

On May 26, three more services will operate out of Cebu: Davao, with thrice-daily flights; Iloilo, twice daily; and Puerto Princesa, a single flight everyday.

On June 23, four new destinations will be served from Cebu - Dipolog, Ozamiz, Cagayan de Oro and Zamboanga, with the last service proceeding onward to Davao and back - rounding out the Cebu hub network for now.

PAL Express' other hub in Manila will add several new routes in July: Surigao, Legazpi, Virac and Cauayan (Isabela) on July 21, and San Jose (Occidental Mindoro), Calbayog and San Fernando (La Union) on July 26.

With PAL Express' entry, Surigao, Cauayan and San Fernando, which have gone without air service for many years now, will once more enjoy a regular air link to Manila - a service PAL first provided these small cities in the 1980s.

Travelers to Virac, San Jose, Ozamiz and Calbayog would also benefit from PAL Express' upgraded service and competitive fares. Currently, these points are underserved by existing carriers.

Sky Harbor

May 8th, 2008, 03:04 AM

^^ Woohoo! Cauayan will finally see air service after almost ten years! Tragic that 6K 100 happened, but better that PAL will return after nearly fifteen years. As far as I know, SUG and SFE had service until quite recently (I'd say 2-4 years?)

kratos1211

May 8th, 2008, 08:05 AM

BusinessWorld
Vol. XXI, No. 197
Thursday, May 8, 2008 | MANILA, PHILIPPINES
Corporate News

SEAIR needs merger with Asian Spirit to survive — analysts

BUDGET CARRIER South East Asian Airlines (SEAIR) will have to accept the buyout offer from Asian Spirit or fold, in the face of competition from bigger airlines entering what used to be its niche market, analysts said yesterday.

"The earlier they could settle this, the better. It is creating too much uncertainty. No matter what the outcome, SEAIR would be on the losing end, but it is better if the merger pushes through," analyst Astro del Castillo of First Grade Holdings said.

But SEAIR President and Chief Executive Officer Avelino L. Zapanta begs to disagree, saying the survival of his company does not depend on the proposed merger with Asian Spirit.

"We can definitely survive without it. We will continue to be out there and compete with them head-on," he said in an interview.

Businessman Alfredo M. Yao, who owns juice manufacturer Zest-O Corp., bought Asian Spirit in March and is now negotiating a buyout of SEAIR. Earlier, he said he would merge the two and streamline operations.

Lucio Tan-owned Philippine Airlines launched its budget airline brand on Monday as it seeks to increase its share of the low-cost market traveling to remote tourist destinations in the country.

Cebu Pacific, the domestic low-fare leader with 45% market share, is also stepping up efforts to make sure it stays on top.

2Trade Asia, Inc. analyst Charisse G. Nierra said the key to SEAIR’s profitability is to attract new investors and develop new destinations.

"As other more dominant players are now penetrating their niche market, particularly Caticlan, and as fuel is now more costly, they have to add up capitalization to fund expansion," she said.

Mr. del Castillo noted that in any industry where big players are expanding to niche markets, small players will have to consolidate to survive. "SEAIR is a local carrier serving the domestic market only. I don’t think SEAIR has the leverage to demand more out of the merger," he added.

Talks for the buyout have reportedly bogged down after the owners of SEAIR — Iren Dornier, Nikos Gitsis and Tomas Lopez — turned down the price offered by Mr. Yao, something that one SEAIR official has denied.

Mr. Del Castillo said SEAIR owners might be holding back because there might be other investors interested in the budget carrier.

Another analyst who wished to remain unnamed said SEAIR could not survive alone. "Either it moves forward now or fold... The logical thing is still to exit and sell out," the source said.

The source, an aviation expert, said the Yao group does not want to pay too much for SEAIR because the latter does not have a congressional franchise. SEAIR has an administrative franchise from the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB).

A CAB official noted that while a congressional franchise is not needed to operate, its holder receives special business perks such as tax exemptions and can bargain for more seat allocations abroad.

Talks still ongoing

A top SEAIR executive who requested anonymity denied reports that negotiations between Mr. Yao and SEAIR owners have hit a deadlock due to pricing disagreements.

"From what I know, they are still talking. Sure, there are a number of points that still have to be ironed out, but news that the merger is off is not true," the source said.

In a separate interview, Asian Spirit Chairman Donald G. Dee said the talks were ongoing.

"That [failed buyout] is not true. We do not want to talk in detail about the developments right now, but it is still ongoing," he said.

SEAIR’s Mr. Zapanta said the company remains strong. "We recently introduced new routes: Basco, Daet, Tablas and Baler. It doesn’t appear that we are an airline folding out and we still have several plans in the pipeline this year," he added.

SEAIR operates 11 planes that fly to 16 local destinations, while Asian Spirit has a 10-aircraft fleet serving nine domestic destinations and three international routes. — Marian Grace S. Ramos

Yao says SEAIR buyout ‘only a matter of time’

CEBU CITY — Businessman Alfredo M. Yao is confident of acquiring SEAIR and merging it eventually with Asian Spirit.

"It will be just a matter of time. I’m confident that the deal will push through," he told reporters yesterday.

He added that he was just waiting for one of the owners to come home from the US on the 15th. Mr. Yao was guest speaker in a forum organized by the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He cited technicalities during the talks, as well as the "sentimental value" attached by the owners to the carrier, but declined to elaborate.

Mr. Yao said Asian Spirit does not have to buy SEAIR to be able to expand, but the buyout could help them develop more local tourist destinations.

Seair, which was formed in 1995 by Iren Dornier, Nikos Gitsis and Tomas Lopez, is the pioneer in providing chartered and scheduled flights to Caticlan near Boracay Island in Aklan, and Palawan.

"We can survive without SEAIR. It’s not very critical that we acquire it. If the deal does not [proceed], we will continue with what we have been doing," Mr. Yao said, noting that he had intended to buy SEAIR ahead of Asian Spirit. "The people [at SEAIR] — I have a soft spot for them."

With or without Seair, the expansion of Asian Spirit will continue. Mr. Yao said they plan to make Cebu a hub for Asian Spirit’s regional operations, starting with a direct flight between Cebu and Macau. This route is being served by Cebu Pacific, which also has Cebu as one of its hubs.

Asian Spirit currently flies to nine domestic destinations from Manila and serves Jolo and Tawi-Tawi from Zamboanga. It also operates three weekly flights between Zamboanga and Sandakan, Malaysia. Mr. Yao said they were on the lookout for more tourist destinations, including the islands of Camotes and Bantayan in Cebu.

Although the name Asian Spirit will be retained as the company name to keep its congressional franchise, Mr. Yao said they would decide on a brand for the merged entity. — Marites S. Villamor

barrera_marquez

May 8th, 2008, 03:41 PM

Arkdriver

May 8th, 2008, 03:58 PM

had a conversation with this experienced MH captain yesterday. I asked him before my alma mater (Malaysian Flying Academy) was there, where did all MH pilots were trained. He told me "Scotland, Australia and Philippines"

So not only JAL pilots went there, MH also sent their cadets to PAL Aviation Academy. Truly we were great then.

bustero

May 9th, 2008, 10:19 AM

^^my nephew in PR starts his Airbus 320 type rating (from 744) this month and he has to go all the way to France for 6 weeks (not that he's complaining that much).

Arkdriver

May 9th, 2008, 06:57 PM

Good for him. Sudden change of heart eh? Or he got his first command? I believe his type rating will be done at TLS.

Middle east is still the best place to fly (financially)

And i'm getting tired of Lucio Tan's propaganda "other airlines especially in the middle east getting our pilots because they are subsidized"...Please stop the nonsense. People are not stupid. You think pinoy pilots dont share the trait of Filipino culture? - Migrating overseas?

If they improve their pay package (which they did albeit slightly) people wont think about going abroad. It's not just Filipino pilots going mass exodus oversea, other countries pilots also do that. Perhaps pilot is the most mobile workforce in the world...MH lose pilots too...in fact, almost a quarter of Etihad captain are Malaysian, and some Pinoys.

I hope subsidized or not being subsidized will never be an issue again. I seriously he's too stupid to came out with argument like that.

freightrunner

May 9th, 2008, 11:46 PM

This might just turn Sta Ana, which is currently a 4th class municipality into a city in five years.

mwg12a

May 10th, 2008, 01:39 AM

^^^ Yes, even alot of US Pilots are getting attracted to work for a middleastern companies, some in India.

pinas4real

May 11th, 2008, 10:31 PM

Participants for the Sangley Point Development Project will have it's first meeting on May 10, 2008, New Cheefoo Restaurant, San Roque, Cavite City

what happened to this meeting... Any news?

Sou-jiro

May 13th, 2008, 10:43 AM

just a quick question does anyone know which is the fed ex hub in PI is it clark or subic?...how many fed ex can be based or be there at peak hours...

just curious I was on Sydney's cargo ramp on the weekend & there were two MD 11 there..a fed Md 11 bound from Subic & a Ups MD 11 bound for Honolulu. I though same cargo aircraft were used on same routes but MD 11 i saw was different reg from the previous week..

SQ A380 was also parked across...i'll try to upload my photos

saw PAL's A330 OHZQ here in Sydney (or was it O)....seriously need some cleaning...

was able to get photo of Malaysia's hibiscus 744...before its get repainted back in original colours"maybe its repainted by now already"...whats a shame...its one of my fave color schemes..QF will hopefully get the 1st A380 this yr...i dont like the interior (its green) two of the gates used for 2 767s have been removed to accomodate one A380

kiretoce

May 13th, 2008, 03:29 PM

^^ It's Subic.

Sky Harbor

May 13th, 2008, 05:57 PM

The FedEx hub is in Subic while the UPS hub is in Clark.

pinas4real

May 13th, 2008, 08:33 PM

sounds like old news but there is still hope

http://www.philstar.com/index.php?Business&p=49&type=2&sec=27&aid=2008051328

Business
RP courts COSCO anew
By Ma. Elisa P. Osorio
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
The Philippines is courting Chinese shipping firm China Ocean Shipping Co. (COSCO) anew to invest in the Philippines and make the country its logistics hub in the region.

“I will invite them for another visit,” Ambassador Francis Chua, special envoy on China trade and investments told reporters yesterday.

The investment of COSCO is expected to make the Philippines a maritime power in the region. The project has been delayed as a result of the cancellation of the controversial broadband deal between the Philippine government and Chinese firm ZTE Corp. last year.

The COSCO investment was first made public in May last year.

COSCO is looking at locating either in Sangley Point or in Subic Bay Freeport Zone beside Korean investor Hanjin.

Chua surmised that COSCO may be partial to investing in Subic because “Cavite is too congested.”

However, Chua said should the Chinese insist on investing in Cavite, he said it is still possible because the area is good for reclamation.

Initially, Cosco wanted to construct a modern port at the Navy headquarters in Cavite. Its initial plans include the development of a 250-hectare land in Sangley Point where they would put up a “marine school to train maritime sailors. There will be a repairing ships and building ships.”

“They will be using the Philippines as a hub for shipment to Europe and America, so all cargo from Asia will come to the Philippines, using the Philippines as a staging point to go to US, North America, Europe and vice versa,” Chua said.

He added that Cosco’s facility is expected to generate about 100,000 jobs, particularly for the country’s seafarers.

kratos1211

May 13th, 2008, 09:54 PM

$3-B COSCO hub still in the pipeline

By Ronnel Domingo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 23:31:00 05/13/2008

The plan of Chinese giant China Ocean Shipping (Group) Co. (COSCO) for a $3-billion regional cargo hub in the Philippines is still on but the facility will “take time” to complete, a presidential adviser said.

Although the volumes of investment flow and trade remain robust, the number of big projects appears to have dwindled following the controversy around the government’s aborted national broadband network (NBN) deal with China’s ZTE Corp., said Francis Chua, presidential adviser on China trade and investments.

“COSCO is still interested, but the project would have to be given time,” Chua said in an interview. “Communication with the COSCO group remains open and meetings are being arranged as usual.”

He added that COSCO officials were supposed to meet with Philippine trade officials last month but this did not push through due to some “miscommunication on the Chinese side.”

Chua said the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in which he also holds a position, had lined up at least five business missions this year in an effort to step up trade with mainland China.

“Most of these missions would go to China, but there would also be sorties to the United States and Europe,” he said. “The focus would be on food products, especially those derived from marine resources.”

In an earlier interview, Chua said COSCO Philippine project would be delayed and the company’s top officials had decided to let a Singapore-based subsidiary handle it. He said he was working to have the project, which is crucial for both COSCO and the Philippines, started promptly.

The project was supposed to start last year. COSCO had sent a team of experts to look over prospective sites for shipping hubs at Sangley Point in Cavite City, outside Manila, and at the Subic Bay Freeport, northwest of Manila.

COSCO originally considered building a base at Sangley Point through which it could aggregate shipments from various points in the region for more efficient hauling to the United States and other destinations across the Pacific, Chua said.

However, the COSCO team saw the advantages of locating in Subic as well and did not want to pass up on either site, he added.

Chua said COSCO was prepared to foot the bill for site development, including the cost of land reclamation and port construction. Edited by INQUIRER.net

Sou-jiro

May 14th, 2008, 02:44 AM

ok thanks guys...i tried to look for pic of the facility in Subic but its so hard to find any pics online..im just curios what it looks like...its pretty cool hor Asia Pacific Hub is in PI..

im wondering if there lots of MD 11s based there or Fed ex planes

bustero

May 14th, 2008, 06:43 AM

^^ I've seen up to 11 widebodies, smaller ones did not bother to count (they have endless caravans flying around), SUBIC is a big airport that basically no one uses, huge tarmac very little terminal, military design hence good for open remote parking type operations

Good for him. Sudden change of heart eh? Or he got his first command? I believe his type rating will be done at TLS.

Middle east is still the best place to fly (financially)

And i'm getting tired of Lucio Tan's propaganda "other airlines especially in the middle east getting our pilots because they are subsidized"...Please stop the nonsense. People are not stupid. You think pinoy pilots dont share the trait of Filipino culture? - Migrating overseas?

If they improve their pay package (which they did albeit slightly) people wont think about going abroad. It's not just Filipino pilots going mass exodus oversea, other countries pilots also do that. Perhaps pilot is the most mobile workforce in the world...MH lose pilots too...in fact, almost a quarter of Etihad captain are Malaysian, and some Pinoys.

I hope subsidized or not being subsidized will never be an issue again. I seriously he's too stupid to came out with argument like that.

yup, just moving up actually

agree with the PR campaign, that's to be expected though, they always want to manipulate the public's view so that they will be seen as deserving of protection, a usual LT tactic

Chrisvenz

May 14th, 2008, 01:36 PM

MANILA, Philippines- Budget airline Cebu Pacific will be offering more than 500,000 domestic and international seats for "free" in its biggest seat sale ever, the company announced Wednesday.
ADVERTISEMENT

In a statement, the airline unit of JG Summit Holdings Inc. said it allocated more than 100,000 seats for its international routes that include: Bangkok, Guangzhou, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Kaohsiung, Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur, Macau, Taipei, Shanghai, Singapore and Xiamen.

More than 400,000 seats have been allocated for all of its domestic routes.

Passengers will only pay the taxes and fuel and insurance surcharges, which are non-refundable. “This is our biggest seat sale to date and is another milestone set by Cebu Pacific in Philippine aviation history. We believe this offering will further stimulate domestic and international travel amid rising fuel costs," said Candice Iyog, Cebu Pacific vice-president for marketing and product. The promotional seat sale will run from May 15 to 18, 2008 or until the allocated seats are sold out. The seat sale is valid for travel from June 9 to December 31 this year. - GMANews.TV

http://beta.ph.news.yahoo.com/gma/20080514/tbs-cebu-pacific-offers-airline-seats-fo-1da90e5.html

Chrisvenz

May 14th, 2008, 01:40 PM

MANILA BULLETIN:

- P5.5-B Cebu Pacific fleet expansion granted tax perks Gokongwei-owned Cebu Air Inc. (CEB), owner of the countrys second biggest airline Cebu Pacific, is investing P5.52 billion to expand its existing fleet with an additional 14 brand new aircraft as it aggressively widens its presence in both the domestic and international routes.

http://asia.news.yahoo.com/080512/4/3j93g.html

bartstrife99

May 14th, 2008, 04:36 PM

kiretoce

May 14th, 2008, 06:08 PM

PAL warns against airline ticket fraud (http://www.gmanews.tv/story/95173/PAL-warns-against-airline-ticket-fraud)

Philippine Airlines on Wednesday warned the public against the use of airline tickets purchased using counterfeit or unauthorized credit cards through PAL’s online booking facility.

In a statement sent to the media, the airline advised passengers to transact only with its ticket offices or duly accredited and reputable travel agencies.

PAL called on passengers to be wary of anyone offering unusually big discounts for airline tickets, much more if it is a “buy now, pay later" scheme, and to report such offers.

PAL issued the advisory after the National Bureau of Investigation uncovered the use of a counterfeit credit card to purchase PAL tickets online.

At least 19 people, including 14 “co-conspirator" ticket buyers, are facing charges for violating Republic Act 8484 (Access Devices Regulations Act). The case is pending before the Chief State Prosecutor’s office.

The law punishes the use or possession of counterfeit credit cards. Even mere possession of an airline ticket bought through such cards risks arrest, fines and imprisonment for up to 20 years for the ticket buyer.

The NBI probe showed that one of the suspects purchased online 14 round-trip PAL tickets between a provincial point and Manila using a forged credit card.

The suspect sold the tickets to the 14 passengers at a big discount, enabling them to travel to Manila on a PAL flight. However, their return tickets were cancelled after PAL got wind of the scam.

PAL sought the help of the NBI, which led to the arrest of three suspects. They allegedly instigated the fraudulent deal and conspired with two “go-betweens" and the 14 passengers to defraud PAL of income from the ticket sale.

kiretoce

May 14th, 2008, 06:21 PM

Falling US traffic has agents counting on Asia (http://www.cargonewsasia.com/secured/article.aspx?article=16159)

With the weakening greenback and the slowdown in the US economy, a group of airline cargo managers in the Philippines is looking beyond the United States and pinning their hopes on strong cargo business prospects within the Asian region.

The huge population of India and China alone, with their increasing purchasing power, is helping influence burgeoning demand, said Rene Philip Banzon, president of Global Cargo Carriers Inc (GCCI).

"I think that China and India can sustain their cargo volumes despite the traditionally strong export performance to the US, which is currently in the doldrums," he explained. "More and more carriers are now targeting air cargo that is Asian-bound, particularly to China, Japan, Korea, Malaysia and India. This underscores the importance of establishing other non-US markets as a cushion."

Banzon, also the general manager of Transnational Aero Corp, the general sales agent of Malaysia Airlines Cargo (MASkargo), sees US-bound shipments continuing to experience a slowdown, and even a decline, because of its internal economic problems.

"Many garments exporters in the Philippines have already closed shop because they mostly supply to the US. The electronics sector is performing relatively better, particularly with the anticipated entry of Texas Instruments at Clark airbase. We hope to see stable business for Europe-bound exports, and with regional growth, over-all prospects are still good," he said.

The earliest, even if temporary, sign of air cargo business improvement can come sometime in August or September, in preparation for Christmas shopping. This is when retailers want to start stocking up on goods, Banzon explained.

However, he could not give specify statistics due to the limited industry access to information.

The problem of inadequate information on the total or sectoral air cargo volume has left the airline cargo industry flying blind, he said. The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) under the Philippine Department of Transportation and Communication requires all airlines to submit total tonnage going out of Manila or from other Philippine international airports, but without specifying the destination.

"The information should include tonnage per specific destination and per specific carrier. This is the missing link that should give us clues on what sectors are actually growing, declining or have growth potential," Banzon noted. "Such critical information can help us plan, strategise, forecast and assist exporters operate in the most cost-effective way possible. But as it is, each airline has information only about its own company performance.''

Malaysia Airlines, for example, carries about 90 percent electronics products and the rest perishables, consumer goods, furniture and fashion accessories in small percentages, Banson said. "I'm sure most regional carriers have similar segmentation. Those that are US-bound perhaps carry 30 to 40 percent garments," he said.

CAB should be able to facilitate this information sharing if it had the system and manpower to collect and process these data, he said, adding that the anti-trust law has prevented airline cargo firms from sharing this information directly among themselves.
"We believe that CAB is embarking on a project to collect and process more specific and accurate data from the airlines," he said.

But even without actual statistics, Banzon feels the sea freight business is doing better than his industry because of faster turn-around time and increasing sea cargo volumes and capacity. The stiff competition among shipping lines has also brought down prices to the benefit of exporters, he said.

"We have a particular niche though, that of rush shipments where exporters do not have any other choice in transportation mode," he added.

Comprising 36 airline companies flying into the Philippines, GCCI was established to promote the development of the airline cargo and logistics industries. It is mostly composed of airline cargo managers.

"Each of our member companies plan to evaluate the management and efficiency of the airline's forwarders on a regular basis so as to help the agent improve its services," Banzon said. GCCI is also strongly advocating to improve airline cargo capacity and infrastructure.

On the open skies issue, Banzon said once it comes into effect in Asia by 2009, local carriers will be adversely affected in the short term, but probably only as much as the impact when low-cost carriers (LCCs) came in.

Regarding expansion plans for the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) at Clark, he said it would provide options for both carriers and passengers/shippers.
"I don't think we should look at the DMIA as an airport only for LCCs, but also for other carriers, as long as the infrastructure is available. If more carriers move to DMIA, it would help de-clog Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). I wouldn't transfer the entire airport operation to Clark because it would mean a waste of currently mothballed Terminal 3,'' he said.

Banzon looks at the T3 problem now as linked to the fact that the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) needs Philippine Airlines (PAL) at the terminal for it to be viable.
"This is probably true for now. The problem is PAL wants to bring in its domestic operations also so it continues to enjoy immediate flight connections without the need for transfers between terminals such as what it enjoys at T2 right now," he said. "If this becomes the case, not all airlines currently using T1 could be accommodated at T3. The unlucky ones will end up at T2 while they convert T1 into a domestic terminal for non-PAL domestic flights. The tricky part here is choosing which airlines go to T3 and which go to T2."

PasigGuy

May 14th, 2008, 07:04 PM

The FedEx hub is in Subic while the UPS hub is in Clark.

......FedEx has long been gone:ohno: :ohno: :ohno:

FedEx to move Asia center to China
By Chris BuckleyPublished: THURSDAY, JULY 14, 2005
GUANGZHOU, China: In a move that will redraw the global map of airborne logistics, FedEx, the largest express freight carrier in the world, said Wednesday that it would shift its hub for Asia-Pacific operations to this city in southern China.

"The hub will make Guangzhou into one of the leading cargo airports in the world," David Cunningham Jr., president of FedEx Asia Pacific, said at a signing ceremony at Baiyun International Airport.

"Asia remains the world's fastest-growing regional air-freight market and this hub will put Guangzhou at the center of that growth."

FedEx's Guangzhou hub will be the company's biggest logistics center outside the United States, he said in an interview.

Along with the construction of the Guangzhou hub, which is to be completed by December 2008, FedEx will close its current Asia-Pacific hub at Subic Bay in the Philippines.

FedEx executives said opportunities in China, especially the Pearl River Delta region that produces a third of China's exports, made the Baiyun International Airport in Guangzhou a compelling choice for a freight-handling center.

FedEx had been expected to announce such a move since Washington and Beijing signed a civil aviation agreement last July that opened the way for expanded U.S. freight services in China.

Peter Harbison, managing director of the Center for Asia Pacific Aviation, an industry advisory group based in Sydney, said the choice highlighted China's growing centrality to international trade flows, and would add momentum to the mainland's emergence as a logistics center.

"In terms of creating critical mass for an airport, this is important," he said. "When an airport starts to get a reputation and a certain volume of traffic, that can create its own momentum and all sorts of spin-off benefits for greater freight activity."

Baiyun airport is also the home of China Southern Airlines, the mainland's biggest domestic air freight handler, he added.

The news came as a jolt to the Philippines. Manila had been trying to convert former U.S. military facilities into commercial and tourism zones, and Fed Ex's hub at Subic Bay, a former U.S. naval base, employs about 700 workers. FedEx's lease on the airport there expires in 2007. Company executives said Philippine workers would receive "generous" severance payments or would be offered work elsewhere in the company.

"We simply do not need two major mid-Pacific hubs," said Frederick Smith, the chairman and chief executive.

FedEx will initially have 1,200 Baiyun workers. It will spend $150 million on building facilities that cover 63 hectares, or 155 acres, at the Baiyun airport, a steel and glass complex 40 kilometers, or 25 miles, from central Guangzhou.

Richard Gordon, a Filipino senator who negotiated the establishment of the hub in 1995 as the first head of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, said he was saddened by FedEx's decision. "Personally, I am devastated," he told The Associated Press. "I wanted them to be very happy in Subic."

But Smith said: "You have to go where your customers want you to go. The growth patterns of the Asia-Pacific are highly centered on China."

ericlucky290

May 15th, 2008, 02:01 AM

Forgotten Filipino Baby Left Behind at Vancouver Airport (http://information.travel.aol.com/article/news-feeds/_a/forgotten-baby-left-behind-at-vancouver/20080514091909990001?ncid=AOLCOMMtravdynlsec0145)

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) - An immigrant family left a 23-month-old boy in the Vancouver airport and learned he was missing only when contacted during the next leg of the trip.

Jun Parreno, the boy's father, told The Vancouver Sun the mix-up occurred Monday as he, his wife and two grandparents of the child, J.M., were scrambling between their arrival in Canada and a connecting flight to Winnipeg on Air Canada.

Running late after having to unpack and repack all their luggage, "we had 10 minutes before boarding," said Parreno, who was emigrating with his family from the Philippines. "We were running for the gate."

He said he thought his son was with the three other adults, who were running to the gate ahead of him, and they thought the little boy was with him.

Instead, in a scenario similar to the movie "Home Alone," the toddler was wandering alone between a security checkpoint and the flight gates, said Angela Mah, an Air Canada representative.

"We were called by (security) who told us one of the security people had a toddler in tow," Mah said. "He doesn't speak English, so we found a Tagalog-speaking agent who has been looking after him."

There was no boarding pass for the youngster because he did not have a separately assigned seat, so there was no indication in the airline's computer system that someone had missed a flight, nor had there been any panicked calls from anyone on a flight missing a child, Mah said.

That's because the family was scattered in different parts of the plane to Winnipeg and still didn't know the child had been left.

Air Canada staff began checking flights that had left, and "we eventually determined who his parents might be ... and the flight crew talked to them," Mah said. "They didn't realize until then that the baby had been left behind.

"We're not aware of this ever happening on an Air Canada flight before."

The parents were put into telephone contact with the little boy, and Parreno was put on another Air Canada plane to return to Vancouver to get him after the family's flight arrived in Winnipeg with the airline covering the cost of the two additional flights, she said.

Parreno had tears in his eyes when he returned to Winnipeg holding his son.

"I am relieved everything is OK ... but I was shocked," he said. "The staff at Air Canada took good care of him."

kiretoce

May 15th, 2008, 02:10 AM

^^ A funny, crazy/insane, and teary-eyed situation. I'm sure the parents were panicked and worried to death about their kid, but I'm sure they'll be laughing about this after some time has passed. You gotta admit, it's a great story to tell the kid later, when he's all grown up. :colgate:

mwg12a

May 15th, 2008, 03:47 AM

^^ Kind of weird actually. I'm a parent and has traveled with my son several times internationally not just to the Philippines, been through the same type of rush trying to catch up a connecting flight from one point to another with several family members as well. How could you miss or overlook your child who is a toddler that demands so much of your time and attention ? I don't know if I am too judgemental? But, I see that act as negligence and unfit parenting. I'm sorry, there is no way in hell I would forget/misplace my child no matter how excited and how tired I am... And that's considering I'm a father, What more with a mother???

xzibit31

May 15th, 2008, 04:04 AM

^^

yes its kinda weird talaga. but IMHO we are only human and bound to make mistakes. nobody is perfect, no parents are perfect.

mwg12a

May 15th, 2008, 04:06 AM

Well yeah, but there is no excuse for negligence. That's the reason why there are parents who get thrown in jail because of things like these that's very preventable. If that was an emergency situation? That would have understandable, but it was not... There is no way in hell they would pass one another along the aisle and not noticed a human being is missing. They made it up to the point where the plane took off almost sounded like halfway through the flight from Vancouver to Winnepeg and still has not checked on their child, especially the mother. I don't know.... maybe they were just totally inexperienced and naive... to me it's stupidity to the max.. Again, I have to apologize about saying all these..

xzibit31

May 15th, 2008, 04:11 AM

^^

yea i get you point. be it negligence or anything we are still bound to make mistakes.

Sou-jiro

May 15th, 2008, 04:32 AM

[QUOTE=bustero;20657421]^^ I've seen up to 11 widebodies, smaller ones did not bother to count (they have endless caravans flying around), SUBIC is a big airport that basically no one uses, huge tarmac very little terminal, military design hence good for open remote parking type operationsQUOTE]

ok thanks...but how long is the runway in subic?...i read an article of Fedex wanting a longer runway & that subic runway cannot be expanded due to deep waters around subic?

FerrariLover

May 15th, 2008, 04:40 AM

mwg12a

May 15th, 2008, 04:43 AM

^^

yea i get you point. be it negligence or anything we are still bound to make mistakes.

I know what you mean man. But can you use that as an excuse if the authorities arrested them for child endangerment? They were lucky the authorities didn't get them for it, probably because they knew that the couple were just migrating from the Philippines. I'm sure the parents were scared as hell once they found out the child was missing. Funny thing is at that age, 23 mos, toddlers like that still wears diaper and is usually being started in weaning from bottle feeding, i'm sure they knew the diaper bag needs to be close to the child. Who ever had the diaper bag should hand it to whomever was holding the baby. The flight from Vancouver to Winnepeg usually last more than 2 hours, in 30 to 1 hour, they would of noticed what/who was missing. It usually take more than 30 mins for airport authorities to tract down passengers through passenger ledger and checklist, considering the parents didn't even notice it, its gotta be atleast 2 hours before they were contacted. Oh well... I'm sure they learned from it the hard way. I just get upset sometimes when I hear things like those. Call it parental instinct or maternal instinct in a father if there is such a thing.

xzibit31

May 15th, 2008, 09:18 AM

I know what you mean man. But can you use that as an excuse if the authorities arrested them for child endangerment? They were lucky the authorities didn't get them for it, probably because they knew that the couple were just migrating from the Philippines. I'm sure the parents were scared as hell once they found out the child was missing. Funny thing is at that age, 23 mos, toddlers like that still wears diaper and is usually being started in weaning from bottle feeding, i'm sure they knew the diaper bag needs to be close to the child. Who ever had the diaper bag should hand it to whomever was holding the baby. The flight from Vancouver to Winnepeg usually last more than 2 hours, in 30 to 1 hour, they would of noticed what/who was missing. It usually take more than 30 mins for airport authorities to tract down passengers through passenger ledger and checklist, considering the parents didn't even notice it, its gotta be atleast 2 hours before they were contacted. Oh well... I'm sure they learned from it the hard way. I just get upset sometimes when I hear things like those. Call it parental instinct or maternal instinct in a father if there is such a thing.

i agree with you man...but dont get me wrong. when ever i travel with my family, the first thing on my mind are my kids, wife, baggage(in that order). but in the phils, this is a sad reality, kids often get forgotten by parents. especially those who live on and below the poverty line.

bustero

May 15th, 2008, 09:36 AM

it's possible that these guys are taga bukid and may be their first travel abroad or even on a plane (after manila of course), we can not compare ourselves to such people. alam mo naman ang mga pinoy mababait and non assertive, kung sinabihan sila umupo diyan takot lang nila lalo na kung taga bukid iyan

@ soujiro
the runway is around 2700+ m
fedex did not leave the country because of the runway they could have moved into clark for that if they wanted too, according to the BCDA guys in the end there was just much more packages arriving in China that the longer flight to subic rather than guanzhou tipped the balance

urban Iegend

May 15th, 2008, 11:03 AM

Soon there will be two new airports in Region 8, Tacloban and..

PGMA’s SONA Project, the Guiuan Airport Rehabilitation Now Ongoing

Reposted From PIA

Tacloban City (May 11) - President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s SONA project, the rehabilitation of the Guiuan Airport, is now ongoing, Presidential Assistant for Eastern Visayas Secretary Victor Domingo informed during the launching of the PGMA Job Center Kiosk at the Department of Labor and Industry.

Secretary Domingo disclosed that the airport fence has been completed and the terminal building is now being constructed. When completed, commercial airlines will start to land there and it will become an international airport catering to the tourists going to Calicoan Island which is a combination of Siargao and Boracay considering that at the Pacific side, the big waves are conducive to surfing while the Leyte Gulf side is conducive to swimming and other water sports.

The opening of the Guiuan Airport will be beneficial not only to the people of Guiuan and other towns of Eastern Samar but the entire Eastern Visayas, Secretary Domingo said. He informed that this is a fulfillment of the Super Region concept of development of President Arroyo in which Eastern Visayas belongs to the Central Philippines Super Region envisioned as the Tourism Center of the Philippines.

Secretary Domingo, however, noted that the roads of Eastern Samar has deteriorated, saying that now there are a thousand potholes for so many hundred meters of roads there. He observed that the road at Eastern Samar used to be the best roads and the first roads to be asphalted.

Secretary Domingo underscore the importance of cooperation and support, among the political leaders in Easter Samar so that they will help one another and give priority to the rehabilitation of roads in the area, to make it more accessible to Tacloban.

For sure, the tourists going to Calicoan will not only go to Calicoan but will also explore the other areas in the Region by land, Secretary Domingo said.

Secretary Domingo said when people complain about their leaders, what comes to his mind is that the people deserve the leaders they elected. If they chose right and well, then they should have better leaders who are attentive to the needs of the area and the people.

Really, attitudes and values are what make the country great, Secretary Domingo who is a very conscientious leader, said. (PIA 8 )

(originally reposted by Adrianvill2)

Sou-jiro

May 15th, 2008, 11:23 AM

hayyy..sayang whats happening to our major airport/aviation facilities...either napag iiwanan or delay buti pa regional airports..mabilis progress ...

mwg12a

May 15th, 2008, 04:25 PM

^^^ para kang nag-tetext sa cell phone a! LOL ayusin mo yan, masamang habit and nakaka bopol sabi ng mga experts. Peace!

Waldenstrom

May 15th, 2008, 04:40 PM

Blaita ko 2loy na nga yan kc sabi d2 sa amin aalisin na ung mga squatter sa tabi ng dagat ehh saka malapit nar in matapos ung Cavite-Manila coastal road na mag dudugtong mula manila to cavite city... bumisita na c Arroyo d2 last week... about sa mga recent development d2 sa Cavite City

Hopefully, paalisin sila. But I doubt if magagawa nila yun kasi most of them are fishing villages incorporated into a baranggay. I'm not really sure though.

Sky Harbor

May 15th, 2008, 05:55 PM

bustero

May 16th, 2008, 06:02 AM

Vol. XXI, No. 203
Friday, May 16, 2008 | MANILA, PHILIPPINES
The Economy
Tourism through the skies
By Peter Julian Cayton and Chernobyl Diones, Junior Research Associates

The Wilbur brothers would never have thought that the flying machine would revolutionize how people got from one point in the globe to another. After more than a hundred years, the aviation industry has developed from the flammable flying machine of the 1900s to the jumbo planes of Boeing and Airbus.

Aviation has opened the windows to travel and tourism to distant countries and far-reaching frontiers. Developments in the aviation industry have served as a venue of growth of the tourism industry, especially in an archipelago such as the Philippines.

The air transport sub-sector has been very important to the growth of the economy. It grew by 14.8% in 2007, making it the main growth driver of the whole transport and storage sector during the year.

The sector�s growth was partly due to the large number of people who want to travel fast and cheap. With high visitor turnouts from airline services, hotels enjoyed high occupancy rates in 2007, resulting in 2.9% growth in hotel occupancy rates throughout the country. As expected, total output from the hotel and restaurant industry grew by 10.8% throughout the year.

There is a two-way relationship between the tourism and the aviation industries. A strong tourism industry results in high-ticket sales to various routes, while a competitive airline industry encourages higher traveler turnout. Island hotspots in the country extensively rely on the interdependence between the two industries as remote island destinations count on air transport to bring in tourists.

Recent development underscore the importance of this relationship.

There are plans of developing an international airport in Panglao, Bohol as part of the comprehensive program of the government to augment the accessibility to other parts of Visayas and Mindanao. Tourist activity in Panglao, known for its world-class diving sites, has been rising steadily, but transportation has always been considered an obstacle since it is only reached via seacraft.

The new Iloilo International Airport is also anticipated to heighten the tourism industry and the economy of Western Visayas. According to the Department of Transportation and Communication, passenger turnout is projected to reach 800,000 in 2010 from only 160,000 in 2004.

The government has likewise allotted P179 million for the development and expansion of the Kalibo airport in Aklan, which is an entryway to the world-famous Boracay Island.

Tourism in Boracay, one of the major tourist destinations in the Philippines, is highly dependent in airline travelers that access the island through flights from Manila to Caticlan or Kalibo.

Most airlines have frequent flights to Caticlan, with Philippine Airlines having daily flights, Air Philippines flying five times a week, and smaller airlines such as Cebu Pacific, Asian Spirit, and South East Asian Airlines having twice-a-week flights.

From an average of 29 flights in 2004, there are now 32. With low-cost domestic flights (P2,890 being the cheapest as of last March), overall traveler turnout in the Aklan province grew by 7.9% in 2007.

As should be expected, there was also high hotel occupancy in the region during the period. Western Visayas had an average occupancy rate of 52.2% for January-June 2007, a 21.7% growth rate from a year-ago.

With the high visitor arrivals facilitated by the airline industry to places like Bohol and Boracay, many foreign and local tourists get to experience the beauty of the Philippine landscape and the hospitality and warmth of the Filipino people.

The interwoven thread that connects tourism and aviation has improved the quality of life by expanding or opening up options to experience culture, leisure and recreation, and by linking individuals separated remotely by sea and land.

Thus, the air transport sector has brought about vast benefits, socially and economically, to the global society.

PasigGuy

May 16th, 2008, 09:15 PM

CL officials, traders push for Open Skies at Clark
05/17/2008 | 01:55 AM

Email this | Email the Editor | Print | Digg this | Add to del.icio.us CLARK FREEPORT, Philippines - Officials and traders in Central Luzon have joined hands in asking President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to issue Executive Order 500-B, which will allow unlimited flights at the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA).

A group of local officials and businessmen issued a manifesto on Wednesday urging the President to fast-track the passage of EO 500-B that will allow more international flights at the 2,500 hectare Civil Aviation Complex.

"We appeal to our President to issue EO 500-B so that our country can enjoy the fruits of a liberalized air policy that will create more employment and economic developments not only in Clark and Subic but as well the entire country," said Pampanga first district Representative Carmelo Lazatin.

Lazatin vowed that he would seek an audience with President Arroyo this week and present to her their manifesto seeking to restore the passage of EO 500B, which is expected to save the airline industry in the Philippines.

The manifesto was unanimously signed by major stakeholders of Central Luzon headed by Lazatin who are lobbying for the passage of EO 500B.

Other signatories include Mario Lazatin, director of the Metro Angeles Chambers of Commerce and Industry; Carmen Mctavish, chairperson of the Greater Clark Visitors' Bureau; Jeanie Del Rosario, president of the Clark Investors and Locators Association (Cila); Frankie Villanueva, president of the Association of Business Chambers in Central Luzon; James Dale, president of the Hotel and Restaurants Association of Pampanga; Freddie So, president of the Angeles City Filipino Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry Incorporated; and Mabalacat Mayor Marino Morales.

In their manifesto, the group wants the President to schedule air talks so as to attract foreign air carriers to operate in the country.

The stakeholders stated that this would benefit the partners in tourism, trade and overseas employment and the acceptance of proposals by other countries for liberal air access including pocket open skies in Clark and Subic, which will guarantee a long-term growth in the aerotropolis.

The manifesto also said the liberalization of the Philippine Aviation Industry through the passage of a law on developing all gateways outside Manila through pocket open skies.

"The holding of more bilateral and multilateral air talks with other countries is also a critical element in securing more favorable and more relevant Air Service Agreements with our trade and tourism partners for the benefit of all Philippine gateways," the manifesto stated.

DOTC and CAB approval

"EO 500B endorsed by the Clark International Airport Corporation (Ciac) has undergone the process required by the Office of the President including the review and approval by the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) through the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) prior to its submission to President Arroyo," the group said.

Lazatin also criticized efforts by other local air carriers in stopping the passage of EO 500B saying: "they only protect their own interest and not the interest of the Filipino people."

He was referring to the nation's flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL), which has been opposing an open skies policy for Clark and Subic.

Lazatin noted that DMIA in Clark Freeport has been experiencing a growth of passenger flights since 2003. But when Malacañang issued EO 500A in August 2006, flights at DMIA have decreased tremendously.

This, the lawmaker, is hampering the development of the airport and its surrounding communities. "EO 500B is the best alternative to save our airline industry," he said.

The President recently declared DMIA as the premier gateway of the country.

Among the carriers operating at DMIA are TigerAirways of Singapore, Air Asia of Malaysia, Asiana Airlines of Korea, China Southern Airlines and Deer Air of China, Southeast Asian Airlines (Seair), Asian Spirit and Cebu Pacific.

Airport developers like the Changi Airports International of Singapore and the Al Kharafi Group of Kuwait have shown interest in DMIA.

President Arroyo recently led the inauguration of the Expanded Terminal of DMIA, which costs P112 million. It is expected to increase its passenger capacity to two million passengers annually.

Ciac, the operating arm of DMIA, also plans to embark in an ambitious project, the development of the Terminal 2.

The new terminal would increase passenger capacity to seven million to eight million annually. - Sun.Star

mygz14

May 17th, 2008, 07:22 AM

Aside from the Airport and Seaport that they are planning, I wish that they would include a railway system to the project, one that would link Cavite to the other municipalities in Cavite as well as Metro Manila. As my grandparents tell me, there was once a train system that linked Cavite City and Manila although I have really no factual basis on it.

kratos1211

May 17th, 2008, 03:43 PM

originally posted by X_MD

http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/2271/spdr9.jpg

Sangley Point, Cavite City: International Transport Hub of the Future

benchjade

May 17th, 2008, 04:24 PM

^^may place palang ganyan sa cavite, puwede nga siyang gawiong airport, pero mukhang maliit.

Askal82

May 17th, 2008, 04:37 PM

^^ Parang katakot takot na reclamation ang dapat gawin para gawin syang international airport.

anonymous_filipino

May 17th, 2008, 05:28 PM

Bakit ang dami pa rin nagsasabi na gagawa ng international airport ang COSCO sa Sangley Point? They only want to build a seaport with an international cargo airport as one of its component. And mas malaki gagastusin ng GRP kung dito gagawin yung international airport compared to DMIA na meron ng basic infrastructure (runways, taxiways, expressways going to Manila) na kailangan na lang ng high speed railway, another parallel runway and supporting taxiways, at yung main terminal

mwg12a

May 17th, 2008, 07:30 PM

Kasama sa plano nuong una (atleast sa news reports nabangit) International airport and seaport. Hindi na naman siguro sigurado at exacto ang news reporting . Siguro nga ibig sabihin pang air cargo. Nuong panahon daw ni Ramos, Sangley at Clark ang pinagaaralan na paglipatan ng NAIA terminal...

Sa picture na nasa taas, hindi naman gaano kalaki ang pagtatabunan para makagawa ng airport. Coastal higway lang ang magiging malaking challenge para ma-connect and Manila sa Sangley Point. Reclamaition nga sa Roxas Blvd nagawa, yuong pa sa Sangley? Parang parehas na landmass area yang sa Sangley ng Kota Kinabulo kung saan may tinatayong Airport ngayon.

mygz14

May 17th, 2008, 08:51 PM

There are rumors that allegedly, shanties along the coastline near Sangley Point has been demolished to make way for reclamation. And I think they would be reclaming around 4,000 hectares of land which is comparable to that at Parañaque-Pasay.

allan_dude

May 18th, 2008, 01:47 AM

^^
Campaign to open airport in Clark to foreign carriers rejected anew

By DANNY Q. JUNCO

The country’s largest travel group has urged one-sided open skies proponents to see the bigger picture as it dismissed anew the campaign to open the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) in Clark, Pampanga to foreign carriers as another veiled attempt of the Freedom to Fly Coalition (FFC).

"We are appealing to them to be less myopic and weigh the economic benefits progressive liberalization would bring to the local aviation industry," said the National Association of Independent Travel Agencies (Naitas) in a statement.

"We are seeing again the footprints of FFC in its latest bid to allow unlimited flights in Clark. Myopic, in the sense, that they see the growth of DMIA will hinge on the operation of foreign carriers there," it said.

Robert Lim Joseph, chairman emeritus of Naitas, said they support the campaign of the government and private sector to bring in more tourists, provided the country’s airports are not used by foreign carriers as mere hubs to poach on the traffic of Philippine airlines.

"For example, we do not see Singapore Airlines bringing tourists, for that matter Singaporeans, to Clark," he said. "The problem with the foreign carriers is that they would fly the so-called tourists to Clark and then bring Filipino passengers from Clark to another country."

Pampanga-based stakeholders led by the Angeles International Travel Center and the Metro Angeles Chamber of Commerce and Industry last Wednesday pushed for the issuance of Executive Order (EO) 500B, that will grant fifth freedom rights to airlines serving Clark.

Fifth freedom rights allow a foreign carrier to pick up passengers in its country of origin. For example, Singapore Airlines bringing them to Clark, pick up Filipino passengers there, then ferry them to a third country before going back to Clark.

A business newspaper last Thursday reported that President Arroyo would not amend EO 500A that restricts the entry of non-designated budget airlines into Clark and the Subic Bay Freeport.

Joseph warned that the Philippines would lose its negotiating leverage since countries guard fifth freedom rights as valuable bargaining chips. "Why surrender your rights for free?"

Unilateral open skies, Joseph added, would serve as a hindrance to market access that makes it unattractive and uncompetitive for Filipino carriers to operate international flights to DMIA or Subic Bay International Airport.

"We do not oppose the entry of foreign airlines into DMIA. We only want reciprocity and equal opportunity for our Filipino carriers," he said.

Joseph said moves to make DMIA as a regional hub would be laid to waste unless the Bases Conversion Development Authority builds exits along the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway leading to the freeport.

http://www.mb.com.ph/MAIN20080518124930.html

bartstrife99

May 18th, 2008, 06:36 AM

Hopefully, paalisin sila. But I doubt if magagawa nila yun kasi most of them are fishing villages incorporated into a baranggay. I'm not really sure though.

Actually ang News dito ehh they will relocate to other city like Trece Martires,Bacoor or somehwere in the near city or they will pay to some of money ( $/ P)... not sure and Also the Road Widening Project...

@mygz14
Aside from the Airport and Seaport that they are planning, I wish that they would include a railway system to the project, one that would link Cavite to the other municipalities in Cavite as well as Metro Manila. As my grandparents tell me, there was once a train system that linked Cavite City and Manila although I have really no factual basis on it

Actually yan ang mga recent development na ginagwa ngayun, after the contruction Manila-Cavite coastal they will reconnect the
(1) Kawit-Cavite City (at the Reclaimed Land at the back of Cavite public Market) to Manila expressway
(2) Relocation of Squatter around the seaside and reclamation for the expansion of (Road, Airport and rehabilitation of the Old sea harbor and dock)
(3) The Cavite City LRT connection to the rest of Cavite Provinces to Rosario,Noveleta,Kawit,Bacoor back to Manila base LRT and they will ajacent to Cavite LRT to Batanggas LRT Station
thats the rumor they planning after the visit of her excellency Pres. Gloria Arroyo! :rock:
http://web2.airmail.net/lrs/aerial.gif pic from 1940
http://web2.airmail.net/lrs/aerial.gif Pic from 1960
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=500190&page=8

a s i a n a

May 18th, 2008, 01:21 PM

Cebu Pacific Airlines told to address complaints vs. service (http://www.cebupacificairlines.ph/cebu-pacific-airlines-told-to-address-complaints-vs-service/#more-125)
The Freeman/Sun Star
13 May 2008

The Cebu Provincial Board will call on officials of Cebu Pacific Air to shed light on complaints lodged against the airline’s services.

“We are promoting the tourism of Cebu and here is an airline bringing the name of Cebu but with several complaints already. This is not good for our tourism industry,” PB member Agnes Magpale said.

Magpale said she will file a resolution next week about this but in the meantime she will act on a recent incident involving the airline and Medellin Vice Mayor Michael Miranda, who was reportedly left behind by the plane.

Miranda, in an interview with The Freeman, said that last May 9, while he was waiting for the plane inside the terminal of Cebu Pacific in Manila, he was surprised to learn that his plane already left.

Miranda, with his boarding pass with him, said that his scheduled trip for Cebu was 4:45 p.m. but this was rescheduled to 5:50 p.m. While waiting, he admitted that he took a nap just beside the gate’s terminal.

When he woke up, he asked the airline’s customer desk about the trip and was only told that the plane is already fully booked and had already left.

“How could it be fully-booked? I already have a boarding pass. Nobody was paging my name and I was only told that I will be booked at the earliest flight the following day,” Miranda said.

Feeling aggrieved, Miranda said he called up Ronald Conopio, the protocol officer of Governor Gwendolyn Garcia for assistance.

At 7:30 p.m. that same day, he finally got a flight and eventually got home to Cebu. The vice-mayor said two foreigners were also left behind by the flight he missed.

“Nagyawyaw na man gani to ang duha ka foreigners kay nabiyaan sad sila sa eroplano. Moreklamo ka, ipasa-pasa lang ka. Their system is very chaotic,” Miranda said.

Miranda is now gathering all his tickets and other documents for his lawyer to study on with his plans to sue the airline company. He said money is not the consideration here but to compel the company to improve its services and the manner its staff deals with their customers.

RG Orense, Cebu Pacific Air manager for corporate communications, said he already noted the complaint of Miranda and that he will investigate the incident.

Orense said that, as a matter of policy, the company addresses a formal complaint at least three days from the time it receives the complaint but he clarified that informal complaints will not be tackled, especially if these are based on speculations.

“We can’t respond to complaints based on speculations because people have the tendency to generalize. Complaints must be specific and the person complaining must be identified,” he said.

Orense however encouraged people to raise their complaints or suggestions or comments at their website, which contains the company’s e-mail address.

Magpale commented that some of the aggrieved passengers may not have the time at all to file their formal complaints so it would be better for the airline company itself to investigate the issue.

---

I can't retrive the URL from Freeman's site.

ashton

May 18th, 2008, 01:33 PM

^ hay naku, good thing it involves "somebody" otherwise no action will be taken.. :)

kratos1211

May 18th, 2008, 02:54 PM

RP, Canada sign air rights deal

By Riza T. Olchondra
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 18:21:00 05/18/2008

MANILA, Philippines--Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) scored a victory for the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) by obtaining an agreement for unlimited all-cargo flights between Clark and Canada, with fifth freedom rights thrown in.

"(It is) very positive for Clark. Canada recognized the thrust of DMIA as a logistics hub so it is going to grant liberal all-cargo rights between Clark and Canada with fifth freedom rights," CIAC president Victor Jose Luciano told the Philippine Daily Inquirer in a text message shortly after the completion of the RP-Canada cargo air talks in Vancouver during the weekend.

Under an agreement signed at the meeting, the two countries will allow at least one flight daily with no capacity limit.

As much as 200 tons of cargo can be flown daily by the airlines of both countries. They can also lift and deliver cargo coming from a third country, under fifth freedom rights.

CIAC has long anticipated cargo growth in Clark, which is being positioned as a logistics hub. Clark's DMIA is preparing to develop an P8-billion new complex in anticipation of a boom in both cargo and passenger volumes.

The proposed area for Terminal 2 would have ancillary facilities, including a ramp, parking, express and general freight facilities and heavy aircraft maintenance area.

There should also be a cargo terminal, especially in anticipation of the entry of large aircraft. Terminal 2 will have the tubes and air bridges for that, and the cargo terminal beside it will take care of the cargo.

Clark's agreement with Canada adds momentum to the government's thrust to draw more cargo traffic through the Philippines to spur more business for airlines, multi-modal logistics providers, small cargo players and allied businesses such as aircraft repair.

In April 2008, Singapore Airlines Engineering Co. (SIAEC), part of the Singapore Airlines Group that provides maintenance services to Singapore's Changi Airport, said it was planning to infuse $100 million into a project involving the setting up of a world-class aircraft repair facility at the DMIA complex.

The Philippines is also gearing for Asia-wide cargo liberalization.

The government nominated PAL and Pacific East Asia Cargo Airlines as the country's official carriers under an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) memorandum of agreement for liberalized airfreight services.

The Civil Aviation Board (CAB) said in May 2007 that the memorandum allowed designated airlines of each Asean member to operate all-cargo services up to 100 tons weekly with no limitation on frequency and aircraft type.

kratos1211

May 18th, 2008, 02:58 PM

LRWC plans to invest in P3-B airport

By Elizabeth Sanchez-Lacson
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 18:29:00 05/18/2008

MANILA, Philippines--First Cagayan Leisure and Resort Corp., the gaming infrastructure subsidiary of publicly-listed gaming firm Leisure and Resorts World Corp. (LRWC), will invest in an international airport at the Cagayan free port, which is estimated to cost roughly P3 to P4 billion.

LRWC president Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said the airport would be set up within its 79-hectare property in Sta. Ana in joint venture with the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority.

Air traffic to and from the Cagayan free port is currently serviced at the Navy-owned airstrip in Sta. Ana, which can accommodate jets with 30 to 40 passengers.

The proposed airport is seen contributing to the further growth of the economic zone.

CEZA is mandated by law to manage the Cagayan Special Economic Zone and Free Port (CSEZFP), and has in turn authorized First Cagayan to license, regulate and supervise the operations of registered online gaming enterprises in Cagayan Free Port.

First Cagayan, on behalf of CEZA, can issue two types of licenses: Interactive gaming licenses which cover all types of online gaming including casinos, lotteries, bingo, sports books; and restrictive licenses that limit the offerings to sports betting only.

As the master licensor, First Cagayan is entitled to half of the gaming levy imposed by CEZA on the gaming operators in Cagayan Free Port.

First Cagayan generated P50.4 million in gross revenues for the first quarter of 2008, a 42.9-percent increase from P35.3 million in the first quarter last year.

richard24

May 18th, 2008, 03:01 PM

Solblanc

May 18th, 2008, 03:12 PM

wtf... we need more passenger rights to Vancouver, and all our negotiating team could achieve is more cargo entitlements to Clark!?

Surely, that's not the entire story. There has got to be an update on the passenger side.

-TC-

May 18th, 2008, 04:50 PM

http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=news5_may17_2008

From low-fare to no-fare: Airlines in new dogfight
By Roderick T. dela Cruz
Manila Standard Today
May 17, 2008

DOMESTIC carriers are banking steeply for a new dogfight, offering ultra-low or “zero fares” to passengers to increase their share of the booming travel market.

And that fight is expected to toughen further this year with the formation of PAL Express, Philippine Airlines’ new budget carrier that’s expected to serve 22 inter-island routes initially.

Air Philippines, businessman Lucio Tan’s existing budget carrier, yesterday offered zero fares on flights to Bacolod, Iloilo, Puerto Princesa, Zamboanga and Davao scheduled from June 16 to Oct. 31 and booked until May 25.

The airline’s new promo followed similar campaigns from Asian Spirit and Cebu Pacific, which introduced “free fares” earlier this year.

Asian Spirit offered zero fares on 12,000 free seats on all its domestic flights from June 1 to Oct. 15 this year. Booking started April 9 and ended April 30.

Cebu Pacific, the Gokongwei group’s budget carrier, said it was offering more than 500,000 domestic and international seats for free from May 15 to 18—or until all allocated seats were taken—for travel from June 9 to Dec. 31 this year.

Air Philippines said tickets would not be entirely free as passengers still must shoulder fuel and insurance surcharges and pay government taxes. Passengers flying between Manila and any destination in the Visayas would still have to pay P1,770 each, and those flying to Davao P2,128 each.

Cebu Pacific said it offered its new promo following the delivery of new aircraft to the carrier.

“We continue to expand and take delivery of brand-new planes, and so we are putting seats that would have been empty on sale,” said Candice Iyog, the carrier’s vice president for marketing.

Its domestic seats with zero fares aside, Cebu Pacific has also allocated more than 100,000 seats on its international routes with zero fares.

“We believe this offering will further stimulate domestic and international travel amid rising fuel costs,” Iyog said.

Cebu Pacific recently took delivery of its 18th brand-new Airbus aircraft. It also has two turbo-prop ATR 72 aircraft that it uses for short-haul travel to routes including the Manila-Caticlan segment.

allan_dude

May 18th, 2008, 06:39 PM

Leisure firm to develop Cagayan int'l airport

By Judith Balea
abs-cbnNEWS.com

In a bid to boost tourism in northwest of Luzon, publicly listed Leisure and Resorts World Corp. (LRWC) has tied up with the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority for the development of a P4 billion international airport in Sta. Ana in Cagayan province.

LRWC president Alfredo Benitez told reporters that the company would participate in the project through the donation of a 79-hectare property and some cash infusion.

He said of the total land area, 40 hectares would be devoted to the airport itself while the rest would be for other aviation-related facilities such as hangars. The project is slated for completion in a year and a half, beginning this year. The first phase will consist of a 1.7-kilometer runway.

"The company has been positioned to tap the overseas markets. Slowly, we'll bring them into the Philippines, creating more employment and generating more revenues for the government," said Benitez.

LRWC, through subsidiary First Cagayan Leisure and Resorts Corp., operates an online casino hub inside the Cagayan ecozone, with players coming from Macau via chartered flights arranged by the company.

It began carrying players on an 80-seater jet plane in late 2007, during Thursdays and Saturdays.

LRWC is set to add flights every Tuesday and Friday from Xiamen, China, subject to the approval of the Chinese government.

Benitez said company revenues are projected to jump threefold when operation of the Cagayan airport starts.

He said the company's business in Cagayan province accounts for about 12 percent of total revenues and 40 percent of net income.

In the first quarter, LRWC, which is also engaged in the hotel business, posted a 5-percent drop in net profit to P39.3 million from P41.4 million due to a higher interest expense.

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=118659

Waldenstrom

May 18th, 2008, 07:03 PM

lochinvar

May 18th, 2008, 08:44 PM

"The first phase will consist of a 1.7-kilometer runway."

1.7 lang?

Ph Man

May 18th, 2008, 11:55 PM

freightrunner

May 19th, 2008, 05:06 AM

Way to go Cagayan! I think 1.7km is long enough to accomodate a B747.

Kawawa naman kaming taga Cauayan (kawawayan). Naging white elephant na talaga ang airport namin. :ohno: Matagal ko na pangarap makasakay ng PAL na ang route ay MNL-Cauayan at makauwi ng bahay from Manila in 1 hr 30 mins. Lapit na kasi ng house namin sa airport. Kaso hanggang pangarap na lang. Tsk tsk...Asar ako. Kung sana sinunod nila dati ang MOA with ATO at dinemolish ang mga buildings ni Ropali at Manuel Tiu, eh di sana continuous ang operations. Tsk tsk...Sobrang inundermine nila ang ATO at PAL. Kaya ngayon, wala nang flight! :(I sympathize with you bro. Mga kaibigan kasi ng DYnasty yang mga yan kaya wala tayong magagawa. Hindi bale at least tayong mga taga Valley ay iisa hindi katulad ng ibang region na kanya-kanya sila. Cagayan's success is Cagayan Valley's success. We're still the fastest growing region and Cauayan is one of the identified growth centers so don't lose hope.

bustero

May 19th, 2008, 06:54 AM

funny thing is even with no fare the flight isn't really that cheap!

habagatcentral1

May 19th, 2008, 08:53 AM

^^ Because of escalating fuel prices...the price is almost still the same even if they have to remove the base fare.

swahi

May 19th, 2008, 09:34 AM

i am not surprised with what happened with the Medellin Vice Mayor when he got left behind by Cebu Pacific. This happened with my cousins when they took a connecting flight from cebu to legaspi via manila. The cebu to manila leg was delayed, but they were booked all the way to legaspi. In fact, they were already given boarding passes all the way to legaspi. Unfortunately, the delay was so much that even though the manila-legaspi flight was also delayed, the legaspi flight was already boarding when their flight from cebu was arriving. I called them up from the plane (I was already onboard the plane bound for legaspi) to tell them to rush, only for them to call me back that they are being refused entry because they were late. They asked me to check if their seats were vacant. I checked and discovered that their seat was already occupied by somebody else. The flight was further delayed because Cebpac had to announce for any volunteers to get off the plane. They needed 6 people to get off. 4 volunteered, being promised a refund of their ticket, plus free ticket ride to legaspi the next day, overnight stay at a hotel, and complimentary round trip ticket anywhere in luzon. Unfortunately, they needed 6. That may be the reason why my cousins were not able to board. Who were the 4 boarded? Chinese tourists who we discovered were connecting passengers from a cathay pacific flight from hongkong that was also delayed. I am sure these chinese had higher priced tickets, that's why ceb pac were desperate to keep them from failing their flight.

And about my cousins? They decided to return to Cebu. Their tickets were refunded, and their return flight was free. But these paid tickets were the cheap tickets, around 200 pesos or less base price. So cebu pac escaped liability real cheap. They could be sued, as my cousins had valid boarding passes already.

Cebu Pacific? Make sure you go to the airport 2 hours before. And if not in Manila or cebu airport, their check in counters do not open 2 1/2 hours before the flight, so expect to wait at the terminal if you arrive longer than 2 1/2 hours. Arrive less than 2 hours? Expect to wait in line, and it is a verrry long line nowadays. So take the risk of their slloooowww counter personnel, and be in danger of being classified as past the 45 minute cutoff.

Oh, by the way, their manila check in counter is chaotic, with sloooow personnel. The one who was receiving Legaspi bound people that day? Kept on complaining why the line was long. Idiot, she took up to 15 minutes to process the passenger ahead of us. And I am talking of a couple= 2 people! And she was wondering why the line became long? This happened last April, 2008. Sheesh, Cebu Pac may be cheap, but it is stressful to fly cebu pacific.

And yeah, when we arrived at our hotel in Legaspi, the hotel said that Cebu Pacific is notoriously delayed, unlike PAL- as far as legaspi is concerned.

habagatcentral1

May 19th, 2008, 10:10 AM

Got an experience with their customer service earlier this month:

If you purchase through phone, it will take several minutes to confirm your purchase (if credit card).
They've got the longest queue ever! Both ticketing offices and through the phone. A tip: Buy online, go to the ticketing office by opening time and have your flight reserved if you really wanted that specific flight and fare price.
Chaos at the ticketing counter.
Chaos at the ticketing office. Expect that you are customer number nth power and wait for an hour or more if you are to purchase at the airport ticketing office.
Delayed several times, especially the last flights of the day. I was delayed for 2 hours from Iloilo to Manila (thank goodness at least the airport is new at Iloilo, it cushioned my frustration over their performance).
Well, at least we were fed with Nissin Cup Noodles and water. :DEversince they went LCC, their service went worse. I missed the service they have at CebuPacific during the time that they were not still LCC.

mwg12a

May 19th, 2008, 10:33 AM

ON Swani's cousin's case, it can happen with any airlines in the world when a delayed arrival of another flight gone sour, any airline companies has the right to sold the seat to another customer or passenger if the delayed passenger won't make it on his/her next leg or final destination. I don't think they sold the ticket to a chinese tourist was the main reason or the case, as we all knew, in a news article above when a vice mayor got delayed on his flight after he took a nap somewhere in the building had a couple of other foreigners/tourist left behind with him, so, it's not a matter of prioritizing foreigners and such. Overbooking a flight is not all so uncomon, it happens almost everywhere, because sometimes there are seats that are double booked because, some passengers goes through online or a travel agency and when they have to book it via online it might override the other booking agent's request.. it's a technical error that can't be avoided no matter what. Your cousin was given a free return ticket so, i don't think they are treated unfairly, otherwise, they could of elect to request for the next available flight to Legaspi that can accomodate them....

On Bernie's case, this is a more credible complain. Cebu Pacific do need to have a better system for booking to accomodate the ever increasing demand. The constant delay in flight should also be addressed but we also need to see what are the causes of the delays, for instance, Manila Domestic Airport is always chaotic, overcrowded and such. The only complain I hear from passengers with 5J that is conssitently being complained about was the way the management or personel treats their customers in times of trouble.. That needs to be addressed immediately, because it's their customer they are dealing with and without the customers, they won't be able to operate and expand like how they are expanding now. This is probably the reason why there is so much chaos with 5J, they are growing too fast that they are starting to have hard time handling the growth... We can't really complain much with LCC companies because they are LCC for a reason, it's for a cheaper airfare, less service and products offered should be expected... we have to really read their hidden policies at the back of their tickets or contract before we complain about something. (it's not really hidden, they just didn't highlight all of it....)

mygz14

May 19th, 2008, 12:42 PM

Actually ang News dito ehh they will relocate to other city like Trece Martires,Bacoor or somehwere in the near city or they will pay to some of money ( $/ P)... not sure and Also the Road Widening Project...

@mygz14
Aside from the Airport and Seaport that they are planning, I wish that they would include a railway system to the project, one that would link Cavite to the other municipalities in Cavite as well as Metro Manila. As my grandparents tell me, there was once a train system that linked Cavite City and Manila although I have really no factual basis on it

Actually yan ang mga recent development na ginagwa ngayun, after the contruction Manila-Cavite coastal they will reconnect the
(1) Kawit-Cavite City (at the Reclaimed Land at the back of Cavite public Market) to Manila expressway
(2) Relocation of Squatter around the seaside and reclamation for the expansion of (Road, Airport and rehabilitation of the Old sea harbor and dock)
(3) The Cavite City LRT connection to the rest of Cavite Provinces to Rosario,Noveleta,Kawit,Bacoor back to Manila base LRT and they will ajacent to Cavite LRT to Batanggas LRT Station
thats the rumor they planning after the visit of her excellency Pres. Gloria Arroyo! :rock:
http://web2.airmail.net/lrs/aerial.gif pic from 1940
http://web2.airmail.net/lrs/aerial.gif Pic from 1960
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=500190&page=8

Number 1, the Cavite City-Kawit link to Manila-Cavite Coastal Road is part of the Ten Priority Projects of the current government under Mayor Totie Paredes.

Number 2, I have heard also that informal settlers living along the coastline are now being relocated, I just don't know where.

Number 3, This would be great news. However, under LRTA plans, they would first have to construct the LRT South Extension going to Bacoor, then Imus and Dasmariñas before they could proceed to this proposed extension. But in my opinion, I would rather have a rail system like the bullet train in Japan or even the proposed North/South Rail that would link Cavite City, the other municipalities and other provinces located in Urban Belt Super Region, than a Light Rail Transit similar to that found in Metro Manila.

a s i a n a

May 19th, 2008, 01:47 PM

The turn-around of 5J's aircraft is really too little at around 30 minutes. So imagine one flight delayed means all flights delayed for the whole day.

bartstrife99

May 19th, 2008, 03:09 PM

What about the LRT Extension to Dasmariñas?

malamang kasama yan kc yan ang isa sa mga major national highway dito sa cavite eh.. kasama connection yan sa Emilio Aguinaldo Highway papuntang batanggas..

@mygs
Number 1, the Cavite City-Kawit link to Manila-Cavite Coastal Road is part of the Ten Priority Projects of the current government under Mayor Totie Paredes.

Number 2, I have heard also that informal settlers living along the coastline are now being relocated, I just don't know where.

Number 3, This would be great news. However, under LRTA plans, they would first have to construct the LRT South Extension going to Bacoor, then Imus and Dasmariñas before they could proceed to this proposed extension. But in my opinion, I would rather have a rail system like the bullet train in Japan or even the proposed North/South Rail that would link Cavite City, the other municipalities and other provinces located in Urban Belt Super Region, than a Light Rail Transit similar to that found in Metro Manila.

That's sounds good to hear.. hoping this development matapos kaagad.. about sa rail system tulad sa japan na bullet train maganda rin at yan nga rin ang iniisip ko eh parang ganito National Railway Sytem that connect Luzon-viz-mindanao including sub station sa ilalim ng dagat at maviview mo ung under the sea..

kratos1211

May 19th, 2008, 03:15 PM

Overbooking of 20% for any airlines are standard. The airlines should change this policy. calling CAB.

jaywalker

May 19th, 2008, 03:22 PM

I beleive it's normal for LCC to have a 30 minutes turn around while others are only 20 minutes.The same as with PAL,it's also 30 minutes for thier most domestic flights.We should not expect much from LCC.

bartstrife99

May 19th, 2008, 03:53 PM

P4-B int’l airport soon to rise in Cagayan
By Zinnia B. Dela Peña
Monday, May 19, 2008
First Cagayan Leisure and Resort Corp. (FCLRC) together with the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority will spend as much as P4 billion to build an international airport in Sta. Ana, Cagayan as part of a medium-term plan to transform the Freeport into a first class tourist destination and a major transshipment hub in the Asia-Pacific Rim.

In a press briefing, FCLRC president Albee Benitez said the airport, which will rise on a 40-hectare property, is designed to accomodate Boeing 737s and targeted to start operations in 2009.

The current feeder airport in Cagayan currently caters to international bi-weekly charter flights to and from Macau to bring tourists to Sta. Ana.

Benitez said the group is planning to add flights to and from China in line with efforts to lure more tourists and bettors into the Philippines.

Funding for the airport will come from internally-generated funds, borrowings and land, Benitez said.

The international airport is part of a 10-year development plan aimed at creating a self-sustaining, eco-friendly industrial zone and mixed use township development in the Cagayan Freeport.

Aside from the airport, the plan also calls for the development of a world-class casino resort and infrastructure over a period of five to seven years. Total amount of investment in the project is estimated at P6 billion which is expected to double CEZA’s present revenue being generated solely from interactive gaming.

Some major features of the development include a 100-hectare beach front, a casino complex, housing, sports facilities.

Meanwhile, LRC posted a net income of P39.3 million in the first quarter this year, down five percent from the previous level due to lower contributions from wholly-owned unit AB Leisure Exponent Inc.

Sales increased by 3.19 percent to P866.62 million from only P839.86 million. The bulk of total sales or P540 million came from traditional bingo, or seven percent lower than the 2007 level of P581.01 million.

Electronic bingo sales slightly went up to P126.64 million due to the addition of bingo machines.

As of end-March this year, LRWC had a total of 1,246 E-bingo machines in 32 bingo parlors as compared to 1,230 E-bingo machines in 32 bingo parlors in the first quarter of 2007.

Rapid Bingo contributed P98.01 million or 12.7 percent of total sales as compared to P92.6 million or 11.5 percent contribution the previous level due to increased terminals.

By the end of March, there were a total of 67 Rapid bingo terminals in 50 bingo parlors as compared to 62 Rapid bingo terminals in 42 bingo parlors for the first quarter of last year.

Cost and expenses slightly fell to P555.74 million from P556.57 million.

LRWC recorded its 30 percent share in losses from Binondo Leisure Resources, Inc. (BLRI) amounting to P0.9 million during the period under review.

Igsuonnimo

May 19th, 2008, 04:31 PM

freightrunner

May 19th, 2008, 06:43 PM

Come to think of it. Ten years ago no one from Cagayan ever believed this would become a reality. Everything then were just plain proposals and plans and it seemed no investor was interested in the locating their businesses in the area. This plan started way back during the Marcos era and I guessed we've waited long enough. My generation may not benefit directly from these developments anymore but I'm still glad our children and the next generation to come surely will.

mambo

May 19th, 2008, 08:41 PM

^^ Because of escalating fuel prices...the price is almost still the same even if they have to remove the base fare.

and that is why in europe the eu is threatening to take legal action against airlines and travel sites that advertises their low fares on line only to find out that these arent exactly the final fares youre going to pay and according to the eu this is actually deceiving the customers and should be stop.

xzibit31

May 20th, 2008, 05:03 AM

Way to go Cagayan! I think 1.7km is long enough to accomodate a B747.

Kawawa naman kaming taga Cauayan (kawawayan). Naging white elephant na talaga ang airport namin. :ohno: Matagal ko na pangarap makasakay ng PAL na ang route ay MNL-Cauayan at makauwi ng bahay from Manila in 1 hr 30 mins. Lapit na kasi ng house namin sa airport. Kaso hanggang pangarap na lang. Tsk tsk...Asar ako. Kung sana sinunod nila dati ang MOA with ATO at dinemolish ang mga buildings ni Ropali at Manuel Tiu, eh di sana continuous ang operations. Tsk tsk...Sobrang inundermine nila ang ATO at PAL. Kaya ngayon, wala nang flight! :(

its not long enough...yes it can land in a 1.7km runway. but it should be empty. it cannot ,however, take off with only that length of runway.

habagatcentral1

May 20th, 2008, 05:55 AM

But in fairness to LCCs, it made the once far destinations closer. It made people, especially the Filipinos fly even more, therefore lessening homesickness and travel time.

Now, it brings the "once quite elitist air traveling" to the greater majority of the society.

I've seen the dramatic shift of the people once riding inter-island ferries into riding passenger aircraft.

RonnieR

May 20th, 2008, 06:53 AM

mwg12a

May 20th, 2008, 07:15 AM

^^^ See what I'm talking about??? Back in the days when I was in the Philippines, it seems that unless you are an executive or a highly paid professional, you can afford to fly to Cebu , Davao or anywhere in the Philippines, it was like as if when you fly with PAL or any other Philippine air carriers, it was almost comparable to flying overseas. Now, I'm really tickled to and is proud to find out that alot more filipinos are flying and even experiencing other cultures outside the Philippines because it is more affordable now than it used to be..

Allegiant Air here in the US has a non-refundable ticket policy on an unused ticket or if you get delayed, you will be fined $80.00, unless you purchase an insurance that would allow you to use the ticket at a later date or be transfered to another person's name. The big advantage of it is the cheap airfare on LCCs. For instance, flying out of here in Springfield MO would run around $480.00 US dollars to Orlando or Tampa this summer, maybe more on holidays and peak season. With Allegiant air, I'm paying $205.00 including tax, the best part is, it's a direct flight.. with NWA, AA or Delta, there would be 1 or 2 layovers to thein main hubs before reaching Orlando/Tampa...

bustero

May 20th, 2008, 09:57 AM

Commentary
Surplus of airports amid food deficit

By Ernesto M. Pernia
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 05:39:00 05/20/2008

MANILA, Philippines—International airports are a humdrum topic until one realizes that we have too many of them, yet we do not have enough food, power, water and other basic needs. The subject comes to mind because another international airport is to break ground this month in Panglao Island, Bohol. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo herself is scheduled to preside over the ceremony.

The project was first conceptualized more than 20 years back when hardly anyone even dreamed that the island would become a world-renowned tourist attraction. With the typical on-again, off-again manner of government planning, not too many people paid attention to the project. Of late, however, it’s been rushed supposedly so that it can be completed in two years, before the end of the President’s and the provincial governor’s term in 2010.

The key question is: Does the country need another international airport in addition to the nine existing ones (Laoag, Clark, Subic, NAIA, Iloilo, Mactan, Davao, General Santos, Zamboanga, not to mention the one planned for Cagayan de Oro)?

Consider the most recent available data comparing the Philippines with its neighbors in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). It seems clear that the Philippines has over-extended itself. It already has more international airports than Thailand and Malaysia, and certainly many more than warranted by pertinent indicators.

How can so many international airports be justified in the Philippines with the smallest land area among the four countries, the least number of tourists, a GDP per capita just slightly above Indonesia’s which is the lowest, and—shamefully—the highest poverty incidence (percent of population below the official poverty line)?

One has to wonder how our country’s leaders can in good conscience countenance the proliferation of international airports that are mostly underutilized, while more basic infrastructure and social services remain inadequate and one of three Filipinos exists in deep and grinding poverty! An additional international airport will be superfluous, a misallocation of resources and a sheer waste of scarce investible funds in a poor country.

There’s another sobering thought. Upon us appears to be an era of increasing supply-demand imbalances and ecological instability, highlighted by the global food crisis, inexorable rise in oil prices and climate change. These are likely to adversely affect international travel and tourism.

It follows that an international airport in Bohol (and, for that matter, the one in Cagayan de Oro) will be hard to justify on sound economic grounds. The case is made additionally weaker given the proximity of Mactan International Airport. One can’t avoid likening it to the controversial NBN-ZTE project, a broadband network that was to electronically link the national government with the LGUs up to the remotest barrios. It has been criticized, among others, as wasteful because there already exist two such privately provided broadband networks that could well be extended for the purpose if electric power in the provinces can be improved.

However, assuming for argument’s sake that Bohol needs an international airport: Why in Panglao of all places? It’s the province’s crown jewel. Its powdery white-sand beaches and world-renowned biodiversity coupled with its rustic character are what make the island unique and particularly inviting. Indeed, it has been declared by UNESCO a world heritage site, a recognition of the province’s vaunted policy of ecotourism and balanced development.

An airport would damage Panglao’s ecology, if not in the short run, certainly in the long run. When that happens the very purpose of the airport would be defeated as tourists would shun a damaged environment. Note, for instance, the deterioration of Boracay’s ecology owing to wanton overbuilding and commercialization even sans an international airport.

Bohol may need a more adequate domestic airport which could be located elsewhere. And, obviously, that would cost only a fraction of the amount for an international airport. The extra resources could then be put to better use in boosting food production, improving water and power supply and enhancing education and health services. Bohol’s poverty incidence (34.9 percent in 2003) is higher than the national average.

One can rephrase the earlier question. How can Bohol’s leaders in good conscience be proud of an expensive and questionable project when more than one of three Boholanos live in absolute poverty? Do our local Neroes fiddle while people suffer?

A major reason advanced by political leaders for going ahead with the project—despite unanswered questions—is that preparations are far too advanced and funds have been committed. Doesn’t this reflect bankrupt thinking? First, funds are fungible, i.e., can be reallocated to better use. Secondly, it’s never too late. An analogy is a person who is in imminent danger of contracting cancer. Shouldn’t his physician give the right advice and shouldn’t the patient dutifully oblige just because it’s too late?

The analogy is limited, however. If the patient ignores the doctor’s advice, that’s his personal choice with no negative externality (societal impact). By contrast, if the international airport is pursued despite reservations and risks, the negative externalities will be on society at-large—of the present and future generations.

(Ernesto M. Pernia, Ph.D., is professor of economics, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City, and former lead economist, Asian Development Bank.)
http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/columns/view/20080520-137626/Surplus-of-airports-amid-food-deficit

habagatcentral1

May 20th, 2008, 10:59 AM

^^ Ngek! Di pa kami international airport per se, alternative international pa lang, hehe!!! :D

brownman

May 20th, 2008, 11:30 AM

Guys I just wanna ask, is SilkAir a budget airline?

WawaY[625]

May 20th, 2008, 11:35 AM

Guys I just wanna ask, is SilkAir a budget airline?

hindi ata

silkair kasi sinakyan ko and

1. may food (at masarap)
2. sa T2 kami imbes na sa budget terminal

brownman

May 20th, 2008, 11:45 AM

Yea, I was just wondering. Kasi I was checking for flights tas nakita ko mahal ang pamasahe.

BYAHILO

May 20th, 2008, 01:16 PM

PAL's new 88++ Promo fare for Domestic Routes!
http://philippine-airlines.info/2008/05/19/introduction-of-new-promotional-fare-for-philippine-airlines-pal-pr-domestic-flights/

PAL's drop down fares for Manila-Asian Cities!!
http://philippine-airlines.info/2008/05/19/new-short-term-economy-roundtrip-promotional-fares-from-manila-to-asia-via-philippine-airlines-pal/

Cebu Pacific's Piso fare for new routes Naga, Tuguegarao and San Jose!
http://philippine-airlines.info/2008/05/19/new-short-term-economy-roundtrip-promotional-fares-from-manila-to-asia-via-philippine-airlines-pal/

kiretoce

May 20th, 2008, 04:08 PM

Guys I just wanna ask, is SilkAir a budget airline?

SilkAir is not an LCC. It's a wholly-owned subsidiary of SIA and it serves primarily secondary (regional) routes on SQ's network.

FerrariLover

May 20th, 2008, 10:05 PM

kiretoce

May 20th, 2008, 10:20 PM

Turboprops making mark in Philippines (http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2008/05/20/223831/turboprops-making-mark-in-philippines.html)

Regional feeder operations are becoming increasingly important in the Philippines, with the latest development being the launch by flag carrier Philippine Airlines of a turboprop unit dubbed PAL Express.

Second-tier carrier Asian Spirit has meanwhile undergone an ownership change as it faces new competition from larger players, while another small regional, Seair could follow the same path.

Turboprop operations were limited in the Philippines until last year, when PAL's sister carrier Air Philippines ordered Bombardier Dash 8 Q300s and rival Cebu Pacific ordered ATR 72s to fly alongside their jet aircraft. Until then only Asian Spirit and Seair operated turboprops on *secondary domestic routes.

Now PAL has entered the regional market with PAL Express. The new unit began operating early in May, having taken over the turboprop operations of Air Philippines. It started with the three Q300s initially operated by Air Philippines but has also *acquired six used ex-SAS Q400s, all of which will be placed into service by the end of August.

PAL Express will help feed PAL's jet operations, which have limited room to grow domestically given that about 45 of the country's 70 airports cannot accommodate Airbus A320s or Boeing 737s. This includes Caticlan airport near Boracay island, the most popular international tourist destination in the Philippines.

The Caticlan market has historically been by far the biggest market for Asian Spirit and Seair. Air Philippines broke this duopoly in December and Cebu Pacific began serving Caticlan at the end of February. PAL Express took over the Caticlan service of Air Philippines in May with its three Q300s mainly operating on the busy Manila-Caticlan route, which accounts for about 90% of all flights from Caticlan.

The expansion by the major carriers into turboprop operations has put intense pressure on the smaller players, leaving them looking for funds to boost their financial positions. Asian Spirit in March was taken over by local businessman Alfredo Yao. Until then it was owned by a co-operative and new funds may be used to modernise the carrier's fleet.

Yao also has his sights on Seair, with a view to taking it over and merging it with Asian Spirit. Seair says Yao is one of several potential new investors.

greenshields

May 21st, 2008, 03:59 AM

Commentary
Surplus of airports amid food deficit
...

It's both interesting and sad that we're actually prioritizing the building of new airports to upgrading facilities. The new airports in Iloilo and Bacolod/Silay are indeed necessary as they are trunkline airports with more than adequate demand. But everyone (politicos?) what's to join the bandwagon and asking the government for new airports.

Take the case of Tagbilaran where the demand isn't really that high and considering that the island is close to Mactan/Cebu. An airport right there on Panglao will hasten the deterioration of the environment in that area despite otherwise claims and arguments of the proponents. Tourism, if that's really the engine behind such a proposal, needs to be tempered in the context of sustainability. Note that Boracay is already operating over its carrying capacity, and we wouldn't really want to see Panglao headed in that direction. Sayang lang.

There are a lot of studies that provide valid and legitimate advice to the government. Among them are studies such as the one posted here. The government should heed such advice if they really want to do good to this country. However, the government's true intentions can be found to be suspect given its recent and continuing actions.

bustero

May 21st, 2008, 05:26 AM

Interesting that the economist also has a commentary on this topic (sustainable tourism)

http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11376167

Travel and tourism
Asia, beware Benidorm

May 15th 2008
From The Economist print edition
Booming tourism in emerging economies promises huge benefits. But not if it copies the mistakes of mature markets

PA

WHEN low-cost air travel was taking off in Europe in the early 1990s, the German and the British ambassadors to Greece used to call each other at the end of each week during the summer, to compare notes on the bad behaviour of the visitors from their countries. No clear winner emerged. Sunburnt Brits and Germans would both get blind drunk, lose their money and passports, wind up in a fight at a beach bar and end the night in one of the Greek islands' police cells.

Tourism in Europe's Mediterranean countries is a big business, but it is not loved. It is blamed for polluting the landscape, spoiling the beaches and corrupting the locals' morals. This is partly the countries' own doing. In the 1960s the governments of Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece encouraged the building of hotels and other tourist infrastructure, which seemed the fastest way to catch up with the wealthier north. During the 40 years of breakneck development that followed, vast stretches of the Spanish coast were concreted over, transforming the Costa del Sol into the Costa del Concrete and attracting hordes of tourists in search of sun, sea and sand. Some Greek islands have come to resemble a Hellenic Hong Kong, with high-rise hotels and traffic jams.

Some people in tourism made good money, but in recent years even they have started to notice how the ugliness and the noise is keeping visitors away. The government in Madrid grew so concerned that it bought tracts of seaside land itself, to stop developers from getting their hands on it.
The package and the bill

As tourism is about to explode in the developing world, governments should heed such lessons. During the next two decades the growth of tourism in emerging economies will be two or three times that of the developed world (see article). That is something to celebrate. Mass travel is a path to development and one of the fruits of increasing wealth—travel for experience, for food and culture, and for sheer pleasure. Yet it also contains the danger that development will destroy the very thing people have come to enjoy.

Emerging economies are suspicious about the developed world telling them to act responsibly. Why shouldn't they exploit their natural resources? A pristine hard-to-reach beach with a small exclusive hotel may be just what rich Westerners want; local fishermen would prefer new schools for their children. But with tourism, it is not so clear that rapid development really is in the locals' economic interest. If their government trashes their natural habitat, it is like an investment manager who pays you big dividends out of your capital. The money is good for a while, but you lose in the long term.
Take care of your capital

That is worth remembering because the lesson from tourism in the West is that nobody keeps an eye on the capital. The bay, the ancient site, the coral reef and the fresh water have no single owner to protect them. The hotelier who raises a 1,000-room monstrosity will pay for the bricks and mortar, but not for scarring the view or wrecking an historic monument.

The question planners in these new markets should ask themselves is where they want tourism in their country to be in 20 years. At the moment tourists from emerging markets have their own tastes. Russians like two weeks on a sunny beach, wild parties and lots of retail therapy. The Chinese prefer urban travel to sea and sand. People from the Gulf states travel in big families and require halal food. Yet, with the progress of economic prosperity they will probably become more like Europeans and Americans, who want scenery, a decent environment and a smattering of history and culture. If you destroy your heritage and scenery, you will come to regret it.

From Mexico comes a cautionary tale. The country's Caribbean coast was once a natural paradise. Then data were fed into a government computer program. It digested the statistics and spat out the name of a potential touristic gold mine: a spit of sand called Cancún. Today Cancún has nearly 24,000 hotel rooms, roughly 4m visitors a year and an average of 190 flights daily. Mass tourism needs mass development, but don't pave paradise to put up a parking lot.

It's companion article:
http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11374574&CFID=6385576&CFTOKEN=82422372

That being said, I'm not sure about Panglao but we could definitely do with more airport development in general, perhaps it's timing and prioritization is what should be examined.

greenshields

May 21st, 2008, 09:41 AM

Accessibility has always been an issue. I guess it should now, more than ever, be seen in the context of sustainability especially as there are environmental, economic and social implications that we would later come to regret. What is really the price we'd be willing to or we'd have to pay for our actions today?

kratos1211

May 21st, 2008, 10:08 AM

Interesting that the economist also has a commentary on this topic (sustainable tourism)

http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11376167

Travel and tourism
Asia, beware Benidorm

May 15th 2008
From The Economist print edition
Booming tourism in emerging economies promises huge benefits. But not if it copies the mistakes of mature markets

Tourism in Europe's Mediterranean countries is a big business, but it is not loved. It is blamed for polluting the landscape, spoiling the beaches and corrupting the locals' morals. This is partly the countries' own doing. In the 1960s the governments of Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece encouraged the building of hotels and other tourist infrastructure, which seemed the fastest way to catch up with the wealthier north. During the 40 years of breakneck development that followed, vast stretches of the Spanish coast were concreted over, transforming the Costa del Sol into the Costa del Concrete and attracting hordes of tourists in search of sun, sea and sand. Some Greek islands have come to resemble a Hellenic Hong Kong, with high-rise hotels and traffic jams.

Some people in tourism made good money, but in recent years even they have started to notice how the ugliness and the noise is keeping visitors away.

As tourism is about to explode in the developing world, governments should heed such lessons. During the next two decades the growth of tourism in emerging economies will be two or three times that of the developed world (see article). That is something to celebrate. Mass travel is a path to development and one of the fruits of increasing wealth—travel for experience, for food and culture, and for sheer pleasure. Yet it also contains the danger that development will destroy the very thing people have come to enjoy.

Emerging economies are suspicious about the developed world telling them to act responsibly. Why shouldn't they exploit their natural resources? A pristine hard-to-reach beach with a small exclusive hotel may be just what rich Westerners want; local fishermen would prefer new schools for their children. But with tourism, it is not so clear that rapid development really is in the locals' economic interest. If their government trashes their natural habitat, it is like an investment manager who pays you big dividends out of your capital. The money is good for a while, but you lose in the long term.
Take care of your capital

That is worth remembering because the lesson from tourism in the West is that nobody keeps an eye on the capital. The bay, the ancient site, the coral reef and the fresh water have no single owner to protect them. The hotelier who raises a 1,000-room monstrosity will pay for the bricks and mortar, but not for scarring the view or wrecking an historic monument.

The question planners in these new markets should ask themselves is where they want tourism in their country to be in 20 years. At the moment tourists from emerging markets have their own tastes. Russians like two weeks on a sunny beach, wild parties and lots of retail therapy. The Chinese prefer urban travel to sea and sand. People from the Gulf states travel in big families and require halal food. Yet, with the progress of economic prosperity they will probably become more like Europeans and Americans, who want scenery, a decent environment and a smattering of history and culture. If you destroy your heritage and scenery, you will come to regret it.

From Mexico comes a cautionary tale. The country's Caribbean coast was once a natural paradise. Then data were fed into a government computer program. It digested the statistics and spat out the name of a potential touristic gold mine: a spit of sand called Cancún. Today Cancún has nearly 24,000 hotel rooms, roughly 4m visitors a year and an average of 190 flights daily. Mass tourism needs mass development, but don't pave paradise to put up a parking lot.

It's companion article:
http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11374574&CFID=6385576&CFTOKEN=82422372

So true, I been to boracay in the late 80s, It was so peaceful and beautiful then compared to it today. Too much developments can destroy and not add value to a place.