ok din naman yun...di masyadong hassle sa security checks kapag pinaghuhubad ng foot wear

diba dapat binabawal ang pag sakay sa eroplano na naka tsinelas?

^^ Bakit naman ipagbabawal? It would be more convenient for both the passenger and for the security people...pwera na lang kung amoy patay na daga ang paa na isasakay mo. hehe!! :colgate:

diba dapat binabawal ang pag sakay sa eroplano na naka tsinelas?

Where'd you get that information? People here wear flip-flops on planes all the time. Heck, some even wear fuzzy slippers and pajamas if they're taking the red-eye flight.

^^ you're right anything goes around here, but be careful on Southwest where they don't like it if you wear something too skimpy.:lol: (LINK (http://cbs3.com/topstories/Southwest.airlines.skimpy.2.311655.html))

^^ Yeah, heard about that story. IMO, Southwest had no grounds whatsoever on dictating what a passenger wears, and by the description of what the passenger wore on the flight, it wasn't that vulgar and obscene. Gone are the days when one really dresses up before a flight, but at the rate we're going with all the security checks and what you can and cannot bring with you on a flight, would "clothing-optional" flights be the wave of the future? :naughty: ( :lol: )

^^ Are bikini tops restricted on any Hawaiian airlines? :lol:

^^ As long as the cups are made of coconuts like the ones worn by hula and maglalatik dancers. :lol:

^^ Yeah, heard about that story. IMO, Southwest had no grounds whatsoever on dictating what a passenger wears, and by the description of what the passenger wore on the flight, it wasn't that vulgar and obscene. Gone are the days when one really dresses up before a flight, but at the rate we're going with all the security checks and what you can and cannot bring with you on a flight, would "clothing-optional" flights be the wave of the future? :naughty: ( :lol: )

:) it would be cheaper now that they charge you for checking in luggage and with hardly any room in the overhead bins. You still have to be careful when you are taking off the belt. I guess it doesn't matter when they have these machines that can see you nekkid. :lol:

^^ As long as the cups are made of coconuts like the ones worn by hula and maglalatik dancers. :lol:


I mean, for men to wear those bikini tops on the plane --- :lol: ... buwahahaha!

Airbus exec offers A380 to PAL, Cebu Pacific

The A380 has a capacity of 525 passengers in three classes.
.

....wow dame masasakay 525! kasya lahat ang mga tao ng Executive at Legislative branches ng govt...pati na ang mga mayors at governors hehehehhe sakay na and never return!! :banana:

^^ :lol: --- ang maiiwan yung mga Kagawad at Barangay tanods -- Wahhh!

^^ :lol: --- ang maiiwan yung mga Kagawad at Barangay tanods -- Wahhh!

...tol, masyado marame ang mga kagawad at tanod, hindi na kakasya sa A380, magba-barko nalang sila ng Sulficio Lines....direct voyage to spratlys...:banana:

Cebu Pacific adds three more GenSan-Manila flights
Allen V. Estabillo/MindaNews
Thursday, 03 July 2008 10:26

GENERAL SANTOS CITY yMindaNews/02 July) --Budget airline Cebu Pacific is set to launch at least three more flights every week from this city to Manila to cope with the growing demand for low-cost air travel.
Candice Iyog, Cebu Pacific's vice president for marketing and product, said they will add three morning flights every week starting July 11 to get a slice of the morning cargo and passenger traffic, which is being served by Philippine Airlines and sister airline Air Philippines.

Iyog said the additional flights are scheduled every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, expanding its regular weekly flights to 10.
"This translates to a 42 percent increase in capacity for the Manila-General Santos route," she said in a press statement.

Iyog said they will utilize an A320 aircraft for the additional flights, which will depart from Manila at 7:05 am and will arrive in this city at 8:55. The return flight will take off at 9:25 am and land in Manila at 11:15am.

"We hope that by adding morning flights, we will be able to provide ease and convenience for both business and leisure travelers to General Santos," she said.

Read on (http://www.mindanews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4675&Itemid=54)

Where'd you get that information? People here wear flip-flops on planes all the time. Heck, some even wear fuzzy slippers and pajamas if they're taking the red-eye flight.

plus it's more practical especially when you've got carry on baggage

It all depends on the airline. Obviously, the A380 would burn more fuel than the 77W. It's bigger, heavier, and has more engines. When you divide that fuel burn among the amount of passengers, however, the A380 wins most of the time. The 77W can't carry a load as heavy as the A380.

However, if you can't fill the seats on the A380, then obviously, the optimum fuel efficiency won't be reached, and you might as well use the B77W, as it's smaller.

Technically, if PAL weren't going to acquire 77Ws, then five A380s might have been a good choice. Once daily to LAX/SFO on an A380 would've saved more money and fuel than two 77Ws or two A340s because of the costs involved in flying a single flight. (landing fees, ground handling fees, ground crew, cabin crew, and all that jazz) Of course, it's not without its downsides; the A380 might encounter a lot of awkward situations at the NAIA, although it would be cool to see A380s shuttling between MNL and CEB.

As for the B748, we'll have to wait and see. The A380 is technically more fuel efficient than the B77W, and it can be proven because both planes are already in service. Until the B748 enters passenger service, we have no real way of gauging its performance.

i see. let's see what will be PR's option when it finally got the means to place the order.

when that happens, i will have new exciting subjects on my plane-spotting missions! i might had the chance to visit NAIA's control tower again in the future. hopefully, i would be able to bring my cam by then. :cheers:


OT: My friend flew via Emirates from MNL to Africa Via DXB then Qatar. He lost his baggage in Qatar! :ohno: He has not returned a boxer short he borrowed when he slept over my apartment. I'm guessing the poor thing is in there! :nuts: :lol:

b'z2;22204478"]Cebu Pacific adds three more GenSan-Manila flights
Allen V. Estabillo/MindaNews
Thursday, 03 July 2008 10:26

Read on (http://www.mindanews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4675&Itemid=54)

very good news!:okay: i never thought there's a big airline market for the MNL-GenSan route! that explains the use of wide bodied aircrafts for that route! thanks for posting @ orbz!

^^
Love to see those traffic coming. They're long overdue.:cheers:

Cebu Pacific News Archive
CEB offers low fare credit to government units nationwide

Budget carrier Cebu Pacific (CEB), the airline business unit of JG Summit Holdings Inc., is offering its low fares on credit to the government to help its various agencies save on travel expenses.

Agencies can have a pre-approved credit limits depending on their requirements, Candice Iyog, CEB vice president for marketing and product, said.

The program has already enrolled 31 government agencies, from only one as of January 2007.

“Our ’all inclusive’ fare program fits the government’s need for austerity measures, offering savings of up to 35% compared to fares from other local airlines,” Iyog said.

Some foreign embassies have also enrolled in the program, Iyog added.

“These institutional accounts have been on the rise as well and we expect this to further grow since we have reduced our fares, offer the most number of domestic flights, and serve the most number of both ASEAN and local destinations among local airlines,” she said.

The airline early this month announced an effective reduction on a permanent basis in its fares by as much as 32%. This allows government units and private companies to travel more for the same travel budget or even save and fly the same.

Various government agencies and units also get great savings for using CEB for their international trips in CEB’s rapidly growing network in Asia.

Aurora Tandoc from the Office of the Deputy General Manager of the Philippine Tourism Authority explained, “CEB’s online booking system for government partners allows us to save much on our travel budget since we get to purchase the lowest available fares. It is also very convenient to use and allows us to confirm bookings for urgent travel requirements.”

“With the rising oil prices dampening travel worldwide, we believe reducing our fares is the best way to keep people flying,” Iyog said.

Rumor: PAL has just signed an order 2 A380s. Just a rumor. Posted somewhere else.

wow! so when will the deliveries happen? like maybe 5 years from now. hopefully it's sooner than that.

I hope its not a rumor. I want to see the new A380 type aircraft flying in our country with PAL livery. hahaha

perhaps people were confused with ANA with PAL. PAL isn't even near contemplating on purchasing the A380 with fuel increasing and just about everything else going up. although Airbus is predicting that ANA will purchase the A380 by the end of this year. despite rumors, i too hope that PAL would consider the A380 even though it is most likely that they will have a boeing 777 majority wide body fleet.

Just want to share with you this pics of USS Ronald Reagan's Seahawk helicopters and an aircraft in Iloilo this morning...they're doing relief ops in Panay Is.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b386/jkmanzano/IMG_1943.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b386/jkmanzano/IMG_1945.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b386/jkmanzano/IMG_1946.jpg
nakakasawa hehe

^^ :lol: Hasson, gusto mo European naman? :lol:

pangpasira kasi ng tulog mga yan pag may exercise sa flight deck, ang iingay nila!

^^ Gusto ko sana makaita ng Osprey, hehe!! :D

halika dito, sasakay pa kita.

^^ Ipon muna ako pera, tapos hanap pa work, hehe!! :D

Rumor: PAL has just signed an order 2 A380s. Just a rumor. Posted somewhere else.

The rumor is true but they haven't ordered yet. They are considering not 2 but 4, with 2 leases. It will be for trans-pac flights. Probably for the lease options. Negotiations are still on going with Airbus, and words has it that the manufacturer's offer is too good to refuse. I wonder what it is. Nobody is telling me. If you know something about the Singapore 380 deal, you know what I'm talking about!:)

The rumor is true but they haven't ordered yet. They are considering not 2 but 4, with 2 leases. It will be for trans-pac flights. Probably for the lease options. Negotiations are still on going with Airbus, and words has it that the manufacturer's offer is too good to refuse. I wonder what it is. Nobody is telling me. If you know something about the Singapore 380 deal, you know what I'm talking about!:)

The Farnborough (Air) Show is coming (July 14-20) so let's expect twists, surprises and rumors to become realities. The ANA A380 story is different -- the "rumor" is that the airline had already ordered 5 A380s on October 2007.

Can you tell us what's the deal with Airbus and PAL on the A380? If 2 are lease orders, would it be leased with GECAS?

What's the SIA A380 deal?

this assumes that we get back our ratings to allow PAL to change plane type and frequencies to the US mainland. That's their problem, what if by the time their ordered 777 arrives, and the ratings still remain, they can't change plane types and/or add frequencies.

But if and when these 380 do arrive, that would be several years from now, our government officials would be really big nincompoops if they couldn't change the ratings by then.

^^ very true...

If PAL does order the A380, what config, are they going to use....do you think they might bring back First class? I mean a two class A380 is possible, but thats a lot of people..do you think they will add premium econ too... and maybe go back to the drawing boards with design of the seats?

I think they should have a configuration similar to Qantas, Mabuhay and premium econ on the top deck, (premium econ would do great in my opinion, not as expensive as C class, but not a cheap as econ..great for Filipinos.) Have First class,(maybe suites similar to Qantas or CX...Singapore's is too lavish for PAL) and fiesta on the main deck.

perhaps people were confused with ANA with PAL. PAL isn't even near contemplating on purchasing the A380 with fuel increasing and just about everything else going up. although Airbus is predicting that ANA will purchase the A380 by the end of this year. despite rumors, i too hope that PAL would consider the A380 even though it is most likely that they will have a boeing 777 majority wide body fleet.

this is what sunday Manila Bulletin says...

ANA seen ordering 5 A380 superjumbos

Anybody here who's able to use their air miles for a free roundtrip flight lately?

Please share info. I suppose at these times most dates are blacked out since airlines need cash and there is no such thing as free flights.

^^
The first 380 that will serve MNL has a 2 class config. PAL intends to have the same, and if they order now it will come by 2013, and leased ones as early as 2012. If plans push through, it will have delivery of 2 wide-bodies per year starting 2009 to 2014 starting with the 77W.:)

yahoo! i'm excited about the 777s. but mostly likely, will be used for TransPac routes.

Mine is Malaysia Airlines, Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific Airways

Airbus:

A330-300
http://uploader.ws/upload/200807/ke330.jpg
http://uploader.ws/upload/200807/nw330.jpg
http://uploader.ws/upload/200807/qr330.jpg


A340-300
http://uploader.ws/upload/200807/ay340.jpg
http://uploader.ws/upload/200807/cx340.jpg
http://uploader.ws/upload/200807/lan340.jpg

A340-600
http://uploader.ws/upload/200807/tg346.jpg
http://uploader.ws/upload/200807/cx346.jpg
http://uploader.ws/upload/200807/ib346.jpg


Boeing:

Boeing 747-400
http://uploader.ws/upload/200807/cx744.jpg
http://uploader.ws/upload/200807/cx747.jpg
http://uploader.ws/upload/200807/ba744.jpg
http://uploader.ws/upload/200807/ba747.jpg

Boeing 777-300
http://uploader.ws/upload/200807/sq773er.jpg
http://uploader.ws/upload/200807/cx773.jpg
http://uploader.ws/upload/200807/sq777.jpg
http://uploader.ws/upload/200807/jet777.jpg
http://uploader.ws/upload/200807/ek777.jpg
http://uploader.ws/upload/200807/ac777.jpg

The Best City for Business
Jun 20, 2008

....

Airport

Perhaps, the most ambitious Tiñga vision is an international airport in Taguig’s 7-km lakeshore. “It is very near Makati,” he says, “and it can accommodate two runways, not like the present NAIA.

...

--- Article from BizNews Asia | June 2-9,2008 Issue

I like Mayor Freddie Tiñga but this idea is not very feasible:

1) the shorelands of lakeshore area is a protected environment.
2) it is also below mean sea level.
3) it is still within metro manila. the trend and the standard for the international airport nowadays is that international airports are located at least 30 kms outside the urban area. i think clark-dmia is still the way to go.

But nice try Mayor FT. you gotta admit the man's got vision :p

we already have the unified stock exchange trading floor, three embassies, five international schools, embassy, serendra, boni high street and st lukes, surely we don't need to have the airport, too!

Good observations. But not exactly true. You see when EO 500 was issued it opened clark to international aviation. The problem was while they (government) invite foreign airlines to come in, local airlines was not invited back say Hong Kong. Truth of the matter is, Asian Spirit was not allowed to launch flight to Hong-Kong from Clark while a Hong-Kong Airline served the route. Its application was actually denied by HK. Not fair isn't it! So the local airline industry balked and protested. Hence, the new negotiation for HK. The Philippine government threaten HK that it have no choice but not to allow its airline to service the route without reciprocity and allow its local airline in. Its what open sky is all about. At first HK refused but when GMA amended the EO, they realized that the Philippines was not bluffing. Instead of dividing traffic, they double entitlement. That is more or less the content of the agreement. This time, no more excuses. How about the Oil? That can't be agreed upon. Could that be an excuse?

Now on the traffic, PAL is not inclined to serve Clark within the next 5 to 10 Fyears, however Air Philippines does, probably starting next year when PAL hands down their old 320's. So does Cebu Pacific and most of all Asian Spirit which now regularly flies to Macau on a 146.

The comment of Lance is a manifestation of a difficult time ahead, the oil crisis. Sure they intend to operate from there under normal conditions, and this time is not one of them. If you take Candice words, they can actually now fly SIN, BKK and HKG from CRK and then to CEB with the arrival of their new aircraft by November. Probably, that's what he meant. Anyway, going further, a travel agent for that HK Airline is worried on the dwindling reservations they are having and that would prompt the airline to either reduce or cut service to CRK. Tough times really.

With the current situations we have, the Philippines is still receiving foreign tourists from reservations made last year. The problem now is how to address next year with dwindling reservations. That is if the worst is over. With $143 pb, that does not come cheap, and so are the fares all inclusive, and with that, decline of the boom time. Right now, its the lean time for air travel, and the revised forecast for winter sked and for next year is bleak. Perhaps the local airlines are wary now.:ohno:

From what I remember it was the CRK macau route which Asian Spirit wanted to fly , don't really remember the HK application, and one industry commentator said that it was not the macanese authority which was the problem but both the current holders of the entitlements which did not want in increased. One of these was PR.

I honestly do not believe Air Phil will be flying from Clark soon, anyway let's see. I don't see either 5J nor PR GRoup having any capacity to set up here anytime soon. Either way they actually had the entitlements already and chose not to do much flying from there.

Worry about tourism is correct but that is only more impetus to create more competition. E.g. For all the complaints about rising costs. A current quote for a Philippine Macau flight still has TR much much cheaper than 5J or PR. Only more important to introduce more competition and not protect rent seekers who force consumers to pay more.:nuts:

btw What do you mean about the Singapore Deal with the A380's. Airbus would be offering same to non launch customers with incomparable balance sheets! They must be desparate. But I hope this is true!!! Is there something we should be watching out for in Farnborough then!


@mr taguig.

I actually don't think it's a bad idea (assuming there's no problem with the aerodome of NAIA), they don't have to have 4000 meter runways. They could do a small regional and move all the GA there and have NAIA completely commercial! That way it's still near enough for regional flights and corporate and air taxi markets (for taguig airport). Actually I've surveyed some the land beyond the C6 boundary and would think that having it as an airport would have less of an environmental impact then the more likely mass housing after filling in much more land! Of course TAguig should be the one to pay for it not the GOP.

Ey wala bang bagong balita tungkol sa Boeing 787???

The Best City for Business
Jun 20, 2008

....

Airport

Perhaps, the most ambitious Tiñga vision is an international airport in Taguig’s 7-km lakeshore. “It is very near Makati,” he says, “and it can accommodate two runways, not like the present NAIA.

...

--- Article from BizNews Asia | June 2-9,2008 Issue

I like Mayor Freddie Tiñga but this idea is not very feasible:

1) the shorelands of lakeshore area is a protected environment.
2) it is also below mean sea level.
3) it is still within metro manila. the trend and the standard for the international airport nowadays is that international airports are located at least 30 kms outside the urban area. i think clark-dmia is still the way to go.

But nice try Mayor FT. you gotta admit the man's got vision :p

we already have the unified stock exchange trading floor, three embassies, five international schools, embassy, serendra, boni high street and st lukes, surely we don't need to have the airport, too!

No need for another airport in the Metro. Decongesting should be the guiding word.

When your going to Europe from MNL, think twice before booking on Emirates Airlines, they have awfully bad schedule. I hope they have improved this...(but I doubt)

^ Is it in Europe in general or only in some cities? I think from Dubai they fly to pretty almost everywhere, true or not?

Airbus:

A330-300

A340-300

A340-600



Boeing:

Boeing 747-400


Boeing 777-300


Why post these pics? We already know how a specific aircraft look like.:ohno:

To answer your question:
On aesthetics, mine would be the 345.
On the over-all stuff, the 332/333.

hi! i am new here but been reading posts for a long time. can somebody tell me the meaning of "aircraft situation?" my HAN-MNL Cebu Pacific flight was cancelled last June 25 and the official reason the gave me is "aircraft situation." is it the same with "commercial reason?" Cebu Pacific is giving me different reasons for cancellation: first, aircraft maintenance, second, aircraft situation, third, commercial reason :(

if there's anyone here who was on the same flight, i would like to get in touch with you.
thanks a lot!

Hi everyone! i booked my Cebu macau flight last March for my flight this October. upon seeing the website yesterday, nawala na ang Cebu-Macau flights nila. so i decided to call cebu Pacific, since i was in doubt, to my surprise, wala na ang flight na yun, they dissolved it without informing the customers! can you believe? good thing that i noticed it, but for those who didnt notice it, they will still assume that the flight exist and book their reservations early. they reason out that due to the increase in fuel, they dont have staff to call the customers regarding the said flight... hahay!!! so i decided to change to another country, i hope di na mawala ang bagong flight itinerary ko. i also heard that asking for a refund will take 2 years. so no thanks.... hehehe..

^^ Ang akala ko 2 weeks or months lang ang refund?!! Ayan nanaman sila!!! :bash:

and PAL is 3 months daw! whoaw! good thing is, pwede i pa-reroute but you will still be charged with no-show fee, plus rerouting fee. :ohno:

for 5J, 3 of my friends booked for on an early morning flight to DVO were informed the day before through text that flight is cancelled with the same reasons as Pepe shared. aircraft situation daw.

this is my speculation: according to a friend who works with ATO, 5J's planes are flying almost nonstop. sobrang dami daw routes, and too few planes. kaya gamit na gamit ang mga planes. so malamang yung aircraft situation is due to delayed flight from somewhere else kaya nag chain reaction, naapektuhan yung next route ng plane.

but 5J should be professional enough by informing the passengers through public ad, newsprint kaya, or giving them a call - huwag naman text.

customer service for PAL is as terrible. you would have to wait for 45 minutes before your call will be attended by someone. the quality of the service, however, compensates the timeliness issue. agents are very friendly (most of them) and they admit that they are understaffed. eh kung ipa outsource na lang kaya ang CS to call centers?

hi! i am new here but been reading posts for a long time. can somebody tell me the meaning of "aircraft situation?" my HAN-MNL Cebu Pacific flight was cancelled last June 25 and the official reason the gave me is "aircraft situation." is it the same with "commercial reason?" Cebu Pacific is giving me different reasons for cancellation: first, aircraft maintenance, second, aircraft situation, third, commercial reason :(

if there's anyone here who was on the same flight, i would like to get in touch with you.
thanks a lot!

Hi everyone! i booked my Cebu macau flight last March for my flight this October. upon seeing the website yesterday, nawala na ang Cebu-Macau flights nila. so i decided to call cebu Pacific, since i was in doubt, to my surprise, wala na ang flight na yun, they dissolved it without informing the customers! can you believe? good thing that i noticed it, but for those who didnt notice it, they will still assume that the flight exist and book their reservations early. they reason out that due to the increase in fuel, they dont have staff to call the customers regarding the said flight... hahay!!! so i decided to change to another country, i hope di na mawala ang bagong flight itinerary ko. i also heard that asking for a refund will take 2 years. so no thanks.... hehehe..

so these must be the horror stories of Cebu Pacific...tsk tsk tsk

well at least di masyadong horror sa akin coz October pa yung flight ko and i rebooked my itinerary, wala pa mga hotel reservations ko. but, for those who Cebu Pac will inform, the last minute (of course, they will as much as possible use your money to the fullest, since you pay way in advance) thats where the horror start... :( when the time they will inform you, either the dates you will be choosing will presumably be full, or you need to go to Manila, which is very inconvenient (since their check thru is a joke!) or youll be changing to another date, which will be far away. (again, using your money to the fullest)

buti na lang wala ka pang hotel reservation. actually gusto ko din mag macau. try some other routes - maybe HK then ferry to Macau, then back. :)

yah, thats what im planning. kaa inis talaga sila. i love macau Ph, but if your after cheap price, no contest. hehehe :)

and PAL is 3 months daw! whoaw! good thing is, pwede i pa-reroute but you will still be charged with no-show fee, plus rerouting fee. :ohno:

How come its 3 months to two years na ang refund ng mga airline companies instead of the usual 2 weeks?

for 5J, 3 of my friends booked for on an early morning flight to DVO were informed the day before through text that flight is cancelled with the same reasons as Pepe shared. aircraft situation daw. [/quote]
Ay, the usual excuse! :lol:

this is my speculation: according to a friend who works with ATO, 5J's planes are flying almost nonstop. sobrang dami daw routes, and too few planes. kaya gamit na gamit ang mga planes. so malamang yung aircraft situation is due to delayed flight from somewhere else kaya nag chain reaction, naapektuhan yung next route ng plane.

I also speculate as such. One route may affect the other, so whenever there is a weather disturbance in one part of the country, the rest of its flights will be affected drastically, domino effect talaga.

but 5J should be professional enough by informing the passengers through public ad, newsprint kaya, or giving them a call - huwag naman text.

Why? They even texted me that the credit card pushed through.....after 3 hours from the time i ended up my conversation with them. :lol:

customer service for PAL is as terrible. you would have to wait for 45 minutes before your call will be attended by someone. the quality of the service, however, compensates the timeliness issue. agents are very friendly (most of them) and they admit that they are understaffed. eh kung ipa outsource na lang kaya ang CS to call centers?

I applied at PAL several months ago and the HR head who interviewed me revealed that one call center agent in PAL must handle at least 115-130 calls per duty...That's one helluva quota!!! :eek:

well at least di masyadong horror sa akin coz October pa yung flight ko and i rebooked my itinerary, wala pa mga hotel reservations ko. but, for those who Cebu Pac will inform, the last minute (of course, they will as much as possible use your money to the fullest, since you pay way in advance) thats where the horror start... :( when the time they will inform you, either the dates you will be choosing will presumably be full, or you need to go to Manila, which is very inconvenient (since their check thru is a joke!) or youll be changing to another date, which will be far away. (again, using your money to the fullest)

yessss....i bought round trip tickets from cebu to iloilo....Php 1,400.00 lng...all-in ....5J

hi! i am new here but been reading posts for a long time. can somebody tell me the meaning of "aircraft situation?" my HAN-MNL Cebu Pacific flight was cancelled last June 25 and the official reason the gave me is "aircraft situation." is it the same with "commercial reason?" Cebu Pacific is giving me different reasons for cancellation: first, aircraft maintenance, second, aircraft situation, third, commercial reason :(

if there's anyone here who was on the same flight, i would like to get in touch with you.
thanks a lot!

all encompassing ba ang term na "aircraft situation?" dami kasing reasons na binibigay ng cebu pacific. to give u a background, i purchased a travelsure insurance with my MNL-HAN-MNL flight from Cebu Pacific. nagcla-claim ako from insurance dahil na cancel ang flight ko. i was told by malayan insurance that they need the exact reason for cancellation. first reason they gave last june 25 was aircraft trouble. when i called them up, they said "aircraft situation" and i was given a certification by cebu pacific. lastly, when the insurance coordinated with them, ang sabi ng cebu pacific "commercial reason" which makes me ineligible to claim from insurance. normal ba itong situation na ito?

sana naman someone familiar with the industry can help me. salamat po ulit!:ohno:

bottom line, i think the flight cant compensate the increasing fuel cost. thats why they have to cancel it. unfortunately, yun ang real score. their customer service dont know a thing, the lesser they know the better for the company.

^^
Yup..kahit sa ibang airlines siguro nangyayari yan

Wit, I received an alert from 5J about its most recent seat sale. Macau is included in its destinations. Can you take a look at their site if Macau is back on the dropdown list?

thanks Ph, i checked their website, a trip to Macau from Manila is about 7k.. :) ok na yan... with the increasing price of oil, good enough. kaso lang inconvenient for us from the provinces. but for those based there its good price. :)

wait, that was not my point. ;) i thought you were saying that the 'route' was cancelled. turns out that it's only the flight . akala ko kasi nawala na yung route. na yun ng 5J. hehe...

i mean the route from cebu to macau ang na cancelled. not from manila. ;)

i see, nacancel meaning nawala na talaga yung route? :ohno: akala ko manila to Macau. eh di mag CEB-MNL-Macau ka na lang. hehe...magastos. CEB-HKG na lang muna.

yup.. nag ceb-hk nalang ako.. hehehe... mag ferry nalang ako as you suggested ;)

yep! ok yan. interesting nga daw ang Macau. it's like the Europe of Asia. hehe...i'd definitely go there soon. sana, pag nagkapera. enjoy your trip wit. take tons of photos!

PAL’s budget airline reduces flights to and from Mindanao (http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2008/july/10/yehey/business/20080710bus1.html)

Bogged down by soaring jet fuel prices, Air Philippines, the budget airline unit of Philippine Airlines, yesterday cut some of its flight routes in Mindanao.

Around the world, carriers have been shedding routes and reducing frequencies to cope with record jet fuel costs. In the US, airlines are exploring possible mergers, while at least one Asian carrier went belly up a few months ago.

In its website, Air Philippines announced the suspension of its daily flights from Manila to Zamboanga, Davao and Cagayan de Oro and vice versa.

“Flight suspended July 9, 2008, until further notice,” the advisory from Air Philippines said, which was confirmed by an official of the airline. The same official said the suspended routes will be restored once the prices of crude oil stabilize.

The airline carrier also suspended its Manila to Puerto Princesa flights and vice versa, which started on June 18 and end on October 15.

In its audited 2006 financial statements, Air Philippines said it posted a net loss of P153.42 million, a reversal from the P55.07-million profit in 2005.

The airline carrier operates in Bacolod, Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, Caticlan, Davao, Dumaguete, General Santos, Iloilo, Manila,Ozamis, Puerto Princesa, Tacloban, Tugue-garao and Zamboanga.

Porvenir Porciuncula, Civil Aeronautics Board deputy executive director and head of economic planning, said the industry is expecting the move of Air Philippines to cut domestic operations, particularly the unprofitable routes, to reduce costs.

“Another reason, maybe, is the consolidation of operations [between Air Philippines and PAL Express],” Porciuncula said.

Earlier, PAL established a budget unit, PAL Express, to handle the Visayas and Mindanao routes.

Tycoon Lucio Tan owns PAL and Air Philippines.

PAL is also considering the option of reducing flights. “In light of the current fuel crisis, we are back in the drawing boards discussing our options. Most airlines in Europe and America have instituted drastic measures to address this concern. They cut back on their capacities and route network,” said Roland Estabillo, PAL vice president for communications.

Recently, the flag carrier began limiting free check-in baggage to 50 pounds per person on its North American service. PAL Express, however, said it would add five routes to its Cebu hub starting next month.

Jaime Bautista, PAL president, earlier said that fuel cost is becoming a very big percentage of the company’s operations. “We want to target a higher income, but with the present increasing fuel, we might not be able to reach the target because we cannot pass on everything to the passengers. But we will still grow our revenue at least 8 percent to 10 percent,” Bautista said.

Fuel accounts for about 35 percent to 40 percent of an airline’s operating cost per passenger, and is the second-highest expense next to labor. Regulators allow carriers to impose a fuel surcharge, which is a temporary relief to help airlines recover losses they incur from higher jet fuel prices.

Candice Iyog, Cebu Pacific’s vice president for marketing and product, said that it is looking at reducing unprofitable flights to cope with rising costs.

“We are looking at routes that are unprofitable or non-performing and see how we can either turn it around or reduce the frequency or even suspend the flights,” she said, adding “we need to cut to make sure that our operations are efficient.”

PAL Express begins daily flights to Virac on July 15 (http://www.catanduanestribune.com/Jul-09-2008/TopStory/Detail.aspx?newsID=4365)

Philippine Airlines Express will begin daily flights to Virac this July 15 using a 68-seater propeller aircraft.

According to the PAL Express website, the budget airline will use the De Havilland Canada DHC-8-400 Dash 8/8Q for the mid-afternoon flights between Manila and Virac. Under Flight PR060, Flight PR060 will leave Manila’s NAIA Centennial 2 terminal at 2 P.M. and land at Virac airport at 3:10 P.M. for a flight time of one hour and ten minutes. It takes off again at 3:40 P.M. for flight PR059 and will land in Manila at 4:45 P.M. for a flight time of one hour and five minutes.

Aside from the Virac route, flights to three other provincial points will be launched on the same day - – San Jose, Occidental Mindoro; Calbayog, Samar; and, Surigao City, Surigao de Norte.

The Philippine Airlines has brought back its popular "Buy 1, Take 1" promotional-fare scheme that offers a free one-way domestic ticket for every such ticket bought. The promo is applicable to all PAL domestic services, including regular jet flights between Manila and 17 local points, as well as PAL Express turbo-prop flights from Manila and Cebu.

For PAL Express turbo-prop flights, the all-inclusive payment comes to as low as P1,986 one-way. In return, the passenger gets a wholly free, one-way ticket, with zero air fare and all the attendant fees and surcharges waived. The complimentary ticket can be used for the return journey or for another one-way flight to any PAL or PAL Express domestic point.

The free ticket may also be issued in the name of a passenger other than the holder of the paid ticket. A confirmed booking is required for both paid and free tickets, which must be issued together.

The promo deal can be availed of at PAL ticket offices or accredited travel agents until July 7, 2008 only. It is valid for travel between July 15 and October 15, 2008 and covers only a limited number of seats.

Cebu Pacific joins PAL return to Cauayan domestic airport (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/regions/view/20080703-146250/Cebu-Pacific-joins-PAL-return-to-Cauayan-domestic-airport)

After eight years, domestic flights of two airlines in the country are allowed to offer connecting flights from Manila to the Cauayan Domestic Airport here in Isabela.

Cauayan City Mayor Caesar Dy said Cebu Pacific Airlines and Philippine Airlines would resume flights to the city's airport this July and August, respectively, after getting approval papers from the Air Transportation Office and the city government.

Dy, who was informed with official letters from the ATO and the said airline companies, said the inaugural flight of Cebu Pacific with an 18-seater plane was supposed to start on June 12 but was sidelined by the erratic weather condition.

When the airline officials scheduled their flight a week later, Typhoon "Frank" (international codename: Fengshen) arrived forcing them to cancel the trip schedule, he added.

Dy said he was unsure on what type of planes will be used by the said airline entities, although he was told that a Boeing or Fokker type of planes may be used.

Domestic flights were finally approved, Dy said, after at least P58 million funds were poured in by the government, with Japan Bank for International Cooperation Assistance, for modernization program.

Installed at the airport were the state-of-the-art navigational equipment, power generation facility, and the six-storey tower, it was learned.

The Cauayan city airport's runway was expanded to a two-kilometer-long from a kilometer-long runway to make it capable of accommodating Boeing 737 and C130, both large air carriers.

The airport had its last domestic flight in 2000. Asian Spirit airline used to ply its route in 1999 until its permit was revoked in 2000 following a plane crash in Cabarroguis, Quirino that killed 18 people there.

Philippine Airlines, on the other hand, terminated its Manila-Cauayan missionary flights in 1999 due to "irreversible business losses."

Earlier, the Regional Development Council in the region has sought the help of the Department of Transportation and Communication for the reopening and promotion of connecting flights to and from Manila through the city's domestic airport to boost economic development in the region.

The RDC then resolved that domestic airport flights would spur "development of an inter-modal transportation system where the land, air and maritime transport complement will be achieved."

The airport has been used only by six-seater light planes from Cyclone Airways in commuting passengers and ferrying cargo from mainland Isabela to the coastal towns of Palanan, Maconacon, Divilacan and Dinapigue.

"With the city's strategic location as a business hub, we hope to strengthen investments in Isabela," Dy added.

Domestic traffic records from the National Economic and Development Authority in Cagayan Valley earlier said that of the 45 out of 100 foreign and local air travelers went to Isabela for business and pleasure.

The Cauayan City council earlier passed a resolution seeking to reactivate the domestic airport to prop up President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's declaration of Cauayan City as one of the super-region development sites.

Vice Mayor Bartolome Malillin said the resumption of flights will further enhance business opportunities in the city.

nice updates Kimbro.

Cauayan City is actually my home town. Here's something I posted at Isabela thread:

i didn't know this thread exists! salamat guys for filling us in with these valuable info. i'm from Cauayan, few minutes away from the airport. and i'm excited about above news! naiiyak naman ako. :lol: high school pa ako nung natigil ang operation ng PAL due to the noncompliance of the signed MOA between ATO and the local government.

the problem came up because of the warehouses/buildings of Ropali Alingog and Manuel Tiu within the flight path went beyond the maximum height restriction for structures within the area. this happened the same time when PAL pilots complained against Sugarland Hotel (Bacolod). eventually, the hotel has its topfloor demolished to comply with ATO height restrictions.

so the "irreversible business losses" phrase above does not seem plausible to me.

we used to live in a place where the tower and part of the runway is visible. pero ngayon, medyo lumapit na kami sa airport kaya wala na ako makita. :lol: hopefully 5J will use Airbus jets. PAL will be using PAL Express, which hopefully will be changed soon into A319 or 320 when the market picks up.

^^ Glad for you and for the people of your fine city, Francis. :okay:

thanks Kimbro. I promised my nanay that i'd go home when the airport goes operational and give her some tips how to plant pechay using a very limited piece of lot. :lol: hindi na daw ako mapapagod sa land travel...a grueling 9-hour travel. by the way, the Dy-nasty came from our town. and now, our mayor is a Dy, congressman is another Dy, we used to have a Dy governor but was upset by Grace Padaca few years back putting a demise to the long running dynasty. but not in Cauayan.

maalala ko nung gradeschool ako, i used to watch Philippine Airlines plane as it makes its final approach to the runway. hehehehe...kita na kasi sa likod ng bahay namin. then every once in a while, may mga airshows ng mga tora-tora. aliw siyempre. then nung grade 5 ako, some NPAs raided the Air Force camp, at parang New Year daw ang putukan! :(

^^ So that's where you got your fascination with planes and airports. :) Your recollection brought back fond memories of growing up in Paranaque near Merville and watching the planes take off and land. I remember it was a treat to be driving on South Super Highway and have the planes zoom over the car. ahh memories...:lol:

Philippine Airlines mull services cut as fuel costs rise (http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iMaFaEPFQph7IUY94AAKGPWpUSnw)
19 minutes ago

MANILA (AFP) — Philippine Airlines is considering cutting some of its services to reduce costs because of rising fuel costs, the Manila Times reported on Thursday.

"In light of the current fuel crisis, we are back on the drawing board discussing our options," the airlines spokesman Roland Estabillo told the newspaper.

"Most airlines in Europe and America have instituted drastic measures to address this concern. They cut back on their capacities and route network," he told the paper.

Budget carrier Air Philippines said Wednesday it had reduced services to three cities on the southern island of Mindanao due to rising fuel costs.

The airline said on its website that it had cut daily services from Manila to Zamboanga, Davao and Cagayan de Oro "until further notice".

Philippine Airlines (PAL) said in June it would limit free check-in baggage to 50 pounds (23 kilograms) per person on its North American service amid rising fuel prices.

"Record-high fuel prices have forced PAL to follow the lead of most major carriers in reducing baggage allowance on trans-Pacific routes, as a way of cutting operational cost," the airline said at the time.

The airline's president Jaime Bautista said recently that fuel cost was becoming a very big percentage of the company's operations.

"We want to target a higher income, but with the present increasing fuel prices, we might not be able to reach the target because we cannot pass on everything to the passengers," he said.

"But we will still grow our revenue at least eight percent to 10 percent," Bautista said.

Fuel accounts for about 35 to 40 percent of an airline's operating cost for each passenger, and constitutes the second highest expense after labour.



Cebu Pacific announces seat sale (http://peanuts.aero/low_cost_airline_news/airline/12241/59/Cebu+Pacific+announces+seat+sale+)

Low fare leader Cebu Pacific (CEB), is offering a PHP388++ one-way fare from Manila to Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia.

The airline is also offering a PHP888++ one-way fare from Manila to Bangkok, Guangzhou, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Kaohsiung, Macau, Shanghai, Singapore, Taipei and Xiamen.

The PHP888++ fare is also extended to CEB’s direct international services to Singapore and Hong Kong from both Cebu and Davao.

On its domestic network, CEB offers ‘all-inclusive’ fares of P699 for services from Manila to Luzon, P999 for flights from Manila to Visayas, and PHP1,499 for Manila to Mindanao services. Intra-Visayas and Mindanao flights would range from PHP699 to PHP999.

The system-wide seat sale will run from 10-Jul-08 15-Jul-08 and is good for travel from 22-Jul-08 to 15-Oct-08. More than half a million seats are allocated for this seat sale. The promo is non-refundable.

Candice Iyog, CEB spokesman said, “While all modes of public transport are increasing their fares, we would like to assure the public that flying with CEB will continue to stay affordable.”

“This should also encourage more tourist arrivals during the traditional lean months of July, August, and September,” she explained.

Now in its 13th year, CEB has the youngest fleet in the Philippines. It has a fleet of ten A319s, eight A320s, and two ATR72-500 aircraft. The airline expects to increase its fleet to 25 by the end of 2008.

^^ while PAL is cutting down its flights and increasing its fuel surcharge, Cebu Pac is doing the usual seat sale/zero fare promo naman. you can have a MNL-CEB RT ticket for less than P2K.

^^ So that's where you got your fascination with planes and airports. :) Your recollection brought back fond memories of growing up in Paranaque near Merville and watching the planes take off and land. I remember it was a treat to be driving on South Super Highway and have the planes zoom over the car. ahh memories...:lol:

hehe...hi kuya jo. i can spend the whole day watching planes landing and taking off. :lol: masarap ba tumira sa Merville?

yep! ok yan. interesting nga daw ang Macau. it's like the Europe of Asia. hehe...i'd definitely go there soon. sana, pag nagkapera. enjoy your trip wit. take tons of photos!

hehehe.. thanks Ph i will... :)

Isn't it a wonder that airports and airplanes alike are poignant reminders of our childhood?

Must admit that I am facinated with them too. I always enjoy visiting my aunt in Multinational Village since I can sit outside and spend a long while watching the planes take off and land (and identifying the airline too).

When we moved back to Iloilo, we live close to the flight path. The sound of the planes landing or taking off became a permanent fixture of my daily activities and has somehow become my alarm too. The roar of an approaching plane is my signal that I should be heading for school already or else I'll be late. I got too dependent with this that I end up getting to school late whenever the plane is late too. This was before I got the habit of relying in a clock or watch to tell time. :D

^^ That's a funny anecdote, Merl. :colgate:

PAL Express extends network, introduces new promo (http://business.inquirer.net/money/breakingnews/view/20080710-147639/PAL-Express-extends-network-introduces-new-promo)

PAL Express undergoes its second major expansion in a fortnight when it begins flying to five provincial points from its secondary hub of Manila next week.

The low-fares, turbo-propeller unit of Philippine Airlines will start daily service to San Jose (Occidental Mindoro); Virac (Catanduanes); and Surigao City (Surigao del Norte) on July 15.

Calbayog (Samar) follows on July 17 with four flights weekly, and then Catarman, (Northern Samar) on August 1 with three flights weekly.

The 76 -seater Bombardier Q400 turbo-prop aircraft will be deployed on four of the new routes except for San Jose, which will be served by the slightly smaller, 50-seater Bombardier Q300.

The current "Buy 1, Take 1" promo fare to all jet and turbo-prop domestic services of PAL will also apply on them. Promo sale, however, is extended until July 21 for these new points from the original deadline on July 15 for others.

The promo offers passengers a free one-way ticket for every one-way ticket bought, with all fees and surcharges waived. The complimentary ticket can be used for the return journey or for another one-way flight. Travel is valid between July 15 and October 15, 2008.

The addition of the five points to PAL Express' Manila-hub network follows on the heels of a similar expansion on July 1, when five routes were launched from the unit's main hub at Mactan International Airport in Cebu.

These were the services between Cebu and Cagayan de Oro, Cebu and Ozamiz, Cebu and Dipolog, Cebu and Zamboanga, and Zamboanga and Davao.

In all, the 10 new routes being added from July 1 to August 1 represent a more-than-doubling of PAL Express' network in the space of one month. The low-fares brand took off May 5 with a service between Manila and Boracay (Caticlan).

Two weeks later, on May 19, its centerpiece Cebu hub opened with flights to Boracay, Bacolod, Butuan, General Santos, Tacloban and Puerto Princesa. Busuanga was added to the Manila hub the same day, for a total of eight PAL Express routes prior to July 1.

PAL is no stranger to the latest island points, which are among the flag carrier's pioneer provincial destinations and are now rejoining the network after a decade's absence.

PAL first operated turbo-prop service to San Jose in 1947, Virac in 1949, Surigao in 1956, and Calbayog and Catarman in 1958. Flights were suspended in 1998 when PAL's rehabilitation plan obligated the airline to focus only on major trunk-line routes.

that's interesting oboi/merl. good for you in iloilo, you get to see planes more than once a day. in my case, i only see it once a day. the rest of the plane-spotting spree is spent on tora-toras, turbo props and C130s, which then looked like a giant fish to me. :lol:

the buy one take one promo is a bit misleading imo. you still have to pay for the fuel surcharge and taxes - where the bulk of the fare is.

I wonder why Air Philiipines still has the CEB-ILO-CEB route until now? Most of the CEB hub flights of Air Phil were replaced by PAL Express and they have marked June or July as to change the plane from B737 to Q400s?

^^
Isn't it a wonder that airports and airplanes alike are poignant reminders of our childhood?

Ah, the good old days! Same sentiments here. No wonder the fascination. I remember climbing the roof of my grandparents big house awaiting the arrival of Hawker Siddeley HS 748 Series 2B. I enjoyed the moments alone on that rooftop. I sometimes brought my friends there but I guess they never did enjoy as much as I did. Great view up there as you can see the terminal and the runway with planes landing on it. Then Fokker 50 came along as well as the shorts SD360-100. I love those moment in time. Last time I checked, all I saw now are concrete walls and colored roofs. I used to wake up on the noise of arriving first flight from MNL making it my alarm clock as well. I did remember waking up late for work because of the flight delays. I sure did cursed that habit but hey I'm not alone all along! I gonna missed that too!



btw What do you mean about the Singapore Deal with the A380's. Airbus would be offering same to non launch customers with incomparable balance sheets! They must be desparate. But I hope this is true!!! Is there something we should be watching out for in Farnborough then!

Hopefully, but I doubt it. Airbus are not desperate either. They just want to have sales more than their american counterparts. The announcement is supposed to be next year and they all keep it under wraps for now.

In John Leahy's time, Airbus was and it is still now known to give discount on planes list price more than that offered by Boeing on their wide body project. That is if you order plenty. But SIA got most of the bargain on the 380 deal more than UAE notwithstanding their huge orders for one good reason. Not that they were its launch customer or because of the project delay, but because more than that they got four overweight whales. Remember the wire issues? Retrofitting the belly would not be a good idea as it will contribute additional project delay. While everyone got compensation on the delay SIA got a reward for operating the fat whale. They got 30% off the list price. Basically, they got one free. But not all orders of course. Leahy's marketing team is so good at it that they convinced SIA to take 9 more and 6 options. UAE got that too by ordering more. Sadly, they said no for the freight version. Anyway where is the connection? Airbus is so good at counter-offers that put Boeing a mile away. PAL proposed four and they offered 6 for a bargain. It reminds me on the Thai deal. Why would you need 6 when 4 is enough? That is practically a marketing genius! What I'm saying is, the airbus wizards are so good at convincing airlines that they end up ordering more. Bottom-line is, the 6th number is the holy grail of the 380 list price for a small sized airline. Its what they called operating efficiency. Now, what about its pocket? PAL was in fact a beneficiary of Airbus benevolence even if it was repeatedly on the red, starting with the A300B4 series, and they were also one of the earliest costumer of the 320/330/340 series planes. The reason, the deal is not so hard on the airline's finances. The trick is, if you don't have hoards of cash, they let you lease the plane with option to buy it in the future. Whats so good in the deal is its reasonableness of payment terms. You also end up with nil inventory of old equipments if you don't want any antique stuff at your backyard. That's what they did to lovebus. This method was so effective that it was adopted by its competitor through its leasing arm 15 years later. That is how it grew to what it is now. Most of all, Airbus stood by them during its trying time. Boeing doesn't. Had it not for the deposit, they could have opted for the 346 easily, with almost the same cost equivalent to seven of them. After it settled its score, Boeing offered the 748 as a replacement for the 744. Airbus presented the 388. And as I've said it had a term so good to refuse. I'm not aware of the details though. That's classified for now.

Can somebody tell me the meaning of "aircraft situation?" my HAN-MNL Cebu Pacific flight was cancelled last June 25 and the official reason the gave me is "aircraft situation." is it the same with "commercial reason?" Cebu Pacific is giving me different reasons for cancellation: first, aircraft maintenance, second, aircraft situation, third, commercial reason

Aircraft situation can either be defined in layman's term as no available aircraft, or that aircraft requires maintenance. In the former, no equipment is available either due to delays which always had a domino effect on subsequent flights, or due to unforeseen events resulting to its maintenance in a bay like bird strike or engine failure. The latter has an equipment available but the pilot refuses to fly them either due to safety concerns like non-functioning flight indicator or judgment call on busted warning lights. Essential ones put the plane on the ground although technically it can still fly and land safely. All of them can be seen on the pilot's checklist. some busted item's require mandatory repair before flight, however some of them are not in the spare inventory, resulting to grounding of plane, while replacement in others need not be immediate that's why they continue flying. This require judgment call on the pilot to continue flight. On these items, every pilot see it differently as essential for safety while others regard it as additional safety net. Even if the aircraft is on stand already but the captain says no flight, there will be no flight. Lance might grind his teeth to the end but that is how it goes. I remember one airbus inspector mechanic commenting in 2005 that their plane should not have been used the way CEB used it. Even machines need a rest do they?

Commercial situation is more on the economic side of things. This usually happen when there are only about 50 passengers both ways. If they don't get the numbers, most likely than not they end up canceling the flight and join it to the next one which happen to have similar figures. The exception is when the next flight is fully booked that they have no choice but leave. While the reverse is true on this one. Even if they carry 10 passengers one way and full going back, chances are you will have that flight. Same thing in reverse. If that was a 319, then 50 it is, and if it was a 320 you need more than 60 to fly. Sometimes departures are saved by walk-in passengers. That's why maybe it took them longer to decide either to stay or go. when that time comes and there was not enough of them anxious passengers are furious already. Who wouldn't be?

In both cases, aircraft situation is always a good reason to tell than a commercial one even if it wasn't. If there was indeed something wrong with the aircraft, the pilot has reasons not to fly the plane. Who knows what they are doing might save your very own life. The harsh reality is we don't even think about it!:):D

Fuel turbulence: Cebu Pacific cuts speed to save

JG Summit Holdings Inc., owner of the country’s second-largest food and beverage company, is cutting portions on packaged biscuits and telling its airline’s pilots to fly more slowly as inflation cuts margins.

“The cost pressures are unlike anything I’ve experienced in 20 years,” the company’s president, Lance Gokongwei, 41, said in an interview yesterday.

The Manila-based company was raising prices while cutting costs because “using just one lever isn’t going to work at this point,” he added.

Profit at JG Summit, with businesses that include phone services, property development and selling hogs, may decline this year on currency losses and as jet fuel costs for Cebu Air Inc. doubled this year, Gokongwei said.

Operating profit might rise or be little changed as the company raises prices of residential apartments, cuts planes’ water loads and reduces the weight of cookies sold in Thailand.

“Anything that will result in savings or better cost efficiencies will definitely help,” Lovell Sarreal, an analyst at ATR-Kim Eng Securities Inc., said in an interview.

“Reducing portions is effectively a price increase and should help offset higher costs as consumers can shy away from products if they exceed certain price points.”

JG Summit shares have fallen 30 percent this year, while Universal Robina declined 25 percent, compared with a 32 percent drop in the benchmark Philippine index. JG Summit was unchanged at P8 while Universal Robina stayed at P10.50.

The margins of the group’s branded food business had narrowed to about 33 percent from as high as 37 percent last year, while operating margins would remain at about 10 percent, Gokongwei said.

The inflation rate accelerated to 11.4 percent in June, the fastest pace in 14 years and would peak this quarter, dimming growth prospects, said Economic Planning Secretary Augusto Santos.

Inflation worldwide has been stoked as crude oil futures gained 88 percent in New York in the past year while rough rice futures climbed 72 percent in Chicago and wheat surged 40 percent.

Food, agro-industrial products and commodities generate 54 percent of revenue for JG Summit, which controls Universal Robina Corp., the country’s biggest snack-food maker. Cebu Air, the country’s second-largest carrier, contributes 15 percent, with Digital Telecommunications Philippines Inc. adding 11.8 percent.

Universal Robina had increased the prices of its chips, biscuits and tea-based drinks by as much as 10 percent in the past six months and might raise them by another 5 percent this year, Gokongwei said.

The property division, which contributes 10.3 percent of revenue, has raised apartment prices by 10 percent as it fights shrinking margins from residential sales.

Revenue growth at JG Summit would outstrip inflation and operating profit would be higher from a year earlier in all but its airline business, Gokongwei said. Net income last year was P8.61 billion on sales of P86.5 billion.

Universal Robina reported profit of P5.56 billion for the fiscal year ending September. San Miguel Corp., the country’s biggest food and beverage company, posted net income of P8.63 billion for 2007.

Operating profit at Cebu Air, excluding one-time gains, would probably fall from last year’s P1.7 billion, Gokongwei said. The low-cost carrier is cutting some overseas trips to destinations such as Shanghai.

“We’re flying our aircraft slower, washing our engines each week to be more efficient and reducing even the water we carry on board aside from reviewing flight plans,” Gokongwei said.

Slowing down a plane to fly closer to its optimum speed, while increasing flight time by one or two minutes, could reduce fuel consumption by “a couple of percent,” he said. Fuel costs make up 50 percent of Cebu Air’s expenses.

PAL Holdings Inc., which controls Philippine Airlines Inc., the nation’s biggest carrier, posted operating income of P7.81 billion in the 12 months ended March, 61 percent more than the previous year. PAL has lost half of its market value this year.

Universal Robina sells biscuits in Thailand and Indonesia, where it aims to gain market share. It reduced the weight of some cookies in Thailand instead of raising prices.

JG Summit will maintain its plan to spend as much as P28 billion this year to expand businesses, although some spending may have to be delayed as demand eases.

The company is still interested in buying the government’s stake in Petron Corp. and will continue to buy back shares in Universal Robina.

“The cheapest thing to do now is to buy your own stock,” Gokongwei said.

He is the only son of tycoon John Gokongwei, who built his snack-food, property and airline empire from scratch after World War II.

Lance Gokongwei, who has an MBA from Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, became president of JG Summit Holdings Inc. in 2002 on his father’s retirement. He started Cebu Air in 1996, making it Philippine Airlines’s only major competitor in almost seven decades. Bloomberg and AP (http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=news2_july11_2008)

I wonder why Air Philiipines still has the CEB-ILO-CEB route until now? Most of the CEB hub flights of Air Phil were replaced by PAL Express and they have marked June or July as to change the plane from B737 to Q400s?

My guess is the higher traffic. Since a 737 seats more passengers than a Q400, it would make more sense for PAL to retain CEB-ILO and CEB-DVO in the hands of 2P than replace them with PAL Express services since the demand for these routes warrants it.

^^ And even 5J hasn't replaced the routes yet (and managed to increased its flight 2x for 3x per week last summer) from A319s to ATRs yet.

More flights to Netherlands from RP (http://globalnation.inquirer.net/news/breakingnews/view/20080712-148114/Now-more-flights-to-Netherlands-from-RP)

The Philippines has obtained more flights and cargo entitlements from the Netherlands to serve the growing demand from overseas Filipino workers and tourists.

A new air services agreement with the Netherlands will allow Philippine carriers to serve Europe and give more choices to Filipino overseas workers as well as tourists and business travelers, said Transportation Secretary Leandro Mendoza.

It will also open up Philippine skies further, particularly at Clark international airport, the country's new gateway, he said.

The Netherlands-based KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is currently the only European airline flying between Manila and Amsterdam.

Carmelo L. Arcilla, the Civil Aeronautics Board executive director, said the new air services agreement provides for seven Manila-Amsterdam flights per week, seven Clark-Amsterdam flights, and another seven to be distributed among the country's other international airports.

An equivalent number of flights from Manila to Amsterdam will be allowed to enter these destinations.

Fifth-freedom rights were also thrown into the deal. This means that carriers flying between the Philippines and the Netherlands can go to a third country and pick up passengers there before completing the route. For example, KLM can go to a gulf country before proceeding to Manila, and vice versa.

The agreement was a major victory for Clark, which did not have entitlements from Amsterdam until now. Besides passenger flights, the new Philippine gateway also obtained cargo entitlements of 700 tons weekly compared with only 250 tons for Manila.

Data from the Department of Tourism shows that traffic between Manila and Amsterdam has been increasing from a two-way volume of 186,504 in 2005; 208,255 in 2006, and 212,078 in 2007. Load factors also improved steadily from 85 percent in 2005 to 88 percent in 2006 and 89 percent in 2007.

The rate of tourists coming to the Philippines from the Netherlands has grown 3.4 percent and from the rest of Europe, 13.84 percent.

The Philippine air panel led by Transportation Undersecretary Doroteo Reyes and his counterpart, Dr. Rene Sennes, signed the agreement late Friday. The old agreement of 1995 provided only four weekly flights to Manila and four weekly flights to Amsterdam.

yay. probably philippine airlines will restart their Amsterdam-Manila route.
they could even go to a third city maybe paris, london or madrid.

^^
The surprise deal is the addition of entitlement to international gateway ports other than Clark. It was added on prodding of politicians who don't know any better than grandstanding. Like opening here, there and everywhere without even thinking if traffic was really sufficient to make a viable flight. They just don't get how airline economics work! Possibly if it came from the sandy side of the earth. But no, the deal involves flight from Europe. It was not even part of the request of either or both PAL or KLM nor part of the initial agreement. Clark was added apparently for cargo ops by KLM. Sorry folks, its not passenger service. Why is this so? Because Clark can see blue skies now. Remember the OPEN SKY Policy? It is effective for all cargo ops already. But KLM wants to add flights to MNL only and no other. Not in the next 10 years as they are saying. Presently, they are paying royalty to PAL for taking their 3 allotments. That same thing PAL is paying to Air Canada for its Vancouver flight. With the new deal, that royalty will be gone. For now until it wont be enough again probably by next year or two. Basically the deal calls for 2 daily flights from MNL, one from each airline. Other than that, it will only just be a useless entitlement similar to Moscow, Istanbul and Helsinki. Notwithstanding the bait of 5th freedom rights. Other countries with huge traffic to PI are not crazy as our politicians suggest it to be, like CEB-DBX-AMS. Arabs and Dutch would have to agree on it do they? Well, they haven't thought of that. So, In much simpler terms, even if you make the airports and aeronautical services free, they would still not come, more so on other international gateways.:cheers:

magandang news nga to despite of alarming news on gas

^^

Hopefully, but I doubt it. Airbus are not desperate either. They just want to have sales more than their american counterparts. The announcement is supposed to be next year and they all keep it under wraps for now.

In John Leahy's time, Airbus was and it is still now known to give discount on planes list price more than that offered by Boeing on their wide body project. That is if you order plenty. But SIA got most of the bargain on the 380 deal more than UAE notwithstanding their huge orders for one good reason. Not that they were its launch customer or because of the project delay, but because more than that they got four overweight whales. Remember the wire issues? Retrofitting the belly would not be a good idea as it will contribute additional project delay. While everyone got compensation on the delay SIA got a reward for operating the fat whale. They got 30% off the list price. Basically, they got one free. But not all orders of course. Leahy's marketing team is so good at it that they convinced SIA to take 9 more and 6 options. UAE got that too by ordering more. Sadly, they said no for the freight version. Anyway where is the connection? Airbus is so good at counter-offers that put Boeing a mile away. PAL proposed four and they offered 6 for a bargain. It reminds me on the Thai deal. Why would you need 6 when 4 is enough? That is practically a marketing genius! What I'm saying is, the airbus wizards are so good at convincing airlines that they end up ordering more. Bottom-line is, the 6th number is the holy grail of the 380 list price for a small sized airline. Its what they called operating efficiency. Now, what about its pocket? PAL was in fact a beneficiary of Airbus benevolence even if it was repeatedly on the red, starting with the A300B4 series, and they were also one of the earliest costumer of the 320/330/340 series planes. The reason, the deal is not so hard on the airline's finances. The trick is, if you don't have hoards of cash, they let you lease the plane with option to buy it in the future. Whats so good in the deal is its reasonableness of payment terms. You also end up with nil inventory of old equipments if you don't want any antique stuff at your backyard. That's what they did to lovebus. This method was so effective that it was adopted by its competitor through its leasing arm 15 years later. That is how it grew to what it is now. Most of all, Airbus stood by them during its trying time. Boeing doesn't. Had it not for the deposit, they could have opted for the 346 easily, with almost the same cost equivalent to seven of them. After it settled its score, Boeing offered the 748 as a replacement for the 744. Airbus presented the 388. And as I've said it had a term so good to refuse. I'm not aware of the details though. That's classified for now.



Ah I see, I was hoping for some exciting news. Actually I thought that if it were not for the deposits PR might have tried for more A380's for the additional capacity (with some short term leases to plug in availability) as well as 744 replacements, Getting more aircraft commonality. Of course the deposits did play a big role in the end. Anyway hope to see some exciting news regarding this. I think the A380 is in the lead for this one specially with less baggage allowance per passenger they can pack in more cattle without the issues of weight restriction. Maybe next Farnborough !(kelan ba yan every 2 years lang ata !:nuts:)

Another great news. So the third country agreement is exclusively for the Middle East or could they have a choice where to go (i.e. Milan, Athens or Tripoli)?

i dont see KLM truly committing to CRK.. maybe cargo but not the whole she-bang... if they can consistently pull high yeilds for an AMS-CRK or some other route maybe they'll consider doing ops there.. ;)

btw hows asiana doing with their ICN-CRK route?

^^ Very crowded route.... even after midnight. Mostly filled with Koreans. :D
Oh man.. good times on the flight... I forgot to turn off my cell phone haha

^^

Aircraft situation can either be defined in layman's term as no available aircraft, or that aircraft requires maintenance. In the former, no equipment is available either due to delays which always had a domino effect on subsequent flights, or due to unforeseen events resulting to its maintenance in a bay like bird strike or engine failure. The latter has an equipment available but the pilot refuses to fly them either due to safety concerns like non-functioning flight indicator or judgment call on busted warning lights. Essential ones put the plane on the ground although technically it can still fly and land safely. All of them can be seen on the pilot's checklist. some busted item's require mandatory repair before flight, however some of them are not in the spare inventory, resulting to grounding of plane, while replacement in others need not be immediate that's why they continue flying. This require judgment call on the pilot to continue flight. On these items, every pilot see it differently as essential for safety while others regard it as additional safety net. Even if the aircraft is on stand already but the captain says no flight, there will be no flight. Lance might grind his teeth to the end but that is how it goes. I remember one airbus inspector mechanic commenting in 2005 that their plane should not have been used the way CEB used it. Even machines need a rest do they?

Commercial situation is more on the economic side of things. This usually happen when there are only about 50 passengers both ways. If they don't get the numbers, most likely than not they end up canceling the flight and join it to the next one which happen to have similar figures. The exception is when the next flight is fully booked that they have no choice but leave. While the reverse is true on this one. Even if they carry 10 passengers one way and full going back, chances are you will have that flight. Same thing in reverse. If that was a 319, then 50 it is, and if it was a 320 you need more than 60 to fly. Sometimes departures are saved by walk-in passengers. That's why maybe it took them longer to decide either to stay or go. when that time comes and there was not enough of them anxious passengers are furious already. Who wouldn't be?

In both cases, aircraft situation is always a good reason to tell than a commercial one even if it wasn't. If there was indeed something wrong with the aircraft, the pilot has reasons not to fly the plane. Who knows what they are doing might save your very own life. The harsh reality is we don't even think about it!:):D

Thanks for this explanation! Does this mean that the three concepts are mutually exclusive? O pwede po syang gamitin interchangebly that would refer to all or any one of the three? Saan po kaya ako makakakuha ng industry definition nito na pwede ko i-quote with source? I am writing a formal letter to Cebu Pacific. Kasi in three instances, they gave me these three "reasons" for my cancelled flight. :ohno:

Cebu Pacific extends domestic and international seat sale air fare promo (http://www.cebupacificairlines.ph/cebu-pacific-extends-domestic-and-international-seat-sale-air-fare-promo/#more-197)

Low fare leader Cebu Pacific extends the domestic and international seat sale promo which supposedly ended yesterday.

Here is the complete list of routes covered by the seat sale:

Domestic

P699
— Manila to Laoag (Ilocos Norte), Legazpi (Albay), Naga (Camarines Sur), San Jose (Mindoro) or Tuguegarao (Cagayan Valley)
— Cebu to Bacolod (Negros Occidental), Butuan (Agusan del Norte), Cagayan de Oro (Misamis Oriental) or Iloilo

P999
— Manila to Bacolod (Negros Occidental), Boracay (Caticlan), Cebu, Dumaguete (Negros Oriental), Iloilo, Kalibo (Aklan), Puerto Princesa (Palawan), Roxas (Capiz), Tacloban (Leyte) or Tagbilaran (Bohol)
— Cebu to Boracay (Caticlan), Clark (Pampanga), Davao, Puerto Princesa (Palawan), Zamboanga
— Davao to Iloilo or Zamboanga

P1,499
— Manila to Butuan (Agusan del Norte), Cagayan de Oro (Misamis Oriental), Cotabato, Davao, Dipolog (Zamboanga del Norte), General Santos (South Cotabato) or Zamboanga

International

P388
— Manila to Kuala Lumpur or Kota Kinabalu (Malaysia)

P888
— Manila to Bangkok (Thailand) Guangzhou (China), Hanoi (Vietnam), Ho Chi Minh (Vietnam), Hong Kong (China), Kaohsiung (Taiwan), Jakarta (Indonesia), Macau (China), Shanghai (China), Singapore, Taipei (Taiwan) or Xiamen (China)

Sale Period: July 10 - 20, 2008
Travel Period: July 22 - October 15, 2008

The fares quoted above are “all-inclusive” fares which means that there will be no more additional charges as the fares quoted already include the fuel and insurance surcharge, aviation security fee and 12% VAT.

So what are you waiting for? Fly with Cebu Pacific! Book your tickets now!

^^Only domestic flights have all-inclusive fares aka "all-in." Intra-Asia flights are still exclusive of applicable charges and taxes.:)

Continental's last Saipan-Manila flight departs (http://www.saipantribune.com/newsstory.aspx?cat=1&newsID=81710)

The last flight of Continental Airlines' Saipan-to-Manila service left the island yesterday after the company canceled the route last month, citing skyrocketing fuel prices and diminished ticket sales, a move that has prompted local health officials to find new foreign hospitals for patients in need of advanced medical care overseas.

Continental's service was the only direct local flight to Manila, the point of origin for Filipinos traveling to and from the Commonwealth and a key destination for many local hospital patients who are sent off-island for treatment.

Labor activists have said the loss of the flights could result in a major hassle for Filipino workers without visas to travel to Saipan through Guam, who may have to catch connecting flights through South Korea or Japan instead.

Any prospects of reviving the air service appear bleak, according to a statement by Continental spokeswoman Grace Garces, who noted that Filipino nurses-who once traveled along the route to take licensing exams on Saipan, serving as a major source of ticket sales-can now get the tests in Manila. “We will probably be unable to start again due to the loss of the nurse traffic,” Garces said. “This traffic will probably never return.”

Yet mounting fuel costs are the primary reason Continental dropped the flights, Garces said, noting that crude oil prices have jumped more than 96 percent since the same time last year to $145.18 per barrel. Continental's fuel costs, she added, rise by an estimated $45 million for every $1-per-barrel increase in the price of crude and the company now spends $169 on fuel every second.

Moreover, Continental is in the midst of a host of cutbacks to reduce costs. “It was economically prudent to discontinue this route at today's oil prices, which seem only to soar,” Garces said.

Health officials on Saipan have already begun adapting to the loss of the flights. In an interview, Public Health Secretary Joseph Kevin Villagomez said the government has now “developed a referral relationship” with Nagoya City University Hospital and Aichi Children's Hospital in Japan. However, he noted that local and Japanese officials are still “working out” issues such as how the hospitals will be reimbursed for expenses.

In addition, Gov. Benigno Fitial is working to gain more airline service on Saipan capable of handling medical patients.

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

PAL should grab this opportunity and come in and serve this market. :colgate:

Thanks for this explanation! Does this mean that the three concepts are mutually exclusive? O pwede po syang gamitin interchangebly that would refer to all or any one of the three? Saan po kaya ako makakakuha ng industry definition nito na pwede ko i-quote with source? I am writing a formal letter to Cebu Pacific. Kasi in three instances, they gave me these three "reasons" for my cancelled flight. :ohno:

Aircraft situation refers to the first paragraph and can either refer to one or the other or both. It can be seen in the flight operations manual. Its exact technical term is AIRCRAFT CONDITION. You can find samples of those on this link (http://www.justaplanebroker.com/forsale/B727-223ADV%20sn20990%20N849AA/N849AA_condition_checklist.pdf). See notes on page 4. When that reason is used for cancellation of flight, it can always be justified by airlines. Commercial situation is not. If you want to file a claim against the airline I advice you to consult a lawyer. But first, take a look at the back of your ticket. Read the terms and conditions of carriage. See restrictions and limitations of liability, and if its one of those, e.i. right to cancel flight due to reasons cited, chances are you will just be wasting your money, if not you have good chances in succeeding in court. In most cases airlines allow you to rebook flight on this conditions. Other legal issues, see your lawyer for details.:cheers:

Aircraft situation refers to the first paragraph and can either refer to one or the other or both. It can be seen in the flight operations manual. Its exact technical term is AIRCRAFT CONDITION. You can find samples of those on this link (http://www.justaplanebroker.com/forsale/B727-223ADV%20sn20990%20N849AA/N849AA_condition_checklist.pdf). See notes on page 4. When that reason is used for cancellation of flight, it can always be justified by airlines. Commercial situation is not. If you want to file a claim against the airline I advice you to consult a lawyer. But first, take a look at the back of your ticket. Read the terms and conditions of carriage. See restrictions and limitations of liability, and if its one of those, e.i. right to cancel flight due to reasons cited, chances are you will just be wasting your money, if not you have good chances in succeeding in court. In most cases airlines allow you to rebook flight on this conditions. Other legal issues, see your lawyer for details.:cheers:


Maraming salamat muli! I am not and will not file a claim against Cebu Pacific. Rather, I am running after my travel insurance. I am asking Cebu Pacific to tell me the exact reason for the cancelled flight coz that's what the insurance is asking me. I've been given three reasons already! Worse, when the insurance coordinated with Cebu Pacific, they gave "commercial reason" which made me ineligible for claim though they sent me a letter that it was "aircraft situation." I am feeling something is not right about this since I bought the insurance from them as well. :ohno:

^^
Read the terms of the insurance contract you signed. Find anything relating to conditions of non-payment. They are not allowed by law to justify non-flight for commercial reason. Aircraft conditions will. Technically, the airline is supposed to re-booked you on another flight. Insurance are made precisely to pay for delayed flights. Personally, I see contract of adhesion here. If the insurance will not pay on those account, I advice you to see a lawyer.:)

Domestic flights of Philippine Airlines (PAL), Cebu Pacific Air and Air Philippines will soon be departing from the Terminal 3 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) before July ends, airport officials said.

Only two percent of the airport remains to be completed, but airport officials said the terminal, built in 2002 and was mothballed for years due to legal obstacles, will be opened by the fourth week of July.

The airport will first be opened to domestic operations, while international flights will be accommodated in two to three months.

During the dry run conducted Tuesday the terminal's security systems, called the four-level security screening, were put to a test.

The airport, according to officials, will be utilizing high-tech security systems that are the first ones to be installed in the country.

Aside from the usual x-rays and physical inspections, the NAIA Terminal 3 will utilize explosive detection systems and a machine called the CTX 9000 to sort out suspicious baggage that might contain contraband materials, chemicals, or explosives.

"May machine, may walk-through metal detector, may canine dogs tayo, then may CCTV cameras tayo na surveillance camera," said NAIA General Manager Angel Atutubo.

Secretary Leandro Mendoza of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) said Wednesday there is still no exact date yet when the mothballed terminal would be opened since airlines have yet to completely set up their network systems inside.

He only said during a forum on alternative fuels for public transport held at the Philippine Trade and Training Center that the new facility is almost complete.

"Whether July 22 or 23, NAIA 3 will be opened this July. It is really the ticketing booths and other equipment of the airlines that should be installed inside that are lacking. As soon as they have completed their transfer activities we can partially open NAIA 3," he said.

"On the part of the government, we are ready to accommodate the passengers. Now, the airlines have started setting up their ticketing offices inside. We are just waiting for the private sector. It is up to the airlines to hurry up. But definitely, the opening won't be later than July," Mendoza said.

Projects for transport dev't

Mendoza also said the Arroyo administration will continue to upgrade the facilities of existing airports all over the country. "There will be a continuing program for the upgrading of the airports. That will be announced by the President in her State of the Nation Address (SONA)," he said.


During the forum, President Arroyo announced that families of jeepney drivers and operators can avail of the P500 million funding that will be allocated through a so-called novel micro-financing program.


The amount is part of the P4 billion excess collections from the value added tax on oil. Arroyo said families of public transport drivers can avail an amount to start their own small business amid tough times.


To cushion the impact of the unabated increase of oil prices, the President had directed the DOTC last month to provide assistance to the land transport sector through technical assistance and the encouragement of the use of alternative fuels.


"This forum is in compliance to the said directive. Public utility vehicle (PUV) engines are being converted to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) fed engines," said Mendoza.


A total of P1.32 billion is being set aside by the DOTC to fund various projects to support the President's directive.


A study on the formulation of master plan for alternative fuel conversion will cost P15 million. A business plan for LPG and compressed natural gas (CNG) conversion will cost P2 million.


Another P2 million will be allotted for vehicle technology verification and testing project.


Other projects include a P750-million jeepney engine conversion program; P300-million CNG supply infrastructure; P250-million for engine conversion program; and P1.5-million information campaign. With a report from Cecille Lardizabal, ABS-CBN News (http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=125416)

^^
Read the terms of the insurance contract you signed. Find anything relating to conditions of non-payment. They are not allowed by law to justify non-flight for commercial reason. Aircraft conditions will. Technically, the airline is supposed to re-booked you on another flight. Insurance are made precisely to pay for delayed flights. Personally, I see contract of adhesion here. If the insurance will not pay on those account, I advice you to see a lawyer.:)

Wow that's a quick reply! I was told by the insurance that I wouldn't be covered by them if it is "commercial reason" which Cebu Pacific has told them. I was told that the coverage is only if it was by "natural events" which i find weird since most insurance companies would not cover "act of god" reason. Insurance told me that they are allowed by the Insurance Commission to do that. Unfortunately, no insurance policy was sent to me after I bought it with my air tickets online. I am surprised by this since the travel insurance I bought before sent me the policy 3 days after. The information posted in the Cebu Pacific website are in general terms.

In fairness to Cebu Pacific, we were booked in a nearby airport hotel after long hours of waiting for their representative. Worse, they put us in a "7 person in one room" accommodation. I wouldn't mind paying for my own hotel if Cebu Pacific had told us that early about it. But at 0230, it was impossible to go back to Hanoi from Noi Bai which is one hr drive away from the city.

It was my first time to fly with Cebu Pacific and so bad that I experienced this with them.

Salamat po ulit!

^^
That is the price you pay for taking an LCC. I think they have an online version for the terms and conditions of insurance. Generally, you have to agree on those terms. Act of God means fortuitous events, or events which could not be foreseen by human conduct such as lightning, flood or freak storm. Commercial reason is not one of them. What they said to you is wrong because the insurance commissioner has no authority do do that. Only congress can, through the Insurance Code. I remember taking those course in college. And if my memory serves me right, the insurers are allowed to vary terms of insurance so long as the insured agrees. And since you agree to those terms by buying its service, it means that you waived your right provided by law and based your claim on the contract you bought. No wonder it had a cheap premium on its head as can be gleaned from this site (http://www.gotravel.com.ph/benefits.asp). Next time you buy one read the terms first. See to it that it covers dalayed flights other than severe weather conditions. That's what flight insurance is for, to fly you as scheduled and for them to pay you if you suffered delay thorugh no fault of your own. If its not there find others that have. Most do have it at a premium. Meaning you pay more. If your travel for that day is really that important, this is the best choice for you, especially if you have connecting flight at stake:)

^^
That is the price you pay for taking an LCC. I think they have an online version for the terms and conditions of insurance. Generally, you have to agree on those terms. Act of God means fortuitous events, or events which could not be foreseen by human conduct such as lightning, flood or freak storm. Commercial reason is not one of them. What they said to you is wrong because the insurance commissioner has no authority do do that. Only congress can, through the Insurance Code. I remember taking those course in college. And if my memory serves me right, the insurers are allowed to vary terms of insurance so long as the insured agrees. And since you agree to those terms by buying its service, it means that you waived your right provided by law and based your claim on the contract you bought. No wonder it had a cheap premium on its head as can be gleaned from this site (http://www.gotravel.com.ph/benefits.asp). Next time you buy one read the terms first. See to it that it covers dalayed flights other than severe weather conditions. That's what flight insurance is for, to fly you as scheduled and for them to pay you if you suffered delay thorugh no fault of your own. If its not there find others that have. Most do have it at a premium. Meaning you pay more. If your travel for that day is really that important, this is the best choice for you, especially if you have connecting flight at stake:)

Yup lesson learned :ohno: mechanical trouble is covered by the insurance so i am wondering if its included in the term "aircraft situation." i think i shldnt be buying "built-in" insurance and stick to my insurance agent... hehe! thanks a lot!

^^
Had the aircraft been a bus or a jeepney it could have been called mechanical trouble, but since the bus fly so its called aircraft condition for the professionals and aircraft situation for the ground crews. Definitely its part of insurance as long as you're willing to pay its premium. Glad to be of help here!:cheers:

Don't know if anybody is interested but I will post this anyway.

What Philippine airport has the longest runway? Is Manila Airport runway or any other Philippine airport capable of handling the latest and largest of civilian aircraft?

Runway maintenance is important since it is very much different from ordinary hi-ways we see; everyday, they are subjected to so much stress and strain.

Some airports abroad also have problems with birds damaging the blades of airliners. I don't know if such is encountered in the Philippines.

What Philippine airport has the longest runway? Is Manila Airport runway or any other Philippine airport capable of handling the latest and largest of civilian aircraft?

^^ The answer to both questions is yes.

Ninoy Aquino International Airport's Runway 6/24 has a total length of 3,737 meters.

A test-landing for an A380-800 took place last October 11. This means that the runway is capable of handling, what is by far, the largest passenger aircraft with its, relatively, short runway.

^^Thanks for the info.

3.7km ---> if there will be expansion, will there be enough space? Or will it be the Clark airport as future main gateway?

^^
Reposting my comment here on the 380 and its Philippine operation.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=21842265


Mactan is capable of handling 380 without runway extension. At 2,700 meters it can manage to take off with full weight (MTOW) under its belly.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=21842425

And yes, the 380 does not need reversers to stop. It can manage to stop by its own brake at the 2000 meter marker. Reversers are just deployed for safety concerns. FYI:lol:

If the whale can handle it at less than 3,000 meters, why need more when 3,500 is more than enough? Doesn't make sense isn't it?

If the whale can handle it at less than 3,000 meters, why need more when 3,500 is more than enough? Doesn't make sense isn't it?

^^ Sorry if I'm being paranoid and/or defensive here but I just want to point out that when I said:
"This means that the runway is capable of handling, what is by far, the largest passenger aircraft with its, relatively, short runway."
I was simply pointing-out that NAIA's runway isn't as long as the runways of Hong Kong, Singapore, Seoul-Incheon, Beijing, Shanghai-Pudong, Guangzhou, Tokyo-Narita, Osaka-Kansai, Jakarta, Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi, and Kuala Lumpur.

Again, I'm sorry for being paranoid and/or defensive. If your comment wasn't directed at me, I humbly apologize, in advance.

Cheers. :cheers:

I sympathize that the Manila airport should be expanded --- not only the runway but the entire airport as a whole.

The latest A380's can take-off and land on a strip atleast 3km or shorter. Heck, I'm not a pilot, but I think a longer runway will be very much comfortable to "drive" into!

I am not sure what the future holds for aircrafts, but I think a wider, longer runway is both ready, and safe for future air travel.

^^ MNL can't expand any further, it's already closed-in by urban sprawl on all sides.

^^ i agree.. unless we put up some artificial island along manila bay just like japan did on chubu airport :D lol

^^ That would be impractical. Ise Bay where NGO (Nagoya-Chubu Centrair International Airport) is located has an average depth of 20m. Manila Bay on the other hand is twice that deep, about 40m. One would have to dig much deeper into the bedrock to anchor an airport island on Manila Bay and numerous mounds of dirt to fill it. And from a panoramic point-of-view, an airport island out on Manila Bay will destroy its famed sunsets as seen from Roxas Boulevard.

^^Thanks for the info.

3.7km ---> if there will be expansion, will there be enough space? Or will it be the Clark airport as future main gateway?

there is no space but even if there is? 3.7km is long enough no need to extend it.

I made a post in June 12 that PAL is negotiating for another 330/340.
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=21968158
[QUOTE=kiretoce;21966413]Local airlines stick to plans for expansion (http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2008/june/23/yehey/top_stories/20080623top7.html)

And PAL is negotiating on another 330/340 from another airline to add its fleet. Good news for the once ailing airline getting back and better than its contemporaries. Probably for rounds down under:cheers:

It did not got a 767 from ET-AL. Word is it had difficulty finding spares. But negotiations are on going from other airlines for sale or lease of 330/340. Destination, the land down under. Psst... don't tell them I told you already.:cheers:

El Al sells 2 Boeing 767s
The airline (http://www.globes.co.il/serveen/globes/DocView.asp?did=1000362952&fid=1725) will report a pretax capital gain of $9 million on the $13 million sale.
Globes' correspondent 17 Jul 08 17:25
El Al Israel Airlines Ltd. (TASE: ELAL) today sold two Boeing 767-200s, for $6.5 million each. Both planes were built in 1983. One plane was sold to a Philippine airline and the other to a Singapore investment company. El Al will deliver the planes in September.

El Al said that it would report a pretax capital gain of $9 million on the sale.

As I was also telling the forum before, Asian Spirit will have their bus. Here it comes.:)

Asian Spirit focuses on route expansion, forgets SEAIR link

Budget airline Asian Spirit, Inc. expects the delivery next month of the first of four Airbus aircraft that will be used to serve major domestic routes and planned regional services.

Three more wide-bodied aircraft and five smaller turbo propeller planes will be delivered in the next six months as Asian Spirit penetrates the major domestic routes and develops new hubs in Mindanao.

Except for one or two that will be company-owned, these new aircraft would be on long-term leases, Asian Spirit Chairman Donald G. Dee said.

Mr. Dee said they are pursuing expansion plans this year without Southeast Asian Airlines, Inc. (SEAIR). Merger talks between the two budget carriers have hit a snag.

"[The merger] is still hanging in the air. We have made our offer, but they have not come back to us. It’s up to them. We are now totally focused on expanding our routes and getting more equipment," Mr. Dee said.

He said they plan to open Manila-Cebu and Manila-Davao routes using the new Airbus aircraft. The carrier is also looking at more regional destinations, starting with Macau from Cebu. It currently operates thrice-a-week flights between Zamboanga and Sandakan, Malaysia.

Mr. Dee added that they are developing Mindanao hubs Zamboanga and Cagayan de Oro "very seriously" despite their perceived peace and order problem. "People forget that Mindanao is very big. If there’s a problem, it’s only in certain areas," he added. Asian Spirit flies to Jolo, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi from Zamboanga.

Mr. Dee welcomed the competition from PAL Express, Philippine Airlines’ low-cost brand, in secondary and tertiary routes, saying this would benefit travelers. Asian Spirit, he added, is about to penetrate major domestic routes served by PAL and Cebu Pacific.

Rising fuel prices are a concern, but Mr. Dee said they are managing the situation. The acquisition of new aircraft will improve efficiency and help the airline cope with rising fuel prices, he added.

AMY Holdings, Inc. of juice king Alfredo M. Yao recently acquired Asian Spirit from a team of aviation industry professionals that established the carrier in 1996. Asian Spirit now flies to Caticlan in Aklan, the jump-off point to Boracay island, from Manila and Cebu, as well as to nine other domestic secondary and tertiary routes from Manila. — Marites S. Villamor, BusinessWorld (http://www.bworldonline.com/BW071708/content.php?id=044)

just took a ceb pac flight out of Bacolod. Clearly written on their check in counter is that overweight charge is P100/kg on domestic, and P400/kg on international. Wow, that's a big jump from the previous rates of around 30+/kg on domestic

^^ That would be impractical. Ise Bay where NGO (Nagoya-Chubu Centrair International Airport) is located has an average depth of 20m. Manila Bay on the other hand is twice that deep, about 40m. One would have to dig much deeper into the bedrock to anchor an airport island on Manila Bay and numerous mounds of dirt to fill it. And from a panoramic point-of-view, an airport island out on Manila Bay will destroy its famed sunsets as seen from Roxas Boulevard.

Clear the surroundings of the airport. I think that's the best way. And besides they're eyesores to departing and arriving planes. But then again, it's easier said and done.

which airline(s) will deploy A380 to Manila in the near future? Do you think that Etihad, Qatar, or Emirates will do? Because its really true that they offer the cheapest route for the Middle East-Manila and Manila-European Market. Im a Filipino here in the UK and we usually take CX not because of the price but because the service is really great..But i would like to know if what possible airline will use A380 to Manila..If those 3 I mentioned a while back will, then I would try using them, but I think that it would be impossible now for Etihad because it uses their new 777-300ER on AUH-MNL v.v. Then if EK and QR will, will there be a possibily of decreasing their weekly flights to Manila?

I dont think we can really answer all your question there, first of, it will be the airline companies' decision/discreetion as to whether they can deploy or service a certain route using A380. That is also depending on their companies decision to order A380 or not from airbus itself. Secondly, it will be up to MIAA officials and NAIA administrators if they can provide services to accomodate A380 in their facilities, which so far, there is no clarity if NAIA will be reconfigured to fit in the new superjumbo jet and its 555 something passengers at a time. MIAA is currently concentrating on openning NAIA 3 based on it's immediate needs and I don't think A380 has not been brought up to their attention other than the fact that airbus company is promoting it's product to Philippine air carriers or companies to Lure PAL or even Cebu pacific to purchase the newest aircraft in the market.

I made a post in June 12 that PAL is negotiating for another 330/340.
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=21968158
[QUOTE=arianespace;21968158]

What it got now is a 767 from ET-AL. Word is it had difficulty finding spares. So they settle for this one to plug demand. Destination, the land down under. Psst... don't tell them I told you already.:cheers:

El Al sells 2 Boeing 767s
The airline (http://www.globes.co.il/serveen/globes/DocView.asp?did=1000362952&fid=1725) will report a pretax capital gain of $9 million on the $13 million sale.
Globes' correspondent 17 Jul 08 17:25
El Al Israel Airlines Ltd. (TASE: ELAL) today sold two Boeing 767-200s, for $6.5 million each. Both planes were built in 1983. One plane was sold to a Philippine airline and the other to a Singapore investment company. El Al will deliver the planes in September.

El Al said that it would report a pretax capital gain of $9 million on the sale.

so much for a complimentary fleet

there is no space but even if there is? 3.7km is long enough no need to extend it.

I feel the 3.7km is median by international standards. My opinion is that this runway needs to be extended, maybe to about 4.5km and 80m wide to safely accommodate future aircraft.

Clear the surroundings of the airport. I think that's the best way. And besides they're eyesores to departing and arriving planes. But then again, it's easier said and done.

True!--> easier said than done.:)

I dont think we can really answer all your question there, first of, it will be the airline companies' decision/discreetion as to whether they can deploy or service a certain route using A380. That is also depending on their companies decision to order A380 or not from airbus itself. Secondly, it will be up to MIAA officials and NAIA administrators if they can provide services to accomodate A380 in their facilities, which so far, there is no clarity if NAIA will be reconfigured to fit in the new superjumbo jet and its 555 something passengers at a time. MIAA is currently concentrating on openning NAIA 3 based on it's immediate needs and I don't think A380 has not been brought up to their attention other than the fact that airbus company is promoting it's product to Philippine air carriers or companies to Lure PAL or even Cebu pacific to purchase the newest aircraft in the market.

Thanks M8..!! :lol:

RP's E-passports 'best you can have' out Oct. (http://globalnation.inquirer.net/news/news/view/20080719-149363/RPs-E-passports-best-you-can-have-out-Oct)

By Tarra Quismundo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 01:36:00 07/19/2008


MANILA, Philippines--After the machine-readable passport comes now the "best passport you can have"--electronic passport equipped with a tamper-proof mi-crochip bearing your identification and personal information.

Passports with the electronic chips are set for release in October this year as the Department of Foreign Affairs gears up for the full automation of the Filipino's international ID, beating an April 2010 deadline set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for the phaseout of manually processed passports.

The E-passports will use technology as secure and tamper-proof as identification cards used in the United States military and defense establishments.

The new E-passport system was unveiled Friday in an exhibit celebrating the DFA's 110th anniversary.

Globally compliant

"We target issuance by October to diplomats and [government officials] as a trial. Then we hope to offer the E-passport to the public by December. We will become globally compliant, along with 61 countries that have E-passports," said Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs Domingo Lucenario Jr.

The DFA has begun preparing the new maroon booklets with its longtime supplier Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), which recently contracted French card systems and identity products firm Oberthur Technologies for technical assistance in making the most advanced Philippine passport to be issued yet.

"It's the top-level, state-of-the-art technology that we're using here. It's the best passport you can have. There's no better technology in the world," said Xavier Fricout, director for identity products and cards systems of Oberthur Technologies.

One tiny chip

Besides advanced security features on its laminated information page and individual sheets, the E-passport will contain the bearer's photo, fingerprints and personal information in one tiny chip embedded on the end cover page.

The laboratory-certified imbeds use computer software that is "a little better" than what Oberthur had used in passports of other nations it had worked on like that of Belgium, Taiwan, Thailand and Kuwait, Fricout said.

Lucenario said the imbeds would provide "triple validation" of a traveler's circumstances upon immigration check as a port officer may verify the bearer's information on the passport against data to be retrieved from the chips and from the passport holder.

For this state-of-the-art passport, applicants need to have their ID picture and fingerprint taken at the DFA offices.

No price yet

Lucenario said the DFA is still finalizing details on the price and processing time for the electronic booklets, but he estimated that it may take "between five to 10 days" to process the E-passports.

MRPs take at least seven days to process at P500 for regular application and P750 for rushed processing. The DFA issues between 10,000 to 12,000 a day at its main office and consular offices around the world.

The new passport will replace the manually processed green passport, where the bearer's information is encoded long hand. The E-passport will also gradually take the place of the machine-readable passports (MRPs), maroon booklets embedded with computer-recognized biometrics and safety features for tamper-proofing.

Green passports still valid

Lucenario said the two earlier passport versions would still be recognized in ports around the world until expiration. The DFA had just started issuing E-passports in June last year as an interim for the eventual installation of an E-passport system.

"We have informed the international community to respect the validity of the green passports and MRPs," he said.

^^
Thats one wonder the Philippines have an edge. Good news indeed. Even EU don't have that yet even with the schengen treatry. More so UK. Last time I checked, passport was still stamped with visa entry for EUFA 2008 in Austria. If implemented, the Philippines will again have credibility of its passport system and gain respect from western countries, as long as it is not hacked of course. The image is so bad that immigration authorities in Europe double checked Filipino passport and its visa especially if you recently have one. Filipino pirates are so good at copying the original that terminal sensor are fooled into accepting the spurious one. However, as a compliment, China's case is much worst than the Philippines.:cheers:

SPIRIT OF MANILA AIRWAYS (http://www.spiritofmanilaairlines.com/)

http://www.spiritofmanilaairlines.com/images/bg_air_05.jpg


http://www.spiritofmanilaairlines.com/images/bg_air_03.jpg

^^ Is that a new Philippine carrier? Where do they fly to?

"I AM GOING HOME"... I love it :)

SPIRIT OF MANILA AIRWAYS (http://www.spiritofmanilaairlines.com/)

http://www.spiritofmanilaairlines.com/images/bg_air_05.jpg



is the logo a sarimanok, monkey or what? :nuts:

^^ :lol: I think it's some form of avian creature. ;)

:rofl:

http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/2991/sdsdsdsap4.jpg

^^ Funny how that departure sign isn't even from Manila. :lol:

kaya nga eh, spirit of manila daw :lol:

at first, i thought the logo was kind of creepy...parang ghost galing sa isang japanese of indonesian folk tale...pero after a second look, it kind of looks like a sarimanok

SPIRIT OF MANILA AIRWAYS (http://www.spiritofmanilaairlines.com/)

http://www.spiritofmanilaairlines.com/images/bg_air_05.jpg


http://www.spiritofmanilaairlines.com/images/bg_air_03.jpg

:banana:

SPIRIT OF MANILA AIRWAYS is a serious venture. It will be a new airline based in Clark, with plans to serve Middle East customers.

New airline Spirit of Manila to serve Middle East (http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2008/06/13/224746/new-airline-spirit-of-manila-to-serve-middle-east.html)
By Leithen Francis

A planned new Philippine carrier called Spirit of Manila aims to launch passenger services from Clark in the Philippines to destinations in the Middle East.

An official at the company, who wishes to remain anonymous, confirms the planned carrier has received approval from the Philippine Civil Aeronautics Board to launch services to the Middle East.

“Within six months we will be flying and in the next two to three months” hope to get an air operator’s certificate, he says.

Spirit of Manila has been negotiating with an undisclosed leasing company for dry-leases on Boeing 767-300ERs and hopes to conclude a deal soon and receive the first aircraft “in the next few weeks”, says the official.

It is looking to dry-lease two or three 767-300ERs and later add Boeing 747-400s on dry-lease, he says, adding that the day after tomorrow it will begin advertising for pilots and hopes to recruit Filipino pilots working overseas who wish to return home.

Some reports in the Philippines, quoting unnamed sources, say the airline has a minority shareholder from the Middle East but the official ATI spoke to says the carrier is 100% Philippine-owned and that the owners are mostly individual Filipino investors.

He also says: “We will not be competing against Philippine Airlines (PAL) or Cebu Pacific because we will operate out of Clark and not Manila.”

The airline will focus on operating on routes to the Middle East, a region where PAL has refrained from serving in its own right, he says.

These flights will primarily cater to Filipinos working in the Middle East, he says, referring to the thousands of Filipinos who work in the Middle East largely in the household services, hospitality, construction and petrochemical industries.

PAL sells airfares for flights from Manila to Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Doha and Dubai but these are codeshare flights operated by Etihad Airways, Gulf Air, Qatar Airways and Emirates.

The official was responding to reports in the Philippines quoting the Civil Aeronautics Board deputy executive director, Carmelo Arcilla, as saying the board has just granted approval to Spirit of Manila and TransGlobal Airways to operate to the Middle East.

TransGlobal executives were unavailable for comment today. It is based at Clark - an airport outside Manila – and already operates Boeing 737-200 freighter flights to China and Taiwan.

In January the airline’s director of international marketing, Real Carpio, told ATI the carrier planned to add a Boeing MD-82 and MD-83 for passenger flights to South Korea.

RP's E-passports 'best you can have' out Oct. (http://globalnation.inquirer.net/news/news/view/20080719-149363/RPs-E-passports-best-you-can-have-out-Oct)

By Tarra Quismundo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 01:36:00 07/19/2008


MANILA, Philippines--After the machine-readable passport comes now the "best passport you can have"--electronic passport equipped with a tamper-proof mi-crochip bearing your identification and personal information.

Passports with the electronic chips are set for release in October this year as the Department of Foreign Affairs gears up for the full automation of the Filipino's international ID, beating an April 2010 deadline set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for the phaseout of manually processed passports.

The E-passports will use technology as secure and tamper-proof as identification cards used in the United States military and defense establishments.

The new E-passport system was unveiled Friday in an exhibit celebrating the DFA's 110th anniversary.

Globally compliant

"We target issuance by October to diplomats and [government officials] as a trial. Then we hope to offer the E-passport to the public by December. We will become globally compliant, along with 61 countries that have E-passports," said Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs Domingo Lucenario Jr.

The DFA has begun preparing the new maroon booklets with its longtime supplier Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), which recently contracted French card systems and identity products firm Oberthur Technologies for technical assistance in making the most advanced Philippine passport to be issued yet.

"It's the top-level, state-of-the-art technology that we're using here. It's the best passport you can have. There's no better technology in the world," said Xavier Fricout, director for identity products and cards systems of Oberthur Technologies.

One tiny chip

Besides advanced security features on its laminated information page and individual sheets, the E-passport will contain the bearer's photo, fingerprints and personal information in one tiny chip embedded on the end cover page.

The laboratory-certified imbeds use computer software that is "a little better" than what Oberthur had used in passports of other nations it had worked on like that of Belgium, Taiwan, Thailand and Kuwait, Fricout said.

Lucenario said the imbeds would provide "triple validation" of a traveler's circumstances upon immigration check as a port officer may verify the bearer's information on the passport against data to be retrieved from the chips and from the passport holder.

For this state-of-the-art passport, applicants need to have their ID picture and fingerprint taken at the DFA offices.

No price yet

Lucenario said the DFA is still finalizing details on the price and processing time for the electronic booklets, but he estimated that it may take "between five to 10 days" to process the E-passports.

MRPs take at least seven days to process at P500 for regular application and P750 for rushed processing. The DFA issues between 10,000 to 12,000 a day at its main office and consular offices around the world.

The new passport will replace the manually processed green passport, where the bearer's information is encoded long hand. The E-passport will also gradually take the place of the machine-readable passports (MRPs), maroon booklets embedded with computer-recognized biometrics and safety features for tamper-proofing.

Green passports still valid

Lucenario said the two earlier passport versions would still be recognized in ports around the world until expiration. The DFA had just started issuing E-passports in June last year as an interim for the eventual installation of an E-passport system.

"We have informed the international community to respect the validity of the green passports and MRPs," he said.

I hope the government will not mess up with the new biometric passport. This would entail the following:

-Reinstating the signature field in the passport (removing it in the MRP was a source of much controversy, requiring some OFWs to request the old green passport or their applications just to prove the signature)
-Distinguishing the biometric passport from the MRP by inserting the biometric chip logo on the passport cover.
-Distinguishing regular passports from diplomatic and official passports by color, similar to the old passport coloring system (red for official and dark blue for diplomatic)
-Making sure that when they translate the notice at the back cover reminding people to avoid bending the cover or exposing the passport to extreme conditions to prevent destroying the chip, the government will not resort to using Taglish.

Finally, we would be joining Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand with biometric passports. I will be sure to write the DFA about this.

^^
I just got a word from PAL that they haven't settled or ordered, bought nor leased a 767. The search is still on for a 330/340. Negotiations for this aircraft are still on going with another airline for destinations down under. My apologies to fellow forumers for the inaccurate information.

My friend at ATO however confirmed that they just got papers for a 762 ex 4X-EAA cn 22972. I guess that would be El Al then and the new owner is Trans-Global Airways and not PAL as previously reported. Destination apparently are for mid-east DBX flight. I don't know the new registry yet.
http://cdn-www.airliners.net/aviation-photos/photos/4/0/3/0915304.jpg
Congratulations to Trans Global Airways and best of good luck.

And for the Manila airline, full of spirit and thin air. My two cent comment, have a plane first then fly as far as you could. What they have currently is a ghost plane :cheers:

I think it is a sarimanok, judging by the fish dangling on the "bird's" beak. Just remembered ABS-CBN's sarimanok plug xD

By the way, what happened to the Pearl Pacific (something like that) Airways?

http://www.spiritofmanilaairlines.com/images/bg_air_05.jpg

I think it looks like a Bird (Philippine Eagle)...??

:cheers::cheers:

^^ sarimanok nga

looks like a winged monkey..lol

:lol:

anyway, glad to hear they are having wide body aircrafts. but they could have chosen a better name. it could be associated with Asian Spirit.

i've viewed the threads about manila in the 70s, and no has posted photos of the old terminal...i'm referring to the one where centennial is built, and was used prior to Leandro Locsin's NAIA 1.

i believe it did not even have jetways.

so if anyone happens to have photos of the said structure, kindly post it in this thread.

(or perhaps people have links...)

thanks!:)

http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/939/11zy9.jpg
http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/5223/11id5.jpg

http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/2540/58hn2.jpg
http://img169.imageshack.us/img169/4776/24737535mb1.jpg

http://img170.imageshack.us/img170/4934/22737578ab2.jpg

http://img170.imageshack.us/img170/1591/11ug8.jpg

http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/4913/49ux7.jpg

http://img519.imageshack.us/img519/2487/56gx7.jpg

http://img355.imageshack.us/img355/7817/57ti8.jpg

I still love T2, it looks very modern....

P16.7 M okayed for hiring of consultant for study on Sangley Point logistics hub (http://www.mb.com.ph/PROV20080722130401.html)

The board of directors of the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA, formerly the Public Estates Authority) headed by its chairman, former Senator Ramon Revilla Sr., recently approved the allocation of P16.7 million for the hiring of a consultancy firm tasked to prepare the pre-feasibility study and master plan to convert Sangley Point in Cavite City into an international logistics hub with modern seaport and airport with a reclamation component.


Under Executive Order No. 629 signed by President Arroyo on June 21, 2007, the PRA, together with the city government of Cavite City and other government agencies was tasked to form an inter-agency executive committee to oversee the planning and implementation of the project to be chaired by Revilla, and co-chaired by Cavite City Mayor Bernardo S. Paredes.

Revilla sees the project as an opportunity for all the agencies involved to work harmoniously and "give our economy the much needed boost through investments that this project will ultimately attract, and place the Philippines in the limelight of global trade and commerce. This will bring our country back to financial competitiveness and erase the demeaning tag of being Asia’s laggard."

"Once completed, it is expected to be Asia’s one of the best, rivaling existing hubs in Hong Kong and Singapore. These two countries are currently Asia’s leaders in cargo handling and transshipment operations. The Sangley development project would directly and laterally increase local and foreign investments, international trade, job opportunities and tourism related activities. This will also be our answer to complaints constantly raised by foreign investors that we lack the infrastructure required to make their investments viable," Revilla said.

For more than 200 years since the 16th century, the province of Cavite had been the main duty-free port and depository for trade and goods between Asia and Europe.

Spanish galleons made two round trips annually between Cavite and Acapulco in Mexico laden with Chinese silk and porcelain; perfumes, spices and cotton from India; precious stones and silver from Europe and South America.

Forecasts made by ESCAP (the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific) indicated that Southeast Asia will need 150 additional container berths by 2015. Berths capable of handling the giant super-Panamax container ships (currently the largest class of container vessel plying the seas).

These will be for the increasing traffic across the Pacific, with most of the cargo for Hong Kong, but a large part for transshipment to Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand Malaysia and Singapore. Despite additional berths being planned for construction by Singapore, there will be a shortage of 255 berths in the next decade, the agency said.

Revilla said, "we should take advantage of this shortage and fill in the gap."

I hope the government will not mess up with the new biometric passport. This would entail the following:

-Reinstating the signature field in the passport (removing it in the MRP was a source of much controversy, requiring some OFWs to request the old green passport or their applications just to prove the signature)
-Distinguishing the biometric passport from the MRP by inserting the biometric chip logo on the passport cover.
-Distinguishing regular passports from diplomatic and official passports by color, similar to the old passport coloring system (red for official and dark blue for diplomatic)
-Making sure that when they translate the notice at the back cover reminding people to avoid bending the cover or exposing the passport to extreme conditions to prevent destroying the chip, the government will not resort to using Taglish.

Finally, we would be joining Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand with biometric passports. I will be sure to write the DFA about this.

Holy crap.. Maroon Colored Passports??! ewww! lol

^^ And what color do you want it to be? MMDA Pink? :nuts: ( :lol: )

LOL

yea i dont know.. maroon kinda looks dirty when it wears down.. eventually it will look like pink. HAHAHA

i like the green passport better.. it just looks.. normal. :)

:banana:

i love the livery :)

LOL

yea i dont know.. maroon kinda looks dirty when it wears down.. eventually it will look like pink. HAHAHA

i like the green passport better.. it just looks.. normal. :)

I think black and gold would look nice. Shiny black leather like parchment cover with gold lettering and the national crest. :okay:

If they will push through Sangley Point Intl' Airport and blah...blah..blah...then Sangley Point and NAIA will end up like SFO and LAX...l0l...

^^ Manila-Clark-Sangley airports would be more like Kennedy-La Guardia-Newark airports in New York City.

Hmm will NAIA be closed down in the near future, for future developments just like what happened to Bonifacio?
From what I've been reading it seems like Metro Manila would have 3 major airports surrounding it maybe like NYC... :)

But this is great news for development!

I've seen the new passport. Maroon ba yun talaga or brown? Or maybe di ko madistinguish ang maroon sa brown? :lol:

^^ You color blind, Ty?

^^^ Probably not completely closed, I believe it will still be around but the main gateway would be moved elsewhere... DMIA would be the best bet because the planned facility or area in Sangley will still have to be reclaimed and that takes years as well. I am betting on the fact that DMIA will help relieve the congestions in NAIA and if DMIA (or even sangley) take all the international operations, NAIA will still have mostly domestic services in Manila.

^^Sometimes, especially when I'm really hungry :lol:

Seriously, I really think it's brown, the new passport.

Philippine Airlines was revealed as one of the Unidentified Costumer of the A380 and the B787. PAL has ordered 5 A380 for the N.American Market and European Market when the new planes arrives, and the B787 will be used for intra-Asia routes when the aircraft are already delivered. Plus! a new livery of PAL released!! Deliveries of the 787 and A380 will commence on 2014-205

http://uploader.ws/upload/200807/pal380.jpg
http://uploader.ws/upload/200807/pal787.jpg

PAL New Livery:
http://uploader.ws/upload/200807/pal747new.jpg
http://uploader.ws/upload/200807/pal310.jpg

Cebu Pacific orders 8 new B747-8 for its N.America deliveries in 2011 and 10 new B787 deliveries in 2010. The new aircraft will be used for its N.America expansion and Australasia when new aircrafts are delivered. All remaining fleet will serve the domestic market. A new short, medium and long-haul product will soon be introduced.

http://uploader.ws/upload/200807/5Jpress.jpg
http://uploader.ws/upload/200807/5Jpress2.jpg


**Please note that the new livery of PAL was designed by Flight Attendant Nino Khawaja during a contest last March 2008.

^^ Cite your "credible" sources, otherwise it's only hearsay.

By the way, those photos you've posted, they been posted before.

i already seen these pics few years ago. matagal na to... if there are credible sources, maniniwala ako sa post mo

"Nardong Putik" is the coordinator for this huge project? What was his record when he was a senator?

The A380 with PAL livery looks photoshopped :(

I believe those are photoshopped by a fellow ssc forumer though havent seen him in these forums lately...im sure some of you can remember him?..

sa wings pa lang makikita na eh..:)

^^
I just got a word from PAL that they haven't settled or ordered, bought nor leased a 767. The search is still on for a 330/340. Negotiations for this aircraft are still on going with another airline for destinations down under. My apologies to fellow forumers for the inaccurate information.

My friend at ATO however confirmed that they just got papers for a 762 ex 4X-EAA cn 22972. I guess that would be El Al then and the new owner is Trans-Global Airways and not PAL as previously reported. Destination apparently are for mid-east DBX flight. I don't know the new registry yet.

And for the Manila airline, full of spirit and thin air. My two cent comment, have a plane first then fly as far as you could. What they have currently is a ghost plane :cheers:

Ah sounds more like it. Parang malabo to have an outlier 767 in the fleet. Buti kung wet lease but not purchase.

OK lang ghost airline basta hindi iyung passengers ang maging ghosts!:nuts::lol:

i've viewed the threads about manila in the 70s, and no has posted photos of the old terminal...i'm referring to the one where centennial is built, and was used prior to Leandro Locsin's NAIA 1.

i believe it did not even have jetways.

so if anyone happens to have photos of the said structure, kindly post it in this thread.

(or perhaps people have links...)

thanks!:)

Hi I remember the old airport well as I used it in my youth. Definitely no jetways/tubes , strictly old school ... walk on the tarmac:) still love it .

There are pictures of that here , if not in this thread , it's in the NAIA thread. Of course between the two threads there are 28 threads of evolution to for in:nuts:

I'm sure if you google it you'll see. Not a very prominent building, something like the current LCC terminal in Clark with a tower behind it.

I guess COSCO was totally turned off by our politics! Oh well. Sana matuloy itong project na ito though. It would be great to give North South Harbor a run for their money.

^^
That whale sounds similar to the pictures I've taken here (http://www.flickr.com/photos/28597920@N08/). Take a peek. Looks familiar eh! :)
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3081/2692229542_0b19cbab10_m.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3232/2692244682_0f5c300843_b.jpg

Cebu Pacific orders 8 new B747-8 for its N.America deliveries in 2011 and 10 new B787 deliveries in 2010. The new aircraft will be used for its N.America expansion and Australasia when new aircrafts are delivered. All remaining fleet will serve the domestic market. A new short, medium and long-haul product will soon be introduced.



On my last trip back home in the Philippines this year, my cousin who has been with Cebu Pacific for many years now informed me that Cebu Pacific will be flying to the United States sometime around 2011. Now if this is the case, great news for Filipinos in the United States. Having another airline like Cebu Pacific flying Trans-Pacific to the Philippines will only make the cost competitive for people wishing to visit the country same for Philippine based travelers wishing to come to the United States.

Bravo Cebu Pacific!!!

A feasibility study for the place would be a good start, but I hope it won't end up like the rest of projects here in the country. I want it to be built as fast as China builds theirs, without sacrificing the quality. If a person and/or society is driven, it should not hinder development.

Holy crap.. Maroon Colored Passports??! ewww! lol

Honestly, gold on burgundy, à la the EU passport, would have been a better passport color. But then again, we'd have the same color as the Thai and Chinese passports. Malaysia and Singapore use gold on red, while Indonesia uses sky blue on navy blue. Vietnam and Hong Kong use gold on black. The Philippines could have stuck with gold on green, but in order to distinguish it from the old non-machine readable passport, it would need to stick the biometric logo on the cover.

Personally, I also prefer that the cover be bilingual, instead of being solely in Filipino.

Philippine Airlines was revealed as one of the Unidentified Costumer of the A380 and the B787. PAL has ordered 5 A380 for the N.American Market and European Market when the new planes arrives, and the B787 will be used for intra-Asia routes when the aircraft are already delivered. Plus! a new livery of PAL released!! Deliveries of the 787 and A380 will commence on 2014-205

PAL New Livery:

Cebu Pacific orders 8 new B747-8 for its N.America deliveries in 2011 and 10 new B787 deliveries in 2010. The new aircraft will be used for its N.America expansion and Australasia when new aircrafts are delivered. All remaining fleet will serve the domestic market. A new short, medium and long-haul product will soon be introduced.


**Please note that the new livery of PAL was designed by Flight Attendant Nino Khawaja during a contest last March 2008.

haha sa MODIFIED AIRLINER PHOTOS (http://www.cardatabase.net/modifiedairlinerphotos) ito nakuha haha...i think this is imaginary and unofficial

PAL ordered to rehire 1,400 cabin crew personnel (http://www.philstar.com/index.php?Local%20News&p=54&type=2&sec=2&aid=2008072230)

The Supreme Court ordered the Philippine Airlines to rehire without the loss of seniority 1,400 cabin crew personnel who were retrenched on July 15, 1998 after it ruled that the flag carrier was guilty of illegal dismissal.

In a 32-page decision penned by Associate Justice Consuelo Ynares-Santiago, the court's third division also ordered PAL to pay the retrenched personnel their full backwages, inclusive of allowances and other monetary benefits computed from the time of their separation up to the time of their actual reinstatement, provided that with respect to those who had received their respective separation pay, the amounts of the payments shall be deducted from their backwages.

The court also ruled that where reinstatement is no longer feasible because the positions previously held no longer exist, PAL shall pay backwages and separation pay equal to one-month pay for every year of service.

Records show that on June 15, 1998, PAL retrenched 5,000 of its employees, including more than 1,400 of its cabin crew personnel reportedly to cut costs and mitigate huge financial losses as a result of a downturn in the airline industry caused by the Asian financial crisis.

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

Court wants sacked PAL flight attendants reinstated (http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=126009)

The Supreme Court ordered Tuesday Philippine Airlines (PAL) to reinstate more than a thousand flight attendants the company retrenched back in 1998.

The retrenchments, PAL argued, were due to huge losses the flag carrier incurred at the height of the 1998 Asian financial crisis, which saw the airline come near the brink of liquidation and forced it to downsize and come under receivership with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

In a 32-page decision penned by Associate Justice Consuelo Ynares-Santiago, the court said PAL is guilty of illegal dismissal when the company sacked the flight attendants under a retrenchment and demotion scheme dated June 15, 1998 and made effective July 15, 1998.

The Supreme Court cited three reasons: one, the company was not able to substantiate its claims that the airline was incurring huge losses; two, the retrenchment was not done in good faith because less than two months after the retrenchment the airline asked some of the sacked employees to go back and hired other people in place of the sacked employees; and three, PAL did not follow a criteria when it selected the sacked flight attendants.

The court ordered the airline to reinstate the sacked cabin crew without loss of seniority, rights, and other privileges, as well as the payment of back wages, benefits, and other privileges due them. PAL was also ordered to pay attorney's fees.

The decision was released a day after the Supreme Court ordered a P1 billion tax refund for Fortune Tobacco, a company also owned by PAL's owner Lucio Tan.

The court said Tuesday's decision is not in any way connected to the earlier decision, and the timing of the two decisions is only coincidental.

Hi I remember the old airport well as I used it in my youth. Definitely no jetways/tubes , strictly old school ... walk on the tarmac:) still love it .

Some flights emanating from Dubai still allow passengers to board by walking through the tarmac (one would not enjoy this walk under the Dubai summer though). In Philippines, I think some Domestic airports still do the same.

How organized is the Manila airport now? During the 70's and 80's I believe most OFWs brought the entire clan with them whenever they leave or arrive, therefore clogging the area!

Cebu Pac cuts regional flights

LOW-COST carrier Cebu Pacific will cut the frequency of its regional flights to help it cope with soaring fuel prices.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3156/2616654221_8e0b3dc35a.jpg

Cebu Pacific President Lance Gokongwei told reporters during the opening of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 yesterday the airline would fly less to destinations in Southeast Asia.

Cebu Pacific has international flights to Bangkok, Guangzhou, Hanoi, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Kaohsiung, Kuala Lumpur, Macau, Saigon, Singapore, Taipei, Shanghai and Xiamen.

The airline recently started flying to Kota Kinabalu. Mr. Gokongwei did not say which of the destinations will have fewer flights.

Last year, the airline carried seven million domestic and international passengers.

Mr. Gokongwei said the airline’s budget for fuel had doubled in recent months, with as much as 60% of revenues going to fuel.

According to the International Air Transport Association, the price of jet fuel — a higher quality fuel and more expensive than regular gasoline — has doubled in the past year to almost $179 per barrel.

This means a fuel bill worth $87 billion for the world’s aviation industry this year.

Mr. Gokongwei said the airline would have to adjust its income targets for the year, but did not say by how much.

Cebu Pacific’s net income for the first quarter slid by almost a third to P389.23 million due to rising expenses. — PLGM (http://www.bworldonline.com/BW072308/content.php?id=044)

This is what they call commercial situation. One flight to Xiamen only had 17 passengers with a return flight less than a hundred. One flight is being axed now on that route.:ohno:

Cebu Pacific lowers income forecast
as it cuts regional flight frequencies
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2184/2498355260_2ed4ccb9b7_o.jpg

CEBU Pacific on Tuesday said it expects a lower net income this year owing to soaring jet fuel prices, which pushed the carrier to cut frequencies on its regional flights.

“It’s [profit is] not [going to be] good as last year. Definitely, we are affected by oil price[s],” Lance Gokongwei, president of Cebu Pacific, told reporters on the sidelines of the opening of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3.

Gokongwei said fuel accounts for about 60 percent of the airline’s expenses, up from 35 percent to 40 percent previously.

Last year, the Gokongwei-led carrier posted a net income of P3.61 billion from P196.79 million in 2006. In the January to March period, the airline reported a lower net income of P389.23 million from P559.85 million in the same period last year. Higher operations-related expenses, particularly fuel costs, which shot up 47.7 percent to P1.48 billion, were responsible for this profit dip.

To reduce fuel expenses, Gokongwei said the airline has reduced certain frequencies to regional destinations, such as Shanghai, Xiamen, Guangzhou, Kaoh-siung, Macau and Kota Kinabalu.

“[It] usually takes years to achieve profitability [in the international market]. [With] these high oil prices, we don’t have the luxury of staying too long in developing [certain markets],” Gokongwei said.

Cebu Pacific carried 338,246 international passengers in the first quarter, higher by 66 percent than 202,994 in the same period last year. Of the total, incoming passengers stood at 160,776 and outgoing 175,470.

“[This year] is the most difficult operating environment. I guess in my experience in the airline business, our main cost input which is fuel has gone up by anywhere between 80 percent and 100 percent. Business as usual cannot be the case. Immediately, we have to address the cost side and the revenue side,” Gokongwei added.

Candice Iyog, Cebu Pacific vice president for marketing and product said the carrier is reviewing its entire network. “What we really need is to review our regional flights considering that it’s hard to stimulate in the international market, because you are new. Because it’s hard to stimulate regional, then our focus is how to stimulate domestic,” she said.

Iyog said the company is not canceling any aircraft purchases. “All scheduled deliveries are on schedule. We have completed our re-fleeting last year. We ended 2007 with 15 brand new aircraft,” she said, adding that by the end of this year, Cebu Pacific will have a fleet of 25.

Cebu Pacific last year said it set aside $670 million to beef up its aircraft, unveiling what it claims to be Asia’s youngest fleet. The Gokong-wei-owned carrier’s re-fleeting includes the acquisition of 14 ATR72-500 aircraft at a cost of $250 million. These new units would be used for its domestic expansion.

For this year, the company allotted about $300 million to fund the acquisition of Airbus 320 and ATR 72-500 aircraft.

The airline operates flights to 21 domestic destinations and 16 international destinations.
-- Darwin G. Amojelar (http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2008/july/23/yehey/business/20080723bus10.html)

ABS-CBN News Online - Court wants sacked PAL flight attendants reinstated
(http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=126009)

The Supreme Court ordered Tuesday Philippine Airlines (PAL) to reinstate more than a thousand flight attendants the company retrenched back in 1998.

The retrenchments, PAL argued, were due to huge losses the flag carrier incurred at the height of the 1998 Asian financial crisis, which saw the airline come near the brink of liquidation and forced it to downsize and come under receivership with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

In a 32-page decision penned by Associate Justice Consuelo Ynares-Santiago, the court said PAL is guilty of illegal dismissal when the company sacked the flight attendants under a retrenchment and demotion scheme dated June 15, 1998 and made effective July 15, 1998.

The Supreme Court cited three reasons: one, the company was not able to substantiate its claims that the airline was incurring huge losses; two, the retrenchment was not done in good faith because less than two months after the retrenchment the airline asked some of the sacked employees to go back and hired other people in place of the sacked employees; and three, PAL did not follow a criteria when it selected the sacked flight attendants.

The court ordered the airline to reinstate the sacked cabin crew without loss of seniority, rights, and other privileges, as well as the payment of back wages, benefits, and other privileges due them. PAL was also ordered to pay attorney's fees.

The decision was released a day after the Supreme Court ordered a P1 billion tax refund for Fortune Tobacco, a company also owned by PAL's owner Lucio Tan.

The court said Tuesday's decision is not in any way connected to the earlier decision, and the timing of the two decisions is only coincidental.

---

We'll see how this one plays out, it won't be good for PAL's bottom line. If this pushes through the airline will be overstaffed, there will be problems on the horizon for this airline.

CEB adds frequencies; starts Cebu-General Santos for as low as P999 all-in

Low-fare leader Cebu Pacific is adding frequencies to its services from Manila to Bacolod, Tacloban, Cotabato, and Dipolog.

The airline will also expand its route network from Cebu with the launch of its direct Cebu-General Santos (GenSan) service starting August 15, 2008.

CEB introduces the additional frequencies and announces its Cebu-GenSan operations with a seat sale which will run from July 24 to 29, 2008. This is valid for travel from August 15 to November 30, 2008.

One-way fares to Bacolod, Tacloban and Cebu-GenSan is at P999 ‘all-in’ while fares to Cotabato and Dipolog is at P1,499 ‘all-in’.

Candice Iyog, CEB spokesman said, “We will continue to expand our operations and offer the lowest ‘all-inclusive’ fares especially to new CEB routes that have not been previously exposed to our low fares.”

The three-times weekly Cebu-GenSan service will operate every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The flight departs from Cebu at 10:30am and arrives in GenSan at 11:30am. It leaves GenSan at 12:00nn and arrives back in Cebu at 1:10pm.

CEB’s Manila-Bacolod service will grow from 21 to 24 flights weekly while its Manila-Tacloban service will increase from 21 to 25 flights weekly. The carrier will also increase its operations to Cotabato from five-times weekly to daily while Manila-Dipolog will grow from four times to five times weekly.

Iyog added, “We encourage the public to book their flights via www.cebupacificair.com or call its reservations hotline (02) 7020888 or (032) 2308888 or contact their travel agent. Fares are so low and are even comparable to other modes of transport such as ferries and buses.”

Now in its 13th year, CEB has the youngest aircraft fleet in the Philippines. It has a fleet of ten A319s, eight A320s, and two ATR72-500 aircraft.

Holy crap.. Maroon Colored Passports??! ewww! lol


My British passport is Burgundy, what are you on about? It's kewl, innit, though?:)

Arroyo recalls order to shut down airport in Baguio (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/regions/view/20080724-150314/Arroyo-recalls-order-to-shut-down-airport-in-Baguio)

President Macapagal-Arroyo will no longer pursue the closure of the Loakan airport, which she had earlier intended because it had not been hosting enough commercial flights since 1990.

Strong winds and fog that cover Baguio, especially during the rainy season, have forced major commercial airlines to stop flying here. Only Asian Spirit serves the city.

“Many factories want to locate in Baguio and they need flat land, but we hear the cry of our leaders of the Cordillera…Don’t close the airport yet,’ “ the President said in a speech before members of the administration parties Lakas-CMD and Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (Kampi) in the Cordillera on Friday. She witnessed the merger of the Cordillera chapters of Lakas and Kampi.

The airport is near the Baguio City Economic Zone and its closure would have opened up lands for the zone’s expansion, Ms Arroyo said.

Mayor Reinaldo Bautista Jr. said he had already offered Malacañang a proposal to build new economic zones in nearby Sablan and Tuba. These towns were actually identified as expansion sites of a metropolitan government called BLIST (Baguio and the Benguet towns of La Trinidad, Itogon, Sablan and Tuba), which was designed by urban management experts shortly after the city was devastated by the July 1990 earthquake.

Sablan, in particular, is suited for industrial firms, Bautista said, because of its relatively flat terrain.

The mayor began convincing Sablan to free up an area for such a zone in January.

Last year, Ms Arroyo floated the idea of converting the idle Loakan runway into an extension of the economic zone administered by the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (Peza) last year.

She noted that the airport had stood idle for too long, and might no longer be necessary now that an airport in La Union had been scheduled to begin operations this month.

The airport inside the Bases Conversion and Development Authority’s Poro Point Special Economic Zone in San Fernando City, 45 kilometers from here, was modernized and upgraded last year.

Loakan has been the city’s only airport since 1932, but Ms Arroyo said its runway is ideal for an expansion of the facilities of Texas Instruments Philippines Inc.

Ms Arroyo said the La Union airport would already serve Loakan.

Are there seaplanes being commercially operated? Is this viable? I think resorts such as Boracay will benefit from direct flights.

Sa Subic I guess meron. Kasi mga resort sa Puerto Gallera are mentioning this.

Qantas door pops during London Melbourne flight

The plane made an emergency landing in Manila around 1:20pm after a door reportedly 'popped' and caused a de-pressurisation during a flight between London and Melbourne.

Qantas is refusing to confirm the incident, but passengers who have called Herald Sun Online say oxygen masks dropped from the ceiling during the incident.

Others report that the plane suddenly plunged from 30,000 feet to 10,000 feet.

Another passenger reported the masks fell from the ceiling, the plane "dropped suddenly" and there was a "fairly explosive" depressurisation.

One passenger reported the pilot did 'an amazing job' of controlling the craft.

Flight QF 30 was due to arrive in Melbourne around 10pm tonight.

It was one hour from Hong Kong when the incident occured.

The plane is currently on the tarmac at Manila airport with all passengers - the majority of them Australians - on board.

"Qantas can confirm Qantas flight 30 from Hong Kong to Melbourne has been diverted to Manila," a Qantas spokeswoman said.

"The aircraft is on the ground and being inspected as we speak."

The spokeswoman would not comment on the cause of the incident.

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24076145-661,00.html

Australians hate being embarrased. :D

Anyway... good thing Manila was there! That just proves that we should be a hub!

New Manila airport terminal to start int'l flights in August (http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-07/25/content_8767529.htm)

MANILA, July 25 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines' new terminal at its capital airport will start serving international flights in August, months earlier than initially schedule, media reports said on Friday.

The Ninoy Aquino International Airport Passenger Terminal-3, partly opened on Tuesday, could start accommodating flights to and from the country as early as Aug. 8 this year after local carrier Cebu Pacific agreed to the move, Philippine newspaper Business World reported, citing Michael T. Defensor, head of a government task force in charge of the terminal.

"(The terminal) can be used for international flights around Aug. 8. They (Cebu Pacific) said they can use it in August," Defensor was cited in the report.

Manila International Airport Authority General Manager Alfonso G. Cusialso also said there is a plan for daily international flights "by the early part of August."

Next month the terminal will be ready to serve 28 daily international flights of Cebu Pacific, he said.

The flight destinations include China's Hong Kong and Macao, Singapore, and Bangkok, according to the report.

Full operations would be achieved early next year, officials said.

"Hopefully (the terminal) will be fully operational by February," Defensor said.

By this point, the terminal will be able to accommodate as much as 140 international and 220 domestic flights a day, he added.

"We are talking to other foreign airlines. They said they need six to eight months before they can move in. They said they would have to organize their offices," Cusi said.

Earlier, officials said the new terminal would be open for international flights in six to nine months.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo inspected the facility there on Thursday and called the terminal the "gateway to our country from the rest of the world."

"This is our showcase for tourism and economic progress. Today's commercial opening is a result of our resolve and determination to move this nation forward," she said.

Terminal 3, whose construction started 11 years ago and ended in 2006 at a cost of 3 billion pesos (some 67 million U.S. dollars), is one of the most controversial projects the Philippine government has gotten involved in. Legal battles and red tape, as well as technical and safety concerns, have delayed the opening several times.

Good for Cebu Pacific!

Qantas flight makes emergency landing at MNL.

here are some actual video clips taken from the incident from that qantas flight mentioned above by someone else, from bbcnews.com

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7525125.stm
inside the cabin during the emergency landing at MNL

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7525043.stm
at NIA terminal 1

kudos to the pilots for landing the jumbo jet safely. good thing it did not disintegrate in midair like what happened before to a Taiwanese B747.

what's the possibility that this could be a terrorist attack?

Diverted Qantas flight departs Manila; probe underway

The passengers of the Qantas flight that was diverted to Manila due to an midair emergency are now on their way to their original destination of Melbourne, Australia after the airlline company's replacement aircraft arrived in Manila Friday evening.

The replacement for the Boeing 747-400 jet that made an emergency landing at around noon Friday arrived 10:15 p.m. at the airport from Australia.

The plane departed from the NAIA at past 11:30 p.m., and is expected to arrive in Melbourne Saturday morning.

The diverted Qantas flight QF 30, originated from London with a stopover at Hong Kong. It was carrying 346 passengers and 19 crew.

The flight, which took off from Hong Kong at 9:00am (0100 GMT), had been due to arrive in Melbourne at 1145 GMT, according to the Qantas website.

The passengers were billeted at the Manila Hotel pending the arrival of the replacement plane, and were fetched from the hotel at around 8:30 p.m.

Qantas, officials to investigate

In a statement, Qantas CEO Geoff Dixon said they will send an investigation team, including Qantas engineering personnel, to Manila to carry out an investigation.

Dixon also praised the pilots and the cabin crew for the way they handled the incident.

"This was a highly unusual situation and our crew responded with the professionalism that Qantas is known for," he said.

In a statement, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau said the plane had been flying at 29,000 feet when the crew were forced into an emergency descent after a section of the fuselage separated and resulted in rapid decompression of the cabin.

It said the crew descended the aircraft to 10,000 feet "in accordance with established procedures" and diverted the plane safely to Manila.

The bureau said it was sending four investigators to Manila to assist local authorities with the investigation.

'Gaping hole' in fuselage

The Qantas Boeing 747 flying to Melbourne made an emergency landing in Manila on Friday after a dramatic mid-air rupture that punched a "gaping hole" in its fuselage, officials and passengers said.

Stunned passengers reported how the jumbo, which had taken off from London and made a stopover in Hong Kong, plunged nearly 20,000 feet (6,000 metres) in what one said was an "absolutely terrifying" ordeal.

An urgent investigation is underway into what punched a hole of about three metres (10 feet) in diameter into the fuselage near the right wing.

Initial investigation into the incident point to possible mechanical failure or explosive decompression.

Source (http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=126390)

hopefully it's not. but that terrorist attact angle is possible. but let's not elaborate that. passengers should be thankful they landed alive and safe. a sudden drop of few meters is one terrifying experience. this one dropped from 30k to 10k feet!!!

it could have been fatal if the rip off happened at the upper part of fuselage.

will all the Boeing 747-400s be grounded?

of course not. this is not like the TWA accident where explosion happened due to electrical failures and flawed design.

by the way, thanks for posting the article @ obrz. i actually texted a friend working at the radar. (i would like to ask if he heard the mayday call from the pilot)

edit: turns out i know more than he does. ;)

do you guys think that this is a part of GMA's SONA?

^^GMA: I am ssuch a good preshident, my mere preshence can shtop plane crashes, noh?

^Why would it be? Arroyo: "Due to my efforts, i was able to land Qantas flight 30 to NAIA safely and therefore increase our tourism revenue." :D

EDIT: hahaha flesh beat me to it.

But seriously....thankfully they landed safely as this is a serious problem. They'd have to meticulously check the whole plane for metal fatigue. LTP (Lufthansa Teknik Philippines) is capable of inspecting and repairing the damage right?

What do you guys think if PAL would advertise this video in their PTV's just before switching on the IFE to give an idea of those travellers travelling with PAL a good impression of the Philippines.. hehehehe :lol::lol::lol:

8fRgS8iHMsw

For sure if I own an airline in the Philippines, I would like my passengers to watch this short video before letting them use the IFE

haha sa MODIFIED AIRLINER PHOTOS (http://www.cardatabase.net/modifiedairlinerphotos) ito nakuha haha...i think this is imaginary and unofficial

yea I saw those pics also but it would really great for PAL to have that livery..the current eurowhite livery is also cool but i'd prefer the on that JanG257 posted :nuts::lol:...

On my last trip back home in the Philippines this year, my cousin who has been with Cebu Pacific for many years now informed me that Cebu Pacific will be flying to the United States sometime around 2011. Now if this is the case, great news for Filipinos in the United States. Having another airline like Cebu Pacific flying Trans-Pacific to the Philippines will only make the cost competitive for people wishing to visit the country same for Philippine based travelers wishing to come to the United States.

Bravo Cebu Pacific!!!

yea isz really true tha Cebu Pacific will introduce flights to the USA around 2011-2012, i think they got plans to order some Airbus 340 and A350 and B747-8 but im not really sure, ill try and look up for some sources.

^^ Manila-Clark-Sangley airports would be more like Kennedy-La Guardia-Newark airports in New York City.

what he was talking about is airports face to face coast to coast like SFO and LAX isnt?? :)

^^ Huh? You're not making sense. SFO and LAX are 300 plus miles apart from each other. What I said was should MNL, CRK, and SGL airports be all operational and serving Metro Manila and the surrounding provinces, it'll be like JFK, LGA, and EWR serving New York City and the whole tri-state area (NY, NJ, and CT).

What do you guys think if PAL would advertise this video in their PTV's just before switching on the IFE to give an idea of those travellers travelling with PAL a good impression of the Philippines.. hehehehe :lol::lol::lol:

8fRgS8iHMsw

For sure if I own an airline in the Philippines, I would like my passengers to watch this short video before letting them use the IFE

"Tara Na, Biyahe Tayo" is a DOT project and therefore PAL, by virtue of the public interest in bringing passengers to the Philippines, can show the video on all its inbound flights. There are two major problems with this though:

-The video is meant to promote domestic tourism
-The video is not in English

The DOT should at least revisit its tourism promotion strategies. During an economics competition in UP with a theme on tourism, the DOT admitted three things: one, they don't have a budget as big as Thailand, Malaysia or Singapore for tourism promotion, and two, the DOT has to use different marketing strategies to cater to different markets instead of a single ad campaign like "Amazing Thailand", "Uniquely Singapore" or "Malaysia: Truly Asia" due to a lack of brand recognition ("Amazing Thailand" has been in use for at least fifteen years, for example).

The third is interesting: contrary to public belief, "WOW Philippines" is not an international tourism promotion, rather, it is the campaign of the DOT to promote domestic tourism (the main international campaign was and still is (though I'm not sure if it still is due to a lack of advertising present on international TV) "The Philippines: It's More than the Usual"). The last batch of ads made and shown worldwide, if I remember right, were between 2004 and 2006.

didnt they use that logan "wow philippines" on those taxis in london? anyway, they should get w/ PAL to not only promote the airline but also the country

When I went to Bohol, I saw this video from the boat we rode from Cebu going to Tagbilaran.

didnt they use that logan "wow philippines" on those taxis in london? anyway, they should get w/ PAL to not only promote the airline but also the country

ow yea..I saw cabbies in London with WOW Philippines in it..and also in London Victoria Coach Station..they did also advertise those videos

^^ Huh? You're not making sense. SFO and LAX are 300 plus miles apart from each other. What I said was should MNL, CRK, and SGL airports be all operational and serving Metro Manila and the surrounding provinces, it'll be like JFK, LGA, and EWR serving New York City and the whole tri-state area (NY, NJ, and CT).

oHh ryt sorry..

WOW Philippines London

http://www.dfa.gov.ph/news/pr/pr2005/oct/photo/london3.jpg

http://www.dfa.gov.ph/news/pr/pr2005/oct/photo/london2.jpg

http://www.dfa.gov.ph/news/pr/pr2005/oct/photo/london1.jpg

Ambassador and Mrs. Edgardo B. Espiritu pose with pride beside the WOW Philippines London black cab ,which the Ambassador described the new promotional campaign of Philippine tourism as “inspired, attention-getting, and eye-catching”. The Philippine scenes depicted on the black cabs’ livery are: a dive site, water sports, an island sunset, painted sails and white sands of Boracay, Bacolod’s Masskara festival, a world-class golf course, the chocolate hills of Bohol, a Mindanao woman in colorful costume, and the Banaue Rice Terraces. A 50-strong fleet of London black cabs is now cruising around London with some of the Philippines’ tourist attractions wrapped around their gleaming bodies.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/232/493346525_82058b8488_o.jpg

^^ Then that DOT speaker was horribly wrong, or WOW Philippines really has a British ring to it. In Japan, they use "the Diamond Islands" as the promotion for the Philippines, while in China, they use something else. In Russia and Korea also, they use something else.

The DOT should really be more consistent with its ad campaign.

^^ Ang reason nila is para sa target market nila. Kumbaga yung ad campaign nila is tailored specifically to their target market. Katulad doon sa japan may study daw na what appeal to the japanese travellers are the words "premium", "resort" and islands kaya ginamit nila ito. I read these on the newspapers a long time ago

a theme should stay atleast a minimum of 4-10 yrs, then yung mission, vision etc usually follow that theme, dito yung resort, good food good beer hehe nde pa iba-iba. mali yung pagma-market. again what i suggested on earlier post, follow that! kundi magagalit si tigs

Great pics! Its a long overdue promotion of the Philippines but it is indeed welcome if we really want to be aggressive about tourism in the Philippines. Our flag carriers should indeed also have videos promoting the islands and show these instead of often inane videos or showing none at all.

^^^ Probably not completely closed, I believe it will still be around but the main gateway would be moved elsewhere... DMIA would be the best bet because the planned facility or area in Sangley will still have to be reclaimed and that takes years as well. I am betting on the fact that DMIA will help relieve the congestions in NAIA and if DMIA (or even sangley) take all the international operations, NAIA will still have mostly domestic services in Manila.


If ever na matuloy ang planned modern sea/airport at sangley point and IF the airport can support w/ larger capacity more than what NAIA can ever handle, then there will be no use to operate the NAIA. 2 modern and large int'l airports serving manila w/ that kind of proximity is more than enough.

What i could really see here is, yes they may completely close the NAIA and converting it into another commercial/business complex city similar to the global and makati city are a more realistic goal than keeping 3 airports within 30 to 100 km radius serving manila. Beside, we need a lot of space to build our future skycraper dreams like some 300ft or more towers/buildings, olympic size stadium/complex, new freeways, hotels, ad other infrastructure developments to support our progressing economy.

P16.7 M okayed for hiring of consultant for study on Sangley Point logistics hub (http://www.mb.com.ph/PROV20080722130401.html)

The board of directors of the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA, formerly the Public Estates Authority) headed by its chairman, former Senator Ramon Revilla Sr., recently approved the allocation of P16.7 million for the hiring of a consultancy firm tasked to prepare the pre-feasibility study and master plan to convert Sangley Point in Cavite City into an international logistics hub with modern seaport and airport with a reclamation component.


Under Executive Order No. 629 signed by President Arroyo on June 21, 2007, the PRA, together with the city government of Cavite City and other government agencies was tasked to form an inter-agency executive committee to oversee the planning and implementation of the project to be chaired by Revilla, and co-chaired by Cavite City Mayor Bernardo S. Paredes.

Revilla sees the project as an opportunity for all the agencies involved to work harmoniously and "give our economy the much needed boost through investments that this project will ultimately attract, and place the Philippines in the limelight of global trade and commerce. This will bring our country back to financial competitiveness and erase the demeaning tag of being Asia’s laggard."

"Once completed, it is expected to be Asia’s one of the best, rivaling existing hubs in Hong Kong and Singapore. These two countries are currently Asia’s leaders in cargo handling and transshipment operations. The Sangley development project would directly and laterally increase local and foreign investments, international trade, job opportunities and tourism related activities. This will also be our answer to complaints constantly raised by foreign investors that we lack the infrastructure required to make their investments viable," Revilla said.

For more than 200 years since the 16th century, the province of Cavite had been the main duty-free port and depository for trade and goods between Asia and Europe.

Spanish galleons made two round trips annually between Cavite and Acapulco in Mexico laden with Chinese silk and porcelain; perfumes, spices and cotton from India; precious stones and silver from Europe and South America.

Forecasts made by ESCAP (the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific) indicated that Southeast Asia will need 150 additional container berths by 2015. Berths capable of handling the giant super-Panamax container ships (currently the largest class of container vessel plying the seas).

These will be for the increasing traffic across the Pacific, with most of the cargo for Hong Kong, but a large part for transshipment to Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand Malaysia and Singapore. Despite additional berths being planned for construction by Singapore, there will be a shortage of 255 berths in the next decade, the agency said.

Revilla said, "we should take advantage of this shortage and fill in the gap."

I hope u have a better source. Somehow i can't open the webpage. Tnx! :)

yea isz really true tha Cebu Pacific will introduce flights to the USA around 2011-2012, i think they got plans to order some Airbus 340 and A350 and B747-8 but im not really sure, ill try and look up for some sources.

Are they going to do this on their current set-up? Medyo inconvenient ata ito for the travellers...remember this is a long-haul flight and you are inside a cramped plane with no free water or even blanket...this is a long-haul flight very different from the current regional flights that they are doing...

For Cebu Pacific to mount flights to the US, it would have to change its business model from an LCC to a full-service carrier. No one would want to fly long-haul with LCC standards of service.

Cebu Pacific plans to purchase some Airbus A380s within 10 years.. it was one of the first lines during our training...

i'm very skeptical of cebu pacific's move to go long-haul international, particularly in the u.s. as well as the purchases of wide body aircrafts such as the a380 and boeing 748i. these are all just wonderful rumors and i probably won't believe any of it until they physically start flying these planes (748i and a380) to these aforementioned destinations

why?

because for one thing, fuel cost and all the expenditures to operate international is rising and very costly- and for a low cost carrier to operate under such conditions today will not last very long. example- oasis hong kong airlines. cebu pacific has already begun to cut more than half of it's regular flights to the various destinations it flies to. it would really be nice to fly cheap international (MNL to SFO or LAX), but the carrier would be at a great lost or the airfare would be pretty high each way and still the carrier would be at a lost-no one would fly with such outrageous prices.

the rumors of cebu pacific operating a380 and or the 748i is another sweet but probably speculated wonder wishing dream. if cebu pacific did purchase the a380, again it would be a fortune to operate such large aircrafts for a low cost carrier, and where would it fly to with full capacity (besides going to LAX or SFO or any of those rumored routes)? can they fill these planes with passengers and maintain them at a profitable steady condition? will these routes and these large planes yield profitable income for a low cost carrier? i think it's really difficult to believe and so i am very skeptical and please don't crucify me for just trying to think carefully and weigh in the reality of things. i would believe or buy in if cebu pacific instead purchased the airbus 330, possibly the 350, or the boeing 787 only for regional flights, maybe the 777 if they try to operate in india, more in china, and or the middle east- these are routes are more believable and practical to me, but not anything as large as the a380 or the 748i.

just my thoughts, please don't hate. ;P

^^
Good thoughts! My point exactly.
Even industry giant Soutwest, Easyjet, and Ryanair did not play the idea of long-haul. The ones that tried folded. Jetstar Australia even have a hard time sustaining its medium haul operations against Virgin Blue and other LCC's. Its long haul operations to Japan remains to be seen and Qantas will always be there to catch them when they fall. :)

i can bet and be most certain that cebu pacific will not operate any aircraft no larger than the a330 or the medium range 787, i'm revoking my statement on the a350 and the 777-unless they manage to get a really profitable route with a steady number of passengers on a daily basis. even the a350 and the 777 may slightly be too big for them already unless they can fill them regularly on a profitable route. i'm not sure which routes are profitable to cebu pacific and fill the plane to at least more than half of it's capacity. four engined aircrafts cost lots of money to operate and maintain, they consume a lot of fuel, that's why many large carriers such as SQ (exempt their a380s), EVA, UA, Delta, etc. have gone with the 777's on most of their long-haul and regional routes favoring the retirement/replacements of most of their 744s. perhaps cebu pacific should also actively compete with cargo as well. if not passengers, cargo provides income for the airline as well.

cebu pacific fleet will probably be like this...

a320/321/119
a330
some turbo prop planes, possibly some embraers, and maybe some BAes.

"Tara Na, Biyahe Tayo" is a DOT project and therefore PAL, by virtue of the public interest in bringing passengers to the Philippines, can show the video on all its inbound flights. There are two major problems with this though:

-The video is meant to promote domestic tourism
-The video is not in EnglishAllow me to add a third, why should this video be shown on the inbound flight to the Philippines? This is something that should be viewed prior to flight time, when travellers are in the planning stages of their trip.

Here's a good promotional video too. :colgate:

pU1I1Yt-ink

The XIAN MA 60

You will see 5 brand new MA 60 in Asian Spirit colors to do head on battle with ATR and Q400's on the Philippine skies starting next month. They will be replacing the YS-11 and de Havilland Dash 7-100 fleet, alternating with BAe-146 to Caticlan. Two aircraft will be stationed at MLA and CEB and one unit will be stationed at ZAM. This is gonna be exciting!


The Xian MA60 is a turboprop-powered airliner made by China's Xi'an Aircraft Industrial Corporation under the China Aviation Industry Corporation I (AVIC I). The MA60 is a stretched version of the Xi'an Y7-200A and a close copy of the An-26 cargo plane. The plane was first tested in 1993, and given its airworthiness certificate in 1998 from the Civil Aviation Administration of China. A year later, two MA60s were put into operation by Chang'an Airlines.

Wow Great for 6K, hindi na ako makahintay na makasakay sa ganyan turboprop by china, pero great services na rin by 6K kasi kahit dami bad comments sa Dash 7-100 Aircraft nila ehh! masasabi ko na great job ng Old planes nila kasi even though it is old it is safe to ride and kahit may turbulence ehh nakakarating ka din nman ng safe sa pupuntahan mo

If 6K enters the competition masasabi ko na ito na ang mgiging Third carrier ng Philippines kasi Air Phil, mukhang pinapabayaan na ng Pal kasi refleeting nito hindi nila pagtuunan ng pansin sa halip nagdagdag pa sila ng new airline or new subsidary ng Pal
if 6k got their new Airbuses humanda na ang 5j

^^
Good thoughts! My point exactly.
Even industry giant Soutwest, Easyjet, and Ryanair did not play the idea of long-haul. The ones that tried folded. Jetstar Australia even have a hard time sustaining its medium haul operations against Virgin Blue and other LCC's. Its long haul operations to Japan remains to be seen and Qantas will always be there to catch them when they fall. :)


Virgin blus hopes to follow suit though hopefully by end of 2008 they can operate a Syd-Lax route with A340s advertisemtd have been around but there is no set date confirmed..In terms of QF Yes ..frequiencies to the "Land Of Rising Sun" has been reduced" demand isnt as high & QF & JAL are both
One world allice members.There use to be two JAL flight a day but i think JAL 9am & JALways mid afternoon. but thats no longer when my brother flew to Nagoya it was via Jetstar.
Sana Air Asia will solve it for everyone :D

i can bet and be most certain that cebu pacific will not operate any aircraft no larger than the a330 or the medium range 787, i'm revoking my statement on the a350 and the 777-unless they manage to get a really profitable route with a steady number of passengers on a daily basis. even the a350 and the 777 may slightly be too big for them already unless they can fill them regularly on a profitable route. i'm not sure which routes are profitable to cebu pacific and fill the plane to at least more than half of it's capacity. four engined aircrafts cost lots of money to operate and maintain, they consume a lot of fuel, that's why many large carriers such as SQ (exempt their a380s), EVA, UA, Delta, etc. have gone with the 777's on most of their long-haul and regional routes favoring the retirement/replacements of most of their 744s. perhaps cebu pacific should also actively compete with cargo as well. if not passengers, cargo provides income for the airline as well.

cebu pacific fleet will probably be like this...

a320/321/119
a330
some turbo prop planes, possibly some embraers, and maybe some BAes.

What's a max config on a 330 with one class , prob upwards of 400 right.
Still a huge load for an LCC, perhaps if 5J ran a Manila HK flight with an Absolutely Positively Super Cheap No Hidden Charge Price of lets say 4K round trip then they could dedicate such a plane to one of these busy sectors hehe

Even then , what's the usual minimum number for typical fleet deployment to ensure lowest cost (training, MRO, dispatch) , i've heard 12 so assuming it's even half of that ,that's a mighty number of seats that needs to get filled up!



I can't believe Fred Yao actually picked up the Xian planes, he was talking about it because of it's low pick up price (and as a turboprop I assume low CASM as well) but seriously, they need to have a clean record for a while for Xian's to have the Made in China cloud for a commercial airplane rest. Sa bagay he's planning to fly these in unchartered markets hehe so they won't be as picky if the price is right!

I wonder why 5J won't go for an A330 for HK route, even to Japan since they service those routes and seems profitable for them as well..

isnt it that it is CebPac's strategy to use one type of plane for inventory purposes? When they were with DC9, they were all DC9. When they shifted to A320, they dropped/phased out all their DC9. If they have plans to go transpacific, maybe they would jump towards the A340, its equivalent, or bigger planes, which can also be used for regional, rather than the A330, which is bigger than A320, but would be hard pressed for long haul use.

isnt it that it is CebPac's strategy to use one type of plane for inventory purposes? When they were with DC9, they were all DC9. When they shifted to A320, they dropped/phased out all their DC9. If they have plans to go transpacific, maybe they would jump towards the A340, its equivalent, or bigger planes, which can also be used for regional, rather than the A330, which is bigger than A320, but would be hard pressed for long haul use.

I agree,..but if thats the care i'd prefer if they go for 777-200er i believe its more fuel efficient that A340s 2 versus 4 engines
plus 777er will have the range to go with is....butthen again...this might also become an issue if they prefer to have common aircraft meaning "MAINLY" airbus fleet ...except for the ATRs ofcourse

I wonder why 5J won't go for an A330 for HK route, even to Japan since they service those routes and seems profitable for them as well..

Thats one of the reason they can no longer serve Japanese cities...they have no widebodies which is Japan doesnt wantanything below size of 757s, remember shen they still had 757s & they did serve Regular flights to Japan?

Philippine Airlines (PAL) - Must do refleeting first they must retired their B737-300 and
B747 nila because kung sila ang country's carrier dapat sa mga aircraft nlang nila ay kaaya-aya na tgnan

Ceb-5j must buy larger aircraft if they planing a regional service here in asia, i think the best option is A330 nga

The business of transforming
HIDDEN AGENDA By Mary Ann Ll. Reyes
Wednesday, July 30, 2008

World-class airport needed

A giant mega-billion peso project is being planned in the eastern part Metro Manila. It will be huge, it will be ultra-modern, and it will be 100-percent private sector-funded.

It will be a state-of-the-art international airport city, with commercial and residential structures to surround the airport.

Currently, we have the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) in Luzon, the Mactan International Airport in the Visayas, and the Davao International Airport in Mindanao. These international gateways are supposed to be the entry points to economic growth areas – those tourist, investment, industrial, or commercial centers all over the country.

While we may have a “world-class” international passenger terminal, we still do not have a world-class international airport. What we have at NAIA is a 3,737-meter primary runway and a short 2,258-meter secondary strip.

The DMIA in Pampanga has two runways, both measuring 3,200 meters. But its proximity to Metro Manila, and the lack of access (like an efficient mass transport system) and adequate passenger facilities, hamper the DMIA’s bid to replace the NAIA.

A new Metro Manila international airport need not compete with DMIA. In fact, the two can be complementary.

Whoever cooked up the idea of a new international airport in the metro should be commended for their guts. If they do manage to pull this through, it could very well change the face of the metropolis. We suppose that’s half the story right there. The other half of the story is paying for the project. If NAIA Terminal 3 cost between $300 million to $500 million, then an entire international airport complex could cost more than $1 billion. Will there be any takers?

^^ Where will they build this, in Infanta, Quezon or they will reclaim land in Laguna de Bay?

^^ It's on Talim Island, at least that was the plan. That has been making the rounds of the rumor mills for years now.

^^
Its not on the medium and long term project proposals of GOP. Probably coming from thin air. There is one airport though to be build in Laguna to cater GA traffic, but that will be 10 years from now. It could be this "mountain out of a molehill" airport.

By the way, the 2 class recaro seated 744's of PAL is flying already to Tokyo and Hong-Kong. FYI :)

^^
Its not on the medium and long term project proposals of GOP. Probably coming from thin air. There is one airport though to be build in Laguna to cater GA traffic, but that will be 10 years from now. It could be this "mountain out of a molehill" airport.

By the way, the 2 class recaro seated 744's of PAL is flying already to Tokyo and Hong-Kong. FYI :)

hey thanks!

i've been wondering about that PAL 744 that underwent a D-check and class reconfiguration. has anyone traveled onboard it yet or have pictures? just curious as to what it looks like inside and how things are going along with this new type of service PAL had introduced. it's a milestone step for PAL to introduce these new services. sana meron na mga individual ptv's onboard down to Y class. good lord... mahirap kasi on 16+ hour flight transpacific with nothing to do or look at when killing time. is that type of configuration designed for regional routes lang ba or also for international long-hauls?

so that's one PAL plane reconfigured... really happy and excited for them. can't wait to try. hopefully they send that plane here to LAX. :banana:

What's a max config on a 330 with one class , prob upwards of 400 right.
Still a huge load for an LCC, perhaps if 5J ran a Manila HK flight with an Absolutely Positively Super Cheap No Hidden Charge Price of lets say 4K round trip then they could dedicate such a plane to one of these busy sectors hehe



I was thinking before that cebu pacific might just have the a321 as their largest aircraft in their fleet because it's pretty much the extended/elongated version of the a320 and if not, most of the flight instruments and equipment onboard is a mirror or similar to that of the a320. i think it's probably the right type for them in terms of commonality with the a320 and a319. it's capacity for a one configuration class is probably around 300 more or less (220 max on the airbus site). when it's fully loaded, it's maximum range is 5,600 km or 3,00 nautical miles (good enough for cebu pacific's current routes). range would be a problem in the future if they decide to expand travel in india, if they decide to go to australia, and or more routes to china. they can and may probably still make the a321 an addition in their fleet. the low cost carrier jetBlue is similar cebu pacific, they were also an a320 operator in the beginning because they wanted commonality, but due to soaring fuel and traffic restrictions on some of their hubs such as the two NY airports, they have decided to purchase the a321 on those routes that have a considerable yielding number of passengers, high frequency flights, and places that impose flight restrictions.

but... :)

the reason why i mention the a330 in their fleet was because of the increasing numbers of passengers flying within our own country, domestic flights. as we all know, PAL uses their a330 on many domestic flights and they are full most of the time or more than half on other occasions. i've been on PAL's MNL to CEB flights several times on their a330's and they are always full of passengers-half of those are tourists in our country to enjoy the wonderful South. i am sure that the CEB-MNL route is not the only domestic flight to be full of passengers onboard with the utilization of an a330 or larger aircraft. and let's face it, our country's passenger ships/ferries are being scrapped because they are old, the recent maritime disaster has won the favor of people to fly rather than sail, and flying in the RP is becoming affordable despite the rise of fuel. more people in our country would rather fly these days because they find it more convenient. our country's aviation is stepping up steadily. anyways... so i believe cebu pacific can fill up a one class configuration a330. besides the capacity of the aircraft, they don't have to necessarily modify the aircraft to fit in 400+ people onboard. lately there have been trends by LCC all over the world to provide more seating space. so a sufficient 300+ one class seating configuration a330 aircraft is sufficient enough. also they could introduce a premium class onboard, which is also a recent trend among LCC worldwide, although you pay a little extra for the extra space and attention onboard.

PAL posts $30.6 million FY income (http://www.mb.com.ph/BSNS20080730131099.html)

Despite skyrocketing aviation fuel costs, Philippine Airlines (PAL) remained in the black for its fourth consecutive fiscal year (ending March 31, 2008), earning a total of $ 30.6 million, the flag carrier disclosed to the Securities and Exchange Commission yesterday.

PAL’s earnings was $ 99.9 million lower than the previous fiscal year’s total of $ 130.5 million, due mainly to the absence this time of extraordinary gains that boosted the airline’s revenues a year ago.

Still, the flag carrier’s posted profits on the first year after emerging from an eight-year receivership in September, 2007, an indicator of its financial health, PAL executives pointed out.

More importantly, PAL’s operating revenue rose 15 percent to $ 1.46 billion in fiscal year 2008, leading to an operating profit of $ 84.3 million exceeding fiscal 2007’s $ 70.3 million by 20 percent.

Total revenues for the period grew by $ 110.5 million, or 8 per cent, to $ 1.504 billion with the strong performance of passenger operations. In all, PAL carried 7.6 million passengers on 47,403 flights during the year, for an average load factor of 79.5 percent .

Revenue passenger kilometers (RPK), the industry’s most common measure of demand, topped 17.5 billion.

All these statistics rose from year-ago levels, when PAL carried 6.9 million passengers on 42,506 flights, for a load factor of 76.9 percent and RPK of 16.1 billion.

Cargo contributed $ 119.5 million in revenues, with 122,672 tons lifted during fiscal year 2008.

"While modest, these results confirm that PAL has strong fundamentals enabling it to weather challenges including constant oil-price shocks," PAL president Jaime J. Bautista underscored. "PAL is also well-positioned for an expected rebound in the market."

However, PAL’s expenses surged by 18.3 percent to $ 1.540 billion from the previous year’s $ 1.302 billion, mainly as a result of the huge jump in jet-fuel prices. In 2008, the average price of fuel spiked to $ 89.52 per barrel from $ 79.81 per barrel in 2007.

This added $ 68.2 million to PAL’s fuel bill, which swelled to $ 470.1 million during the year.

Despite this, PAL management continued to reinvest in the company’s long-term viability by upgrading the fleet, systems and human-resource assets and by introducing new products.

The launch last May of a new, low-fares brand, PAL Express, and the restoration of a network of mostly secondary routes served by turbo-propeller aircraft exemplifies this thrust, Bautista noted.

At present, the flag carrier is in the midst of a comprehensive, P3.5-billion cabin refurbishment on its current wide-body fleet. Soon, PAL will introduce a new bi-class product alongside a major upgrade of its plane interiors and amenities.

PAL expects its wide-body modernization program will peak late next year when the first of six Boeing 777-300ER aircraft enters service. The state-of-the-art, ultra-long-range jets will be used mainly on the key trans-Pacific routes.

This develops as PAL completes the major part of its narrow-body fleet upgrade program later this 2008. The last two of 15 firm orders comprising Airbus A319 and A320 jets are scheduled for delivery before the year-end, giving PAL one of the youngest narrow-body fleets in the region.

^^
I haven't tried the service yet but the new PAL business and economy class looks like this one

http://cdn-www.airliners.net/aviation-photos/photos/8/5/3/0528358.jpg
CL 6510 RECARO BUSINESS CLASS
http://cdn-www.airliners.net/aviation-photos/photos/9/2/0/1341029.jpg
CL 3510 RECARO ECONOMY CLASS
It will be the same seat pitch for the new 77W that will be delivered next year.


Philippine Airlines Embarks on US$86 MLN Cabin Upgrade


MANILA, Feb 13 Asia Pulse - Philippine Airlines (PAL) has embarked on a comprehensive P3.5-billion (US$85.7 million) renovation of its long-range wide-body fleet, highlighted by the reconfiguration of the passenger cabin from a tri-class to bi-class layout, along with a major upgrade of the interiors and amenities.

The project, which covers PAL's five Boeing 747-400 and four Airbus A340-300 aircraft, will be implemented in phases with the first aircraft sporting the new interiors in June 2008. The entire program is due to be completed by the last quarter of 2009.

During the transition period, from now until the rollout of the last reconfigured aircraft, all B747-400 and A340-300 flights will be sold as bi-class flights, PAL President Jaime Bautista said.

Bautista said the project involves the installation of state-of-the-art inflight entertainment systems, new business-class and economy-class seats, and the infusion of a new, modern look that emulates the tranquil seas and sandy beaches of the Philippines.

The wide-body reconfiguration dovetails the ongoing modernization program for PALs narrow-body fleet that features many of the same key elements Audio/Video On-Demand (AVOD) technology, German-made Recaro seats, and tropical-themed cabin interiors.

A new, personalized inflight meal service in Mabuhay (Business) Class, called One by One, also complements the cabin upgrade, Bautista said.

The major modification is the reconfiguration of the wide-body aircraft layout from the current tri-class to bi-class, which involves the expansion of the Mabuhay Class section into the erstwhile First Class section.

"The move is intended to address the growing popularity of business-class service and the competitive pressures to upgrade the service", Bautista said.

New interiors, new seats is the focal point of the new Mabuhay Class cabin with its luxurious cocoon seats supplied by Recaro of Germany.

The new seat has a fixed privacy shell that enables the passenger to enjoy utmost privacy while an ergonomic design transforms it into a lie-flat bed.

"The seats are adjustable to a variety of positions at the passengers option. Each seat is equipped with its own programmable position controls with memory, individual directional LED reading light, oversized tray table and bottle holder," he said.

Bautista said the Fiesta (Economy) Class passengers will likewise benefit from the technology their new seats, also from Recaro, are ergonomically designed, with new-generation, thinner seatbacks which provide bigger living space and enhance passengers comfort.

The new cabins will have a generous seat pitch of 60 inches in Mabuhay Class and 32-to-34 inches in Fiesta Class. Cabin aesthetics will likewise be enhanced, Bautista said, with a modern look and ambience that evokes the coastal areas of the Philippines one of the signature elements of the flag carriers service.

Mabuhay Class seats will be outfitted in plush, deep-blue upholstery accented with touches of silvery-copper threads that simulate reflections of light on water Fiesta Class seats feature the same undulating wave-pattern design in a blue, aqua and terracotta palette. The relaxed, tropical feel extends to the front and back ends of the cabin where interiors, curtains, carpets and surfaces are in various shades of blue, white, gray, silver and tan.

Further, the entire cabin on reconfigured aircraft will be equipped with AVOD technology a fully digital inflight entertainment system that enables both Mabuhay and Fiesta Class passengers to choose from a full library of video and audio content.

Each seat will be outfitted with personal TV and passengers can start, pause, rewind, and fast-forward any of the video programs at any time using the touch-screen controls or the passenger control units.

The AVOD system gives passengers a wide range of digital on-demand entertainment options they can individually select from a variety of digital games and entertainment programs anytime.

The selection includes 18 of the latest Hollywood movies, two Tagalog-language films, eight popular TV programs, 12 radio channels and 50 CD albums.

Each passenger can also create his own audio playlist from the collection of CD albums. On-screen instructions are available in English, Chinese, Japanese and Korean.

Digital games include Tetris, Bejeweled, Galaktor, Reversi, Bookworm, Solitaire, Head-to-Head Chess and the inflight Trivia Challenge. Noise-canceling headsets and in-seat power for laptops are provided in Mabuhay Class.

As well, the Mabuhay Class cabin is equipped with 15.4-inch, seatback-mounted monitors and 10.6-inch, in-arm monitors, while Fiesta Class seats come with 8.9-inch monitors.

Finally, the upgraded interiors and advanced technology will be complemented by a new inflight-meal service method in Mabuhay Class, dubbed One by One, where the service is designed to fit each passengers individual needs.

(PNA (http://sg.biz.yahoo.com/080213/16/4el1h.html))

RECARO SEATS IN PHILIPPINE AIRLINES FLEET

Philippine Airlines (http://www.jainevill.com.ph/news.html) will be installing Recaro seats on most of its aircraft fleet. The airline has selected the full flat CL 6510 Business Class seats in its fleet of B747-400 aircraft, A340 aircraft and its forthcoming B777-300ER aircraft. This remarkable “Full flat” seat has a 12o in-flight sleeping position at a 60” pitch and has a bed length of up to 6.25 feet. Also known in the industry as the “private bed”, Recaro’s lightweight CL 6510 offers an array of comfort features including preset seat positions. Standard features of the seat include reading light, large one-piece tray table, top mounted cocktail table, and an integration of PC power.

Recaro CL3510 Economy class seats will also be installed in the retrofitted B747-400 and A340 aircraft. This lightweight seat with ergonomically designed backrest and bottom cushion is specially designed for long range flights.

In the past, Recaro seats were installed in PAL fleet of A320 aircraft both in business class and economy class and in the economy class section of its fleet of A330 aircraft.



PHILIPPINE AIRLINES SELECTS PANASONIC IFE FOR ITS A340 AND B777 AIRCRAFT FLEET

Philippine Airlines (http://www.jainevill.com.ph/news.html) has chosen Panasonic to supply its eX2 in-flight entertainment (IFE) system on six new Boeing 777-300ER aircraft for delivery beginning in 2009 and in the retrofit of four A340 aircraft which will also be done in 2009.

The eX2 system is the next generation of Panasonic’s X Series advanced in-flight digital entertainment and high speed communication system. The system offers airlines more storage, more passengers per audio/video server and speedier loading times. It contains more than 50 applications and services, offers a variety of handsets and comes with high-resolution display.

PAL posts $30.6 million FY income (http://www.mb.com.ph/BSNS20080730131099.html)

This develops as PAL completes the major part of its narrow-body fleet upgrade program later this 2008. The last two of 15 firm orders comprising Airbus A319 and A320 jets are scheduled for delivery before the year-end, giving PAL one of the youngest narrow-body fleets in the region.

The last 5 Airbus 320-232 series options for PAL will be delivered to Air Philippines next year. Right now they haven't exercised the options yet.

Meanwhile, take a glimpse of the brand new Airbus 320 of PAL with Recaro seats.

http://images2.jetphotos.net/img/1/7/1/9/49828_1186665917.jpg

wow! AVOD on domestic? im pretty sure all international flights have it now.. :)

PAL is launching a new website as of this moment!
http://www.philippineairlines.com

^^ The new website is okay looking, not much different from the last one, still the same info on it, just reconfigured around.

Nice! I'd like to see more pics of PAL's cabins later on. :)

The last 5 Airbus 320-232 series options for PAL will be delivered to Air Philippines next year. Right now they haven't exercised the options yet.

Meanwhile, take a glimpse of the brand new Airbus 320 of PAL with Recaro seats.

http://images2.jetphotos.net/img/1/7/1/9/49828_1186665917.jpg

This is on the Business Class section I think.

The last 5 Airbus 320-232 series options for PAL will be delivered to Air Philippines next year. Right now they haven't exercised the options yet.

Meanwhile, take a glimpse of the brand new Airbus 320 of PAL with Recaro seats.

http://images2.jetphotos.net/img/1/7/1/9/49828_1186665917.jpg

i'm assuming that these are the ones for the domestic and regional market? it's very nice. can't wait to try them.

^^
I haven't tried the service yet but the new PAL business and economy class looks like this one

http://cdn-www.airliners.net/aviation-photos/photos/8/5/3/0528358.jpg
CL 6510 RECARO BUSINESS CLASS
http://cdn-www.airliners.net/aviation-photos/photos/9/2/0/1341029.jpg
CL 3510 RECARO ECONOMY CLASS
It will be the same seat pitch for the new 77W that will be delivered next year.


Philippine Airlines Embarks on US$86 MLN Cabin Upgrade


MANILA, Feb 13 Asia Pulse - Philippine Airlines (PAL) has embarked on a comprehensive P3.5-billion (US$85.7 million) renovation of its long-range wide-body fleet, highlighted by the reconfiguration of the passenger cabin from a tri-class to bi-class layout, along with a major upgrade of the interiors and amenities.

The project, which covers PAL's five Boeing 747-400 and four Airbus A340-300 aircraft, will be implemented in phases with the first aircraft sporting the new interiors in June 2008. The entire program is due to be completed by the last quarter of 2009.

During the transition period, from now until the rollout of the last reconfigured aircraft, all B747-400 and A340-300 flights will be sold as bi-class flights, PAL President Jaime Bautista said.

Bautista said the project involves the installation of state-of-the-art inflight entertainment systems, new business-class and economy-class seats, and the infusion of a new, modern look that emulates the tranquil seas and sandy beaches of the Philippines.

The wide-body reconfiguration dovetails the ongoing modernization program for PALs narrow-body fleet that features many of the same key elements Audio/Video On-Demand (AVOD) technology, German-made Recaro seats, and tropical-themed cabin interiors.

A new, personalized inflight meal service in Mabuhay (Business) Class, called One by One, also complements the cabin upgrade, Bautista said.

The major modification is the reconfiguration of the wide-body aircraft layout from the current tri-class to bi-class, which involves the expansion of the Mabuhay Class section into the erstwhile First Class section.

"The move is intended to address the growing popularity of business-class service and the competitive pressures to upgrade the service", Bautista said.

New interiors, new seats is the focal point of the new Mabuhay Class cabin with its luxurious cocoon seats supplied by Recaro of Germany.

The new seat has a fixed privacy shell that enables the passenger to enjoy utmost privacy while an ergonomic design transforms it into a lie-flat bed.

"The seats are adjustable to a variety of positions at the passengers option. Each seat is equipped with its own programmable position controls with memory, individual directional LED reading light, oversized tray table and bottle holder," he said.

Bautista said the Fiesta (Economy) Class passengers will likewise benefit from the technology their new seats, also from Recaro, are ergonomically designed, with new-generation, thinner seatbacks which provide bigger living space and enhance passengers comfort.

The new cabins will have a generous seat pitch of 60 inches in Mabuhay Class and 32-to-34 inches in Fiesta Class. Cabin aesthetics will likewise be enhanced, Bautista said, with a modern look and ambience that evokes the coastal areas of the Philippines one of the signature elements of the flag carriers service.

Mabuhay Class seats will be outfitted in plush, deep-blue upholstery accented with touches of silvery-copper threads that simulate reflections of light on water Fiesta Class seats feature the same undulating wave-pattern design in a blue, aqua and terracotta palette. The relaxed, tropical feel extends to the front and back ends of the cabin where interiors, curtains, carpets and surfaces are in various shades of blue, white, gray, silver and tan.

Further, the entire cabin on reconfigured aircraft will be equipped with AVOD technology a fully digital inflight entertainment system that enables both Mabuhay and Fiesta Class passengers to choose from a full library of video and audio content.

Each seat will be outfitted with personal TV and passengers can start, pause, rewind, and fast-forward any of the video programs at any time using the touch-screen controls or the passenger control units.

The AVOD system gives passengers a wide range of digital on-demand entertainment options they can individually select from a variety of digital games and entertainment programs anytime.

The selection includes 18 of the latest Hollywood movies, two Tagalog-language films, eight popular TV programs, 12 radio channels and 50 CD albums.

Each passenger can also create his own audio playlist from the collection of CD albums. On-screen instructions are available in English, Chinese, Japanese and Korean.

Digital games include Tetris, Bejeweled, Galaktor, Reversi, Bookworm, Solitaire, Head-to-Head Chess and the inflight Trivia Challenge. Noise-canceling headsets and in-seat power for laptops are provided in Mabuhay Class.

As well, the Mabuhay Class cabin is equipped with 15.4-inch, seatback-mounted monitors and 10.6-inch, in-arm monitors, while Fiesta Class seats come with 8.9-inch monitors.

Finally, the upgraded interiors and advanced technology will be complemented by a new inflight-meal service method in Mabuhay Class, dubbed One by One, where the service is designed to fit each passengers individual needs.

(PNA (http://sg.biz.yahoo.com/080213/16/4el1h.html))

RECARO SEATS IN PHILIPPINE AIRLINES FLEET

Philippine Airlines (http://www.jainevill.com.ph/news.html) will be installing Recaro seats on most of its aircraft fleet. The airline has selected the full flat CL 6510 Business Class seats in its fleet of B747-400 aircraft, A340 aircraft and its forthcoming B777-300ER aircraft. This remarkable “Full flat” seat has a 12o in-flight sleeping position at a 60” pitch and has a bed length of up to 6.25 feet. Also known in the industry as the “private bed”, Recaro’s lightweight CL 6510 offers an array of comfort features including preset seat positions. Standard features of the seat include reading light, large one-piece tray table, top mounted cocktail table, and an integration of PC power.

Recaro CL3510 Economy class seats will also be installed in the retrofitted B747-400 and A340 aircraft. This lightweight seat with ergonomically designed backrest and bottom cushion is specially designed for long range flights.

In the past, Recaro seats were installed in PAL fleet of A320 aircraft both in business class and economy class and in the economy class section of its fleet of A330 aircraft.



PHILIPPINE AIRLINES SELECTS PANASONIC IFE FOR ITS A340 AND B777 AIRCRAFT FLEET

Philippine Airlines (http://www.jainevill.com.ph/news.html) has chosen Panasonic to supply its eX2 in-flight entertainment (IFE) system on six new Boeing 777-300ER aircraft for delivery beginning in 2009 and in the retrofit of four A340 aircraft which will also be done in 2009.

The eX2 system is the next generation of Panasonic’s X Series advanced in-flight digital entertainment and high speed communication system. The system offers airlines more storage, more passengers per audio/video server and speedier loading times. It contains more than 50 applications and services, offers a variety of handsets and comes with high-resolution display.

not bad even tho it will look like the old seats of Lufthansa (LH). personally i like their old style of seats anyways. it's still a major improvement for PAL. a personalized brand of service for PAL. looks and sounds nice but hopefully they don't disappoint when we try them. i really like the interior designs onboard too. parang philippiniana ang design. maybe they can add those mood lighting and cameras of the plane as well. great choice for them to choose recaro, i think they are the same designers for Lufthansa as well. thanks for the post! and excellent move for PAL. i'm elated to travel home with them again.