Airlines, Airplanes and Airports - Compiled Threads [Archive] - Page 9

Skyblade

January 1st, 2006, 05:35 PM

P650M airport to make Butuan Airbus-ready
Friday, December 30, 2005
Link to the article (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/dav/2005/12/30/bus/p650m.airport.to.make.butuan.airbus.ready.html)

BUTUAN City will soon be the recipient of a P650 million expansion project to open up its airport to international flights.

This was revealed yesterday by Butuan City councilor Dino Claudio Moran Sanchez in an interview with the Philippine Information Agency based in Davao City.

Sanchez said the planned Port of Magellan will also rekindle the city's role as one of the major port of entries in Mindanao. Both projects, he said, will make Butuan City globally competitive.

The multi-million peso airport expansion project will allow the present Butuan City airport to receive international flights and the bigger Airbus planes. The project also includes the improvement of the airport terminal.

In the meantime, the Butuan City councilor also disclosed that the national government is now hiring consultants for the massive 4-billion peso Port of Magellan.

He said the international port of entry will be named in honor of the famous voyager Ferdinand Magellan who discovered the Philippines in the 17th century on the condition that the Spanish government will push through with its counterpart funding.

Other projects that are being planned for Butuan by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo also includes the P380-M Butuan City coliseum, Sanchez said. (PIA-SP-RS)

SKYLINEPIGEON

January 1st, 2006, 06:32 PM

airport development is one important infrastructure along with seaport, railroads, roads and bridges that will spur economic activites in the countryside

SKYLINEPIGEON

January 1st, 2006, 06:47 PM

DOTC: Caticlan airport upgrade to begin by 2007

THE modernization of the old Caticlan airport, that was awarded to George Yang-led consortium Caticlan International Airport and Development Corp. (Caticlan Corp.), is expected to start by 2007, an official of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) said.

Roberto R. Castanares, Transport planning assistant secretary, said in an interview that the Swiss Challenge will be completed by the end of third quarter next year and it will start construction by of the 2007.

Under the Swiss Challenge process, the original proponent Caticlan Corp. will have the right to match the best bid for the airport project worth P5 billion.

Caticlan Corp. is composed of MCM Home Depot, owned by theYang family, Fil-Estate Properties, Inc., and foreign engineering and construction firms.

“[There is] no problem in NEDA-ICC [National Economic and Development Authority-Invesment Coordinating Committee] because [there is] no subsidy from the government, unlike the rail projects,” he said.

Castanares said the project, which is expected to be completed by end 2008, will cater to tourists from China and Korea. “[The proponent] want to have direct flights from China, Korea to Caticlan,” he said.

If it wants to make the airport accessible to direct international flights, Caticlan Corp. will need at least 50 percent of its development cost of P4.8 million to extend the runway to 2,000 meters from 950 meters to accommodate aircrafts as big as B737 from the current aircraft limit of DASH-7.

Castanares said that the proponent will develop a resort, hotel and mall to make the airport economically viable.

“No way that the government can develop a major airport like that because it lacks the funds,” Castanares told reporters. The project will be bound by a 25-year build-operate-transfer agreement with the government.

He also said that once the Caticlan airport succeeds, the Yang’s group template will be used for Busuanga and Laoag airports.

Castanares noted that the Yang’s consortium is also interested in developing the Busuanga airport.

Caticlan Corp. projected a travel cost savings of P150, which passengers will incur if they will not use the nearby Kalibo airport.

The rehabilitation of Old Caticlan airport will increase tourists to the properties of Fil-Estate, which developed in Boracay the Fairways and Bluewater Resort Golf & Country Club, 81 luxury golf villas, five-start hotels, a town center and an 18-hole championship golf course.

richard fischer

January 1st, 2006, 07:59 PM

so caticlan will be the first private airport in the philippines ? what happened to mcdonalds ? maybe they could develop siargao airfield into a proper A320/B 737 accessable airport like caticlan will soon be.

c0kelitr0

January 2nd, 2006, 04:50 AM

^^ it will soon be :)

SKYLINEPIGEON

January 2nd, 2006, 09:29 AM

richard fischer

January 2nd, 2006, 05:55 PM

thanks skylinep.

richard fischer

January 2nd, 2006, 08:55 PM

PAL eyes fleet upgrade of wide-bodied planes
Inquirer
PHILIPPINE AIRLINES IS PLANNING to follow up a recent deal to modernize its smaller planes with a similar upgrading of its bigger aircraft used for long trips, its top official said.

PAL president Jaime Bautista said the flag carrier needed to modernize and beef up its wide-bodied fleet to expand operations to the United States, its biggest and most profitable overseas market.

These nine aircraft, mostly Boeing 747s dedicated to long trips, were already between seven and 12 years old.

"We will lease or buy. The problem with wide-bodied planes is that they're expensive," he said. It was difficult to secure a lease contract and yet funding the acquisition would also be tough because of the cost, Bautista added.

In the long run, he said that buying or leasing brand-new aircraft would be more cost efficient. PAL, he said, has yet to decide whether to go for Boeing or for Airbus jets.

PAL signed last week a deal to buy nine narrow-bodied aircraft from Airbus and lease four brand-new Airbus planes. The list price of the nine planes plus an option to buy five more was $840 million. Acquisition cost, however, is usually lower than the quoted price.

The deal with Airbus will address the fleet used for domestic and regional trips. Flights to India, for instance, will be launched next year. Expanding operations in Japan and China were also being reviewed.

The flag carrier, which had been reviving routes that are becoming viable again, was preparing to launch flights to Los Angeles in the US from Cebu by late next year, Bautista had said earlier.

Overseas flights account for 70 percent of PAL's total sales and easily half is accounted for by the US operations. The remaining 30 percent comes from domestic routes.

PAL is the only Philippine carrier flying to the United States.

"We want to tap more of the US market. And also to protect our market share," Bautista said. PAL is just using two thirds of the available flight entitlements to the United States. Bautista said the plan to modernize its fleet between 2006 and 2008 should improve the company's on-time performance, boost its image and allow it to fly to more domestic and regional routes.

Fuel and maintenance costs, which account for more than 40 percent of overhead, should become less of a factor in operations.

PAL's fuel factor is now at more than 30 percent against only 17 percent before world petroleum prices started going up.

richard fischer

January 3rd, 2006, 07:15 AM

took this from the cebu thread :

richard fischer

January 3rd, 2006, 07:16 AM

ups, sorry here it is :
The infrastructure projects include the proposed two-kilometer taxiway at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport......
i thought they were going to build a runway NOT a taxiway ?

pau_p1

January 3rd, 2006, 07:27 AM

from my departure in Singapore to Clark.. I though of taking pictures of planes in the tarmac....

JetStar Asia
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v162/pau_p1/Trip%20To%20Singapore/DSC06683.jpg

Singapore Airline
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v162/pau_p1/Trip%20To%20Singapore/DSC06691.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v162/pau_p1/Trip%20To%20Singapore/DSC06684.jpg

Air HongKong
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v162/pau_p1/Trip%20To%20Singapore/DSC06689.jpg

Garuda Indonesia
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v162/pau_p1/Trip%20To%20Singapore/DSC06686.jpg

Merpati (where does this fly?)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v162/pau_p1/Trip%20To%20Singapore/DSC06687.jpg

Tiger Airways
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v162/pau_p1/Trip%20To%20Singapore/DSC06692.jpg

Singapore's Changi Airport Terminal 1
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v162/pau_p1/Trip%20To%20Singapore/DSC06680.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v162/pau_p1/Trip%20To%20Singapore/DSC06693.jpg

on DMIA, Clark
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v162/pau_p1/Trip%20To%20Singapore/DSC06319.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v162/pau_p1/Trip%20To%20Singapore/DSC06705.jpg

Air Asia
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v162/pau_p1/Trip%20To%20Singapore/DSC06340.jpg

a dormant GrandAir plane
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v162/pau_p1/Trip%20To%20Singapore/DSC06704.jpg

South East Asian Airlines
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v162/pau_p1/Trip%20To%20Singapore/DSC06706.jpg

SKYLINEPIGEON

January 3rd, 2006, 08:50 AM

pal is officially suspending its flights to riyadh/manila starting on march 02, 2006, the oply sector that pal is currently flying to the middle east, their reason the airlines commercial viability has been rendered unsustainable, i guess pal jst couldnt compete anymore with the middle east airlines (saudia, emirates, gulf air, kuwait airlines) as well some asian airlines like cathay pacific which offers much lower rates than pal, pal has been operating in the kingdom for almost 20 years and it sad that they will quit the middle east particularly saudi arabia that its home to almost a million filipinos overseas workers

Skyblade

January 3rd, 2006, 10:35 AM

That's seriously sad to hear. I hate to see the ME disappear from PAL's route network...:(

bustero

January 3rd, 2006, 12:11 PM

^^ Are you serious ! I can't understand why they cant' be profitable with so much demand and most Pinoys prefer to fly PR anyway. They must be horrendously expensive if they can't even serve this market. I think both EK and Gulf have like 10 flights per week!

SKYLINEPIGEON

January 3rd, 2006, 03:32 PM

yes, i received pals official announcement here in riyadh, its really sad especially for those filipinos who use pal to connect to their domestic destinations, now they have to go to t2 and domestic terminal to fly to their provinces, well the market here in the middle east is different, pinoys dont jst have the lliberty to buy their air tickets and choose it, its their company who provides their freee air tickets whenever they come to the philippines, but they usuall choose the cheapest fare to save cost, and of course event thsoe ofws that are given by their employer's ticket allowance wont choose to fly other airlines which cheaper fare and save. middles east airlines are owned by their governments so i would say that they enjoy fuel subsidies an thereby keeping their cost despite of rising fuel prices

SKYLINEPIGEON

January 3rd, 2006, 03:40 PM

btw is that grand air 737 park their to rot, the changi airport looks very good, dmia looks good too but need further improvement

ashton

January 3rd, 2006, 04:22 PM

wow. Changi, the only 5 star airport in the world by Skytrax. Truly amazing (accessibility and passenger convenience)

huistenmark

January 3rd, 2006, 04:41 PM

SKYLINEPIGEON

January 3rd, 2006, 04:49 PM

it's sad to see the riyadh flight go.. what type if AC does PAL fly to riyadh? could it be the AC that they will use for the CEB-USA flight??

on PAL fares... they are generally more expensive.. and often delayed, atleast in Nagoya..

they use their a-340 for the route, pal fares are generally more compared to to other airlines , with pal gone saudia (deploying 747-400) will be the only airline having direct flights to manila,btw saudia is serving riyadh/manila routes daily return flights

richard fischer

January 3rd, 2006, 09:03 PM

richard fischer

January 3rd, 2006, 09:06 PM

pau_p1,
great work ! that´s what i call a grand photo-reportage for this thread !

will someone shoot photos like these for us during the ASEAN tourist meet in davao please? i am sure we will see a lot of interestign charters comming in on the 11th, 12th of this month in davao.....

Atlason

January 3rd, 2006, 09:28 PM

Nice pictures :0)
However about PAL - Since they are not gonna fly into the Middle East anymore, maby they should consider European destinations, for example London or Paris.

bustero

January 4th, 2006, 05:21 AM

DEMAND AND SUPPLY By Boo Chanco
The Philippine Star 01/04/2006
Cebu Pacific
In fairness to Cebu Pacific, a large part of their problems has to do with that decrepit terminal building at Manila Domestic. This is why I want to reiterate a question I raised last Monday: how is the NAIA administration using the terminal fees they collect from passengers using the domestic terminal?

Travel industry sources told me that passengers of Cebu Pacific, Asian Spirit and Sea Air pay as much as P200 million in terminal fees a year. That should be enough to put up a decent terminal building. Right now, it is official extortion because passengers get nothing for their money.

It would be interesting to hear the explanation of Mr. Cusi on where the money is going. Nagtanong pa kasi ako!

SKYLINEPIGEON

January 4th, 2006, 08:25 AM

BYE-BYE
Philippine Airlines Stops operations
RIYADH

BAD news for a large Filipino community in Saudi Arabia! Their flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) has announced the suspension of its only Riyadh to Manila operation effective from March 2, 2006.

PAL closed its operation from Jeddah and Dammam in 1988. The suspension of its three Manila-Riyadh weekly flights means PAL will stop its total operation from Saudi Arabia.

Celso Dapo, PAL s Country Manager, in a letter addressed to Philippine Ambassador Bahranim Guinomla cited financial losses behind the decision to suspend Manila-Riyadh flights. He said PAL took the decision in light of the difficult environment prevailing the commercial air travel industry worldwide.

The ambassador confirmed the news, but expressed surprise at the decision, saying it will affect the large Filipino community here.

I was surprised over the news because Saudi Arabia has over 900,000 Filipino workers employed in the Kingdom.

The Saudi economy is witnessing another boom, which will create more job opportunities for Filipinos.

He said the embassy has been receiving a number of e-mails from the Filipino community expressing their unhappiness over the development. The embassy is now engaged in drafting its recommendations, which will be dispatched to Manila within a week s time, he said.

Considering the sensitivity and patriotic feelings of the Filipino community in the Kingdom, he said, the embassy hopes the PAL authorities in the Philippines will consider the presence of over 900,000 strong Filipino community, who all want to see their flag carrier operating from Saudi Arabia.

The letter, a copy of which was obtained by The Saudi Gazette, said that the decision to suspend the flights was made in full consideration that its impact will not only affect the Filipino community in Saudi Arabia but also the Philippine representation in this part of the world.

He assured that the suspension might be lifted once the environment is conducive, including the availability of PAL resources. We hope for your understanding in the unexpected turn of events, he said, addressing the ambassador in the letter.

Suspension of flights means PAL will have to wind up its office in Riyadh. This will also affect around 15 staff members, a majority of whom are Filipinos.

According to travel industry sources, the decision to suspend the PAL flights is coming at a peak period, when most of the Filipino families go home on annual vacation.

The suspension has raised many questions. It is not clear how the PAL was running in financial losses despite the presence of around 900,000 Filipinos in Saudi Arabia.

Roli Burmodo, a member of Riyadh-based Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants, said the Filipino community will face a lot of inconvenience after PAL stops its operation from the Saudi capital.

There will be booking problems, as Saudia will be the only flight operating direct from Riyadh to Manila, he said.

He said Filipino will opt to go by other airlines such as Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Qatar and Kuwait. But it is a long haul journey to the Philippines, which the passengers will have to spend more time in transit, as these airlines will have stopovers in respective countries.

Willy Cruz, a Filipino expatriate, said PAL s total termination of services from Saudi Arabia is the result of its poor service and high airfare. Besides, most of the sponsors give cheaper air passage, which the Kingdom s flag carrier Saudia offers.

He said those Filipinos, who were deprived of air passage from their sponsors also prefer to fly with Saudia because of cheaper airfare. The difference in air ticket between Saudia and PAL is huge, which amounts to a saving of around SR400 on a two-way ticket from Saudia.

PAL s lack of fleet is also another reason for its closure of operation from Saudi Arabia, he said. It is surprising to note that PAL is making financial losses when the number of Filipinos coming to Saudi Arabia on job visas has been increasing.

IsaganiZenze

January 4th, 2006, 08:32 AM

i don't know why they are doing that....that is just bad for progress....do they really charge much more compared to other carriers to that region?

SKYLINEPIGEON

January 4th, 2006, 08:46 AM

yes isagani pal rates are generally higher compared to other airlines, but still many filipinos prefer to fly with pal because first ist a direct flight no more hussle of connecting flight, the convenience of the terminal 2 that is pal's sole use, and speaking for myself and i would say that a lot of filipinos do have the feeling of being at home when flying with your own airline

ramvingar

January 4th, 2006, 08:55 AM

^so very sad to hear that. doesn't PAL have a Clark-Saudi flight also? Thought I heard about it before. Or is that only seasonal?

ramvingar

January 4th, 2006, 08:57 AM

i don't know why they are doing that....that is just bad for progress....do they really charge much more compared to other carriers to that region?

even in the Manila-USA routes, PAL is a lot more expensive compared to most other airlines. Their advantage is that they are the only one who has direct flights and also use T2 which is more convenient than T1

Sou-jiro

January 4th, 2006, 11:43 AM

thats sad to hear....thats one more less major route for PAL. However i really believe they will reinstate this later on after a while. Services to Australia was cut during the economic crisis but was reinstate later on (not sure how long it took)

I agree its to competitive with other carrier in that part of the world at times offering lower fares....emirates and gulfair have almost a daily flight to manila, so does Saudi A.

i also heard on the news recently (GMA) that PAL logde a complain againts Korean Carriers (Korean Air And Asiana) for unfair competition. It was also mentioned that Korean Carriers have are able to pick more Filipino Passenger from Manila to other Asian Regional cities by using larger aircrafts while Pal will usually use the smaller B737 and A320 fleet.

Here in Australia also the PAL service has been reduced due to competion PAL use to have the B747 in Melboure sydney 4 times a week now its a A330-300 4 times a week. To much competion on the Melbourne-Sydney to Manila route now againts Qantas Airways, Cathay Pacific, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore...and guys believe me i went to inquire for the fares and PAL is indeed more expansive....sometime $100 more
than the others.

i know its probably unfair for me to say this (because PAL is in REHAB) which is understandable but i hope PAL rethinks its strategies because even if it needs to save money it also needs the be effective in ideas...reality is most international routes where PAL fly are now competitive it makes me sad too hear about things like this and PAL losses out to bigger and more cashed up Airline they cannot just use the fact that They have T2 which is more convinient than T1....i wanna see PAL revived Internationally in 2006.

i hope Lucio Tan comes to his senses.....what do you reckon guys?

there are more tourist expected to visit Phils in 2006...i hope PAL is smart enough to take advantage of this rather than giving it all to other carrier,

During 70's and 80's Pal was also active in Europe...what happen?...Paris?..London?..Amsterdam?...Zurich?...Frankfurt?.....

Sou-jiro

January 4th, 2006, 12:10 PM

hello again all...is anyone kind enough to tell me the list of current international carriers serving Phils (all our international terminals)...thanks..

just need it for my research

kiretoce

January 4th, 2006, 05:40 PM

PAL is banking on the ease and comfort of T2 for transitioning from the international leg of one's journey to their final domestic destinations, also as the only (most of the time) airline with direct, non-stop links to the Philippines from all its foreign points of origin on its route network without much competition, it bullies the consumer into paying higher airfares than other airlines. If only another Philippine-based airline can give PAL a run for their money and provide fair competition without a monopoly on some routes, then and only then will PAL even out its prices to stay in the game.

richard fischer

January 4th, 2006, 09:28 PM

don´t forget. this airline has 1 billion debts still to pay off and has paid more than that within 7 years. now they just ordered 14 new jets for domestic/regional purposes and are thinking of ordering another 9 jets for their long hauls. all this does cost a lot of money. considering that PAL is a small airline with only 31 aircraft and maybe 7 million passengers (?), they have done a lot for the riding public. once they are out of debt, they will be more competetive. and surely charge lower prices as long as competition is around, and there is !

ramvingar

January 5th, 2006, 12:58 AM

i've always wanted to try riding PAL on international flights (I did once to Taiwan) but they really are more expensive. I remember back in 2001, I bought a roundtrip MNL-LA flight from JAL for $605 while PAL quoted me $895. And they didn't even have Personal Televisions! I was even able to get a $580 quote from Cathay Pacific in 2000.

richard fischer

January 5th, 2006, 07:34 AM

richard fischer

January 5th, 2006, 07:40 AM

just googled this :

Mabuhay - In-flight Magazine, Phillipine Airlines
Philippine Airlines is Asia's first airline taking to the skies in 1941. There are 19 towns and cities on its domestic operation with 21 points on its international routes.

Mabuhay is its superior in-flight magazine that offers travel & lifestyle stories from around the world. With information on what's on in the Philippines, restaurant reviews, travel tips and advice.

The magazine also includes updated offers from its frequent flyer program, tour programs, arrival information, flight details and the in-flight entertainment guide.

Recent winner of 2 major awards for excellence from the ASEAN Tourism Association.

Readership Profile

57% of the readers are aged between 31 to 50 years

Male 52% Female 48%

42% hold a professional occupation

51% of PAL passengers are Filipino

49% of PAL passengers are International travellers

42% of PAL passengers are travelling on holiday

PAL's average monthly passenger traffic is 451,291

but still need to find out where to get it in germany !

richard fischer

January 5th, 2006, 07:45 AM

adding up to the monthly pax statistics of PAL, they transported approx. 5.4 million pax that year. finally some statistics on that point !

ramvingar

January 5th, 2006, 09:45 AM

does anyone have an idea, i would like to receive the PAL inflight magazine MABUHAY. how to get it in germany ? there is no more PAL office here.....do they have them posted on any website to stroll through the issues ?

Hi Richard! Try going back to the MAbuhay homepage and clicking on the "contact us" button on the left hand side. Then send them your question. I just hope they answer you and more importantly, give you the answer you want. :)

Solblanc

January 5th, 2006, 11:04 AM

OMG, Riyadh is going to be dropped?

While it is sad that the Riyadh route is gone, it does free up some A340s. Its enough for them to add frequencies to an existing long-haul, or even start a new one altogether.

With Riyadh stopped, Rome could be in the picture. PAL has expressed interest in it before.

And also, there was the CEB-ICN-LAX proposal.

Or, MNL-YVR-LAS could go daily.

ishtefh_03

January 5th, 2006, 11:32 AM

read about the topic of riyadh being suspended in PAL... well' that's sad... my dad works there and he went home every summer around march or april... so, siguro saudia airlines na nyan ang sasakyan.. baka mahirap na mag book nyan ng flights sa dami ng pinoy who works there... but that's not a problem for my dad, he works at KKIA (king khaled in'tl airport), air traffic controller sya dun, minsan nga nag papaxchange passenger lng sya...

SKYLINEPIGEON

January 5th, 2006, 03:49 PM

OFWs dismayed over PAL plan to cancel Manila-Riyadh route

FILIPINO workers in Saudi Arabia are worried over an alleged plan by Philippine Airlines to cancel its Manila-Riyadh flights, according to e-mails posted on an OFW e-group.
Elso Cabangon, an OFW, said the PAL management in Riyadh had informed them that it was stopping its operations starting March 2.

In a short phone interview Thursday, PAL president Jaime Bautista said there was a review of the Manila-Riyadh route, which takes place thrice a week.

“We will issue a formal statement in a week's time. There are studies, review of operations of all our routes. We are studying pa lang [only], we cannot confirm [the cancellation of the Manila-Riyadh route] at this time," Bautista said.

OFWs in Saudi Arabia found the reports "shocking and disappointing.”

The proposed cancellation of the Manila-Riyadh route has made OFWs in Saudi Arabia feel like PAL and the Philippine government "are totally abandoning us," a Filipino worker said.

Unsong heroes we are called but is this the way to treat us? OFWs are again [to be the] laughing stock from other countries. Even other small third world countries have their own airlines in the Middle East. Why can’t we? It is really so embarrassing,” the Filipino worker said.

In his e-mail, Ronnie Abeto of the OFW support group Pusong Mamon Task Force 271 said the reported stoppage “will degrade our already degrading identity as Filipinos in Saudi Arabia.”

He asked the PAL management to reconsider its decision.

"Like many other OFWs in the kingdom, I would like to express my sentiments to this surprising news," said Abeto.

"I myself have shown my loyalty to PAL as an expression of my nationalism and patriotism. Wherever I am [at present since 2004 I am in Yanbu -- 1,600 kilometers from Riyadh], I use the services of PAL," he said.

"I had been awarded a free round-trip ticket business class in 2004 while I was based in Al-khobar -- that is 400 kilometers away from Riyadh," he said.

“Almost always, and despite PAL's unflattering reputation for commonly delayed flights, I choose it over Saudia Airlines. Somehow, it feels good and patriotic to ride on our national flag carrier,” Abeto said.

In his e-mail to INQ7.net, Benjamin Torrefiel asked for confirmation about the planned cancellation.

“Other than December, most Filipinos normally go on vacation in time for the end of school year so this bit of news, which we first heard yesterday [Wednesday], will not be good for us. We need more information if the stoppage of PAL operations will last long, so that we can book early with another airlines,” he said.

The OFWs are calling on the PAL management and the Philippine government not to cancel PAL flights in Riyadh, and to even expand its operations to where a considerable number of OFWs work -- in Jeddah and Dammam -- to make the Middle East a more viable destination for the national carrier.

An unidentified PAL official whom INQ7.net interviewed earlier on Thursday said that no decision had been reached.

"It’s still being discussed. A review of destinations is typical of any airline,” he said.

But the official also admitted that the Manila-Riyadh flight, which is PAL's sole destination in the Middle East, was the only one under review.

Despite the estimated one million OFWs in Saudi Arabia, the PAL official admitted that it was not able to fill the 264-capacity Airbus 340, which flies to Riyadh Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays.

Asked about the basis for the review, the PAL official said the factors being taken into account were: "With so many aircraft, where can each aircraft be used so that it can contribute to the revenue targets? Where can assets be maximized so that they can be more productive."

The PAL official also noted that most airlines operating in the Middle East were state-subsidized.

"These competitors can easily buy the market by dropping the prices below the economic level. These are deep-pocketed players. They can price their competitors out of the market, in the Middle East especially where you have mega carriers," the PAL official said.

"Middle East is not a place where you can engage in a price war. Aside from getting subsidy from their rich governments, they also possibly get giveaway rates for their oil, while PAL buys oil at world prices,” the PAL official said.

kiretoce

January 5th, 2006, 04:10 PM

richard fischer

January 5th, 2006, 05:09 PM

Hi Richard! Try going back to the MAbuhay homepage and clicking on the "contact us" button on the left hand side. Then send them your question. I just hope they answer you and more importantly, give you the answer you want. :)

hi ramvingar,
i did as you suggested. hopefully they will address a proper solution.

now about that PAL saudi cancellation. i do not mind, if they make more money on another route like to the US or india or rome or where ever. just as long as they can get out of their debts as soon as possible and equipt with new aircraft situated with state-of-the-art inflight entertainment and fuel efficient engines. besides, with new aircraft they will be more punctual. no company can grow and thrive without making proper profits. just imagine, they can´t even fill 260 seats 3 times a week.....so drop it for better results.

xDieselJockx

January 5th, 2006, 05:22 PM

hi ramvingar,
i did as you suggested. hopefully they will address a proper solution.

now about that PAL saudi cancellation. i do not mind, if they make more money on another route like to the US or india or rome or where ever. just as long as they can get out of their debts as soon as possible and equipt with new aircraft situated with state-of-the-art inflight entertainment and fuel efficient engines. besides, with new aircraft they will be more punctual. no company can grow and thrive without making proper profits. just imagine, they can´t even fill 260 seats 3 times a week.....so drop it for better results.

Yes, that makes sense Richard. Or either, they can reduce it to twice a week.

xXx carlos xXx

January 5th, 2006, 05:23 PM

Guam, new stop for PAL flights from US West Coast to Manila
Posted: 8:44 PM | Jan. 05, 2006

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PHILIPPINE Airlines flights to Manila from the US West Coast will make technical stops in Guam instead of Honolulu starting Thursday, the airline said.

The Philippines' flag carrier said the switch will initially cover its B747-400 flights from Los Angeles and San Francisco but will soon be implemented on its Airbus A340 service from both cities.

The new set-up will allow trans-Pacific passengers 10 hours of uninterrupted time to sleep, dine, read or watch a movie since Guam is farther west than Honololu, the airline said in a statement. Stops in Honolulu occur just five hours into the flight.

The one-hour technical stops are required during certain times of the year, particularly during the winter months of November to March, when headwinds are strong enough to affect aircraft flying westward across the Pacific.

Flights from Manila to the US West Coast are nonstop because they have tailwinds.

does this mean this mean that pal will not fly to honolulu anymore? just curious

ramvingar

January 5th, 2006, 06:55 PM

^hmmm...yeah, they didn't explain that, did they? perhaps they will fly there separately? maybe that's where they will use the plane that used to fly to Riyadh

kiretoce

January 5th, 2006, 07:47 PM

does this mean this mean that pal will not fly to honolulu anymore? just curious

PAL's MNL-HNL-MNL service is operated independently from their services to LAX and SFO. Flights originating from LAX or SFO make a one-hour "technical stop" (it isn't a lay-over) in HNL enroute to MNL, meaning that they can't "pick-up" addtional pax in HNL and onboard pax can't deplane during the stop.

kiretoce

January 5th, 2006, 07:48 PM

I'm guessing that the same rules apply with the technical stop in Guam.

kiretoce

January 5th, 2006, 07:52 PM

Yes, that makes sense Richard. Or either, they can reduce it to twice a week.

Or make Riyadh a "seasonal/chartered" destination/route (like during the Christmas holidays) when demand warrants it.

kiretoce

January 5th, 2006, 08:18 PM

Too many OFWs, too few plane seats

Only the lack of airplane seats is stemming the exodus of Filipinos who find employment abroad.

The deployment of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to Taiwan, for instance, had posted sharp declines for the past two years with the scarcity of available flights.

Jackson Gan, president of the Pilipino Manpower Agencies Accredited to

Taiwan Inc. (Pilmat), yesterday said about 50,000 to as high as 100,000 workers were unable to leave the country because only a few airline companies offered direct flights from Manila to Taiwan.

“For the past two years, we had worked hard to regain our market share but we have never been appreciated for our achievement,” Gan pointed out.

Prior to the suspension of the direct flights to Taiwan, he said, the deployment of OFWs there ranged from 80,000 to as high as 100,000 anually.

If the direct flights are not resumed soonest, Gan warned, Filipinos would be losing the Taiwan market.

“Our employers have been waiting for some time now (for the OFWs)... and that may have a negative effect on the local manpower agencies,” he said.

Recently, about 18,000 OFWs bound for Taiwan failed to take off after two charter flights servicing the Manila-Taiwan route — via Kaoshiung-Subic and Taipei-Clark — were suspended.

Gan said the suspension will force many recruitment agencies to pay for expensive flights for the workers for the agencies to be able to comply with their principals’ requirement.

“Those (manpower agencies) wanting to deploy their workers have to spend more on the more expensive regular flights while others have to use the longer and similarly expensive route via Hong Kong, which is also overbooked,” he added.

According to him, many Filipino balikbayan and OFWs coming from the United States, Canada, the Middle East, Europe and the Caribbean are also taking the route via Hong Kong.

A regular one-way ticket to Taiwan, usually via China Airlines, Eva Air or the Philippine Airlines, costs between $140 and $160 while a charter flight costs considerably lower at about $100 per passenger.

kiretoce

January 5th, 2006, 08:24 PM

Cebu Pacific to service GenSan-Iloilo route
MindaNews 04 January 2006

GENERAL SANTOS CITY -- Cebu Pacific is planning to open up a flight route from here that has not been serviced by any airline company for a long time -- GenSan-Iloilo and back.

Nathaniel Nazareno, manager of the General Santos International Airport, noted the need for such flight because many people from GenSan, South Cotabato and neighboring areas hail from Iloilo. A large part of the population of the southern portion of Mindanao speak the Ilonggo because their forefathers migrated from Western Visayas decades ago.

“There’s actually a good market for this route,” Nazareno stressed.

He said that Cebu Pacific intends to use the popular Airbus 320 for the GenSan-Iloilo flight on a daily basis. The same plane will also proceed to Manila from Iloilo.

Nazareno pointed out that at present, many passengers from here and neighboring areas have to go to Davao City, some three hours away, because it offers many flight destinations.

Currently, Philippine Airlines and Air Philippines have been flying to Manila daily for the past years. Air Philippines flies to Manila via Cebu City.

A new airline company, South Phoenix Airways, earlier considered servicing the GenSan-Iloilo route, but the plan was shelved for lack of airplanes. “But we are hoping they would reconsider opening a route here,” he added.

Nazareno said the large airport here is under utilized, with only two airline companies using it.

He estimated that passenger volume at the GenSan airport at 400,000 to 500,000 in the past two years. But Nazareno expects the figure to rise should Cebu Pacific push through with its plan to have a flight in GenSan not later than March.

Currently, Iloilo-bound passengers take the ship and endure the 24-hour travel. WG&A Super Ferry and Sulpicio Lines have both directly linked GenSan and Iloilo by boat.

kiretoce

January 5th, 2006, 08:25 PM

Fabian wants Zambo airport’s runway repaired ASAP
MindaNews 02 January 2006

ZAMBOANGA CITY – Rep. Erico Basilio Fabian wants the repair of a runway of the Zamboanga International Airport (ZIA) done immediately to avoid accidents.

Fabian made the announcement following reports published Wednesday last week in Business Mirror and a conversation with Air Transportation Office (ATO) manager Celso Bayabos that runway 27 of ZIA needs major repair.

At least 900 meters of the runway needs an asphalt overlay to cover the craters that have developed from mere potholes six months ago when he assumed as the head of the local ATO.

Bayabos said they have issued notices to all pilots to exercise extreme caution during take-off and landing at ZIA to avoid accidents.

Bayabos said his office needs between P20 million and P30 million for the major repair on runway 27.

He said he requested funds from ATO central office six months ago for the purchase of cold mix asphalt to cover the potholes but only half or the requested money was released last month. By then, the funds could no longer be enough as the potholes had become very big.

Fabian said the poor condition of runway 27 poses danger to aircraft taking off and landing at ZIA. It may also jeopardize the local government’s efforts to boost the tourism industry as airlines may be discouraged to maintain their number of flights here, he added.

Fabian vowed to meet with Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza when Congress resumes session this month.

ZIA has a total length of 2.6 kilometers to in include runway 09 stretching from Barangay San Roque to Barangay Sta. Maria, where the Edwin Andrews Air Base is located.

Three major airline companies – Philippine Airlines, Air Philippines and Cebu-Pacific- make regular trips daily to this city from Manila and other key cities like Cebu and Davao.

Thus far, the only international flight from this airport is the flight to Sandakan and Kota Kinabalu on South Phoenix Airways.

richard fischer

January 5th, 2006, 08:58 PM

Or make Riyadh a "seasonal/chartered" destination/route (like during the Christmas holidays) when demand warrants it.

good idea kiretoce, then they can fill their planes properly.

thanks xdieseljocks.

ishtefh_03

January 6th, 2006, 10:29 AM

Wow! Your dad is an air traffic controller! That's so cool! I wanted to be one when I was younger, actually any job in an airport would make me a very happy camper! :colgate:

he's been working there for almost 24 yrs na, and he's planning of retiring and just work here in the philippines, he inquire na nga sa clark airport, but the salary is not that high compare to what he is earning now, parang back to basic ulit ung salary. but i like him to work na lng here, mas closer pa sa min and we can have passes pa inside the airport, my mom used to tell me stories, when my dad is still working in MIA, nakakaakyat pa daw sya sa loob ng tower and when my mom is travelling, inside the plane, she can talk to my dad, dun sa my pilot banda.

OtAkAw

January 6th, 2006, 03:27 PM

PAL is terminating Saudi flights!? Darn my dad works there but duh, he flies in Qatar Airways pala...never mind.

kiretoce

January 6th, 2006, 04:25 PM

he's been working there for almost 24 yrs na, and he's planning of retiring and just work here in the philippines, he inquire na nga sa clark airport, but the salary is not that high compare to what he is earning now, parang back to basic ulit ung salary. but i like him to work na lng here, mas closer pa sa min and we can have passes pa inside the airport, my mom used to tell me stories, when my dad is still working in MIA, nakakaakyat pa daw sya sa loob ng tower and when my mom is travelling, inside the plane, she can talk to my dad, dun sa my pilot banda.

So basically you grew up with a dad that has been away most of the time. It's a balancing act of every OFW, sacrifice time with family to earn a better pay overseas, or to tough it out economically but have your loved ones with you. Well, whatever your dad decides, to stay or to come home, the welfare of his family is always the foremost in his mind.

sandrin

January 6th, 2006, 07:28 PM

Will put up Airbus aviation school
UK firm to invest .6 M in Clark
Manila Bulletine

CLARKZONE, Pampanga – A UK-based firm will infuse .6 million investment at the Clark Special Economic Zone (CSEZ) for the establishment of a world-class aviation school for Airbus 320 aircraft.

Clark Development Corporation president Antonio R. Ng said the commercial airline pilot school would be the first of its kind in Asia.

International Aviation Group (IAG) chairman and CEO Mark Pearson, signed an agreement last week with CDC for the multimillion dollar project that is expected to commence operation in May this year.

Pearson said the firm will also infuse an additional .5 million in its second year of operations following the arrival of more training equipment, including flight simulators by 2007.

"Initially, we shall have three flight training devices; two fixed-base simulators covering the basic and intermediate phases of the flight instruction; the third being an A320 Level D full flight simulator," he said.

At the same time, the aviation institute will have a fleet of seven single engine training aircraft to complement the pilot training school in Clark," Pearson said.

"This is great news not only for Clark, IAG and the Philippines, but also for all the airlines in the region that are suffering as a result of an acute pilot shortage. Market forecasts indicate that the Asian region alone will require 6,000 new pilots each year for the next 20 years to sustain the forecast growth in the aviation sector. It’s also great news for hundreds of young people who are aspiring to become professional pilots," said Pearson.

The commercial pilot training school will be the second aviation training firm to invest in Clark. Omni Aviation, established in 1994, is the first commercial pilot school in Clark.

"In Year one, there will be a total of 216 cadets undertaking training, increasing to 432 in the second year. Clark Institute of Aviation is an international academy training cadets from the whole of the Asian region including the Philippines," he said.

The school is aiming to enroll its first cadets either in May or June 2006.

IAG’s partners in the project include Prescient Systems & Technologies Pte. Ltd. of India and SREI Infrastructure Finance Limited of Singapore. The new facility will not only address the serious pilot shortage in the Asian region and also around the world but will also serve as a pilot recurrent training facility for airlines in the region.

Pearson also told Ng that during the first year of the firm’s operations "we anticipate appointing 62 full time employees within the institute, comprising of instructors, administration staff and management.

The firm is also intending to recruit and train, if necessary, local instructors with the objective that ultimately the majority of the instructors will be Filipinos.

The cadets/students will be fully qualified to fly as co-pilots on the Airbus 320 aircraft.

Clark’s strategic location within South East Asia combined with its special economic incentives, abundance of skilled, English speaking personnel and cost benefits made it a strategic location for a major International Flight Trading Academy to serve the region’s needs, Pearson said. (PNA)

kiretoce

January 6th, 2006, 09:43 PM

Expand Tagbilaran airport instead: Panglao Mayor
Friday, January 06, 2006

The mayor of Panglao, Bohol yesterday said he is against the proposed international airport in his town.

Mayor Dolorich A. Du-maluan agrees with Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) General Manager Adel-berto F. Yap that it would not be economically viable.

Yap’s statement has angered Bohol Gov. Erico Aumentado, who vowed to block at the Regional Development Council (RDC) a parallel runway project for the Cebu airport.

After all the hoopla, Dumaluan called up Sun.Star Cebu to say that Yap was right.

He cited a government-commissioned study’s recommendation to expand the Tagbilaran City airport, because building one in Panglao would not viable.

Dumaluan said Panglao resort owners also fear that the presence of an international airport in their town will drive away foreign tourists who want to live there in peace.

He added that the owner of one resort expressed opposition to the proposed airport in Panglao, but was allegedly threatened with deportation.

“It’s easy for Aumentado to recommend projects in Panglao because he has no risk as he has no beach resorts in our town,” Dumaluan added.

He called on the governor to respect the recommendation of the government-initiated study.

The study, according to him, suggests for the Tagbilaran airport to be extended by 300 meters to accommodate larger Airbus aircraft.

“Being the mayor of Panglao, I would be the first to rejoice if a project is going to be implemented in our town. But I am concerned about the bad environmental impact,” Dumaluan said.

Earlier, Yap suggested that the fastcraft vessel transport between Cebu and Panglao be developed instead.

The P4.2-billion international airport in Panglao would only increase the Philippines’ foreign debt, said Yap.

But earlier, Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia also expressed support for the plan.

For his part, Dumaluan said that tourism in Central Visayas can be developed by building bridges to connect island provinces.

richard fischer

January 7th, 2006, 09:50 AM

too many OFWs, too few plane seats...
Recently, about 18,000 OFWs bound for Taiwan failed to take off after two charter flights servicing the Manila-Taiwan route — via Kaoshiung-Subic and Taipei-Clark — were suspended.
i do not understand the research and writing methods of some reporters. how can 18,000 OFWs fit into 2 charter flights? and if there were that many more paying pax i´m sure the airline business would address to it, charter, lease, rent, buy more planes, carry the pax and make the money. if there is a market, there is an offer to take advantage. it´s like the ramadan, all the middle east airlines charter planes for the over capacity during that time. philippine airliners could do the same during the holy season.

ishtefh_03

January 7th, 2006, 10:18 AM

So basically you grew up with a dad that has been away most of the time. It's a balancing act of every OFW, sacrifice time with family to earn a better pay overseas, or to tough it out economically but have your loved ones with you. Well, whatever your dad decides, to stay or to come home, the welfare of his family is always the foremost in his mind.

well, yeah, i only see him once a year, every vacation. but i still don't know if he's really retiring, coz' me i don't want him to retire yet coz' i still have 2 yrs to finish my studies, and when im done, ok na magresign na sya.. hehe

huistenmark

January 7th, 2006, 05:51 PM

Here's a few pics of PAL A330 at Chubu International Airport, taken early tonight...

(excuse the low quality, as i couldn't take photos properly because my hands were freezing...)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/huistenmark/DSC07058.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/huistenmark/DSC07056.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/huistenmark/DSC07055.jpg

as usual, the flight was delayed for an hour.. My aunt's flight to Osaka-Kansai yesterday was delayed as well.. hopefully, another aunt's flight to Nagoya on Monday won't be... tsk tsk.. PAL needs to address their punctuality issues....

KulasKusgan

January 7th, 2006, 06:16 PM

oi mark, where have you been? kamusta? happy new year!

nice fotos btw.

tigidig14

January 7th, 2006, 08:51 PM

off the topic: remember the kid that was found dodging the security guard in naia 1, hes been away from his family for almost 3 yrs, he he :shocked:

Hawayano

January 8th, 2006, 03:56 AM

PAL's MNL-HNL-MNL service is operated independently from their services to LAX and SFO. Flights originating from LAX or SFO make a one-hour "technical stop" (it isn't a lay-over) in HNL enroute to MNL, meaning that they can't "pick-up" addtional pax in HNL and onboard pax can't deplane during the stop.

Geeez---I remember in the good old days when PAL flew HNL-MNL daily !!! In addition, we serviced the PAL flights that originated in SFO and LAX en route to Manila (before long-range jet technology and non-stop West Coast-Manila flights were possible). It's so unfortunate that higher airfares on our pinoy flag carrier cause it to be bounced out of competition in the Honolulu market, opening up profit opportunities for the Korean and Taiwanese carriers. In addition, although cheaper, it's so freakin' inconvenient to have to stop over in Seoul or Taipei to get to Manila. :ohno:

kiretoce

January 8th, 2006, 04:38 AM

huistenmark

January 8th, 2006, 05:56 AM

hey, im glad you like the photos.. I will post more photos soon (from my trip back home last Nov-Dec and will dig for Chubu interior photos)

...........

Uncle Dave, Happy New Year pud!!

richard fischer

January 8th, 2006, 10:41 AM

hi huistenmark,

really great shots, thanks!!!
sorry for my disconvenience, where is chubu ???

MarkiiBoi

January 8th, 2006, 11:20 AM

Good News or Bad News?

Mactan airport doubles
domestic terminal fees
Published: 8 January 2006

by Cebu Daily News

THE Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) has doubled its domestic passenger terminal fee from P100 to P200 citing the need to raise more funds and improve facilities.

The increase was implemented last Jan. 1 after a delay of three months, airport manager Adelberto Yap, said.

Terminal fees for international passengers stay at P550 per person.

Mactan's terminal fee is now equal to that of the Manila Domestic Airport.

The third biggest and the newest international airport in the country, the Davao City International Airport only has a P40 terminal fee.

Advertisement
Yap said the increased revenues would be used to buy new airport security equipment as required by the International Civil Aviation Organization.

ICAO is an agency of the United Nations which governs international aviation. MCIAA for this year wants to purchase two baggage x-ray machines and two additional passenger tubes. The airport management also wants to renovate its northeastern ramp.

Yap, however, said that the airport would only get six percent of the terminal fee revenues. Most of the money will go to the national government's transport and aviation agencies.

ashton

January 8th, 2006, 02:44 PM

hi huistenmark,

really great shots, thanks!!!
sorry for my disconvenience, where is chubu ???

i think that is an airport in Japan, alternative to Kansai ... not really sure. never been to Japan.. :(

huistenmark

January 8th, 2006, 02:50 PM

hi huistenmark,

really great shots, thanks!!!
sorry for my disconvenience, where is chubu ???

hey, chubu is Central Japan International Airport in Nagoya. Chubu means central region in Japanese..

anyways, as promised, here are the pics taken from my trip home last nov-dec..

Manila Domestic Terminal:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/huistenmark/DSC06831.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/huistenmark/DSC06832.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/huistenmark/DSC06833.jpg

Cebu Pacific's New Flying machine......

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/huistenmark/DSC06834.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/huistenmark/DSC06835.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/huistenmark/DSC06836.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/huistenmark/DSC06837.jpg

Mactan-Cebu International Aiport

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/huistenmark/DSC07011.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/huistenmark/DSC07012.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/huistenmark/DSC07013.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/huistenmark/DSC07014.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/huistenmark/DSC07015.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/huistenmark/DSC07016.jpg

Davao International Airport

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/huistenmark/DSC07018.jpg

(old terminal bldg)
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/huistenmark/DSC07019.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/huistenmark/DSC07021.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/huistenmark/DSC07027.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/huistenmark/DSC07028.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/huistenmark/DSC07031.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/huistenmark/DSC07032.jpg

(i wish to see more domestic destinations soon)
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/huistenmark/DSC07035.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/huistenmark/DSC07036.jpg

(arrival lobby)
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/huistenmark/DSC07037.jpg

(shops and restaurants just before entering the pre-departure area)
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/huistenmark/DSC07038.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/huistenmark/DSC07042.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/huistenmark/DSC07043.jpg

I will have to dig more for the Chubu interior pics.. please bear with me.. I will also post a couple of pics of the Sampaguita Lounge in the NAIA T1 and maybe my bohol pics in the bohol section later this week.. hope everyone enjoyed the show!!! :cheers:

KulasKusgan

January 8th, 2006, 06:09 PM

hey mark, daghang salamat. this is what richard is craving for. :)

hey richard, good thing my pamangkin mark (huistenmark) saved me (for DIA pics uv asked for). its almost the same pics youll see for asean tourism forum (ATF) this coming week. most of the delegates will be passing through manila or cebu. the only intl flight DIA have & i think is on sked for ATF is silkair from singapore. as ive said at davao forum, what is more important for ATF is the after effects of that forum. i hope it would open up more international flights. after the ATF delegates will be touring all over the philippines. check this site: www.atfdavao.com and click on "tours". :)

sugbuanon

January 8th, 2006, 08:02 PM

nice pics you've got there mark.. thanx for sharing!!! i really love the design of davao's airport but it just looks small.. (or maybe its just on those pics)

richard fischer

January 8th, 2006, 09:04 PM

huistenmark,
this is the best airline/airport series i have seen made in the philippines ! so who said it is hard to take pictures at davao airport ??? i tried to motivate the davao forumers to shoot during the ASEAN tourism meeting starting next week. there will probably be a lot of interesting chartered airliners from all the ASEAN participants in davao. noone replied except one forumer with the excuse it was hardly possible to take pictures there. as i see you even took pics at mactan and domestic NAIA aprons. extremly good shots !!!! now please who can do this in davao next week ?! there must be someone to shoot for the sake of all of us airline freaks !!!!! who knows when we will have the chance to see all these airplanes in davao again ! come on boys, for the sake of the philippines, show you can do it !!!!!

richard fischer

January 8th, 2006, 09:12 PM

richard fischer

January 8th, 2006, 09:28 PM

thank you sleepwalker uno and huistenmark, thank you very much !

stephencua

January 9th, 2006, 03:17 AM

taken from philstar.com.. this doesnt sound like a bad idea..

Why not privatize Manila Domestic Airport
DEMAND AND SUPPLY By Boo Chanco
The Philippine Star 01/09/2006

I have been thinking about what we should do to quickly remedy that national embarrassment otherwise known as the Manila Domestic Airport. Everyday, thousands of foreign tourists use it on their way to Boracay and other tourist destinations we have enticed them to visit. Everyday, Filipino honor is trampled as our visitors shake their heads in disbelief that we are even using such a decrepit facility in our nation’s capital.

But the worst part of it is, over two million of us Pinoys and foreign tourists alike, pay over P200 million a year to use that terminal. Of course we are not getting our money’s worth. The terminal fee charged every departing passenger of Asian Spirit, Cebu Pacific, Air Philippines and SEAir is nothing short of OFFICIAL EXTORTION. One wonders where all that money is going. One wonders too why the Ombudsman has not investigated.

The only way for Ate Glue to redeem her administration is to order the immediate privatization of the facility. But knowing how Ate Glue’s government works, snail pace or hardly at all, I am also resigned to the fact that nothing is going to happen any time soon that would delight our much abused citizens. I hope to be proven wrong.

Privatization is our only hope for a quick solution to the problem there that only gets worse by the day. From past press releases of Cebu Pacific, I gather that their domestic fleet modernization, involving fairly large planes than can really be accommodated at the Domestic terminal, is now in full swing. Two of their Airbus 320s and four of their Airbus 319s are already here. The remaining planes, eight more Airbus 319s, are due for staggered delivery until Feb 07.

In other words, in a year’s time, that Domestic terminal would be hard pressed to accommodate all the passengers that Cebu Pacific’s fleet alone will load and disgorge. What about the parking area for all those planes? I am sure they don’t have enough parking area and I suspect, the quality of the pavement now may not even take the weight of these large planes. Accidents are just waiting to happen. And can you imagine how difficult it is to now bring the handicapped up those planes?

Yet, we have not heard of any plans from government to modernize the terminal. The clock is ticking... they have one year before all hell breaks loose. If they are having turnaround problems now, serious enough to cause costly flight delays like the one I experienced with my family during the Christmas holidays, expect Dante’s Inferno in a year’s time.

I was thinking, why not adopt what some cities in the United States do and allow the airlines to build their own terminal buildings. I am sure that if allowed to do so, the Gokongweis of Cebu Pacific would jump at the opportunity to do just that, at no cost to the government.

It would be easy enough for the Cebu Pacific to lease land from the NAIA Authority to build a combined check-in and mall facility at or near the present terminal site, which the smaller domestic carriers can use for a fee. Since it seems PAL is already pretty comfortable in NAIA 2, the facility meant to be the domestic terminal, just let them keep it. And even if NAIA 3 is finally made operational, it looks like the foreign airlines would outgrow it quickly. All that would make a new domestic terminal necessary, anyway.

Subsequently, the LRT should be extended to have a stop at the privatized domestic terminal building, thereby giving domestic passengers a quick and cheap way of catching their flights or getting to their city destinations upon arrival. Right now, getting a taxi at the domestic terminal is a real pain.

Inasmuch as Ate Glue is so fond of making spot checks, she should drop by during peak hours, unannounced, at the Domestic Terminal to see how utterly bad the situation there is. It is bad enough NAIA 3 is still in limbo. It would seem she is incapable of getting something as simple as having a decent airport, done. Airport lang hindi niya kaya, and she claims to be President!

Solblanc

January 9th, 2006, 06:51 AM

^we already built a new domestic airport. Its called the NAIA centennial terminal :)

MarkiiBoi

January 9th, 2006, 12:00 PM

Contract to upgrade Mactan airport done
MB

Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) has awarded Geneva-based SITA Information Networking and Computing Inc. the .3- million contract to upgrade the check-in system for the country’s second international gateway with state-of-the-art system.

MCIAA general manager Adelberto Yap said SITA’s AirportConnect Common Use Terminal Equipment (CUTE) service will enable the airport and its existing terminal to handle the increasing number of domestic and international carriers.

Aside from being the country’s second international gateway, the airport also serves as a domestic hub for the Visayas region. It has an annual capacity of 2.5 million passengers.

The airport has 44 check-in counters and departure gates shared among a growing number of airlines now totalling 10 aside from other smaller domestic carriers.

"The upgrading of the check-in system will facilitate traffic at the airport as Cebu and the surrounding islands are quickly becoming the destination of choice of many passengers from North Asian countries," Yap said.

Russ Lewis, SITA Inc. Airport & Desktop Services Regional vice-president in Asia Pacific, noted that with SITA’s AirportConnect CUTE service, airlines at the MCIA can share check-in facilities, thus maximizing the use of space, reducing costs and improving the passenger experience by tackling congestion.

Lewis explained that as a next generation solution, AirportConnect supports the deployment of airport, airline and other tenant systems over a wide variety of workstations including PCs, thin-clients, kiosks, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and cell phones.

Using a single, open standard platform, AirportConnect simultaneously provides the benefits of a dedicated (single user) environment with the flexibility and convenience of a shared (multiple user) one.

SITA’s solutions are designed to help airports maximize security, combat congestion, improve operating efficiencies and reduce costs.

They provide airports with the technology architecture required to take advantage of a broad range of IP-based services which are vital to the future of the air transport industry.

At present, SITA manages some 30,000 CUTE workstations for 285 customers in more than 200 airport locations worldwide, checking-in an estimated 580 million passengers a year.

SITA has to main subsidiaries: OnAir, which is leading the race to bring in-flight mobile telephony to the market in 2006, and CHAMP Cargosystems, the world’s only IT company solely dedicated to air cargo.

SITA Inc. is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland and recorded revenues of 2 million in 2004.(BCM)

KulasKusgan

January 9th, 2006, 04:04 PM

PIA Press Release
01/10/2006

Asian Spirit to launch Davao-Manila flights

Davao City (10 January) -- With its support to Davao's grand entrance to the world through this year's hosting of the ASEAN Tourism Forum, Asian Spirit, the country's only airline that flies to 24 domestic destinations, will finally launch its daily Davao-Manila flights starting 16 January 2005.

For its Davao-Manila route, Asian Spirit will utilize the latest four super quite engine British Aerospace Aircrafts that boasts of a wide-bodied 105-seater high wing configuration for more stable and comfortable flights.

With daily 5:45 AM flight out of Davao City, Asian Spirit will keep its Davaoeño and Mindanaoan passengers on time with their early appointments in Manila since it will fly ahead of the other airlines. It will also be the only airline that will station its aircraft at the Davao International Airport to ensure passengers on-time departure.

With this developments, Asian Spirit will finally connect Davao City to various exciting destinations across the country (via Manila) such as Antique, Boracay, Baguio, Batanes, Busuanga, Cagayan de Oro, Calbayog, Catarman, Cebu, Clark, Dipolog, Marinduque, Masbate, Ormoc, Puerto Princesa, Taytay, Surigao, Pagadian, Kalibo and Tandag.

Established in 2002, Asian Spirit is a domestic passenger airline with the mission to operate scheduled services to tourist destinations and secondary and tertiary airports where other airlines do not dare to service. It is the country's fourth flag carrier, servicing both domestic and international regions.

Today, Asian Spirit operates a modern fleet of state-of-the-art aircrafts including 40-seater CN235's, 50-seater De Havilland Dash7's of Canada, 19-seater LET 410's, 60 seater YS-11s, 70-seater British Aerospace Advanced Turbo Prop (ATP), and 83-seater British Aerospace 146 Jet from the British Aerospace Systems of United Kingdom.

In March, Asian Spirit will make another history in becoming country's first airline to serve regular flights from Davao City to the idyllic islands of Palau in Micronesia.

Fly Asian Spirit's Davao-Manila flight for only P1,580.00 ++. For ticket purchase and reservations, visit its ticketing offices located at NCCC Mall, Gaisano Mall of Davao, Victoria Plaza and SM City Davao or inquire from travel agencies near you. (pr)

you take off as asian... you land as spirit. :jk:

MarkiiBoi

January 9th, 2006, 07:44 PM

Airline threatens to suspend Cotabato flights
Sunstar

KORONADAL CITY -- The threat of Philippine Airlines (PAL) to suspend flight operations at the Cotabato Airport in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao is being seriously taken by the air transportation officials.

Airport officials in Cotabato are literally picking up loose objects that could spell the difference between safe and potentially disastrous landing for the country's flag carrier.

"Our workers are manually collecting daily loose gravel in the dilapidated runway," said Leon Masalta Jr., Cotabato Air Transportation Office general manager.

"That's why we hope to fast track the airport's rehabilitation and development," added Masalta.

But in a telephone interview, he said, the demand of PAL executives to immediately repair the runway still remains in freezer.

Masalta said that although some P20 million has been released for repair works, the fund would not be available until January or February next year because the project would have to undergo bidding.

"As far as I know, there's still no winner," Masalta pointed out.

Confirming that PAL indeed threatened to suspend flight operations at Cotabato Airport, Masalta said, airline officials inspected the airport for fear the damaged runway would destroy its fleet and endanger passenger lives.

But to appease airline operators, he said, a rehabilitation initiative over portions of the dilapidated runway is slated to take place before the end of the year.

Masalta said they are set to coat with asphalt runway portions that have deteriorated over years of servicing small and large airplanes.

Based on the 2003 estimate, cost of rehabilitation was P45 million, P20 million of which was approved and is ready for utilization, he said.

The P25 million balance is still to be appropriated by the Department of Transportation and Communications.

Although Masalta said the amount might have been included already in the department's 2006 budget proposal.

The Cotabato airport presently serves daily flights of PAL and Cebu Pacific to and from Manila and every other day for Sea Air's Zamboanga and Cebu flights.

Askal82

January 9th, 2006, 08:55 PM

you take off as asian... you land as spirit. :jk:

:hilarious Now that is funny!

tigidig14

January 9th, 2006, 09:13 PM

this is very sad everything in the country is progressing yet manila;s main airport are still hanging in the midst :no:

richard fischer

January 9th, 2006, 09:49 PM

In March, Asian Spirit will make another history in becoming country's first airline to serve regular flights from Davao City to the idyllic islands of Palau in Micronesia.

what market is there, who travels from palau to davao and back ??

kiretoce

January 9th, 2006, 09:51 PM

^^ Business and Pleasure! :lol:

richard fischer

January 9th, 2006, 11:12 PM

had a glance at PALs website/fleet just now. they have posted a new A320 in their fleet, now 8 instead of 7. all together now 32 aircraft in their fleet. did anyone read/hear anything about an additional A320 aircraft aquisation lately ?

pau_p1

January 10th, 2006, 03:39 AM

hmm.. does PAL fly to Palau?

there are a lot of Filipinos living and working in Palau... that's why i guess they're opening a flight route there..

Solblanc

January 10th, 2006, 10:42 AM

Philippine Airlines to stop Riyadh, Kuala Lumpur flights

PHILIPPINE Airlines (PAL) will stop flying to unprofitable routes like Riyadh and Kuala Lumpur this quarter, and instead increase flights to the United States, its president Jaime Bautista said.

The flag carrier also plans to revive flights to India.

Bautista said PAL would cease serving its last Middle East route in March because of intense competition with Middle East carriers.

Meanwhile, passenger volume to Kuala Lumpur, where PAL flies three times weekly, had fallen with the entry of Malaysia's low-cost carrier Air Asia. PAL will stop servicing that route on February 15.

"We were trying to maintain Riyadh to give our overseas Filipino workers the seats but since the Middle Eastern carriers have been serving the route well, then we can suspend operations," Bautista said.

The US route remains the most profitable overseas destination for PAL, and the carrier plans to beef up its flights to either San Francisco or Los Angeles, said Bautista.

He said the Airbus 340 used in Riyadh flights might be utilized to increase its frequencies to the US. Launching flights between Cebu and Los Angeles is also under study.

PAL may start flying to Mumbai this year or early 2007, Bautista said. It used to service that route until 1954.

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

Looks like PAL gave in to Air Asia. At least MAS is still servicing NAIA from KL.

In March, Asian Spirit will make another history in becoming country's first airline to serve regular flights from Davao City to the idyllic islands of Palau in Micronesia.

what market is there, who travels from palau to davao and back ??

market or no market, it isn't very difficult to fill the 50-70 seater aircraft that Asian Spirit uses.

PAL doesn't fly to Palau, but Air Palau launched Koror-Manila services a while back. I don't know how the flights are doing, though. I'm not even sure if they're still active.

kiretoce

January 10th, 2006, 03:42 PM

:cry: Riyadh is gone. Now Kuala Lumpur is next! What's happening to PAL? :bash: :rant:

KulasKusgan

January 10th, 2006, 04:37 PM

:hilarious Now that is funny!

another oldies:

cebu pacific... you take off from cebu, you land in the pacific. :jk:

MarkiiBoi

January 11th, 2006, 04:42 AM

Philippine Airlines to stop
Riyadh, Kuala Lumpur flights
By XFN-Asia

PHILIPPINE Airlines (PAL) will stop flying to unprofitable routes like Riyadh and Kuala Lumpur this quarter, and instead increase flights to the United States, its president Jaime Bautista said.

The flag carrier also plans to revive flights to India.

Bautista said PAL would cease serving its last Middle East route in March because of intense competition with Middle East carriers.

Meanwhile, passenger volume to Kuala Lumpur, where PAL flies three times weekly, had fallen with the entry of Malaysia's low-cost carrier Air Asia. PAL will stop servicing that route on February 15.

"We were trying to maintain Riyadh to give our overseas Filipino workers the seats but since the Middle Eastern carriers have been serving the route well, then we can suspend operations," Bautista said.

The US route remains the most profitable overseas destination for PAL, and the carrier plans to beef up its flights to either San Francisco or Los Angeles, said Bautista.

He said the Airbus 340 used in Riyadh flights might be utilized to increase its frequencies to the US. Launching flights between Cebu and Los Angeles is also under study.

PAL may start flying to Mumbai this year or early 2007, Bautista said. It used to service that route until 1954.

xXx carlos xXx

January 11th, 2006, 06:55 AM

i hope the cebu-lax route will push through... sayang naman yung a340 nila kung di gagamitin... lets just hope that it will push through

Askal82

January 11th, 2006, 07:23 AM

another oldies:

cebu pacific... you take off from cebu, you land in the pacific. :jk:

I can just imagine if they use them as their slogans for their service. :hilarious

kiretoce

January 11th, 2006, 06:34 PM

MarkiiBoi

January 11th, 2006, 07:11 PM

^^ your right kiretoce. how could a flag carrier give way to a smaller low-cost carrier? again only in the philippines.

can Cebu Pacific just take over? hehehe

kiretoce

January 11th, 2006, 07:18 PM

IMO, any Philippine carrier should scoop up those routes vacated by PAL. BTW, are there any news about Cebu Pacific's route network expansion plans? HKG and ICN (Seoul) are their only international destinations right?

MarkiiBoi

January 11th, 2006, 07:48 PM

^^ that I do not know kiretoce. i checked their website there are no new updates..

Animo

January 11th, 2006, 08:17 PM

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — President Arroyo yesterday launched the construction of an international airport in Misamis Oriental, a project that was part of the proposed Cagayan-Iligan Corridor (CIC) economic zone hatched during the Aquino administration.

The Laguindingan international airport project has been stalled since 1989 after several changes of administrations.

Last year, the Department of Transportation and Communications (DoTC) was able to secure a grant from the South Korean government to jumpstart the project at an initial amount of P500 million out of the total estimated project cost of P6 billion.

It was the fourth such groundbreaking rite for the project after three earlier ceremonies failed to really begin the actual construction of the airport. The last three groundbreaking rites were led by Mrs. Arroyo’s immediate predecessors, former Presidents Fidel V. Ramos and Joseph E. Estrada.

After the Laguindingan airport groundbreaking, the President proceeded to the provincial capitol grounds to grace the 76th anniversary celebration of Misamis Oriental as a chartered province.

On Tuesday night, Mrs. Arroyo visited the office of Archbishop Jesus Tuquib. The archbishop was among those who lobbied for the construction of the international airport.

Arroyo also graced a local beauty pageant at the provincial capitol grounds last Tuesday.

Present at the airport ceremony were the South Korean ambassador to the Philippines, Misamis Oriental Gov. Oscar Moreno, Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Vicente Y. Emano and Laguindingan Mayor Orville Abellanosa.

http://www.mb.com.ph/MAIN2006011253665.html

tyronne

January 11th, 2006, 08:50 PM

^^http://www.inq7.net/archive/2006/jan/12/zoom.jpg

thanks to inq7.net

tigidig14

January 11th, 2006, 09:15 PM

what is she pointing there for

tyronne

January 11th, 2006, 09:27 PM

GMA: "gawa kayo ng sarili kong runway dito hangang dito. ang saya!"

lol :D

tigidig14

January 11th, 2006, 09:35 PM

Ah, kala ko sabi nya: "dito ko nakita si hello garci, nagtatakbo ako katulad ng mga sundalo, Dito at dito"

tyronne

January 11th, 2006, 09:47 PM

^^hehe!

Gandhi

January 11th, 2006, 11:54 PM

Miy buena infraestructura aeroportuaria en las Islas Filipinas..Los felicito :okay:

kiretoce

January 12th, 2006, 12:35 AM

^^ Hello Felixpo! :hi: Welcome to the Philippine forum! :colgate:

Skyblade

January 12th, 2006, 12:48 AM

(excuse the low quality, as i couldn't take photos properly because my hands were freezing...)

lol I know how that feels...and I'm up here in Sapporo. ;)

Anyhow, welcome to the SSC Philippine Forums, Felixpo!

Gandhi

January 12th, 2006, 01:28 AM

thank you Kiretoce and Skybklade

is a honour for me :)
You are wellcome tooo in the Colombian Forum :)

and..your country is beautiful and Manila have a good skyline :okay:

pau_p1

January 12th, 2006, 03:50 AM

http://www.inq7.net/archive/2006/jan/12/index_image.jpg

Gloria attended the ground breaking of a new international airport in Northern Mindanao... it will be in Cagayan De Oro if I'm not mistake.. Laguinding Airport or something like that.... i saw a picture of it yet haven't found the article yet.. :D

renell

January 12th, 2006, 07:34 AM

well lucky those people from Cagayan de Oro, unlike Manilenos they have a spanking new airport.

bustero

January 12th, 2006, 08:01 AM

^^Ah it's just a plan I think, and the plan is probably older than you, At least you're older than NAIA 3 so may pagasa pa!:)

richard fischer

January 12th, 2006, 10:18 AM

hi pau_p1,
you wrote : "i saw a picture of it yet haven't found the article yet.."

can you post that picture of the laguindingan airport on this thread please ? the one with the president is not very informative. cannot see anything really, not even the terminal. so please post that picture here, salamat.

pau_p1

January 12th, 2006, 12:53 PM

xXx carlos xXx

January 12th, 2006, 12:56 PM

^^ was it big?

aUen

January 13th, 2006, 01:19 AM

ay sorry po.. I can't find an article of it in the net except the picture of Gloria... anyways... I learned of this news this morning in Unang Balita segment of Unang Hirit in GMA.... maybe tomorrow they'll have an article on this...

also the miniature of the airport was shown on TV...

saw it just now in Good News segment of Unang Hirit and im actually waiting for the Unang Balita. im not sure if its big but the picture they showed had 2 gates. it looks modern, kinda like NAIA's centennial terminal.

kiretoce

January 13th, 2006, 01:26 AM

Brand spanking new thread! Post away people! :)

kiretoce

January 13th, 2006, 01:27 AM

:lock: :lock: :lock: :lock: :lock: :lock: :lock: :lock: :lock: :lock: :lock: :lock:

Please continue posting/discussions on Airlines, Airplanes and Airports Thread V (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=305805). Thank you very much! :colgate:

stephencua

January 13th, 2006, 02:39 AM

taken from abs-cbnnews.com..

Tiger still offering flights beyond Jan 20

By DARWIN G. AMOJELAR, The Manila Times Reporter

Despite a government order allowing it to operate only until January 20, Singapore-based budget carrier Tiger Airways is still offering flights from Clark to Singapore and Macau beyond the period stipulated under its extended permit to fly.

In telephone interview, Carmelo Arcilla, Civil Aeronautics Board deputy director, said the agency has given Tiger Airways a "special permit to fly" until January 20 to accommodate passengers who had already booked tickets.

"[Tiger Airways] requested 1,500 seats with two flights a day until January 20," he said.

"We assume that they are [no longer] selling tickets [for dates past the January 20 deadline] to prevent inconvenience [to the public]," Arcilla said.

A check on the carrier’s website, www.tigerairways.com, however, showed that the airline is still offering flights for dates beyond January 20.

At 5:30 p.m. Thursday, The Times logged on to the airline’s flight information menu to get schedules beyond January 20, and learned that the airline was still offering flights beyond that date. Moreover, the carrier posted no advisory that its permit to operate was good only until January 20.

A flight scheduled for January 21, 2006, with flight number TR 503 would depart Manila/Clark at 1655 hours and arrive in Singapore at 2015 hours.

Like many foreign budget air carriers operating in the Philippines, Tiger Airways maintains no physical office in the country and transacts business mainly through the Internet.

A CAB official, who refused to be named, disclosed that Tiger Airways’ license to operate was not renewed, pending a hearing on its violations.

The official said the budget airline offered fares without CAB approval, and advertised the same without securing a permit from the regulator.

In its Web site, Tiger Airways charges $9.98 one way from Singapore to Manila, Macau, Phuket, Bangkok, among other destinations in Asia.

Arcilla noted that Tiger Airways’ provisional authority to fly expired on December 30, 2005, but the airline continued to fly thereafter. "The record shows that they [haven’t] stopped flying," he said.

On January 6, the CAB gave the airline another special permit to operate until January 9, and later on extended this to January 20 as requested by Tiger Airways.

On January 10 Tiger Airways passengers were stranded because of the expired license.

Arcilla explained that the incident was due to confusion among airport authorities.

richard fischer

January 13th, 2006, 05:00 AM

saw it just now in Good News segment of Unang Hirit and im actually waiting for the Unang Balita. im not sure if its big but the picture they showed had 2 gates. it looks modern, kinda like NAIA's centennial terminal.

please post it here !
and what is unang hirit please ??

bustero

January 13th, 2006, 05:12 AM

Yikes, my group bought tix for March, I hope they won't have any problems then.

pau_p1

January 13th, 2006, 09:11 AM

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/cag/2006/01/11/news/arroyo.to.inaugurate.int.l.airport.project.html
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
Arroyo to inaugurate int'l airport project
By Lizanilla J. Amarga

PRESIDENT Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will initiate Wednesday the groundbreaking ceremonies of the long-delayed and controversial US $107 million Laguindingan International Airport located at Laguindingan, Misamis Oriental.

Likewise, Arroyo is set to give her Presidential Statement during the culmination program of the 76th Misamis Oriental Foundation Anniversary at the Capitol Grounds around 11:30 a.m. Wednesday.

Assistant press secretary Martin Antonio Crisostomo told local media that Arroyo would be sleeping over at Pryce Plaza Tuesday to meet with local officials and top executives from the local government agencies among others.

"The President will then leave the following day to Laguindingan International Airport for the ground breaking ceremonies," he said during the press briefing Tuesday at the Misamis Oriental Provincial Board session hall.

Crisostomo assured that the Department of Transportation and Communications would outline the full details of the project.

Reports already revealed that Arroyo has convinced an international finance agency to shell out the funds for the construction of this controversial airport project.

This as Emano came out with statements that he received reports that the funds for the Laguindingan International Airport was somehow diverted to fund Iloilo Airport after the President lost in the 2004 Elections in Misamis Oriental and Cagayan de Oro.

There were also talks from the Department of Budget and Management in Manila and other concern agencies that the project has been shelved due to financial constraints of the National Government.

The Laguindingan airport is a flagship project of the Cagayan de Oro-Iligan Corridor special development project, which covers the two key North Mindanao cities of Iligan and Cagayan de Oro, five coastal towns of Lanao del Norte and the 14 towns of Misamis Oriental's first congressional district.

The Laguindingan airport is located some 35 kms. from Cagayan de Oro and 46 kms. from the present Cagayan de Oro airport at Barangay Lumbia.

The project has been on the drawing boards since 1991 but has been stymied by land acquisition and financing problems.

Although the government has signed a US$25-million soft loan agreement with the South Korean government through its Economic Development Cooperation Fund, still, the country has had trouble raising its counterpart for land acquisition for the 300 hectares estimated to be eventually needed by the airport complex.

Meanwhile, Arroyo arrived around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday and was welcomed by Misamis Oriental Governor Oscar Moreno, Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Vicente Emano, Misamis Oriental Vice Governor Julio Uy, and Presidential Assistant for Northern Mindanao Jojo Pupos.

4th Infantry Division commanding general Carduzo Luna, Philippine National Police regional director for Northern Mindanao Florante Baguio, TOG-Northern Mindanao commander Lieutenant Nicanor Vivar, and Air Transportation Office Agnes Udang were also present during the President's arrival.

Arroyo together with Moreno and Emano among others will arrive at the Laguindingan International Airport site around 10:00 a.m. Wednesday.

The Laguindingan International Airport groundbreaking ceremonies will include the capsule laying and the presentation of the steel model for the whole project itself.

At around 10:30 a.m., Arroyo will return to Cagayan de Oro city to attend the 76th Misamis Oriental Foundation Anniversary.

She is set to arrive at the Provincial Capitol grounds around 11:30 a.m. to give her Presidential Statement.

At around noon she will have lunch with Moreno and the local officials and an "informal interaction" with the media. Arroyo will be leaving around 12:45 p.m.

please post it here !
and what is unang hirit please ??

Unang Hirit is a morning variety show of GMA channel 7... the news came out in its news segment Unang Balita

marites4

January 13th, 2006, 09:24 AM

You mean wala nang tiger airways sa March? oh no

stephencua

January 13th, 2006, 09:30 AM

the tigerairways flights to singapore dont have any problems. i think its their clark-macau flights that have some problems.. lets wait for further news..

sista

January 13th, 2006, 12:31 PM

^^ unang hirit is a morning show on Channel 7

huistenmark

January 13th, 2006, 05:55 PM

Good thing the Laguindingan Airport project will finally take off... Hopefully, it won't be another NAIA T3...

Pics time!!

Sampaguita lounge of NAIA T1...

(costs 200Php, if my memory serves me right, to enter. there's a buffet, and competitive rates for alcoholic beverages. One net terminal, several 'cubicles' if you want a rest, and you can take a shower too.... annoying i didn't take more pics, Arroz Caldo caught my eye...)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/huistenmark/DSC07054.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/huistenmark/DSC07053.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/huistenmark/DSC07052.jpg

kiretoce

January 13th, 2006, 07:00 PM

^^ :eek2: That's awesome! Did you say this was at T1?

kiretoce

January 14th, 2006, 12:02 AM

Honolulu-Laoag direct flight reopening seen

LAOAG CITY, Ilocos Norte - With the sister-state-province relationship strengthened between Hawaii and Ilocos Norte, Governors Linda Lingle and Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. see the reopening of direct flights from Honolulu to the Laoag International Airport.

The idea of the reopening came after the commemoration of the centennial of the first Ilocanos to migrate to Hawaii.

In 1995 the Philippine Airlines started the Laoag Express operation used mostly by Ilocanos. Later, the Hawaii-to-Laoag route was abandoned for lack of passengers and poor airport facilities.

With the current influx of tourists, Marcos announced on Wednesday that he would meet with officials of airline companies who are willing to reopen the route.

Marcos found an ally with Lingle, who paid him a visit. She noted that at least 75 percent of the population in Hawaii comes from the Ilocos region.

Today, the Philippine Airlines is servicing the Manila-Laoag-Manila route four times weekly.

The flights would carry regular passengers from Manila to this city every day, except Wednesdays.

tigidig14

January 14th, 2006, 12:05 AM

in Naia lounge, you pay everything for 200 pesos i know excluding alcoholic beverages or just the entrance

richard fischer

January 14th, 2006, 03:34 AM

[QUOTE=kiretoce]Honolulu-Laoag direct flight reopening seen

LAOAG CITY, Ilocos Norte - With the sister-state-province relationship strengthened between Hawaii and Ilocos Norte, Governors Linda Lingle and Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. see the reopening of direct flights from Honolulu to the Laoag International Airport.

The idea of the reopening came after the commemoration of the centennial of the first Ilocanos to migrate to Hawaii.

In 1995 the Philippine Airlines started the Laoag Express operation used mostly by Ilocanos. Later, the Hawaii-to-Laoag route was abandoned for lack of passengers and poor airport facilities.

With the current influx of tourists, Marcos announced on Wednesday that he would meet with officials of airline companies who are willing to reopen the route.

what airline would that be ? PAL ?

huistenmark

January 14th, 2006, 04:36 AM

in Naia lounge, you pay everything for 200 pesos i know excluding alcoholic beverages or just the entrance

that's for everything(excluding the alcoholic beverages, of course :) )

and guess what.... the service was really good.. the food great.. and they speak bloody Japanese... I was surprised it was only 200, or that such a good service exist at all in NAIA T1...

_zner_

January 14th, 2006, 12:20 PM

how come PAL are going to suspend flights from KL??

ishtefh_03

January 14th, 2006, 12:31 PM

parang ang dami ng suspended ang flights sa PAL??

aUen

January 14th, 2006, 12:48 PM

^^wag naman sanang dumating ang araw na domestic nalang ang flights ng PAL. :lol:

ishtefh_03

January 14th, 2006, 12:52 PM

wahehe... kung mangyayari yun, puro na lng connecting flights!!

_zner_

January 14th, 2006, 12:56 PM

PAL really sucks. coz all the planes are so old stylish... thats why we barely use PAL going to US...

ishtefh_03

January 14th, 2006, 01:06 PM

^^ wahehe and the food rin daw is not that good...

aUen

January 14th, 2006, 01:11 PM

i heard that food isnt that bad but the cabin really needs modernization. actually i havent flown PAL yet. i usually fly korean but this spring, transit kami sa hong kong for a manila bound PAL flight.

_zner_

January 14th, 2006, 01:22 PM

^^ i love korean air... all economy class have monitors and the food is great... but the worst part of it is going back to manila (LAX to Korea) coz they used to run out of water in the lavatory..

aUen

January 14th, 2006, 01:28 PM

yeah korean air is my favorite airline yet. service, food, comfort, and the super friendly crew. uhh i love them. anyway, im flying united (B747 w/o PTVs waaah) for hong kong then pal (A340) to manila. A340s arent as old as pal's 747s so the 2 hour flight should be fine.

huistenmark

January 14th, 2006, 03:22 PM

Although PAL is not among the best, it certainly is not that bad.. just try flying NW... :gaah:

tigidig14

January 14th, 2006, 06:55 PM

NW, KOREAN and JAL are becoming very strick on us because of our big ass boxes :(
i havent try continental or any chinese airlines if theyre the same

Askal82

January 14th, 2006, 07:36 PM

Animo

January 14th, 2006, 09:26 PM

http://us.news3.yimg.com/us.i2.yimg.com/p/afp/20060114/capt.sge.apb52.140106171554.photo00.photo.default-283x384.jpg?x=180&y=244&sig=sLTB7ylU1Wh4Na4HHPv6BA--

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) - Philippine Airlines will suspend its thrice-weekly service to the Malaysian capital next month.

"A circular was issued to inform of the flight suspension" which was "due to commercial considerations," a Kuala Lumpur-based airline official told the New Straits Times newspaper.

"I do not rule out the possibility of a low passenger volume on the route and that PAL (Philippine Airlines) is focusing more on profitable routes which are to the US," the official added.

The flag carrier's website says Manila-Kuala Lumpur flights will cease after February 12. Malaysia Airlines will continue flying the route.

Philippine Airlines suspended operations between Manila and Kuala Lumpur in 1998 for five years after suffering a collapse during the Asian financial crisis, the newspaper said.

The route was taken up again in October 2003.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060114/bs_afp/malaysiaphilippinesairtransportcompany;_ylt=Armo7Iyf_UpFPtfvApxwtqoBxg8F;_ylu=X3oDMTBjMHVqMTQ4BHNlYwN5bnN1YmNhdA--

Sou-jiro

January 15th, 2006, 11:55 AM

I usually bring only a box when i come back home and does not usually exceed. I just hate carrying boxes with loads of crap that can be bought in the Philippines anyway. I remembered this family who carried as much as 10 freaking boxes since each is allowed 2 of them to be carried!! I wonder what's in it.

i dont carry mucha t all usually between 5 to 10 kilos only thats total of both luggage and hand carry. :) hassle pa kasi eh

anyway im just really curious guys....which airlines have you've been that really has good looking female flight attendants?...just curious...
how about also on the asian carriers? any nice ones?....
any nice ones in Pal?

tried pal and cathay a few times also

Qantas Airways which was kool cause i remember that time all the crew even pilots were filipino on a sydney-manila flight (flight QF20) :cheers:

btw whats Northwest experince like?

aUen

January 15th, 2006, 12:37 PM

^^never tried northwest. id fly japan rather than northwest since im more comfortable with asians lol. korean has cute flight attendants ;)

Skyblade

January 15th, 2006, 02:48 PM

^^never tried northwest. id fly japan rather than northwest since im more comfortable with asians lol. korean has cute flight attendants ;)
KE's new uniforms are nice though I kinda am missing the old ones...but yeah I agree, they and OZ do have cute F/As.

Sou-jiro

January 15th, 2006, 10:48 PM

my family is on a morning flight ryt now sydney to hong kong cathay...just looked at the iteneraty...it will be a A330-300..A340 on the way back.....ive never been on a A340

xDieselJockx

January 16th, 2006, 05:11 AM

i dont carry mucha t all usually between 5 to 10 kilos only thats total of both luggage and hand carry. :) hassle pa kasi eh

Qantas Airways which was kool cause i remember that time all the crew even pilots were filipino on a sydney-manila flight (flight QF20) :cheers:

btw whats Northwest experince like?

Are you sure Qantas would allow filipinos to fly their aircrafts? I'm sure flight attendants might have filipinos in their crew but pilots on direct /nonstop flights????

xXx carlos xXx

January 16th, 2006, 05:32 AM

i dont carry mucha t all usually between 5 to 10 kilos only thats total of both luggage and hand carry. :) hassle pa kasi eh

anyway im just really curious guys....which airlines have you've been that really has good looking female flight attendants?...just curious...
how about also on the asian carriers? any nice ones?....
any nice ones in Pal?

tried pal and cathay a few times also

Qantas Airways which was kool cause i remember that time all the crew even pilots were filipino on a sydney-manila flight (flight QF20) :cheers:

btw whats Northwest experince like?
i've tried northwest na, but i didnt like it.... their 747 is old... although their business class chairs were awesome... their f/a's were old... id rather fly pal's a340... pal's a340 is nice and it has a spacious legroom... ive never been to pal's 747's

Sou-jiro

January 16th, 2006, 05:35 AM

Are you sure Qantas would allow filipinos to fly their aircrafts? I'm sure flight attendants might have filipinos in their crew but pilots on direct /nonstop flights????

yeh it was back in 2001...a boeing 767...they spoke English and then tagalog on every announcement that was the only time i had that though ...

but thats why i brought it up coz i thought that was unusual.....but im not surprise i've heard other Airlines do that such as Emirates and Gulf Air who recruit foreign nationals as pilots

xDieselJockx

January 16th, 2006, 05:49 AM

yeh it was back in 2001...a boeing 767...they spoke English and then tagalog on every announcement that was the only time i had that though ...

but thats why i brought it up coz i thought that was unusual.....but im not surprise i've heard other Airlines do that such as Emirates and Gulf Air who recruit foreign nationals as pilots

I can see that in Emirates and Gulf Air since both countries usually doesn't have enough profesionals or pilots for this matter to man their work force. Australia seems to have enough pilots, unless that philippino pilot was an Australian citizen. Maybe you heard a male filipino flight attendant announcing for the Pilots, US airlines like northewest has their Filipino male FA to do the announcement whenever the plane is about to land in NAIA, but when you deplane, you would see the American Pilot coming out of the cockpit. Who knows. I was just curious is all, I've never been to the middleeast before. Maybe one of these days in Dubai since i've heard alot of good things about the place as one of the best holiday destinations according to a Scottish gentleman I've talked to when I was on my way to London 2 years ago.

bustero

January 16th, 2006, 05:49 AM

Wha, you'd be surprised how many pinoys fly in diff airlines, Also a big export career. My nephew flies for PR and he says that there are more ex PR pilots flying out there than in PR! Apparently since the pay of PR is so low after a while they can not stand it anymore and even if they have a good life here, just go out and earn much more!

someguy, You'll like the A340. My favorite plane right now, always seem more comfortable, quiet and safe, even if perception ko lang iyan!

NW is a little old for me too, my scariest flight was with them - the plane dropped so much in vicious turbulence, the stewardesses ran to their seats hawakhawak iyung trolley carts, so many people were crying, I couldn't eat anymore till I got to Japan! Plus their FA are not only old but as described in one airliners.net thread too "entitled" , parang they feel they don't need to serve so much as they have job security. Compare that with Cathay or Singapore Girl who runs after you and looks really sexy in their sarong pa, what a difference!

I should not complain so much PR's 747's are pretty old too. Shakes likes it will come apart sometimes but generally ok.

With regards to balikbayan boxes, it's just our custom to make pabilin, regalo, pasalubong to everybody. As most of the forumers here are guys we may not feel it so much but the women folk really feel this need. That's one competitive advantage of PR they have heavy weight limits. Anyone who wants to compete on this most profitable route of PR (mla/cebu - US) has to have the same huge baggage limits! One reason they say the plane choices are critical for this route, because not only is the seating high density but the cargo has to carry a lot as well.

Sou-jiro

January 16th, 2006, 09:34 AM

i think it would help the image if Pal's 747-400 can be equipped with ptv's even on economy seats and better business and firstclass seat...they should have better programmes onboard.Its not as bad cos many bigger Airline company still operate older b747-300 and 200. Its just that Pal does not equipped on the inside

im actually glad they hardly use the Pal 747 on the Sydney-Manila Route

its mainly A330-300 or A340-300

ive tried Pal's A330 several times and Pals 747 a few times
from my observation A330 looks more modern than their 747...more quiet and i feel more safe.
Bustero:im sure Pal's A340 is nice..i wish i could try Pals A340 next trip...

And with Northwest...i havent flown with then but was just curious since my aunties in Westcoast of U.S. said they dont recomment NW

i remember a time when United And Northwest Competed Fiercely for the Manila route with United Conceiding...does United still serve Manila?? i know NW does....

xXx carlos xXx

January 16th, 2006, 09:46 AM

^^ me too... i dont recommend northwest... the service is not as excellent as cathay... imo pal is better than nw... its just nw is equipped with the state-of-the-art business class chairs... looks very modern... the f/a's aren't helpful and they have more older stewardesses than the young ones...

Sou-jiro

January 16th, 2006, 10:05 AM

i remember my first job after school was in the Bar of Shangri-la Syndey and several airline crew have stayed theyre....the Malaysian F/A..Singapore, ANA, and others...

i just love the Singapore and Malaysian F/A...i notecied i few goodlooking ones speacially in that outfit...(parang mahinhin) hehe

Sou-jiro

January 16th, 2006, 10:06 AM

edit

_zner_

January 16th, 2006, 11:15 AM

korean air is the best!!! i love the airport! hehe... very modern and stylish..

well, about northwest, kinda boring though.. like youre having your usual flight from SD to SF.. hehe

Sou-jiro

January 17th, 2006, 02:37 AM

so what north american carrier apart from NW serves manila

just NW and United aint it?...nothing from Canada??...

not one carrier from South America??..

tigidig14

January 17th, 2006, 03:56 AM

oo wala sa south america

aUen

January 17th, 2006, 04:00 AM

yeah, NW is the only airline from the americas that flies to manila. united doesnt fly to manila anymore. they sure would fly to the philippines again when a bigger DMIA opens. they need to take advantage of the location and the volume of passengers from the united states to the philippines.

aUen

January 17th, 2006, 04:09 AM

oh theres another one.. continental airlines

Sou-jiro

January 17th, 2006, 06:41 AM

ow nothing from S. America

so anyone been on continental

seem that most carriers that serve Manila are either Other Asian Carriers And Middle Eastern Carriers..

xXx carlos xXx

January 17th, 2006, 08:01 AM

^^ my aunt said it was nice because all seats were equiped with ptv's.... that's what she said... but it is more expensive than nw...

aUen

January 17th, 2006, 08:45 AM

yeah they do have ptvs on economy but they fly smaller planes right? ive never seen a jumbo continental.

Skyblade

January 17th, 2006, 10:30 AM

yeah they do have ptvs on economy but they fly smaller planes right? ive never seen a jumbo continental.
The largest you will see w/ CO is a 777-200. The PTVs in all classes are only avaliable in the widebodies (767 and 777) and they usually deploy the 737-800 on the GUM-MNL run.

Sou-jiro

January 18th, 2006, 01:43 AM

Shame the United doesnt fly anymore to Manila...mayve stiff competition with NW

sandrin

January 18th, 2006, 01:58 AM

An article regarding the profitability of Asian Spirit:

VIRTUAL BUSINESS
By Tony Lopez
Asian Spirit

IN 1995, three friends got together and decided to engage in what was thought a risky business. Antonio “Toti” Turalba, Emmanuel “Noel” Oñate, and Archibald Po contributed $1 million each to start up Asian Spirit, an airline cooperative.

Turalba had the money, Archie Po the aviation experience and expertise, and Oñate the money plus political connections to get Asian Spirit going. They started with two second-hand aircraft, the 50-seated DASH 7 and serviced only one route, Boracay, then a fledgling beach resort with plenty of potential. “We saw paradise in the beach,” gushed the young Turalba, then barely 29 years old.

Ten years later, with 14 aircraft, Asian Spirit has become the Philippines’ most efficient, most profitable low-key airline that flies to 24 domestic destinations. It has virtual monopoly in 20 of those routes. In ten years it chalked up P1 billion in profits, without losing money in any single year.

The carrier has a scintillating 87 percent of flights punctuality and an enviable 68 percent load factor.

Its manpower to aircraft ratio is one of the most envied in the industry— 21 people for every plane.

At time, the still struggling Air Philippines had 300 people for every aircraft or 900 workers for three planes.

In terms of income as a percentage of sales, Asian Spirit makes the biggest return—a whopping 13.78 percent, or P155 million on 2004 revenues of P1,125 million.

In 2005, Asian Spirit flew 500,000 passengers, 350,000 to Boracay. “We made Boracay and Boracay made us,” gushes Oñate.

Compare Asian Spirit’s financials with the 2.19 percent return on sales or P1.2 billion profits on P54.9 billion revenues of giant Philippine Airlines and 1.76 percent or P287.2 P130.32 million on revenues of P7.4 billion of gung-ho Cebu Pacific.

The third carrier, Air Philippines, in fact, generated only a half a centavo of profit for every 100 pesos of sales.

In absolute amounts, Asian Spirit makes more money than the much ballyhooed Cebu Pacific of taipan John Gokongwei Jr. The Cebu-based carrier makes only 1.76 centavos for every peso of sales, certainly a very slim margin of income. Thus, Asian Spirit is the country’s second most profitable airline.

So enthused are the owners with their success that they plan to share their good fortune by opening up the company’s ownership to the public.

Asian Spirit EVP Joaquin or Jack Po was with PAL as a chief purser. Asian Spirit president, Antonio Buendia Jr. was with TNT cargo firm. He is a licensed pilot. Vice President for Commercial, Reynaldo Rodriguez was with PAL marketing.

The vagaries of the airline business are such that a serious investor needs a combination of all three—expertise, financial clout, and political leverage—to make a go of a startup carrier like Asian Spirit.

That is why only the likes of a Lucio Tan can succeed at PAL and John Gokongwei can make it at Cebu Pacific.

They have the patience and wherewithal to own and run an airline. Plastics tycoon William Gatchalian got tired trying to make Air Philippines profitable he sold it to El Kapitan Tan as payment of debt.

This may explain why for Asian Spirit, payback time came rather prematurely.

Quite remarkably, for a business that is capital and asset-intensive, Asian Spirit is debt-free.

There are two Asian Spirit enterprises. One is a corporation, registered with the SEC.

The other which owns the carrier. With the planned IPO in 2007, the cooperative will become a corporation.

With expected profit of P400 million in 2007, the company is valued at P7 billion, 18 times earnings.

Sou-jiro

January 18th, 2006, 02:13 AM

wow...a nice read.....

Sou-jiro

January 18th, 2006, 04:33 AM

http://www.ey.com/global/CCR.nsf/Images/71F7977C102A0CDF48256D3900114B83/$FILE/CX%20Logo.jpg
http://www.matkapojat.fi/kuvat/lennot/Malaysia_Airlines-logo.gif

http://hk.geocities.com/aeroinsam/airlines/logo_nx.gif
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/9f/JAL_logo.png
http://gfx.fox.nl/images/airlines/chinasouthern/logo.jpg
http://www.informationblast.com/images/thumb_b_be_200px-China_Airlines_logo.png
http://www.dotpcvc.gov.ph/PCVC-members/airline_members/images/logo_pal.gif
http://cancer.co.uk/images/events/evaair_logo2.jpg

http://www.egyptrc.com/images/logo_singapore.gif
http://www.egyptrc.com/images/logo_emirates.gif
http://www.egyptrc.com/images/logo_gulf.gif
http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/2876/qatar20airways20logo8jt.gif
http://www.air7seas.com/images/sv_logo.gif
http://www.travelnow.com.au/images/logo/Vietnam_Airlines.gif
http://www.worldaviation.co.nz/airlines/images/logo_asiana.gif
http://www.aaairticket.com/images/logo/big_logoTG.gif
http://www.airhighways.com/images/korean-air_logo.gif
http://www.pilotguides.com/images/content/logos/garuda_indonesia.jpg
http://www.royal-brunei.fr/mailing/logo-mini.gif
http://www.rsb.org.au/images/Qantas%20Spirit.gif
http://blog.kir.com/archives/Continental%20logo.jpg
http://www.etravelblackboard.com/images/logo/Logo_NorthWest_big1.gif
http://www.mendestur.com.br/images/logo_LUFTHANSA.gif

also:

http://www.cebupacificair.com/images/logo.gif
http://www.daynightsea.com/voyage/vols/images/logo/jetstarasia.gif
http://phuketmagazine.com/Silk%20Air%20Logo%20for%20Web.jpg
http://www.boracaybeach.ph/asian_spirit_logo_2.jpg
http://www.daynightsea.com/voyage/vols/images/logo/airphils.gif

Sou-jiro

January 18th, 2006, 04:35 AM

anything i missed on the above list?..no European carrier?

aUen

January 18th, 2006, 04:42 AM

youre missing Air France, British Airways, and KLM Royal Dutch(?). does KLM really fly to manila?

Sou-jiro

January 18th, 2006, 04:48 AM

youre missing Air France, British Airways, and KLM Royal Dutch(?). does KLM really fly to manila?

but i though these carriers do not fly to Manila at present time?...do they?..im not sure myself...

aUen

January 18th, 2006, 04:56 AM

im not really sure, but thats whats listed in their website which, i think, is not updated because swiss is still there.

Sou-jiro

January 18th, 2006, 05:19 AM

yeh...i just had a look at british airways...manila is still there...but they dont fly to manila no more...air france..i dunno...KLM im not sure....but i think Lufthansa still does??

aUen

January 18th, 2006, 05:27 AM

manila is still in lufthansa and KLM's websites.

xXx carlos xXx

January 18th, 2006, 05:34 AM

i dont think air france and british airways still fly to manila... but i think klm still does

aUen

January 18th, 2006, 07:50 AM

i always wondered.. what are the advantages and disadvantages of e-tickets?

Askal82

January 18th, 2006, 08:23 AM

Air France and British Airways still fly to Manila together with Lufthansa and KLM

tigidig14

January 18th, 2006, 08:29 AM

^no, KLM at lufthansa na lang i read it here somewhere

ryanr

January 18th, 2006, 08:31 AM

Yeah, only Lufthansa and KLM fly to Manila. PAL codeshares with KLM.

Askal82

January 18th, 2006, 08:31 AM

Ic. The last time I was there, AirFrance was still there.

Askal82

January 18th, 2006, 08:34 AM

Okay, here is what I found out, wala ang british air pero may air france.

xXx carlos xXx

January 18th, 2006, 08:37 AM

what route does lufthansa serves?

tigidig14

January 18th, 2006, 08:43 AM

Okay, here is what I found out, wala ang british air pero may air france.
i hate to say it again pero wala nang air france. nakakainis pawala na ng pawala ang mga airlines satin sa susunod naman yung saudi air. i remembered swiss air, air france, british, united and egypt air<-- d ba sila yung sumadsad sa putik back in the 90s. ibig sabihin nito lalong tataas ang mga pamasahe natin, lalong lalo na puro source of income natin ang OCW. Haay :no:

pero nadagdagan yata ng soutern china airlines, isa lang, he he

ryanr

January 18th, 2006, 08:45 AM

If you look at Part IV i believe, of this thread series...there might be an article posted that Air France no longer flies to Manila. I remember reading about it. So again, only Lufthansa and KLM fly to NAIA.

xXx carlos xXx

January 18th, 2006, 08:48 AM

klm flies to amsterdam right? how about lufthansa?

tigidig14

January 18th, 2006, 08:48 AM

what route does lufthansa serves?
ang dami nila sa germany when we stop over there, so maybe frankfurt

ryanr

January 18th, 2006, 08:49 AM

Most likely Frankfurt. I'm not sure, but i think they stopover at Hong Kong or Bangkok...

richard fischer

January 18th, 2006, 08:51 AM

great article sandrin ! salamat for the asian spirit infos !

Askal82

January 18th, 2006, 08:56 AM

ang dami nila sa germany when we stop over there, so maybe frankfurt

Lufthansa is a German carrier. :)

SKYLINEPIGEON

January 18th, 2006, 08:56 AM

klm is owned by airfrance right

tigidig14

January 18th, 2006, 08:59 AM

^rotterdam, yeah sounds like it

aUen

January 18th, 2006, 09:04 AM

owned by air france? i didnt know that.. the only thing i know about klm is its the flag carrier of netherlands :)

SKYLINEPIGEON

January 18th, 2006, 09:19 AM

airfrance bought klm several years back

Sou-jiro

January 18th, 2006, 10:13 AM

Brithish Airways and Air france stopped manila services several years ago...just disregard manila in BA's & AF's website...yeah only KLM codeshared and Lufthansa has that Manila -Frankfurt route

bustero

January 18th, 2006, 12:54 PM

From Boo Chanco's column today at the Star. A bit disturbing (specially since I've a clark macau ticket myself!!!)

Tiger Airlines
Even before the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) announced that it is suspending the provisional authority of budget airline Tiger Airways to operate the Clark-Macau route, a PhilStar reader Howard McKay wrote me about the problems the sudden stop of operations caused.

I read the explanation of the CAB several times but could not see any real justification for the sudden order that caused inconveniences to the passengers of the airline, most of all the OFWs. It also seems to me that the CAB is not in tune with recent developments in international aviation that gave rise to budget carriers like Tiger Airways.

Of course, it would be difficult for Internet-based carriers like Tiger to go to the CAB to confirm the fare being charged on every ticket. The way the system works in today’s digital world, what happens out there is really an online auction. The price of a ticket offered changes almost by the minute, depending on demand. That is why if you find a fare being offered that sounds reasonable, you should buy it right away. It will most likely not be offered again, even a minute after.

Even without going into the controversial concept of Open Skies, which I have some reservations too in its purest form, there is a need for CAB to start liberalizing its way of thinking. As it happened, the POEA has reported that thousands of OFWs had their visas cancelled, resulting in missed opportunity of working abroad because there are not enough flights to take them. Instead of being bureaucratically strict, the CAB should encourage cheap budget carriers to help provide those flights that POEA says are not there.

If the CAB is protecting local carriers, that’s misplaced in this case. For one thing, no local carrier flies the Macau-Clark route. Even if that’s close enough to Hong Kong, it isn’t quite the same. More important, Tiger attracts a different class of passengers who are willing to go without the usual amenities. Even trying to buy a Tiger ticket is difficult and requires some computer savvy and a lot of patience. And as our reader points out too, their customer service sucks. The market should be allowed to decide, with no need for help from the bureaucrats, the fate of Tiger Airways.

Anyway, here is the e-mail I received from Clark resident Howard McKay.

A friend of mine went to Macau by Tiger airways on 7th Jan, due to return on 9th. Just after he left for Clark airport on 7th I received a call from Tiger Airways telling me the return flight on 9th had been cancelled and that he would be re-booked on 10th. I told them to ensure that he was told this at check-in..... he was not.

I then e-mailed his hotel in HK but unfortunately he did not get the message in time. He turned up for the flight on the 9th to be told it was cancelled. He then booked a hotel in Macau for one night for the flight on 10th. After checking in, waiting in the airport etc., the Tiger airways plane landed but he was then told the flight for the 10th was also cancelled.

He describes the situation in an email he sent me:

Back to the airport this afternoon, Flight on time, checked in, went > through immigration, sitting at boarding gate, plane lands, people get off, every one stands up ready to go through the gate, then word goes around, flight cancelled, permanently. No apologies, no Tiger Airways staff present to explain, just got given an application form for a refund to fax off to Singapore, payable in six to 10 weeks, and that was it, f**k off.

Quite a few Filipinos with families were distraught, having spent the previous night in the terminal, and they had no money for a whole family of air tickets and another night of hotels. God knows how they will manage in this freezing weather.

My friend returned to HK and booked a Cathay Pacific ticket to Manila.

As he says, goodness knows how the poor Filipino families would manage with no money.

During the saga I tried to contact Tiger Airways to find out what was going on – even ringing numbers in Singapore but all I got was ‘press one, press four, listen to music and so on’. They appear to have no Philippines contact number.

Although the cancellation and the distress are one story, what is the bigger story? I have been told that both PAL and Cebu Pacific have been trying to stop the budget airlines into Clark. I have been told that these recent problems that Tiger Airways have had here are due to the Philippine authorities. Could there be some unseen hand at work?

I first came to the Philippines in 1976 and I am now retired here – with a lovely Filipina wife. I lived in Hong Kong for 27 years and visited the Philippines many many times – up to six times a year. About six or seven years ago, PAL started direct flights from HK to Clark and I spent three weekends in Angeles via that flight.

On the basis that I thought Angeles City was thereby due to ‘take off’ I bought a house and a membership of the Mimosa golf club. PAL then had a strike and never reinstated the Clark flights despite the fact that they were completely full the three times I took them.

Given the undesirable option of flying into Manila I then started taking the direct flights from HK to Laoag for golf weekends. On the four occasions that I took these flights, again they were all full. The demand is obvious.

Anyone who thinks that Clark should be ‘strangled’ to protect vested interests at NAIA does not genuinely have anyone’s interests at heart other than his own.

By the way, my daily paper is The Star and your great column is one reason for this.
Seasons

JustHorace

January 18th, 2006, 03:06 PM

Brithish Airways and Air france stopped manila services several years ago...just disregard manila in BA's & AF's website...yeah only KLM codeshared and Lufthansa has that Manila -Frankfurt route
Air France only cut its services last year. I remember kasi in 2004, nag-advertise pa ang Air France that it is offering flights non-stop from Manila to Paris, wala nang Bangkok stopover. Then last year, KLM assumed services of AF

And BTW, it was KLM which bought AF, not the other way.
Lufthansa flies from Manila to Frankfurt via Guangzhou.

SKYLINEPIGEON

January 18th, 2006, 04:37 PM

And BTW, it was KLM which bought AF, not the other way.

i dont think heres an article on WIkepedia abt the AF-KLM merger

Air France took over KLM in May 2004, resulting in the creation of Air France-KLM. Air France-KLM is incorporated under French law and its headquarters are located at Roissy-Charles de Gaulle Airport near Paris. Air France-KLM is the largest airline company in the world in terms of operating revenues, and the third-largest in the world (largest in Europe) in terms of revenue-passenger-kilometers

BoNduRanT

January 18th, 2006, 04:56 PM

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c3/abercromb24/airbusa380-philippines.jpg

:p

MAXTON

January 18th, 2006, 05:04 PM

^^ SANA LANG!

xXx carlos xXx

January 18th, 2006, 05:06 PM

btw, what aircraft does klm use in their manila-frankfurt leg? and, is their "service" nice

xXx carlos xXx

January 18th, 2006, 05:12 PM

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c3/abercromb24/airbusa380-philippines.jpg

:p
sana nga... and i think that an a380 is very feasible in their usa legs since their is a high demand... kaya nga lang di pa kaya bumili ng pal ng a380, sayang... but it would be nice to see a pal a380 flying in the skies.... dream on carlos!

dancethingy

January 18th, 2006, 05:14 PM

I strongly believe that the powers that rule over NAIA strongly opposes the development of DMIA and Clark itself. Their own selfish wants pathetically standing in the way of our progress as a nation.

kiretoce

January 18th, 2006, 05:22 PM

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c3/abercromb24/airbusa380-philippines.jpg

Nice! :okay: But I like the classic look of the B747 better. :colgate:

ryanr

January 18th, 2006, 07:13 PM

^ Same, i would prefer if PAL purchased new generation 747s over the A380.

paulkrps

January 18th, 2006, 07:46 PM

747s have this elegant design. the 380 is just jumbo and nothing else.

kiretoce

January 18th, 2006, 08:12 PM

^^ A380s look like beluga whales! :lol:

paulkrps

January 18th, 2006, 08:19 PM

^^ in fact i'd consider it as the worst designed plane of all time, parang pinipilit na ewan. the 320 is designed well though.

aUen

January 18th, 2006, 08:28 PM

^^agree.

BTW, nice PAL livery. WTG :okay:

how about this one:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a114/auen00/ssc/932646a7.jpg
Now flying to Caticlan :lol:

xXx carlos xXx

January 19th, 2006, 01:19 AM

^^ its nice to see an a380 in asian spirit plane since they only got those bae whatever... :D

Sou-jiro

January 19th, 2006, 04:00 AM

not a big fan of the design....747-400 looks elegant...
so is the A33-300 and A340...they look awesome.....

the plane simple white paint scheme of Pal A330/A340 id what makes it look nice..

Pal's B747 could use a new paint Job though....and more cleaning

tigidig14

January 19th, 2006, 04:33 AM

where's the cebu pacific version? :(

aUen

January 19th, 2006, 04:48 AM

gonna make one :lol:

bustero

January 19th, 2006, 05:42 AM

I understand from what I read in A net. that a problem with the A380 for the LA- LAX/SFO run is that while the passengers can fill up the seats, the extraordinary amount of baggage we carry will make it difficult to maintain the present 2 balikbayan boxes each, most everyone carries. E.g. if the new plane can fly 550 pax and each brought the max luggage, the plane would be beyond it's certified limits for flying commercial. That's why they were saying it would be more appropriate to get a 340-600 or maybe even the new 747-800 because of it's heaver cargo to seat ratio. Just something I read of ANet

ryanr

January 19th, 2006, 07:02 AM

aUen

January 19th, 2006, 07:35 AM

^^ yep 747s are stylish as well :D

btw, the 747-400 Cebu Pacific is almost done. ill finish it tomorrow because i have to finish my essay :okay:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a114/auen00/ssc/bb94f7fa.jpg

tigidig14

January 19th, 2006, 07:47 AM

^yeah thats way better than the other two :applause:
i cant wait for them to fly in chicago :D

SKYLINEPIGEON

January 19th, 2006, 07:57 AM

the shape of the 747 makes its an icon in the sky

OtAkAw

January 19th, 2006, 08:16 AM

PAL can't even buy one !-380 yet EMirates bought about 47!!!

SKYLINEPIGEON

January 19th, 2006, 09:01 AM

emirates is owned by the govt of dubai they hve money

tigidig14

January 19th, 2006, 09:35 AM

^theres alot of british in that area too

Sou-jiro

January 19th, 2006, 10:46 AM

PAL can't even buy one !-380 yet EMirates bought about 47!!!

well they'll very cashed up..........they have a good strategy...they're CEO claim that they are targeting their fleet to go over 170 by yr 2012...u just said they bought 47 A380...if thats true..they could have nearly 200 in their fleet by 2010

Pal doesnt really need A380 now even if they can afford it(but cant)...
i reckon it more feasable to get A340-600 just like what virgin atlantic and cathay use...

for medium density regional routes..maybe it best to get Boeing 767-300er
Obviously if they're always filled then theyre A330 and A340
anyway i dont like the new A380 but i do love the A340 and A330...they look so gracefull and i think it serve's Pal well particularly for Higher density regional routes

i wish pal also had boeing777...but this might not serve them well on they're current routes??still it would be good....i heard this plane is quite advance in comparison the most boeings??

flypinoy7

January 19th, 2006, 11:06 AM

i actually saw this rendering of a PAL a380 on google images while i was looking around...looks decent...
http://www.nationmaster.com/wikimir/images/upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/ae/PAL4.jpg/300px-PAL4.jpg

_zner_

January 19th, 2006, 11:20 AM

but the tourism in the philippines is not so lively compare to our neighboring countries..

Sou-jiro

January 19th, 2006, 02:20 PM

but the tourism in the philippines is not so lively compare to our neighboring countries..

thats expected to increase this year...lets hope so...and Pal hopefully is smart enough to capitalize on this..i hope this attract more airline back to Manila as well this yr....

xXx carlos xXx

January 19th, 2006, 02:22 PM

^^ i agree!!!

xDieselJockx

January 19th, 2006, 03:33 PM

kiretoce

January 19th, 2006, 03:35 PM

^^ That Cebu Pacific B747 livery looks awesome! Wish it was real though.... :lol:

kiretoce

January 19th, 2006, 06:13 PM

MIAA stands firm on $5-security fee
By Nikko Dizon Jan 19, 2006

Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) stood firm on its plan to impose a 5-dollar security fee on departing passengers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), following an opinion by the International Air Transportation Association (IATA) that it should be the government's responsibility to shoulder expenses for security enhancements at international airports.

A third public hearing on the new fee has been scheduled for next week, Alfonso Cusi, general manager of the MIAA, told the Inquirer in a phone interview Wednesday.

“I don’t know why IATA undermines our effort in financing the security needs in Philippine airports,” Cusi said.

Cusi said that the MIAA had long been “carrying the burden” of spending for the security needs of the NAIA terminals.

“But now it has become very expensive. We have to acquire new machines. Even the [bomb sniffing] dogs are already very expensive,” Cusi said.

Cusi noted that IATA did not oppose the imposition of the security fee on passengers in other countries such as the United States, Hong Kong, and Singapore.

“Hindi maganda [It’s not nice],” Cusi said of the IATA opinion.

The Inquirer reported on Wednesday that IATA, the trade association representing the international airline industry, said in a December opinion that the state, referring to the Philippine government, and not the flying public should shoulder the cost of security enhancements at international airports.

kiretoce

January 19th, 2006, 06:19 PM

Asian Spirit

In 1995, three friends got together and decided to engage in what was thought a risky business. Antonio "Toti" Turalba, Emmanuel "Noel" Oñate, and Archibald Po contributed $1 million each to start up Asian Spirit, an airline cooperative.

Turalba had the money, Archie Po the aviation experience and expertise, and Oñate the money plus political connections to get Asian Spirit going. They started with two second-hand aircraft, the 50-seated DASH 7 and serviced only one route, Boracay, then a fledgling beach resort with plenty of potential. "We saw paradise in the beach," gushed the young Turalba, then barely 29 years old.

Ten years later, with 14 aircraft, Asian Spirit has become the Philippines’ most efficient, most profitable low-key airline that flies to 24 domestic destinations. It has virtual monopoly in 20 of those routes. In ten years it chalked up P1 billion in profits, without losing money in any single year.

The carrier has a scintillating 87 percent of flights punctuality and an enviable 68 percent load factor.

Its manpower to aircraft ratio is one of the most envied in the industry— 21 people for every plane.

At time, the still struggling Air Philippines had 300 people for every aircraft or 900 workers for three planes.

In terms of income as a percentage of sales, Asian Spirit makes the biggest return—a whopping 13.78 percent, or P155 million on 2004 revenues of P1,125 million.

In 2005, Asian Spirit flew 500,000 passengers, 350,000 to Boracay. "We made Boracay and Boracay made us," gushes Oñate.

Compare Asian Spirit’s financials with the 2.19 percent return on sales or P1.2 billion profits on P54.9 billion revenues of giant Philippine Airlines and 1.76 percent or P287.2 P130.32 million on revenues of P7.4 billion of gung-ho Cebu Pacific.

The third carrier, Air Philippines, in fact, generated only a half a centavo of profit for every 100 pesos of sales.

In absolute amounts, Asian Spirit makes more money than the much ballyhooed Cebu Pacific of taipan John Gokongwei Jr. The Cebu-based carrier makes only 1.76 centavos for every peso of sales, certainly a very slim margin of income. Thus, Asian Spirit is the country’s second most profitable airline.

So enthused are the owners with their success that they plan to share their good fortune by opening up the company’s ownership to the public.

Asian Spirit EVP Joaquin or Jack Po was with PAL as a chief purser. Asian Spirit president, Antonio Buendia Jr. was with TNT cargo firm. He is a licensed pilot. Vice President for Commercial, Reynaldo Rodriguez was with PAL marketing.

The vagaries of the airline business are such that a serious investor needs a combination of all three—expertise, financial clout, and political leverage—to make a go of a startup carrier like Asian Spirit.

That is why only the likes of a Lucio Tan can succeed at PAL and John Gokongwei can make it at Cebu Pacific.

They have the patience and wherewithal to own and run an airline. Plastics tycoon William Gatchalian got tired trying to make Air Philippines profitable he sold it to El Kapitan Tan as payment of debt.

This may explain why for Asian Spirit, payback time came rather prematurely.

Quite remarkably, for a business that is capital and asset-intensive, Asian Spirit is debt-free.

There are two Asian Spirit enterprises. One is a corporation, registered with the SEC.

The other which owns the carrier. With the planned IPO in 2007, the cooperative will become a corporation.

With expected profit of P400 million in 2007, the company is valued at P7 billion, 18 times earnings.

bustero

January 20th, 2006, 05:48 AM

nice renders :)

Just a floow up to Boo Chanco's ranting and raving about terminal fees.

Domestic Airport
Speaking of absolutely needed infrastructure, NAIA Authority general manager Alfonso Cusi wrote to explain that they retain only 45 percent of their gross annual revenues, from terminal and other fees, with the rest remitted to the National Government. The retained revenue, Cusi claims, is barely enough for the facility’s maintenance, including the salaries of staff, employees and security guards. In other words, the airport fees are not totally being used to benefit those who are paying these fees. The NAIA Authority is acting like the BIR... collecting revenues for the National Treasury.

Cusi also wrote to say "we admit that the old domestic terminal has already reached its design capacity of 4.5 million passengers a year, inevitably resulting to congestion during peak seasons like Christmas." But Cusi said nothing about our proposal to let Cebu Pacific build its own terminal as a solution to the problem.

Instead, Cusi is pinning his hopes on NAIA3 being made operational and Philippine Airlines allowing other airlines to use the Centennial Terminal. "We are exerting all efforts possible for the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 to open to be able to transfer our operations to the new domestic airport which is currently handling international flights due to the inadequacy of NAIA 1."

Cusi also proudly pointed out stop-gap measures he has undertaken at the Manila Domestic Airport in 2005, "more particularly in comfort rooms, floors and ceilings." He also promises for this year, "more physical improvements for passenger comfort, safety and welfare, like a greeters‚ area at the parking lot, canopies and covered walks to protect the public from sun and rain."

Unfortunately, Cusi doesn’t get it. There is a need to act decisively now. False hopes that NAIA3 will be opened and PAL giving up its exclusive use of the Centennial Terminal are both misguided. Besides, the present site of the Domestic Terminal is ideal for domestic passengers due to easy access to public transportation. It is also near enough to the LRT line to make an extension not that expensive.

I still say, let Cebu Pacific build its own terminal because whatever happens, we will need one anyway and government can’t afford to put up one. Cebu Pacific’s dozen or so new Airbuses are due to be all delivered by February next year. We simply do not have much time left to just hope.