Airlines, Airplanes, and Airports

[ryanr]

Oh, man...Its back in the red. What does PAL need to do to become very profitable like its 70s, early 80s and early-mid 90s life?? Back then they flew to many destinations such as Athens, Frankfurt, Milan, Zurich, Newark and were planning on flying to Johannesberg, SA.

Yeah, it would be cool if PAL had Cargo planes....but that will take a while, they would first have to establish their passenger name.

[renell]

Originally Posted by SunKing

The Filipino pilots were agape at those planes. When the Americans were still in the Philippines, everything--from the planes to the soldiers' boots--was paid for by the Americans.

over-realiance in American equipment for the first 50 years, then suddenly losing it, is a big shock for the AFP. suddenly it had to rely on funding, which is very little or is not there at all, from the gov't.

new fighter planes? i wish too

[SunKing]

The Americans were also angered by the AFP's move to get Italian-made planes and when it expressed interest over French and Israeli fighter planes.

[Skyblade]

Originally Posted by SunKing

Aircraft with "Philippines Cargo" on the fuselage would be cool. We could dream couldn't we?

Indeed.

Just to add one more thing, there was the case when the Americans could not allow the Philippines to purchase F-5E/Fs from Switzerland which were with low hours and going at a good price. The reason why was to encourage the RP to purchase F-16s...

[SunKing]

Quite a big move here by PR:

Philippine Airlines to switch to electronic ticketing
Posted: 3:12 PM | May 20, 2004

Agence France-Presse

PHILIPPINE Airlines said Thursday it would do away with paper tickets and shift to an electronic ticketing system that allows passengers to book and pay for flights by telephone or through the Internet.

The service was introduced on May 1 on domestic flights between Manila and the central city of Cebu and would be expanded "to cover all PAL destinations in the short term," a company statement said.

"This is a major step towards building a comprehensive electronic commerce system in the airline -- a strategic investment that we expect will yield long-term benefits," said the airline's president, Avelino Zapanta.

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19 May 2004
PAL launches e-ticketing service

Philippine Airlines has started offering its passengers an electronic ticketing facility that allows them to book and pay for flight seats by telephone or through the Internet -- a major convenience for customers, who do not need to leave their home or workplace to accomplish these tasks.

The service, introduced last May 1, is initially available for flights between Manila and Cebu, but will be expanded to cover all PAL destinations in the short term. It is part of the flag carrier's strategy to shift to electronic solutions for its administrative and commercial processes.

The new facility does away with paper tickets. Instead, the passenger is issued an electronic ticket (or e-ticket) -- a "virtual ticket" that is stored in PAL's computer system -- thus eliminating the need for the physical document.

The passenger avails of e-ticketing through either of two ways. He can call PAL Reservations at (02) 855-8888 in Manila or (032) 340-0191 in Cebu and book his flight through the agent. He then pays by relaying his credit card information over the phone.

Or the passenger can visit the PAL website www.philippineairlines.com and click "Book and Buy." The system then guides him through the booking and payment process. The latter is likewise by credit card.

For both methods, as proof that the transaction has been successfully completed, the passenger receives, via e-mail or fax, an "Itinerary/Receipt" containing his flight and payment details. Upon check-in at the airport, the passenger simply presents this document, along with valid identification, to obtain his boarding pass.

Lost Itinerary/Receipts can easily be replaced for free at any PAL ticket office, unlike air tickets, which require a lengthy, tedious process and incur a penalty when misplaced.

Members of Mabuhay Miles, PAL's frequent flyer program, continue to enjoy the same mileage accumulation privileges when traveling on e-tickets.

The introduction of e-ticketing represents another thrust by the flag carrier to tap into the booming travel market in cyberspace.

It is also one more step in building a comprehensive electronic commerce system in the airline -- a strategic investment PAL expects will yield long-term benefits.

[mhe-ann]

Electronic ticketing is a big advantage.

[Skyblade]

Good to hear that PAL is following what other airlines are currently doing.

[renell]

it's a good idea, but it must be combined with a secure electric supply in Terminal 2...

[Skyblade]

Originally Posted by renell

it's a good idea, but it must be combined with a secure electric supply in Terminal 2...

True, it would be a disaster if there was another one of them brownouts or even a quick one...

[SKYLINEPIGEON]

Independent airline Cebu Pacific Air is to spend 300 million US dollars on 14 new aircraft as part of a major expansion programme.

The airline's vice-president for corporate planning and external affairs, Peggy Perez-Vera, confirmed the expansion plans Wednesday in a telephone interview with AFP.

She said Cebu Pacific Air was currently looking at either the 125-seat Boeing 717-200 or the 134-seat Airbus A319.

"We are leaning more towards one of them but it would be unfair to say whether it is Boeing or Airbus at this point in time," she said.

The airline intends to phase out its fleet of 12 DC9 aircraft which are already 25 years old.

The new aircraft would boost the airline's capacity by 20 percent and it is hoped to increase domestic frequencies, Perez-Vera said.

Cebu Pacific flies to 14 destinations within the Philippines and operates international services to Hong Kong, Seoul and Guangzhou.

The airline currently uses four Boeing-757s on its international routes.

It began operations in March 1996 as a no-frills domestic airline.

[ryanr]

Sweet...Cebu Pacific is a great airline, their service is excellent and their flights are always on time or even early. The only draw back is their very old fleet. Good thing they will replace them with brand new airplanes.

btw, where is Cebu Pacific's main home? Manila or Cebu? that might be a dumb question...

[Skyblade]

There's a thread going on in A.net that can be found here.

As I said in that thread, I hope to see 5J get the 717 but I love the A319 as well.

[SKYLINEPIGEON]

how much does a brand new b717 and a319 around 50musd, so they be getting less than 10 brand new regional planes

[renell]

i think Cebu Pacific is based in Mactan. its int'l flights don't fly to Manila, or else it'd be using NAIA1, but it only uses the domestic terminal. that's my guess

[kiretoce]

You're right, Cebu Pacific is home-based in CEB but their international flights originate in MNL. I don't know why that is but that's what my friend says, he's an FA for the airline. Word is that Cebu Pacific will be starting their fleet expansion soon with newer planes and add more destinations, mainly to mainland China because of the lucrative potential market of tourists from there. Travel restrictions are easing up in China.

[ryanr]

So dont they need to use the international terminal? Does Cebu Pacific fly from NAIA 1 for its international routes?

[Skyblade]

Its official, 5J is going for the 717. No press releases yet but one of my compadres in PFSG came out of the boardroom last Friday with the results. I'm also told not to share this to A.net and leave the members to guess.

And yes 5J does use T1 for its international routes.

[absent-minded]

cool... are they gonna be bought or leased? are their current DC-9s owned? if, according to skylinepigeon, a B717/A319 costs around $50M, then they could only get 6, unless they're leasing. they could also sell the DC-9's if they are owned, right?

[kiretoce]

Aside from PAL and Cebu Pacific, are there any other Philippine carriers flying overseas, even if it's only chartered flights? And is Air Philippines PAL's domestic arm, or is it a whole different airline?

[SKYLINEPIGEON]

froms the ranking of the world top 200 airliners, pal ranked 52 and cebu pacific at 197