PAL to sustain 4-Star Skytrax rating via major initiatives

Philippine Airlines presented to the media on Tuesday, Feb 13, 2018, the 4-Star Certification plaque awarded by Skytrax on Feb. 8, 2018  in Singapore. Photo shows PAL chairman and CEO Dr. Lucio C. Tan (2nd from left) and PAL president and COO Jaime J. Bautista (3rd from right) holding the plaque, flanked by (from left) PAL Express president Bonifacio U. Sam, PAL EVP Stewart C. Lim and PAL chief customer experience officer Jessica Abaya. Photo courtesy of PAL

Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) has major initiatives lined up this year to sustain its 4-Star rating award from Skytrax.

Earlier this February, PAL has been certified as a 4-Star airline by Skytrax, the international air transport rating organization.

PAL joins 40 other airlines in the category. The flag carrier is the first and only airline in the Philippine to have a 4-Star rating.

To sustain its rating, PAL said it will introduce a new line of aircraft tailored serve mid-sized markets on medium-range routes.

The new Airbus A321neo is slated for delivery next March, to be deployed on the new Manila-Brisbane non-stop route by May.

With the A321neo, PAL said it is the first Asian airline to utilize a narrow-bodied aircraft equipped with 12 full-flat business class seats.

A total of six A321neo and four Airbus A350-900s will be delivered within this year.

The A350-900s will start arriving in June, which will allow PAL to deploy non-stop flights to the US East Coast through the polar region, along with more routes to European cities.

It will offer non-stop service from Manila to New York J.F. Kennedy Airport by October, with services Seattle, Chicago and a point in Western Europe in the pipeline.

PAL said it will continue to beef up its flight networks originating from Clark, Cebu and Davao, as part of its “multi-hub” network strategy.

A new Davao-Siargao route will open in March 2018.

PAL will continue to offer the only direct airline services between the Philippines and Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, the US East and West Coasts, Hawaii, Brisbane, and Melbourne, and flights between Bohol and Korea, and between Cebu and the Japanese cities of Tokyo and Nagoya.

Another major initiative is the ongoing construction of a 900-square-meter, two-story Mabuhay Lounge to rise adjacent to the North Wing of PAL’s Terminal 2 hub at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

PAL said its lounges in Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, Bacolod, General Santos and San Francisco will be renovated or expanded.

New lounges in Puerto Princesa and Cagayan de Oro will be opened within the first quarter of the year.

A new PAL Mabuhay lounge at the 4th floor of NAIA Terminal 1 will likewise be opened, covering 750 square meters, for PAL passengers departing at that terminal, the airline said. —Ted Cordero/VDS, GMA News