11 April 2014
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| Philippine Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-11/ER from Manila via Vancouver in Newark-Liberty International, New York |
Philippine Airlines (PAL) finalizes plans for direct services to New York as early as summer this year with Chicago as next stop in the United States expansion, the airline chief executive discloses Thursday after formal announcement by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) restoring the Philippines status to Category 1 rating.
Airline President and CEO Ramon Ang said that PAL was long ready drafting its expansion plan to the United States of America its most profitable market.
Ang said New York will be flown direct from Manila by Boeing 777-300ER planes in a new home, John F. Kennedy airport.
PAL served New York's Newark airport via Vancouver in Canada until it stopped operations in 1997 due to the Asian Financial Crisis.
Meanwhile, Chicago flights will also be flown direct by Boeing 777-300ER aircraft sometime in November in time for the holiday season.
The airline said its Vancouver and Toronto operations in Canada will stay to be service by its brand new A330-343X fleet. It is also evaluating triangular service to Miami via Toronto or Vancouver pending results of negotiation with Canadian authorities by the Philippine government.
PAL has limited fifth freedom rights in Canada to the United States which the airline used when it flew to Las Vegas, Nevada. It has no fifth freedom traffic within the US.
Among the expansion plans for this year include increase frequency to Los Angeles to 14 times a week, 7x to Honolulu, and 14x to Agana.
Good to hear this! Now I can fly direct to NY! No more stopping in LAX/SFO. Good job PAL.
ReplyDeleteShouldn't it be A340-343X???
ReplyDeleteVery Proud of the Philippines!
ReplyDeleteI hope the Philippine Flag Carrier will shine through once again and regain back its reign supreme as the Asia's First Airline!
PAL all the way! Hope to upcoming plans and future outcome!
"Your Home in the Sky! -PAL2014
That MD-11 is so gorgeous wearing the PAL livery. Class
ReplyDeleteAs a FilAm Chicagoan this is good news. Immediate effect - My Tita used to work for PAL so she can now use her annual freebie to fly straight MNL-ORD to visit her grandkids instead of doing the LAX-Southwest shuffle. And of course myself, my family, and the tens of thousands of FilAms in Chicago now have the *option* to fly nonstop. I emphasize option because flying one-stop on 5 star airlines like asiana and cathay at very good prices will be tough to compete against.
ReplyDeleteOn a side note, if the Brookings Institute O&D numbers are close to being accurate, there aren't enough FilAms in Chicago to fill a 77W - at least not daily. In a few years time the A359 seems the perfect size.
where's agana?
ReplyDelete