The future looks bright for flag carrier Philippine Airlines as they plan to launch flights to new destinations on-board their new B777-300ER aircraft, with future flights to Toronto, New York, Paris, London, Frankfurt, and Rome.
This was announced by the airline's new President Ramon S. Ang (of San Miguel Corporation) at a press event held in Makati City last July 23, to welcome the airline's third B777-300ER which was delivered to the airline a month ago.
"Our growth strategy for Philippine Airlines is simple: modernization of its fleet, the expansion of its network, and improvements in passenger service," Mr. Ang told members of the press.
This announcement of new destinations in North America and Europe, however, came as a surprise to many, as all airlines based in the Philippines are banned from flying to Europe due to a ban by the European Union and expand into North America due to restrictions imposed by the US Government. Mr. Ang, however, is confident that the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) would be able to help them. He did not elaborate further on this matter.
Aside from introducing new destinations, the airline will also be introducing ticketing kiosks at selected Petron gas stations, where passengers could purchase AirPhil Express or Philippine Airlines tickets to any domestic destination, on-the-go. Apple iPads will also be available for rental in Fiesta Class so that passengers could have the same entertainment options as those flying on Mabuhay Class.
In the coming months, the airline would also be going through a complete operations overhaul, which could help the airline save around $300 million a year. Part of this plan would be the redemployment and reassignment of aircraft to appropriate destinations. This would mean that smaller aircraft would be deployed to shorter flights while larger aircraft would be deployed on long flights. According to Mr. Ang, some of the airline's largest aircraft are even deployed on short domestic flights. He added that the seats on these flights are never really fully occupied.
"Our number one priority is to turnaround PAL by tapping into the strengths of San Miguel Corporation and the Lucio Tan Group of Companies. As PAL President, I am committed to transforming our airline's business operations," added Mr. Ang.
Philippine Airlines, 51% owned by Lucio Tan and 49% owned by the San Miguel Corporation, currently operates a fleet of 39 aircraft, and flies to 30 international destinations and 20 domestic destinations.
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