Philippine Airlines Receives its Newest Aircraft, an A321-200

Philippine Airlines' new A321-200 prior to delivery in Hamburg, Germany.

Philippine Airlines has finally received its newest aircraft, a single-aisle A321-200, the first of 64 Airbus jets ordered by the airline last year.

The aircraft, with 12 seats in Mabuhay (Business) Class, 18 in Premium Economy, and 169 in Fiesta (Economy) Class, will primarily be used on regional international flights, as well as selected domestic flights to Cebu or Davao. According to PAL President and Chief Operating Officer Ramon Ang, the recent acquisition of new planes will greatly help with the airline's massive expansion.

"We are excited about the A321 not only because its size fits our expansion plans, but the flexibility it gives us in matching the aircraft to specific route requirements in tremendous.", quoting Mr. Ang. 

Aside from the Airbus A321, Philippine Airlines is also expected to receive the first of the 20 Airbus A330-300 planes later this year, which were ordered last year. Having these aircraft would allow the airline to expand and add flights to destinations in the Middle East and even Europe, which it hopes to serve soon with flights to key cities such as London, Paris, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, and Rome.

The Honda CR-Z is Finally Here!

Since the first hybrid car, the Prius, was introduced by Toyota to the Philippine market four years ago, other  car companies such as Mercedes-Benz and Lexus have brought in their own line of hybrid cars as well, taking the challenge of introducing these environment-friendly vehicles to Filipino car buyers who, unlike their counterparts in many developed countries such as the United States, are only still being introduced to hybrid technology. The fact that high import taxes have forced these car manufacturers to sell their line of hybrid cars at a relatively higher price compared to other markets abroad isn't helping at all. However, the Senate Bill No. 2856 or the Alternative Fuel Vehicles Incentives Act hopes to change all that. 

Despite current market difficulties, Honda Cars Philippines is taking on the challenge of bringing in hybrid cars to the country when they recently launched the sporty Honda CR-Z, Honda's first hybrid model to be sold in the Philippines. 

One interesting feature of this sporty hybrid is the Plus Sport System, which gives the car's performance a boost whenever the battery is charged over 50%. The Plus Sport System may be activated with a push of the S+ boost button found on the steering wheel. 

The Honda CR-Z sold in the Philippines has three variants: the Standard, Modulo, and the Mugen variants. The Modulo and Mugen variants are sportier versions of the Standard CR-Z with added features such as the ducktail rear spoiler and carbon-fiber-finish underspoiler for the Moldulo variant, and LED daytime running lights, a different exhaust system, carbon-fiber side mirror covers, a large rear wing, and new sets of front grille and rims for the higher-end Mugen variant. 

So, how much does the CR-Z cost, exactly? The manual-transmission Standard variant starts at--hold-your breath--P1,390,000! Not bad for a hybrid car, eh? Imagine how much lower the prices are going to be when the Senate Bill No. 2856 gets passed and becomes a law!

What about the other variants? Well, the prices for the rest of the Honda-CRZ models are as follows: P1,480,000 (Standard CVT); P1,470,000 (Modulo MT); P1,560,000 (Modulo CVT); P1,860,000 (Mugen MT), and P1,950,000 (Mugen CVT).

This has definitely been an exciting year for the Philippine car industry so far, and Honda Philippines just couldn't resist being part of all this buzz. With the introduction of the Honda CR-Z, should we expect other Honda hybrid models to be brought in as well? Let's see!

For the latest updates, please visit the Honda Cars Philippines official website at http://www.hondaphil.com.

Tiger Airways Philippines Takes to the Skies Starting July 10

The Tiger has landed--in the Philippines! Starting July 10, Southeast Asian Airlines (SEAir) will officially become Tiger Airways Philippines, promising a new and exciting flying experience for Filipino travelers! Here's the official press release from Tiger Airways Philippines:

 A new Tiger has arrived - and it brings with it a promise of a great adventure, memorable experiences, and the excitement of a new journey.

Known as the leading and most trusted value-for-money carrier in Southeast Asia, Tiger Airways Philippines will make its formal debut in the skies beginning July 10.

"Tiger Airways is the leading airline and travel partner connecting people across Asia Pacific. It is a distinguished regional brand that differentiates itself in terms of safety and reliability," says newly-appointed president and chief executive officer (CEO) Ms. Olive Ramos.

Committed to bringing its customers its brand of friendly, high-quality service and excellent standards of security, Tiger Airways Philippines promises to make travel around Asia more enjoyable. 

With the Philippines poised to become Asia's next Tiger Economy, Tiger Airways anticipates more flights connecting the country to its Asian neighbors - and even beyond, in the coming years. "It's a niche we are eager and equipped to serve," adds Tiger Airways' chief. 

Currently, Tiger Airways flies to Singapore, Bangkok, Hong Kong, from Manila and Clark. Locally, it serves travelers going to Laoag, Bacolod, Kalibo, Cebu, Iloilo, Tacloban, and Puerto Princesa.

Next month, Tiger Airways will add another feather to its cap when it marks a milestone - the Kalibo and Singapore route, the first and only airline to offer such route.

"We embrace the simple belief that travel is about bringing people closer to their dreams and about enabling great experiences, and memories," adds Ramos. 

The new Tiger Airways Philippines will offer great value and seamless experience. Together with the Filipino personnel's warm and hospitable traits, the airline will be "the one to beat" in the coming years, she adds.

The birth of Tiger Airways Philippines brings along with it the technology and business savvy of Tiger Airways as it offers travelers greater accessibility to the rest of Southeast Asia. It does not only commit to high performance standards and innovation, it is also confident about keeping its venture more sustainable for stakeholders. 

Tiger Airways embodies a 'can-do' and respectful spirit, according to Ramos. "We will continuously pursue for roaring excellence. We are going to be the airline of choice!"

For more details, log on to www.tigerairways.com

NAIA Terminal 1 is Voted "Worst Airport in Asia"--Again.

Oh boy, here we go again.

For the 2nd straight year, Terminal 1 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay City has been named as the "Worst Airport in Asia" by the travel website Sleeping in Airports, ahead of other airports in the region such as Mumbai, Kolkata, and Jakarta. 

According to the website, "With it's collapsed ceilings, overcrowding, rampant bribery, and taxi drivers scamming travellers on fares, its easy to understand why "disappointed" and "unbelievable" are just a few of the words travellers use to describe Manila's Terminal 1."

The website does, however, describe the underused Terminal 3 as "clean and modern", and suggests that passengers in transit should go to Terminal 2 or 3 if they want to get some sleep, where there are armrest-free seats. 

After NAIA Terminal 1 was named as the "Worst Airport" back in 2011, airport officials were quick to order the rehabilitation of the terminal. Until now, however, there still appears to be a lot of improvements to be made. The website listed poor transit facilities, queues, bribery, crowded, insufficient seating, and taxi scams, among others, as the main complaints made by travellers. Similar problems, as well as noise, were also the reported problems in other airports/terminals that made it to the top ten. Rounding out the top ten were Mumbai, Islamabad, Singapore's Budget Terminal, Kolkata, Jakarta, Hanoi, Chennai, Kuala Lumpur's Low Cost Carrier Terminal, and Bali.