Philipine Airlines all set to have direct flights from India to the Phillippines starting 27th March, 2011.

With this developemnt, will Phillippines becthe next hot South East Asian destinations for Indians after Bangkok, Thailand!

Philippines Flag carrier – Philippine Airlines (PAL) canceled at least 11 of its flights yesterday due to “inadequate” pilots, its spokesman Jonathan Gesmundo said.

The country’s flag carrier apologized to its inconvenienced passengers affected by the disruption of several PAL flights due to inadequate flight deck crew to fly its Airbus A320 airplanes, Gesmundo said, adding the canceled flights include three flights in Hong Kong, and eight domestic flights such as Manila to Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, Bacolod and Iloilo and vice-versa.

“The indiscriminate resignation of PAL’s A320 pilots for flying jobs abroad whose salaries PAL is unable to match, is in violation of their contracts with PAL as well as pertinent government regulations that require resigning pilots to give PAL six months prior notice to be able to train their replacements,” PAL said in a statement.

PAL will soon file appropriate charges against pilots who chose not to report for work immediately after submitting resignation letters, it said.

“Most of the pilots still owe PAL the cost of their aviation school training, which run into millions of pesos per pilot,” the management added.

PAL is currently adjusting its schedules by merging some flights, upgrading aircraft to a bigger type in order and fielding of management pilots to lessen the inconvenience to affected passengers, the company said.

Philippine Airlines (PAL) is joining the Philippine Independence celebration fever with a one-day-only seat sale to selected destinations that are linked historically to some of the country’s national and modern-day heroes.

For June 9, the featured destination is Saigon. In September 1989, the highly acclaimed Broadway and West End musical Miss Saigon opened in London, catapulting singer Lea Salonga to international fame with her portrayal of the main character, Kim.

The US$ 152 roundtrip, economy fare to Saigon is available only for June 9 at all PAL ticket offices, PAL website and accredited travel agents. The all-in fare is inclusive of surcharges but excludes government taxes and ticketing service fee.

Travel period is from June 15 to Sept. 30. Seats are limited.

For her performance, Lea Salonga won the Olivier, Drama Desk, Outer Critics, Theater World and Tony Awards for Best Performance by an Actress in a Musical.

The national flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) is joining the Philippine Independence celebration fever with a one-day-only seat sale to selected destinations that have historical links to our national and modern-day heroes.

For June 7, the featured destination is Sydney where Manuel L. Quezon was evacuated via submarine when Japanese forces were about to capture Corregidor island.

The US$ 512 roundtrip, economy fare to Sydney is available only on June 7 at all PAL ticket offices, PAL website and accredited travel agents.

The all-in fare is inclusive of surcharges but excludes government taxes and ticketing service fee.

Travel period is from June 15 to September 30. Seats are limited.

Manuel L. Quezon was sworn in for his second term as Commonwealth President on Dec. 30, 1941 in Corregidor.

The following month, Quezon was forced to flee Corregidor island when Japanese forces were closing in on Manila.

He was evacuated via submarine to Sydney, Australia and later to the US where he established the Commonwealth government in exile.

Philippine Airlines (PAL) is joining the Philippine Independence celebration fever with a one-day-only seat sale to selected destinations that have historical links to the national and modern-day heroes.

For today, June 4, the featured destination is Tagbilaran, home of Francisco Dagohoy who led the longest revolt against the Spaniards.

The P612 one-way, economy fare from Manila to Tagbilaran and from Tagbilaran to Manila is available only today at all PAL ticket offices, PAL website and accredited travel agents.

The all-in fare is inclusive of VAT but excludes government taxes and ticketing service fee.

Travel period is from June 5 to Sept. 30. Seats are limited.

Francisco Dagohoy was a Boholano who led the longest Filipino revolt against the Spaniards (1744-1829). The immediate cause of the revolt was the refusal of a Jesuit priest to give Dagohoy’s brother a Christian burial. It took 85 years for the Spaniards to suppress the rebellion.

As part of its continuing campaign to provide passengers a wider range of inflight product options, Philippine Airlines (PAL) is offering choice seating on its domestic and international flights, the flag carrier said Friday.

For a minimal surcharge, PAL passengers booked in Fiesta Class (economy) can now reserve a seat located next to the aircraft’s bulkhead or along the emergency exit row, which assures them of wider legroom and extra space.

This option is available on all PAL domestic and international services except those to Japan and Korea.

The fees are: US$ 50 for flights between the Philippines and the Unites States, Canada, Australia and Saudi Arabia; US$ 20 for flights between points in Asia, including Guam; and P200 plus 12 percent value-added tax for flights within the Philippines.

Seat confirmation and collection of fees are done upon check-in to comply with Philippine civil air regulations.

A separate product is offered exclusively on PAL flights between Manila and Riyadh – a new seating class called Premium Fiesta. Continue Reading

Philippine Airlines has launched a Swingaround tour package to the Shanghai World Expo 2010 priced from US$387 per person on twin-sharing basis.

The promotion includes round-trip Fiesta Class airfare between Manila and Shanghai, two nights’ hotel accommodation with daily breakfast, airport transfers, seat-in-coach transfers from selected pick-up points to the Expo site and back, and a one-day World Expo park ticket.

The tour package is valid from 8 May 2010 until 20 October 2010. Surcharges, fees, taxes and restrictions apply.

The Shanghai World Expo 2010 gathers about 200 nations and international organizations exhibiting their attractions in pavilions and displays. Over 70 million guests are expected to visit Shanghai in what is touted to be the biggest-ever world expo.

The Expo, which has the theme “Better City, Better Life,” will showcase the participating countries’ culture and nature, history and people, economy and technology and how these interact with each other.

The Philippine Pavilion, with the theme “Performing Cities”, highlights the role of artists in city development. The pavilion has three areas: Hilot (traditional Philippine massage), Travel Cafe (local cuisine and coffee) and Sulyap (a boutique that feature glimpses of the Philippines).

The expo features different showcases every month: May – giftwares and wareables; June – food, health, wellness and tourism; July – mining; August – information technology and creative industry; September – furniture, furnishings and visual arts; and October – educational services, real estate development.

PAL flies to Shanghai daily using modern Airbus A320 aircraft.

Aircraft maker Airbus said Tuesday it has received an order for seven A320 jetliners from Philippine airline Cebu Pacific.

Cebu Pacific previously ordered 15 A320s and all 22 aircraft will be delivered from 2010 to 2014.

The 180-seat planes will be added to the airline’s network of 33 domestic and 14 international routes.

“This will enable us to have the largest fleet of Airbus A320s in the Philippines and the second largest in Asia,” said Lance Gokongwei, president and CEO of Manila-based Cebu Pacific.

Airbus did not reveal the cost of the A320s, but according to catalogue prices, the deal is estimated at US$ 570 million.

The world’s most famous cat-and-mouse tandem, Tom and Jerry , puts the fun in traveling onboard Philippine Airlines’ long-haul flights as mascots of the flag carrier’s Junior Jetsetter kits, PAL and Warner Bros. Consumer Products jointly announced Sunday.

Junior jetsetters will be thrilled to find the popular Tom and Jerry continues to combine chaos and laughter into irresistibly funny experience bringing more fun and games in the airline’s activity kits throughout 2010.

This year’s Junior Jetsetter kits will sport a slightly different design and set of items.

For outbound-Manila flights, kids will receive a 20-page activity/coloring book, crayons in a tube, a magnetic tangram, a sticker sheet and an image search activity sheet – all contained in an attractive grass-green drawstring bag. Continue Reading

Philippine Airlines is offering promotional fares on flights to all its domestic jet destinations and most major international points as the flag carrier marks the arrival of its second Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.

Dubbed “Valentine Special” the promotion drops PAL fares to a flat rate of P777 for a one-way flight on Fiesta Class (economy) between Manila and any point in Luzon or Visayas, and between Cebu and Davao.

For one-way flights on Fiesta Class between Manila and any point in Mindanao, the fare is P1,777.

Also covered by the promotion are PAL-operated flights between Manila and Bacolod, Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Cotabato, Davao, Dipolog, Dumaguete, General Santos, Iloilo, Kalibo, Laoag, Legazpi, Ozamiz, Puerto Princesa, Roxas, Tacloban, Tagbilaran and Zamboanga; as well as between Cebu and Davao.

In the international sector, PAL is offering round-trip, Fiesta Class fares between Manila and a choice of destinations: $128 for Hong Kong, Macau or Taipei; $158 for Bangkok or Ho Chi Minh City; $178 for Singapore or Jakarta; $258 for Osaka or Shanghai; $328 for Beijing; $518 for Tokyo; and $798 for Los Angeles or San Francisco.

Passengers availing of the Tokyo promotion enjoy the added perk of flying in style onboard the luxurious Boeing 777-300ER, PAL’s brand-new, state-of-the-art aircraft. PAL takes delivery of its second Boeing 777 today, 21 January 2010.

The promotion fares quoted already include surcharges but are exclusive of government taxes. These fares are available for ticketing until 25 January 2010 and are valid for travel from 1 February to 15 March 2010. Terms and conditions apply.