Philippine Airlines ( PAL) is expanding its international and domestic flights next month, expecting tourist and business travelers to increase as more people get vaccinated.
By late October 2021, PAL plans to increase flights to San Francisco, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, Guam, Singapore, Dubai, Doha, Nagoya and Fukuoka while continuing special flights to Auckland, Vietnam and points in Australia.
More flights to Honolulu and Taipei will come online by the last week of November 2021.
The airline’s winter season schedule also includes regular flights to New York JFK, Seoul, Saudi Arabia, Vancouver, Toronto and other Asian destinations.
On domestic routes, the flag carrier is set to add flight frequencies to Iloilo, Legazpi, Butuan, Puerto Princesa, Bacolod, Dumaguete and Roxas City.
PAL’s Cebu hub will see additional frequencies between Cebu and Zamboanga, Cagayan de Oro, Bacolod, Butuan and Davao.
"As travel restrictions ease, we are progressively increasing flights on high-density routes and operating special commercial and repatriation flights to build passenger traffic," announced PAL SVP/Chief Strategy and Planning Officer Dexter C. Lee.
"While demand may not come back to pre-pandemic levels until 2024, we will implement a fleet and network plan that will maintain Philippine Airlines as a market leader in the international and domestic sectors," he explained.
PAL has steadily built up operations in recent months, now averaging 27% of the pre-pandemic flights on 70% of its route network.
PAL has now ramped up to daily flights each to Los Angeles, Tokyo, Osaka and Singapore.
Multiple weekly flights are continuing to San Francisco, Vancouver and other points in Japan and Middle East.
London is served with special flights in September and October.
With the shift to GCQ status for the national capital region, PAL presently operates multiple daily flights between Manila and Cebu, Davao, Cagayan de Oro, Boracay (Caticlan), Tacloban, Legazpi, Bohol and Cotabato.
PAL received U.S. court approval last September 9 for the first phase of its ongoing Chapter 11 restructuring plan, which will allow fresh capital to flow in even as the airline sustains its full range of flights and services.