Fresh from its financial restructuring, Philippine Airlines (PAL) turns 81 today, March 15, and looks forward to "a comeback year" via network expansion, digital innovation, and a more cargo-driven strategy.
“We look forward to a comeback year for Philippine Airlines and for our country,” confirmed PAL Chairman and CEO Dr. Lucio C. Tan.
“Our 81st birthday marks a day of rebirth for PAL. We will make good use of our new life by delivering a stronger, more reliable and dynamic airline that our customers will love and appreciate."
"You have my assurance that we will stay true to our mission of serving the Filipino people through a network that keeps the Philippines connected to the global economy, ” he pledged.
With the reopening of international borders and the easing of local travel restrictions, PAL is transforming its Mabuhay Miles frequent flyer club into a bigger lifestyle program where members can earn miles on a wider variety of non-flying activities.
The flag carrier is also rolling out digital innovations within 2022.
These include a revamped mobile-first website; a multi-channel customer contact center; increased self-serve options for rebooking and account management; an improved PAL Gift Card; and an enhanced Hiraya Flight Pass.
PAL is conducting its 81st Anniversary Seat Sale, the biggest of the year, offering fares of USD81 (international flights) and P181 (domestic flights), until March 21.
Furthermore, PAL is expanding its network for the upcoming summer season, covering a total of 39 international and 27 domestic destinations.
It will mount up to 42 weekly flights to the U.S. and Canada, with double daily flights to Los Angeles, daily flights to San Francisco and multiple weekly departures to New York, Honolulu and Toronto.
PAL will also increase its flights to Singapore (three times daily) and Australia (13 times weekly)
The flag carrier is rebuilding its regional Asia network, with additional flights to five gateways in Japan (Tokyo Narita, Tokyo Haneda, Fukuoka, Nagoya and Fukuoka).
It will have more regular Cebu-Japan flights, serving Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya, daily flights to Bangkok, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur and Ho Chi Minh City, plus daily flights to Dubai, Doha and Riyadh and up to five per week to Dammam.
PAL’s domestic flights from Manila will return to pre-Covid levels starting April.
It will mount multiple daily flights on routes to Cebu, Davao, Boracay, Legazpi, Iloilo, Cagayan de Oro, Bacolod and Tacloban.
Ot will also have daily or double daily flights to most other key provincial cities.
An expanded Cebu hub will cover 13 distinct routes from Mactan Cebu to various points in Mindanao, Luzon and the rest of the Visayas.
Eventually, PAL will resume its flights to Macau, Bali and mainland China.
The flag carrier plans to expand partnerships with other airlines, building on current alliances and interline arrangements that allow PAL customers to reach over 1,000 destinations
In addition, PAL is deploying more all-cargo flights to develop key international cargo markets, especially between Asia and the U.S., Canada and Australia.
Cargo innovations will include new cargo mobile app and website; more online payments and cashless pay options; “Last mile” cargo delivery service via partnerships with express delivery firms in the Philippines, plus Mabuhay Miles accounts for cargo customers and agents.
PAL is embarking on “Project Open”, a campaign to intensify promotion of tourist travel to the Philippines and support the renewal of the local tourism industry.
It will have new partnership solutions with SAP/NTT Data to modernize key business processes for efficiency, in addition to continuous strengthening of PAL’s safety and quality systems.
“Philippine Airlines will continue to be a full-service network airline that offers unique nonstop routes and a choice of business and economy products for our customers,” according to Captain Stanley K. Ng, PAL President & COO.
“Innovation and a youthful spirit will motivate us in our efforts to grow back the air travel market. Above all, safety will be at the core of everything we do, from the airworthiness of our planes to the professionalism of our crew and all support teams.”