PAL to open direct flights to Seattle in October
Harnessing the potential market for travellers in the United States Pacific Northwest region, the country's flagship carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) will begin offering direct flights from Manila to Seattle in October this year.
PAL made the announcement in a media conference in Manila on Tuesday, April 2. PAL is the first carrier to link the Philippines with the US Pacific Northwest region, utilizing two Boeing 777-300ER aircrafts.
The Manila-Seattle-Manila flights will initially operate thrice weekly, every Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday; departing from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) at 10:40 p.m. (local time) and 11:40 p.m (local time) from the Seattle Tacoma International Airport.
According to PAL President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) Capt. Stanley K. Ng, the opening of the flights "gives us a valuable opportunity to promote our beautiful island country as a flourishing tourist and business destination for American travellers."
He noted that Seattle has already been on PAL's radar even before the Covid pandemic, citing how the route will be able to connect around 240,000 Filipinos in Washington and Oregon with their visiting families and friends from the mainland.
It will also open business opportunities through seamless connections among Filipinos and Americans, as the Seattle destination provides a gateway to other areas in the US such as Chicago, Houston, Las Vegas, Washington D.C., Portland, Salem, Spokane, Tacoma, and Eugene.
"There are a lot of headquarters of big companies in Seattle as well. So, I believe, that will also stimulate business and improve economic growth in our country," Ng said.
Christoph Gaertner, Vice President of Network Planning of PAL, explained that Manila-Seattle has a sizable market with 90,000 passengers every year flying in both directions, making it the largest market share between the Philippines and North America.
"We expect to further stimulate that market, the potential for tourism and corporate traffic. PAL is also able to connect traffic beyond Manila in markets like Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, and Hong Kong, and partnerships with the United Airlines," he said.
Gaertner added that the airline is confident that their Manila-Seattle flights will be filled.
As part of its promotional efforts, the airline is offering all-in roundtrip fares at $771 for Economy Class and $3,071 for Business Class, available today until April 30. Travel period is from Oct. 2 to Nov. 30, 2024, and Feb. 1 to March 22, 2025.
Seattle is PAL's sixth destination with nonstop flights in the US among Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Honolulu, and Guam. It is also the eighth destination in North America, including Toronto and Vancouver in Canada.
Last year, it launched two new routes namely Manila to Perth, Australia; and Cebu to Laoag, Ilocos region.
It also relaunched 13 routes, among which are Manila to Beijing/Shanghai/Xiamen/Jinjiang/Macau; Manila to Tuguegarao; Cebu to Seoul, South Korea/General Santos City/Ozamis/Legazpi; Kalibo to Seoul; and Clark to Busuanga/Caticlan.