PAL to boost Japan flights

Philippine Airlines will implement a major upgrade in its services to Japan in December, augmenting capacity and frequency on the route in time for the Christmas holidays, and thereby fully utilizing the country’s entitlements under the air agreement with Japan.

PAL’s action completes its obligation to the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB), which granted the flag carrier new rights to fly to Japan in March 2003.

Starting Dec. 1, PAL will operate daily flights between Manila and Osaka, up 40 percent from the current five times weekly. The new frequency will add 300 seats to the busy route, where PAL operates a mix of Airbus A330-300 and A320-200 aircraft.

PAL will also upgrade its daily Manila-Tokyo service to the Boeing 747-400 as soon as its latest jumbo jet joins the fleet in December. Currently, the Tokyo route is served by a mix of B747-400 and A330-300 airplanes.

The new developments raise PAL’s Japan services to near the level, it was before the outbreak of multiple crises earlier this year, principally the SARS epidemic, the Iraq war, and numerous terror alerts and travel advisories.

The CAB assigned PAL new rights last March and the flag carrier immediately utilized these by launching a pioneering service to Okinawa and expanding frequencies to Fukuoka, both in June.

PAL had also planned to implement the increase in Osaka flights then, but the various crises in the regional travel market forced the airline to postpone the action to December.

The additional flights and seats will benefit the legion of Japan-based Filipino workers and balikbayans (returning expatriates), as well as Japanese tourist and business traffic particularly during the peak Christmas travel period.

Japan is the Philippines most important economic and trading partner in Asia and PAL’s services there reflect that point. PAL first flew to Japan nearly 55 years ago, on Jan. 26, 1949, when a Douglas DC-6 completed a flight from Manila to Tokyo.

Today, PAL is the largest carrier operating between the two countries, generating enormous economic gains for the Filipino nation.

From Oct. 1, PAL will be operating 26 flights a week from Manila and Cebu to four Japanese cities – Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka and Okinawa the most to any country in the PAL network.

Tokyo is served daily from Manila and six times weekly from Cebu. Osaka is linked daily to Manila. Fukuoka receives six flights weekly from Manila. And Okinawa gets four flights weekly from Manila.