PAL to expand Australian operations

MANILA, Philippines - Philippine Airlines (PAL) will expand its Australian operations when it returns to Brisbane in March 2010.

The flag carrier is eyeing a twice-weekly service to Brisbane in the Australian State of Queensland, and twice a week via Melbourne, utilizing the 302-seater Airbus 330-300 aircraft.

PAL will continue to fly to Sydney and Melbourne five (5) times a week. Sydney will be served exclusively by PAL’s new B777-300ER aircraft which features the latest Recaro full-flat seats in Business Class and Weber seats with in-seat videos in Economy.

“The addition of Brisbane service, our third destination in the country, is expected to boost PAL’s market performance as the Australian economy remains resilient amidst the crippling worldwide recession,” PAL president Jaime Bautista said.

“With the Brisbane service, we expect to make the existing Australian routes more profitable as we cater to more passengers flying to and from the country including the Filipino migrant community, tourists and businessmen considering its constantly growing market,” he added.

Brisbane is the third most popular tourist destination in Australia, next to Sydney and Melbourne. It is renowned for its rich culture, architecture and landscape and is famous for its stature as a world city.