PAL ramps up hiring of new personnel

MANILA, Philippines - Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) is beefing up its workforce to keep up with its ongoing massive refleeting program.

PAL, jointly owned by taipan Lucio Tan and diversified conglomerate San Miguel Corp. (SMC), is set to ramp up hiring of new staff to prepare for the opening of more domestic and international routes and delivery of new aircraft.

The airline is set to hold a job fair for PAL cabin crew at the SMC head office complex in Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong on Aug. 17 and at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Cebu City on Aug. 24.

PAL is hiring ambassadors, customer service agents, sales and service agents, customer relations officers and premiere guest services frontliners. It is likewise looking for applicants to fill up airport ground staff positions such as work scheduler, ground equipment operator, ramp equipment operator, ramp services supervisor, baggage master, load controller and statistics clerk.

Applicants must be Filipino citizens, not more than 27 years old, and hold a college degree. They should be able to communicate well both in English and Filipino.

Female applicants must be single and at least 5’3” in height while male applicants should preferably be single and at least 5’6” tall. Weight should be proportionate to height.

Applicants must also have perfect vision (20/20) or wear contact lenses (not beyond 20/30). Physical characteristics such as having a good set of teeth and clear complexion are also part of the criteria.

PAL is focusing on international routes and expanded its code sharing arrangement by transferring almost all its domestic flights to its sister firm PAL Express (formerly Airphil Express).

Since the entry of SMC with the infusion of $500 million through SMC Equity Investments Inc., PAL announced a major refleeting program involving the acquisition of 100 aircraft. It has so far acquired 64 aircraft from Airbus in a deal worth close to $10 billion.

PAL is preparing for the much awaited return to popular European destinations as London, Paris, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Rome and Madrid after the European Union last July 10 lifted the ban imposed in April of 2010 after the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) addressed major safety concerns.

In March 2010, the 27-member European Commission imposed a ban on Philippine carriers from European airspace for the failure of CAAP to reform the country’s civil aviation system.

In 2008, the safety rating of the Philippines was downgraded by the US FAA upon the recommendation of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to Category 2 from Category 1 after CAAP failed to comply with safety standards for the oversight of air carrier operations.