PAL shifts to wider Boeing plane for Manila to New York flights

MANILA, Philippines - Philippine Airlines (PAL) is set to shift to the Boeing 777-300 aircraft from the Airbus A340 plane for its Manila to New York flights later this month to increase seat capacity.

In a statement, PAL said it will start using the 370-seater B777-300 as operating fleet on the Manila to New York service which has a stopover in Vancouver, Canada beginning Oct. 26.

The carrier currently utilizes the 254-seater A340 for the Manila to New York route.

 “Using the B777 to the US Mainland enables us to achieve our goal of operating our long haul flights efficiently and economically. With this shift, passengers on the route will experience PAL’s trademark Filipino service in the comfort of the modern B777,” PAL president and chief operating officer Jaime Bautista said.

B777-300 ER’s business class cabin is equipped with individual reading lights, laptop charging port and USB port for passengers to listen to their personal mp3 collection or view photos and files. The seats which can be adjusted to full flat recline, also have a 10.6-inch in-arm touch-screen personal television (TV).

Seats on the economy class also have an in-arm touch-screen personal TV.

Passengers also get to enjoy WiFi connectivity through the PAL iN AiR service which allows a passenger to call, text and surf the Internet even above 30,000 feet.

Based on PAL’s winter timetable for the period Oct. 25 to 31, PR 126 will depart Manila every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 11:50 p.m. and arrive in Vancouver at 8:50 p.m. (local time). The flight will leave the Canadian city at 10:50 p.m. (local time) and land at New York’s JFK  International Airport at 7 a.m. (local time) the following day.

The return flight PR 127 will depart JFK at 10 a.m. every Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday and be in Vancouver at 1:15 p.m. (local time). Departure from Vancouver meanwhile, is at 2:30 p.m. (local time) and arrival in Manila is at 7:30 p.m. the following day.

From Nov. 1 to March 12, PR 126 will be leaving Manila at 12:50 a.m. and arriving in Vancouver at 8:50 p.m. (local time). The flight will depart Vancouver at 10:50 p.m. (local time) and be in New York  at 7 a.m. (local time) the following day.

For the same period, PR 127 will depart JFK at 10 a.m. (local time) and arrive in Vancouver at 1:15 p.m. (local time). The flight will then leave Vancouver at 2:30 p.m. (local time) and get to Manila at 8:30 p.m. the following day.