PAL beefs up China network

MANILA, Philippines — Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) is further strengthening its network to China with the introduction of direct flights to Quanzhou (Jinjiang) from Clark, Pampanga.

PAL said travelers would have the convenience of choosing from a wide array of flights to get to Quanzhou (Jinjiang) starting Jan. 16 with the launch of its Clark-Quanzhou (Jinjiang) service.

PAL’s 156-seater Airbus A320 will serve the new route.

“Now, northern Manila, Central and Northern Luzon residents need not travel all the way to Manila’s airport to catch a flight to the charming Chinese city,” PAL said.

“Visitors from Quanzhou (Jinjiang) may now seize the opportunity to take the flight to Clark,then travel to various tourist attractions of the country for some sun and sea, and other forms of nature adventure,” it said.

PAL’s upcoming service from Clark will depart every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 1:50 p.m. and will touch down in Quanzhou (Jinjiang) at 4:30 p.m.

Flights from Quanzhou (Jinjiang) will leave on the same days at 5:30 p.m. and arrive in Manila at 7:55 p.m.

Jinjiang, a county-level city of Quanzhou City, is home to the Jose Rizal shrine which is an exact replica of the Rizal Monument in Manila, according to PAL.

The new flight offering to and from Clark complements PAL’s existing service to Quanzhou (Jinjiang) from Manila.

PAL’s current route network between the Philippines and China covers Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, and Macau.

Citing data from the Department of Tourism, PAL said visitor arrivals from China were the second largest in the country at 1.359 million from January to September next to South Korea’s 1.45 million arrivals during the period.

PAL is the country’s only four-star global airline. It has a network covering more than 30 domestic and 40 international destinations with a young fleet of 98 advanced-technology aircraft.

The flag carrier is ranked as the 30th Best Airline in the world, having recently been awarded the World’s Most Improved Airline honors for 2019 by Skytrax and the 4-Star Major Airline award from the US-based Airline Passenger Experience Association.