Flights to California, Seattle drive up PAL’s holiday bookings

SEATTLE — Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) is expecting a bountiful Christmas this year thanks to forward bookings to the US, especially to destinations in the West Coast.

In an interview with reporters here, PAL vice president for sales Bud Britanico said the airline foresees a busy Christmas on strong demand for US flights, especially to Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle.

Britanico said the bulk of holiday bookings to the US usually come from Filipinos who travel to high-demand cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco, which PAL reaches on a daily basis.

Now that PAL has opened a Seattle service, Filipinos would have another option when going to the West Coast, particularly to the American Midwest. Further, travelers going to the Philippines would have an alternative jump-off on top of Los Angeles and San Francisco.

“We have a good high demand capacity during peak season for Los Angeles and San Francisco. Now, all of a sudden, people would also have access to fly to the Philippines from here in Seattle as an alternative,” Britanico said.

Moreover, PAL expects an extra lift from Filipinos planning to see the northern lights in Alaska, as Seattle harbors the operations of Alaska Airlines, the largest carrier landing in the state.

To date, Britanico said PAL is registering a load factor of 80 percent to 90 percent for its Seattle flights, meaning the airline is packing up at least four in five seats.

As for the Los Angeles and San Francisco schedules, Britanico said it is usual for PAL to receive high traffic to these cities during the holidays.

California houses 39 percent, or at least 1.6 million, of the 4.1 million Filipinos living in the US. Washington, where Seattle is located, is home to roughly 180,000 Filipinos, and Britanico views this demographic as a growth opportunity for PAL.

The airline owned by the Tans is seeking to recover its market dominance for transpacific flights from the Philippines. PAL’s market share for Philippine flights to the US and Canada dropped to 47 percent in 2023, from 65 percent in 2022, attributed to the entry of new players.

Likewise, PAL is making moves to expand its domestic network, adding Cauayan, Isabela, to its flight coverage starting Jan. 15, 2025.

Based on the flight plan, the service will be operated on a daily frequency using an 86-seater De Havilland Dash 8-400 Next Generation aircraft.