Meeting Capt. Stanley Ng, PAL’s youngest president ever

I met Stanley Ng a few weeks ago at a dinner party hosted by NET25, when Caesar Vallejos, president of NET25, introduced him as the president of Philippine Airlines (PAL). I found out later that the 44-year-old Ng is not only the youngest president PAL has ever had, he’s also the first pilot to hold the position since 1963. And though Captain Stanley initially struck me as being boyish and good-looking, he is also low-key, mild-mannered and unassuming, he warmed up as the evening progressed and even engaged me in conversation. I then asked him if we could have an on-the-record Q&A, and he readily agreed to answer questions about the current state of air travel and his plans for PAL’s future. Read on, dear reader.

You were appointed as president and chief operating Officer of PAL in early 2022, making you a “pandemic” officer. How are you positioning PAL after almost two years of restricted air travel to what is now called “revenge” traveling?

The author with Capt. Stanley and lawyer Bong Teodoro of Philippine Arena at a dinner hosted by NET25.

“I started end of January 2022 at the height of the omicron strain, which was highly transmissible. So we did not have enough crew members because many were infected, making my first three months very challenging. Coming from bankruptcy, we were able to turn a profit by liquidating some dead assets. In April, Singapore opened up to tourists, then Manila (which was) then followed by Bangkok. By July, we saw the rise in air travel and by August it got strong, especially flights to the USA.

“I want PAL to be the flag carrier that Filipinos can be proud of by elevating the brand, the service, the customer experience and value-for-money. We will upgrade our aircraft and have ordered nine new A350-1000 wide-bodied aircraft to service long-haul flights to the US and Europe.

“We are investing in the CRM or Customer Relationship Management system which we will launch in October. With this, we will have more visibility of our passengers, their behavior, travel patterns and even their dietary restrictions.”

United Airlines is launching non-stop flights to San Francisco very soon. How will this affect PAL? What innovations and promotions are you introducing to maintain your market share?

“I am confident that PAL will keep its market share. Currently, demand exceeds capacity… that is why it makes sense for United Airlines to come in, (because) there is a big market out there. In terms of price points, United Airlines has a different cabinet configuration so they’re pricing their tickets a little bit more than PAL. When our new airplanes arrive in the second half of 2025, the US route will definitely benefit from this.”

There have been lots of complaints from PAL customers about delayed and cancelled flights. During a Senate investigation, it was attributed to “ongoing supply chain delays and unexpected technical issues that developed.” Has this been resolved, or will the problem persist?

“I always tell the team not to sell more than they can serve.  Because of this supply issue, we have reduced a number of our flights until October. Unfortunately, there were tickets already sold prior to this.”

What are PAL’s new routes? You recently launched non-stop flights from Manila-Perth. Are there new destinations on the horizon? Domestic destinations?

“Europe is an aspirational destination. Previously, we had Manila-London but that was not so profitable so that route has been terminated. We are currently in talks with possible new partners to look into new European destinations and ensure they are profitable and sustainable. In today’s landscape, opening European destinations is a plus since it will make connectivity faster and stimulate trade between the Philippines and European countries.

“There is a lot of opportunity in the domestic market. Last December we launched the Cebu-Baguio route, which is doing well and is sustainable. Hopefully, we will be launching another domestic destination before the year ends.”

Travelers have noticed that PAL charges more compared to other airlines and yet the planes are old. What are PAL’s plans to upgrade its planes?

“We will reconfigure and refurbish our planes, change the seats, and add tv sets on board for in-flight entertainment.”

What is your biggest headache now that you’re the president and COO?

“Aside from the supply chain issue, I want to change the mindset of the people. My management style is to push them beyond their comfort zone because that is the growth zone. However, a lot of people feel that just because it works, it’s ok. They prefer the status quo instead of embracing new methods and new technologies. In every town hall meeting, I remind them to be more open to change and explore new things.”

What are you most proud of?

“As PAL president, I think it will have to be uniting the workforce and gaining their trust, from the pilots and the crew members who compose more than half of the PAL employees. They have also pledged anew their commitment to serve the country and the passengers sincerely. That’s about a thousand pilots, crew members at around 2500, and on-ground crew 2500. That’s a total of around 6,000 PAL employees.”

You were the pilot in-command when PBBM flew to Phnom Penh for the ASEAN 2022 summit. Tell us about this experience.

“It is always a privilege to fly the President and it makes me feel good that I am able to serve the country in whatever way I can. I’ve flown the late President Noynoy Aquino but as co-captain, and then President Rodrigo Duterte when he flew to Bangkok and Malaysia, and then most recently PBBM. During the flight, I was able to have a nice and quite lengthy conversation with PBBM.”

Do you still find time to fly now that you’re the president and COO?

“I want to find time to fly. Flying to me is powerful. Prior to becoming President of PAL, I was only flying twice a month because I was focusing on training captains for the past five years. It’s so fulfilling to see that the pilots I was teaching (in PAL Aviation School) are now captains of PAL. I’ve been teaching since 2015 and I love teaching. Truth be told, and not to sound boastful, flying to me is easy. I understand it very well, what to prioritize, what to do. So that’s what I try to impart to my students. To me as an instructor, you have to adapt and adjust to their needs.”

How would you rate yourself as a pilot on a scale from 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest?

“I’d rate myself a 9!”