MANILA, Philippines — Philippine Airlines will convert the cabin layout of eight monoclass 414-seater A330-300s into a 309-seater tri-class model with business, premium economy and economy class sections.
PAL president and chief operating officer Jaime Bautista said the new feature is part of the airline's efforts to become a "five-star, world-class full service carrier with a heart" that provides passengers with a "total travel experience."
"Our cabin reconfiguration efforts combined with meticulous seat and IFE selection are in line with our goal to make each and every flight pleasant, comfortable and convenient," Bautista said.
The reconfigured A330s will be rolled out within a seven-month period this year, starting in June for flights to Honolulu, July for Melbourne, August for Sydney, September for Singapore, October for Haneda, November for Narita and December for Osaka.
PAL selected the Thompson Vantage XL brand for its 18 business class seats with a legroom of 44 inches, width of 23-24 inches and a full-flat recline with a bed length of 78 inches. Seats on this section have an all-aisle access.
The Zodiac 5810 brand, meanwhile, was chosen for the 24 premium economy class seats with a legroom of 38 inches, width of 19 inches and a recline of 8 inches, while the Economy Zodiac brand was chosen for the 267 economy seats with a legroom of 32 inches, width of 17 inches and recline of 6 inches.
Compared to standards of other full-service carriers, PAL's A330 tri-class layout is competitive. An added feature on business class is the installation of the "pneumatic comfort system" which allows the passenger to adjust seat firmness according to preference, complimented with the massage function. PAL is the first Asian carrier to offer the PCS.
Each seat in the business and premium economy sections has a legrest, calfrest, footrest and coat hook. Passengers on both cabins have the option to charge their devices through the USB port or power supply installed on their seats.
For the economy class cabin, standard seats are equipped with USB ports while facility seats have in-seat power supply. Each seat has a headrest, literature pocket, fabric seat cover and comfortable cushioning.
Unique seat features on business class include a head phone hook, capiz-like side decor and footwell with mood lighting. The front and rear walls of each cabin will have laminate designs with the barong concept, highlighting a popular Philippine fabric and giving the cabin interior a warm and cozy ambience.
RAVE's audio-video-on-demand in-seat system will give passengers access to a wide selection of content via touch screen monitors, measuring 18.5 inches in Business, 13.3 inches in premium economy and 10.1 inches on economy.
Passengers will also have the option to enjoy wireless In-flight entertainment by simply downloading the myPAL Player app for free in order to stream a wide selection of movies, TV shows and music from their personal laptop, tablet or smartphone. Staying online is possible while on board with myPALWi-fi which allows one to surf, browse and keep in touch with loved ones and friends.