BRISBANE, Queensland, Australia — That new-plane smell was still very much a part of the cabin air onboard the inaugural flight of Philippine Airlines’ A321neo aircraft last July 2. It was virgin air and it smelled like nothing. You could lick a crumb off the carpet if you wanted to. Everything was as fresh as Antoine Griezmann’s haircut. Everyone should have “ride a brand new plane” on their bucket list, and I’m glad to have had the chance to tick this one off of mine.
PAL Business Class on A321neo features 12 full-flat beds and an upgraded seat monitor, meals and L’Occitane amenities kits.
The highly sophisticated Airbus A321neo, which stands for New Engine Option, is the flag carrier’s first. It is fitted with two powerful engines that can cover the more than 5,800-kilometer distance between Manila and Brisbane, and do that in less than eight hours — seven and a half, to be exact. On the inbound flight, we had first dibs on the business class cabin’s 12 full-flat beds. While being a mid-sized, medium-haul aircraft is a key characteristic, the A321neo doesn’t skimp on space. Once the Fasten Seatbelt sign was switched off, I — still full with Mabuhay Lounge’s arroz caldo, the most Instagrammed arroz caldo in the world — stretched my legs and dozed off.
“This is the best view of Brisbane,” says Rob, our Brisbane Greeter (brisbanegreeters.com.au) tour guide, as we walked around South Bank.
Brisbane is a walkable city and definitely a photogenic one. The light that bounces off the Brisbane River creates a Kira-Kira-type halo around the city’s central business district and makes it dreamy. The subtropical climate is refreshing, and made long walks to Queen St., where all the shopping is, something to look forward to during our brief stay. Our group stayed at Sofitel Brisbane, which is right above Central Station. A landmark in itself, our location made navigating the city a lot easier.
At the press conference for the arrival of the first A321neo aircraft in Australia: Geert Lemaire, Airbus airline marketing; Dina May Flores, Philippine Airlines vice president, revenue management; Jose Perez de Tagle, Philippine Airlines vice president for corporate communications; and Jim Parashos, head of aviation business development and airline and retail management at Brisbane Airport.
Within an hour from the city are destinations for tourists, such as Coot Tha Lookout, which delivers panoramic views of Brisbane City all the way to Moreton Bay. Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary is a must-visit — where else and when else will you get a chance to cuddle a koala? Lone Pine is an 18-hectare koala sanctuary in the Brisbane suburbs. It was founded in 1927 and is the world’s oldest and largest koala sanctuary, with over 130 koalas, 150 free-ranging kangaroos and wallabies, platypuses, Tasmanian devils, dingos, and an aviary full of interesting birds, including the emu.
(Standing) Ramon Ruiz, art director, People Asia; Raoul Chee Kee, asst. lifestyle editor, Philippine Daily Inquirer; PAL’s Dina May Flores; May Ilagan, blogger, When in Manila; Yoshke Dimen, The Poor Traveler; the author Chonx Tibajia, Sharmaine Uy, writer, Philippine Tatler; Angel Juarez, blogger, Lakwatsero; Sara Siguion Reyna, assistant editor, Lifestyle Asia; Marcelo Santos, blogger, Ako si Marcelo; Pia Paz Mag-Iba-Balagtas, PAL manager for internal communications; and PAL’s Jose Perez de Tagle (Seated) Abigail Javellana, blogger, Our Awesome Planet; Astrid Alvarez, blogger, Philippine Beaches Org. and The Wander Generation
A short (and free — wait for the red boats) ferry ride on Brisbane River will bring you to South Bank, a lifestyle and cultural destination in Brisbane on 17 hectares of parklands, restaurants, river views and event locations. Coming in 2022 is Queen’s Wharf Brisbane, a new entertainment precinct and integrated resort development. It will include one new pedestrian bridge crossing Brisbane River, 2,000 residential apartments, over 1,000 premium hotel rooms, and a 1,000-seat ballroom.
Hand-feed a kangaroo and cuddle a koala at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary.
PAL has been flying to Brisbane since 1951. The third most populous city in Australia and home to many multinational businesses, travelers to the city have increased by 30 percent in the last two years. It gets 1.3 million international visitors who spend over 2.2 billion AUD. As of 2016, 304,000 Filipinos work in Australia; 21,000 are in Brisbane. “We never got quite the right aircraft to service Brisbane,” said Dina May Flores, Philippine Airlines VP revenue management department. That is, until the A321neo.
Sofitel Brisbane, right above Central Station, is stunning at night.
Jim Parashos, head of aviation business development and airline and retail management at Brisbane Airport said during the press conference on July 3, “The ability of an airline like Philippine Airlines to fly seven and a half hours non-stop to Brisbane is a game-changer. There’s a longstanding relationship between Brisbane airport and PAL, and it’s the right aircraft at the right time at the right market. Traditionally, the Philippines is seen as a leisure market, but this link with PAL promotes business, travel and education as well.” PAL is the first airline arriving in Australia with the A321neo.
Brisbane Airport is inspired by the city’s subtropical climate, and brings the outdoors indoors with wood accents, greenery and lots of natural light.
Flores adds, “Our goal is to be the first 5-Star full-service airline in the Philippines. This is why we also upgraded the seat monitor and the full-flat bed in business class.” It has 12 full-flat business class seats, 156 economy seats with wider leg room, in-seat TV monitors on all seats, free WiFi connection, and the myPAL eSuite to access more inflight entertainment selections. Apart from a very comfortable, single-aisle cabin layout, the aircraft also has the lowest interior and exterior noise (reduced by 50 percent), 15 percent less CO2 emissions, and 20 percent lower fuel burn. It has a maximum range of 7,400 kilometers.
PAL’s single-aisle jet service to Brisbane every Monday will be added to the Wednesday, Friday and Saturday departures from Manila. With the fourth frequency, PAL now operates a total of 16 weekly flights to three points in Australia — Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Six more 321neos are to be delivered to PAL until 2019.
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For reservations, visit www.philippineairlines.com.