NEW heights, new flights and new flying machines: these were the reasons for the recent Philippine Airlines celebration.
No less than the bigwigs of Asia's first airline graced the whole-day event at the Marco Polo Davao to share good news, accomplishments and recent acquisitions to further enhance the travelers' experiences of flying the Heart of The Filipino, and become a full-fledged player in the global aviation industry.
The flag carrier is right on track on its mission to snag its five-star goal. It received its 4-Star Global Airline Certification from Skytrax this 2018, PAL's 77th year in the industry. This makes PAL the first and only airline in the country to have a 4-Star Rating — a big win for the Philippines, said PAL's chairman and CEO Lucio Tan.
With a star away from fulfilling its ultimate aim, PAL's journey continues. Dr. Jaime J. Bautista, PAL president and COO, said that PAL's current fleet of 85 aircraft is the largest in Philippine history, and targeting for 100 aircraft in the next two years. By 2020, PAL will be in the league of a major carrier.
Included in the "aircraft arrival roster" are four A350-900 tans-oceanic aircraft, six new Airbus A321-neos and five additional New-Generation BombardierQ400, which is already powering PAL's domestic expansion to island resorts.
The Davao hub, along with Cebu and Clark hubs, will be seeing more routes and fleet expansion. Its recently launched Davao-Siargao direct flight is certainly a welcome route as it cuts travel time. Choosing an hour of comfort on air over 10 hours of road travel is a no-brainer.
With PAL's 4-Star rating, more new planes and destinations, my love affair with traveling will flourish like never before— "kahit maputi na ang buhok ko," which was what Sharon Cuneta, the gala event's special guest, was singing when she agreed to a selfie in the middle of her song.
Congratulations Philippine Airlines and looking forward to your 5-Star rating soon!
For more photos about this feature, visit ofapplesandlemons.com. For travel stories, visit jeepneyjinggoy.com.
Email me at: jinggoysalvador@yahoo.com