12p PAL "The Heart of the Filipino" - Singles (101,000)
Designer: Rodine C.Teodoro
Design Coordinator: Maria Manundo -PAL
Corporate Committee Department
Design: PAL over world map with "The Heart
of the Filipino"
First Day Covers: Manila
Philippine Airlines (PAL) Celebrates 75th Anniversary
With Goal to Achieve 5-Star Status in 5 Years
Philippine Airlines celebrated its
75th Anniversary March 15, 2016 with the launch of its inaugural
direct flight from Cebu to Los Angeles. After beginning a fleet
modernization plan and aggressive international route expansion, the
national flag carrier is now aiming even higher with an ambitious
goal to achieve the status of a five-star airline in five years.
According to Philippine Airlines
President Jaime Bautista, transforming the carrier from a three to
five star carrier will not be a simple task. "Getting the five-star
ranking is not easy but we think we can do that in five years," said
Bautista. "For us to be able to do that, we need to improve service,
from passengers' booking to getting their baggage after the flight.
Our objective is to give a passenger experience that will exceed
their expectations."
The star ranking is currently
administered by Skytrax, a UK aviation consulting agency. If
Philippine Airlines is able to achieve its goal of reaching five
stars, it will join the likes of Emirates, Qatar Airways, Cathay
Pacific, and Singapore Airlines. Bautista remains confident that
recent innovations at the carrier will enable it to attain four-star
status in 2017 after Skytrax completes another audit. He added that
achieving four-star status would elevate PAL's global presence,
making it more attractive to foreign investors.
Philippine Airlines will be investing
heavily in in-flight technology and the reconfiguration of its
existing fleet of aircraft as part of the strategic plan to achieve
five-star status. The national carrier currently has fifteen Airbus
A330 aircraft in the fleet that require reconfiguration and upgraded
in-flight entertainment in order to achieve the rating. "The plan is
to reconfigure them to around 311 seats to make it more comfortable
for passengers and it would entail a huge amount of investment, more
or less $10 million per plane to reconfigure," noted Bautista.
Philippine Airlines also has a number
of other plans in the works including the possibility of developing
a hub at Clark International Airport to help address congestion
issues faced at Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila. "We
are considering Clark as another hub for PAL," said Bautista. "Our
corporate planning department is working on it and as soon as
studies are finalized and flights are scheduled, we will announce
it."
In addition, the carrier is also
planning to take advantage of more fifth-freedom rights, which
enables it to drop off and pick up passengers in a second country,
prior to flying on to a third country. For example, it could fly to
Bangkok, pick up more passengers, and continue onto New Delhi.
Philippine Airlines is also planning to add a second European
destination in 2018, when its new fleet of A350-900 aircraft enter
service. The carrier is currently evaluating Amsterdam, Hamburg,
Paris, and Rome as the next possible destination.
Meanwhile, Cebuanos celebrated the
launch of the maiden Philippine Airlines flight between Cebu and Los
Angeles, opening new opportunities for both the business and tourism
sectors. "The direct Cebu-Los Angeles flight marks our very first
connection to the United States," said Manuel Ferrer, President of
GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corporation. "It creates greater travel
and trade opportunities for both destinations."
Philippine Airlines was
Asia's first airline, originally established in 1941. The first
flight carried five passengers from Manila to Baguio. By 1946, it
became the first Asian airline to fly across the Pacific. "People
looked at PAL before as the best airline in Asia, but we were
overtaken by events," added Bautista. "Now we want to bring back the
glory days."
http://www.philippineflightnetwork.com/2016/03/philippine-airlines-celebrates-75th.html