PHILIPPINE Airlines yesterday announced it is flying to the Big Apple from March 15, 2015, marking the carrier’s much-awaited network expansion to the US east coast.
PAL chairman and CEO, Lucio Tan, said: “This auspicious start of regular flights to New York will coincide with PAL’s 74th founding anniversary.”
The four-times-weekly service – Manila-Vancouver-New York – covering 14,501km or approximately 16.5 total flying hours will be PAL’s longest route. It will be operated from Terminal 1 of New York’s JFK International Airport.
PAL will have full traffic rights between Vancouver and New York.
The addition of New York brings PAL’s total US destinations to five, following Los Angeles, San Francisco, Honolulu and Guam.
Utilising the Airbus A340-300 jets that seat 36 passengers in business class and 218 in economy, flight PR 126 will depart Manila every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday at 23.50. Arrival in Vancouver is 20.50 on the same day.
After a two-hour transit stop, the service continues on to New York at 22.50, touching down at 07.00 the following day.
The return service PR 127 will depart New York at 11.00 every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, arriving in Vancouver at 13.50. It will depart the Canadian city at 15.20 and land in Manila at 20.35 the following day.
The New York service will also boost PAL’s Canadian operation from a daily service between Manila and Vancouver to 11 flights weekly with three departure times from Manila – mid-afternoon, early evening and late evening.
Meanwhile, Manila-Toronto will add a fourth weekly frequency, increasing capacity on this longhaul route in time for the peak summer travel period out of Manila.
