Philippine Airlines and Emirates have signed an interline agreement to increase connectivity for passengers of both airlines through Manila and Dubai.
The agreement allows passengers to book a single ticket and benefit from a common baggage policy, offering access to new destinations on both carriers’ networks.
The partnership went into effect immediately, and passengers can book their travel itinerary through a variety of channels including the Emirates and Philippine Airlines mobile apps, online travel agents (OTAs), and travel agents.
Emirates’ customers will now have access to 19 Philippine domestic destinations and two Asian regional points through Manila, operated by Philippine Airlines. On the other hand, Philippine Airlines’ passengers will be able to seamlessly connect to 21 cities operated by Emirates, including Frankfurt, London, and Cairo, among others, via Dubai.
Bud Britanico, Vice President for Sales of Philippine Airlines, expressed his excitement regarding the new partnership: “We are happy to embark on this new interline partnership with Emirates that expands the choices available to Philippine Airlines passengers, who now gain easier access to more destinations across Europe, the Middle East, India and Africa via our flights to Dubai. We are eager to expand our reach to various international markets and exciting destinations and help stimulate business and tourist travel for global citizens, as well as provide better service to our fellow Filipinos living and working in overseas nations.”
Adnan Kazim, Chief Commercial Officer of Emirates, commented: “Philippines is one of our strongest consumer markets and we’re pleased to sign a new interline agreement with the country’s flag carrier. The partnership with Philippine Airlines will help open new links for trade and tourism that will drive more inbound traffic into the Philippines, and expand Emirates’ footprint in East Asia. We look forward to serving our partner airline’s customers with additional travel choices to Emirates destinations across the Middle East, Europe as well as the Americas, and to expanding our cooperation with plans to include additional points via Cebu in the coming months.”
The Philippine flag carrier first served Dubai on August 7, 1982, as part of a growing Middle East route network that now includes flights to Doha (Qatar) and to Riyadh and Dammam in Saudi Arabia. PAL currently operates daily flights between Manila and Dubai with Airbus A330 widebody aircraft offering Business Class and Economy Class service.
Domestically, the airline operates an extensive route network of 32 destinations across the Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao regions of the Philippines, with major hubs in Manila and Cebu, and an increasing number of flights out of Davao and Clark.
Meanwhile, Emirates first started operations in Manila in 1992 and has since expanded its network to include Cebu and Clark. The airline currently serves the Philippines with 25 weekly flights to the three gateways.
Emirates operates its modern Boeing 777-300ER aircraft in a three-class configuration on flights to Manila and a two-class configuration on flights to Cebu and Clark, offering eight private suites in First Class, 42 lie-flat seats in Business Class, and 304 spacious seats in Economy Class.
With the addition of the interline agreement with Philippine Airlines, Emirates now has 27 commercial partners. These partnerships enable Emirates to respond with agility to the dynamic travel industry, meeting the ever-evolving air travel needs of its customers.
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