National flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) on Wednesday launched direct air services between Manila and Seattle, its sixth destination in the United States.
Flight PR-124, flown by a 370-seat Boeing 777-300ER (RP-C7778), departed from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1 at 11:02 PM for its 11-hour and 35-minute flight.
Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Jaime J. Bautista, United States Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson, PAL President and Chief Operating Officer Captain Stanley K. Ng, Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) General Manager Eric Jose C. Ines, New NAIA Infrastructure Corporation General Manager Angelito Alvarez, among other aviation officials, sent off the inaugural flight to Seattle.
“Today, through these nonstop Manila-Seattle-Manila flights, Philippine Airlines is proud to take the latest big investment in its long-term strategy of building stronger connections to the vast United States travel market,” said Ng.
According to Ng, the launch of the Seattle service aims to “stimulate value-added tourism and healthy business activity” between the Philippines and other points beyond Washington State.
Meanwhile, the transport czar lauded the new route, saying it “…solidifies PAL’s foothold on the non-stop trans-Pacific market, the staple route of Filipinos eager to spend the holidays in the Philippines.”
“The Department of Transportation expresses its stamp of approval on this latest network expansion as part of the air travel industry’s aggressive recovery efforts,” Bautista, who served as the president of PAL for more than a decade over nonconsecutive terms, said.
The first flight touched down at Seattle–Tacoma International Airport before 8 AM local time on Wednesday.
| Flight Number | Route | Departure Time | Arrival Time | Days of Operation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PR-124 | Manila-Seattle | 2240H | 1915H | Wednesday, Friday, Sunday |
| PR-125 | Seattle-Manila | 2340H | 0445H+2 | Wednesday, Friday, Sunday |
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