Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) is reinforcing its expanded holiday schedule by deploying widebody aircraft on high-traffic domestic routes to Cebu and Davao. The flag carrier is primarily using its Airbus A330 fleet for these flights, with occasional deployment of the Airbus A350, to supplement increased flight frequencies and new routes launched for the peak travel season.
This strategic deployment of larger aircraft comes on the heels of PAL’s recent announcement of significant increases in both domestic and international services. While the airline has already added flights to numerous destinations, the use of widebody jets on the Manila-Cebu and Manila-Davao routes underscores the exceptionally high demand expected on these key domestic routes.
The widebody flights operate on several days of the week. To Davao, flight PR-1805 departs Manila at 11:25 a.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays, arriving at 1:20 p.m. The return flight, PR-1806, departs Davao at 3:35 p.m. and arrives in Manila at 5:25 p.m., also operating on the same days.
For Cebu, PAL operates two daily widebody flights. PR-1845 departs Manila at 5:55 a.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, arriving in Cebu at 7:20 a.m. The return flight, PR-1846, leaves Cebu at 8:35 a.m. and arrives in Manila at 10:00 a.m., operating on the same days. The second flight, PR-1861, departs Manila at 6:50 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays, landing in Cebu at 8:15 p.m. The return flight, PR-1862, departs Cebu at 9:30 p.m. and arrives in Manila at 10:55 p.m. on the same days.
In addition to its two trunk routes, PAL also operates widebody aircraft on flights to General Santos. This practice remains consistent even during the off-season, driven by demand from General Santos’ cargo market.
The deployment of widebody aircraft on domestic routes enhances PAL’s already substantial expansion of services. Recently, the airline introduced a thrice-weekly flight from Clark to Siargao and is preparing to relaunch its Cebu-Osaka Kansai route. New services connecting Cebu and Clark to Seoul Incheon have been added, along with a new daily route from Manila to Cauayan, starting January 15.
The new offerings are accompanied by increased flight frequencies on various domestic routes and the use of widebody aircraft on select international flights.
As indicated by Planespotters.net, PAL operates 11 Airbus A330 aircraft. These are configured in two layouts, some with 18 business class, 27 premium economy, and 323 economy seats, while others offer 18 business class, 24 premium economy, and 267 economy seats. The airline’s two Airbus A350s each have 30 business class, 24 premium economy, and 241 economy seats.
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