Philippine Airlines Unveils New Brand Philosophy
Philippine Airlines aims to become a five-star airline in five years with service innovations, route network expansion and fleet modernization as its flagship initiatives, guided by a new brand philosophy - “Heart of the Filipino”.
In unveiling its brand promise, PAL asserted its role as the nation’s flag carrier representing the best of the Philippines to the world.
Top PAL officials revealed the airline’s new brand equity, plans and programs during a press conference held today (March 15, 2015), the company’s 75th anniversary, in Pasay City.
PAL President and Chief Operating Officer Jaime J. Bautista stressed, “The country’s national flag carrier aims to continue its legacy of service to the nation and the rest of the world, leveraging on the strengths of the brand. We take pride in the fact that PAL is the only Filipino legacy carrier offering the distinct brand of service marked by heartfelt warmth and hospitality. We take pride in the over-all safety and service competence of the team."
He adds, “Our goal is to make PAL the airline of choice in all the markets we serve, one that exceeds passenger expectation. We want PAL to be a source of pride for Filipinos.”
New Flights
As part of its route expansion in Europe, the flag carrier is assessing four new destinations.
“We are studying Paris (France), Amsterdam (The Netherlands), Hamburg (Germany) and Rome (Italy). When the new, long-range A350-900s arrive, we will be capable to mount more non-stop flights to Europe.” At present, PAL only flies to one European destination, London.
For its US network expansion, PAL will begin today thrice weekly non-stop flights between Cebu and Los Angeles. The new service will boost PAL’s presence in the US. Current US routes include Manila to Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Honolulu and Guam.
The airline will also launch five weekly flights from Manila to Doha, Qatar starting March 28 as part of an ongoing Middle East route expansion. PAL destinations in the Middle East include Riyadh, Dubai, Dammam, Jeddah, Kuwait and Abu Dhabi.
To further increase its presence in the Oceania Region, the flag carrier will open twice weekly flights to Saipan in the Northern Marianas Islands on June 15.
To improve connectivity across various routes, the airline will open daily services between Taipei and Kansai on June 25 (daily flights) and Abu Dhabi and Doha on March 28 (five weekly flights). Last January, the airline opened four weekly connections between Dubai and Kuwait as well as three weekly connections between Dubai and Jeddah.
Due to increased demand on certain routes, PAL is hike its weekly frequencies to Riyadh from six to seven flights (starting March 27); to Darwin and Brisbane on from three to four (March 28); to Canton from four to five (May 1); to London from five to six (June 4) and from six to seven (June 28); to Taipei from seven to 11 (June 25); to Kansai from seven to 14 (June 25); and to Peking from four to eight (July 1).
PAL’s route network covers 43 international and 30 domestic destinations.
New fleet
PAL is adding six Airbus A350-900s to its fleet, bringing to 75 its total number of aircraft.
“Choosing the A350 is anchored on our operational requirements for our new routes. This will definitely strengthen our long-range fleet. Once delivery begins in 2018, the aircraft can be deployed on our North American destinations: Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York in the US; and Toronto and Vancouver in Canada. The acquisition will enable us to mount additional non-stop service on our premium long-haul services,” Bautista stressed.
Meanwhile, PAL is scheduled to take delivery of five A321s, two B777s this year (2016) and two A321s in 2017. PAL’s current fleet includes B777s, A340s, A330s, A321s and A320s.
Service Innovations
To further enhance the passenger experience, the airline is introducing myPAL e-Suite – an inflight entertainment system with upgraded content. Other innovations include: myPAL player – the free inflight entertainment app that allows passengers to stream movies, music and TV shows on their personal mobile device; the myPAL Wifi, which allows passengers to surf the internet inflight; and the myPAL Mobile, which allows passengers to use the roaming service inflight to call and text using their mobile data plan.
To improve PAL’s inflight cuisine, some of the country’s top chefs - Chefs Jess Sincioco, Fernando Aracama, Wataru Hikawa, Ben Lam, Bruce Lim, Yoon Yun Sun - are working closely with PAL Corporate Chef Noel Ramos to come up with new entrees representing Filipino and continental dishes.
CSR Efforts
As new initiatives were unveiled, PAL vowed to reinforce its Corporate Social Responsibility Program through its RPRSNT Pinoy! program which has been in the forefront of providing assistance to
