Philippine Airlines is soon to launch its nonstop flights between Manila and Seattle this year.
With its new route set to launch on October 2, PAL becomes the first airline to have direct flights from the Pacific Northwest region.
According to the airline, the Manila-Seattle flights will also serve the growing number of Filipinos visiting family and friends in Washington and Oregon, which are home to more than 240,000 Filipino Americans.
"Philippine Airlines is happy to say, ‘Mabuhay, Seattle! ’ We are proud to welcome Seattle to our growing U.S. route network," said PAL President and Chief Operating Officer Captain Stanley K. Ng.
"Our Manila-Seattle-Manila flights give us a valuable opportunity to promote our beautiful island country as a flourishing tourist and business destination for American travelers. We also look forward to serving Filipinos who hope to reunite with family members or experience new travel adventures in the vibrant U.S. Pacific Northwest," he added.
Ng admitted that they feel pressured by the recent launch of a direct flight between the US and Manila by United. But he also said that the airline is not bothered by this as he vowed to improve PAL services.
“We feel a little pressure because once you have a competitor, you always have to step up as well. But we would also say that the market is really big enough for the two carriers,” said Ng.
The new route will initially operate thrice weekly, every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, with departures at 10:40 p.m. local time from Manila’s Terminal 1, and at 11:40 p.m. local time from Seattle Tacoma International Airport, the Philippine flag carrier said.
The Seattle flights will add up to 60 tons of cargo capacity every week which will further contribute to increased trade and economic activity between the US and Asia.
Seattle is PAL’s sixth destination in the US and the eighth in North America, the airline said.
PAL currently operates the largest network of nonstop flights between the Philippines and the United States, serving Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Seattle, Honolulu and Guam. It also operates flights to Vancouver and Toronto.
PAL said it will deploy Boeing 777-300ER aircraft for the Seattle flights, with full-flat seats in Business Class and inflight service featuring Filipino and Western meal specialties.
A special introductory all-in roundtrip fare is offered at $771 for Economy Class and $3,071 for Business Class. The introductory fare is available until April 30 and for travel from October 2 to November 30 this year, as well as from February 1 to March 22, 2025.
Meanwhile, Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Jaime J. Bautista congratulated Philippine Airlines on their latest expansion of U.S. routes with the launch of nonstop service to Seattle.
According to Bautista, the increase in air travel after the pandemic necessitates matching improvements to airport infrastructure and services. This new PAL service will assist in the increasing travel and tourism between the Philippines and the United States, coinciding with the anticipated modernization of Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport by its new operator.
