PAL heats up competition for travelers to Vietnam
Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) is giving Cebu Pacific a competition in servicing the Manila-Da Nang route with the launch of this flight linking Filipinos to central Vietnam by July 1.
In a statement on Monday, the flag carrier said the nonstop flight would be available three times a week.
PAL, the first Asian airline to establish regular flights to Vietnam in September 1986, also provides daily service for Manila-Hanoi flights.
On May 2, the Lucio Tan-led carrier will also launch its flight connecting Cebu and Ho Chi Minh.
“PAL is committed to offering greater connectivity and promoting tourism and commerce between our capital city and the central Vietnamese heartland,” PAL president and chief operating officer Stanley Ng said.
“We look forward to welcoming more leisure and business travelers onboard our flights to Da Nang,” he added.
Da Nang is a coastal city known for landmarks like the Marble Mountains and Golden Bridge.
Furthermore, it is the main international gateway to Hoi An Ancient Town, a UNESCO World Heritage site, described as an “exceptionally well-preserved example of a Southeast Asian trading port dating from the 15th to the 19th century.”
Cebu Pacific is the first local airline to provide a direct flight to Da Nang in 2023.
Spreading its wings
Last week, PAL said it would increase flight frequencies at its Cebu hub by 10 percent to 287 weekly round trip domestic flights this month in time for the summer.
The flag carrier, in particular, will beef up capacity for flights to Siargao, Caticlan, Puerto Princesa, Coron, Tacloban and Davao.
By May 1, the airline will also begin operating daily flights from Clark to Siargao and Basco. This would be an increase from the current thrice-weekly flights for Clark-Siargao route and four times a week for Clark-Basco route.
PAL started offering Clark-Busuanga flights last March 1.
The airline flew 15.6 million passengers last year, up 6 percent from 2023. It also facilitated over 110,00 flights for the period, showing 5-percent increase.
