With all the negative news we get each day, there’s no denying that the travel and tourism industries, not just in the Philippines but all over the world, have been greatly affected. Multiple flights have been canceled and several passengers voluntarily halted their travel plans this year. Safety comes first, of course, but this never stopped Asia’s first airline in launching new routes this 2020.

PAL’s comeback on the CEBU-LOS ANGELES route

The new nonstop flights between Cebu and Los Angeles are the latest major investment of the flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) in building up Cebu City as the country’s new international aviation hub. It is set to take its maiden flight this May 2, 2020, and will continue to service passengers thrice weekly.

This gives the Central Visayas region its first direct link to North America. This 13-to-14 hour direct flight also clocks in as the longest commercial airline route serving the Mactan Cebu International Airport.

It has been PAL’s goal, and I quote, “as the country’s flag carrier to continuously bring the Heart of the Filipino to all areas of the globe”, (Ria C. Domingo, PAL VP for Marketing). To support these nonstop flights, PAL is deploying its largest long-range aircraft, the Boeing 777-300ER, that can accommodate up to 370 passengers. It is equipped with cabin features and amenities such as full-flat beds in the Business Class cabin and inflight entertainment systems embedded in every single passenger seat for both Business and Economy classes.

This particular PAL flight (PR152) will depart Mactan-Cebu Terminal 2 every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 9:00 PM and will arrive at Tom Bradley International Terminal at Los Angeles at 7:30 PM on the same days. The return flight (PR153) leaves Los Angeles at 11:00 PM on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays and will arrive at Mactan-Cebu International Airport two days after, every 5:00 AM.

Today, PAL flies to a total of 44 international and 32 domestic destinations. PAL has been considered as one of the youngest fleets in the industry and was certified as a 4-star airline by Skytrax.

New Routes

Along with this re-opened route, PAL has announced its new routes: (including but not limited to)

• Manila – Perth (March 2020)
• Zamboanga – Kota Kinabalu (March 2020)
• Davao – Manado (May 2020)
• Manila – Pagadian (March 2020)

Last year, PAL also announced its code-share partnership with several airlines:

• All Nippon Airways / ANA Wings
• Malaysia Airlines
• Hawaiian Airlines
• Bangkok Airways
• WestJet
• Xiamen Airlines
• Turkish Airlines
• Royal Brunei Airlines

FUN FACTS ABOUT PAL

• ONLY airline flying nonstop from Manila to New York
• ONLY airline flying nonstop from the Philippines to US mainland and Hawaii
• ONLY airline flying nonstop from the Philippines to Canada
• ONLY airline flying nonstop from the Philippines to New Zealand
• ONLY airline flying nonstop from the Philippines to the United Kingdom
• ONLY airline flying nonstop from the Philippines to US & Canada East Coast
• ONLY airline flying nonstop from the Philippines to Brisbane and Perth
• ONLY airline flying nonstop from Cebu to Nagoya and Osaka
• ONLY airline flying nonstop from Cebu and Los Angeles

You might want to check flights now as PAL has prepared great deals for its newest routes! Book na!