PAL to start flying nonstop to 7 Middle East destinations in March

MANILA, Philippines – Lucio Tan-led flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) announced it will start nonstop service to and from Manila to all 7 of its Middle East destinations on March 26.

The new route schedule will be:

• Manila-Dubai flights – 7x weekly
• Manila-Riyadh flights – 7x weekly
• Manila-Doha flights – 4x weekly
• Manila-Kuwait flights – 4x weekly
• Manila-Jeddah flights – 3x weekly
• Manila-Abu Dhabi flights – 3x weekly
• Manila-Dammam flights – 5x weekly

“The nonstop service will give us a better product to offer our kababayans (countrymen), our overseas Filipino workers. Aside from the convenience of such flights, passengers will get to experience in-flight service with the heart of the Filipino, marked by warmth, care, and hospitality,” said PAL president and chief operating officer Jaime Bautista in a statement on Wednesday, March 1.

In addition to the new nonstop schedules, PAL will be changing the aircraft used for Middle East routes from its current all-economy 414-seater Airbus A330 to a new bi-class A330.

“The shift to bi-class service across all Middle East routes gives our passengers the flexibility to choose between regular economy, premium economy, and business class service,” Bautista said.

The shift to the bi-class A330, which features full flat-beds in business class, will take place on June 15 for Dubai; July 15 for Abu Dhabi and Doha; August 15 for Riyadh; and September 15 for Kuwait and Jeddah.

PAL noted that the modern aircraft will also offer in-flight media streaming through the free myPal app, on-board Wi-Fi (free for the first 30 minutes), iPad rentals, and in-flight food options that include halal meals.

Each passenger will also be entitled to free baggage allowance of two pieces, weighing not more than 23 kilos each. – Rappler.com