Airlines in the Philippines

[Arianespace]

I don't want to spoil some hopes here but according to a friend of mine who happens to work at PR with an ATS designation, there is no reconfiguration plan to your liking. Yes, the plane will continue to sport nine abreast economy seats which is already becoming a norm for airlines. In  fact the new wide body orders will also sport a nine abreast seat without elaborating further. I would say however that it is wider than the A330 so more elbow room for my size.

Although there were plans to reconfigure some of them with J class suite, Y would still be the same, only that it has OnAir for wireless IFE. That thought however by JJB was shot down by the old man himself. Perhaps  buying more time for the profits to trickle in.

This is the difference between JJB and RSA  talking, with the latter walking the talk.  

I did say that you can modify cabin upon lessors consent. But I think the issue here was the intent to reconfigure a brand new plane, which I would say is a stupid thing to do considering the age of the aircraft. Just happy to note that LT happens to have the same line of thinking as mine. Also, I think their income will most likely be used for aircraft acquisition than re-configuring its existing brand new fleet.

Anyway, moving on, PAL seems to be keen on expanding its middle east operations anytime soon, perhaps due to latest figures from the gulf region which validates RSA's business strategy, and the latest 5th freedom rights from the UAE. Even 5J  is seriously studying DXB hub. We could be seeing JED as the next point that was previously cut or MNL - DXB - JED or DXB - DOH, or DXB - FCO for both PAL and GAP, while CEB looking at MXP route as its first connection in EU. That could easily translate for 2 more A330's to the Gulf region for PR, and a much better alternative for 5J than say going east to HNL. Consider also the situation that PR needs two widebodies for domestic run and they will already have their hands full.

On this note, EY fired the first shot by offering more baggage allowance to MNL which the OFW loves.

[seven13]

If that's the case, it's too disappointing coming from a passenger's POV. I would really understand if those A330 will be used to ME routes only but these birds are also being used to fly to Aussie and HNL. I do hope when the new longhaul fleet starts coming online, they'll do the Aussie and HNL route after doing the transpacific flights and/or LHR.

Why why why, it so happen that I heard the same statement about DXB becoming a potential hub. I wonder how high is the probability of DXB becoming a hub happening.

[Arianespace]

Its the KSA market that matters. Like what I said JED can be better off served via DXB because we have to consider range and payload issues as well as returning traffic. Unless of course if they just send the triple seven which is far fetched.

And by present indication they would already be doing almost daily operations to all routes two years after its opening, which is a remarkable achievement for any airline.  

My take on this plan is that CX would truly be hit again when PR and/or 5J starts this operation at DXB considering the high volume of traffic to the KSA from MNL.

[Evodesire]

Thanks for this! So it seems like PAL is raking in good profits from ME routes in which way back, they were having a hard time. About making DXB a hub, will PAL or5J be able to pick up passengers from DXB to EU and back? Or DXB will just be a stopover and they can't take in extra pax?

PR does need those extra birds soon though. Seems like things are going their way with their rapid expansion.

[Eurest]

Wasn't Jeddah never restarted because of demand? JED is well within the range of PR's A333E, the only consideration was the departing flights to be at late night like the rest of the ME flights for thrust issues in w/c the airport ops gave them the 10:35PM departure time.
With some of the KSA flights going to 5x from the initial 3x, I would have expected JED to be restarted once demand upticks.

As for expanding middle east routes wouldn't the obvious expansion choice to have daily flights instead of just 5 flights ( except for DXB which has 6)?
Wasn't some flights even cut down to 4 weekly during the lean season?
Despite lower load factors than the ME flights, SYD is now going daily for Winter 2015/2016 with PR 213/214, it seems SYD yields are good enough to warrant once again going daily.

As for EY's 2x23kg Y class baggage allowance, I see it as EY being serious into the US-PH route as those operating 6th freedom US-PH have long offered 2x23.
Before EY, NH was the most recent to upsize MNL allowance to 2x23, and before then MNL was a special allowance for DL transpacific flights as the only Asian destination that had a 2x23 allowance for Y pax
This was even a war for HA VS PR for the HNL flight as HA upticked the allowance to 2x32 when it started using the A332 to MNL

[Arianespace]

The demand is huge for JED and other destination in the KSA, other than RUH and DMM, if we are talking about O&D. While most transfer happen at the hub of ME3, a substantial transfer is also happening in HKG. The reason, fares are lower compared to the gulf carriers. It turned out majority of their passengers are connecting to Europe so most seats to the gulf region are restricted.

That is the reason why RSA was bent on addressing that issue and offer bare minimum to leverage shortfall of flight services to the Gulf with low fares so that they won't go anymore somewhere else just to catch flight for work. Of course CX also was helped with Cargo loads going back.

[seven13]

They are uniforming the hard product for SYD as they plan to connect PR214 to PR720 and PR721 to PR211. All to be used with A340. I hope RUH/DMM would increase in frequency and hopefully JEd will be included into the network soon.

You know I really hate the idea of using the Me3 bound for the US. They had already taken up some market share away from Asian carriers on the Ph-EU market, I hope Asian carriers will be strong on the Ph-US route.

[romantic_guy08]

From Aviation Week published yesterday

PAL is also planning a cabin refurbishment for its Airbus A330-300s, which will give this fleet a consistent premium product. Of the airline’s 15 A330s, eight are configured with 368 seats in three classes, and the other seven have 414 seats in just economy and premium economy. The refurbished aircraft will have fewer seats than both current configurations.

New seats and inflight entertainment systems have been ordered, but will take two years to deliver. They will be installed on the A330s during 2017, Bautista said. Aircraft in all-economy configuration will be the first to get the new product.

http://m.aviationweek.com/mro/philippine-airlines-nears-787a350-choice

[Arianespace]

romantic_guy08 wrote

From Aviation Week published yesterday

PAL is also planning a cabin refurbishment for its Airbus A330-300s, which will give this fleet a consistent premium product. Of the airline’s 15 A330s, eight are configured with 368 seats in three classes, and the other seven have 414 seats in just economy and premium economy. The refurbished aircraft will have fewer seats than both current configurations.

New seats and inflight entertainment systems have been ordered, but will take two years to deliver. They will be installed on the A330s during 2017, Bautista said. Aircraft in all-economy configuration will be the first to get the new product.

http://m.aviationweek.com/mro/philippine-airlines-nears-787a350-choice

So, they have a green light now? JJB is playing the press again. It only takes 6 months for the new seats to be delivered after orders are placed. Some can even get it at four months. Why 2017?

I don't want to sound pessimistic here, more so when we are talking about plans. Yes they have lots of them, but truly is different from approval which involves execution of the plan. The one disclosed to me has no approval just yet. As far as the Board is concerned. So my source is consistent. I'm referring to the J class introduction to the monoclass. But it still there. Thus, my post.  But don't expect it to be valid six months after because it has already been announced before that PR is going to introduce J class to some of them. Please don't confuse my post on the reconfiguration plan from the 9 to 8 abreast thing. My source still stand by what he declares.

In the meantime fewer seats doesn't necessarily mean the reconfiguration is 8 abreast. It could be more J seats so that the triple seven could no longer call BKK, or more legrooms for Y plus.  I supposed too the new seats are for the J's and its backseat IFE's. Its not there in the current ones.  

[Eurest]

There is quite a backlog for the Zodiac Cirrus, so the 2017 delivery dates seem reasonable if PR did order the Cirrus as they already have a relationship with Weber from the new Y seats in the A321 and A333s as well as the J recliner seats in the A321. There is a layout that has 29 of the herringbone seats from L1 to L2 of PR's A333E config.
As for economy seats, the currently available ones do not have backlog issues so if they are also awaiting ones to be delivered in 2017, it means they are getting new models as well.

That would put PR at par with the hard product CX uses on its OZ flights as well, and in line with other Asian carriers that have installed the Weber Cirrus for their J seats like VN's 787, CI & BR's B77W

If PR do get the Cirrus, that is quite a sizable capital investment for a few planes, and would create a discrepancy in that the B77W, which is PR's flagship, now has an inferior J class product.
Unless of course, PR also plans to install direct aisle J seats on the B77W

As for IFEs, only the newest ones are not available for shipping yet. These are the tablet like ones that no longer have the traditional IFE box but rather have the content streamed wirelessly like the Lumexis iPax.
They also have the in flight magazine, duty free catalogue, as well as the menu& ordering for the meals embedded in the system as well, reducing ancillary weight by no longer carrying the magazines, the menu and the duty free catalogue.

The extended range of the LRs will open up new options for the narrowbody fleet, Bautista added. For example, some routes, such as New Delhi, do not have enough damage for an A330 but would be within range of the LRs. And some existing A330 services could be replaced with two A321neoLR flights, giving customers more options.

Aviationweek needs copy editors

[Arianespace]

The seat orders are for the J seats and should be available within  6 months after placement, unless you say its for a new model which to me is unlikely for PAL. I can understand that, but I doubt if it were indeed. I sure loved to be proven wrong.

While Zodiac is industry trending, I also doubt if it will be the supplier of choice, or fitted in a configuration like other premium airlines, ie 1-2-1. It will still be 2-2-2 and most probably be the same if not more than the current J ones, maybe at most 36. And most of all it should come with seat back IFE, thus the impending orders, but only for the J. So it will turn out to have fewer economy seats from 299 to the present 323.

I think re-configuration decisions of the A330 will come together with expected B77W upgrades. The two new ones will come already with new IFE gears.

Personally, I like this seat more. I like the window and the privacy. In Asia, only JAL and KAL has it. Still have to try it though in December when I fly OMA.  

I hope PAL gets the B/E Aerospace Apex business class suite. Its the best for the A330,A350, and B777. I'm talking economics and commonality here.
http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/KE-F.jpg

You won't also dread the middle seat in the triple seven.

[Arianespace]

I was talking about this since Qatar Airlines incident.
I will continue the chronicle with the latest incident of bad turbulence on PAL flight. In fairness to the passengers, the light stayed off when they started flying to the roof.

Over a dozen passengers were injured on Friday (September 18) when a Philippine Airlines (PAL) flight encountered turbulence en route to Manila from Hawaii.

According to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) management,a medical team was dispatched to assist 17 passengers after the plane landed as scheduled at NAIA Terminal 2 shortly after 4 p.m.

In a statement, PAL said the Flight PR101 departed Honolulu at 12:06 p.m. and the Airbus 340 aircraft experienced clear-air turbulence.

It added that the incident resulted in minor injuries to 15 out of the 132 passengers.
http://cnnphilippines.com/news/2015/09/18/At-least-15-passengers-injured-in-PAL-flight-turbulence.html

So what is clear air turbulence?

I kinda associate it with jetstream, but this is how wiki defined it

Clear-air turbulence (CAT) is the turbulent movement of air masses in the absence of any visual cues such as clouds, and is caused when bodies of air moving at widely different speeds meet
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clear-air_turbulence

CAT is not associated with clouds and cannot be detected visually or by conventional weather radar. It is for that reason that I tucked my belts on always, particularly on long haul flights.

[Evodesire]

I am hearing PAL is soon flying also to Kuwait and Doha. Can anyone confirm?

[Seven13]

KWI will probably be via DXB, JED I think will be via AUH. Can't confirm which is via which but flights will commence this October.

KLO-PEK will also commence

[chowpau]

CEBGO's callsign will be BlueJay but still retain SRQ/DG code.

[seven13]

Can't confirm that DOH will also be commencing this October. If it does, I think this one is routed via AUH. I'm not sure but AUH might become a red-eye flight departing MNL at 0030H.  

JED and KWI will be via DXB. DXB will now have 2 flight numbers, I think, PR658 and PR668.  

[Eurest]

With October a few days away, wouldn't the flights have been loaded onto GDS already so that the GSAs can sell them?

KWI, JED, and DOH are already served 1 stop via AUH with the EY codeshare.
I imagine it's more cost effective to sell seats on EY metal than fly the A333s the short hour to these destinations on a 1 stop basis.

[seven13]

Flights will commence on the first day of the winter schedule base on the schedule I saw. Neither any press release have been made by PAL. Winter sched haven't been uploaded yet on the website.

[Airboy007]

Crew schedules just got released.

Next month, we will see MNL-DXB-KWI-DXB-MNL, MNL-DXB-JED-DXB-MNL, MNL-AUH-DOH-AUH-MNL

[Eurest]

http://imgur.com/whRaQZW

It astounds me that around a decade and a few years back LT was apprehensive on crossing the Pacific with just 2 engines when choosing between the B77W and A346, and now PR will be doing Northern Polar Ops

The add'l meteorologists hired and being hired by PR will specialize on Space weather, particularly Solar Flares and Radiation for routing the vectors for MNL-JFK.
I wonder if the guys who specialized for the tech ops on SQ21/22 are available for PR

It will be interesting to see if PR schedules the reaction and recovery plan exercise prior to the Validation flight so it can carry revenue pax.

It seems PR will be indirectly benefitting from the Emiratization of Airbus and Boeing