BEYOND ASIA Cebu Pacific’s homegrown rival PAL resumed its flights to London in November 2013 after a 15-year hiatus and just four months after it was stricken off the EU blacklist. Next week, on March 15, the Lucio Tan-led airline will start its four-times weekly service to New York City, its fifth US destination after Los Angeles, San Francisco, Honolulu and Guam. Cebu Pacific meanwhile had spent the past months charting not its path to US and European cities, but expanding its long-haul network to include Kuwait (September 2014), Sydney (September 2014), and Riyadh (October 2014), after a successful flight debut in Dubai in October 2013. Mr. Reyes said in his e-mail reply that Cebu Pacific “has made an application to the FAA for permits to fly to US,” citing two routes: Hawaii and Guam. “While the FAA lifted Philippines from Category 2 (no new flights or new services) to Category 1 (meets international safety regulations), that only removed one regulatory hurdle,” he said. “We have the economic permit (from US Department of Transportation). We would need an operating permit from FAA and several other approvals from other US agencies.” How long that will take is unclear, with the airline silent about the timetable. What is clear is that Cebu Pacific has not made new orders yet for jets with a range beyond the 11-12 hours the airline has been accustomed to. Continue reading...
I flew PAL Manila - London last Sunday and will fly back this coming Saturday. I truly felt like a step back to the 80s. Not like getting into an old plane from the 80s, as it was all new and fresh, but the interior was from the 80s era. No personal inflight entertainment system. Not even the personal LCD screens that comes down from overhead, but the bulky big CRT in the center. Even in business class they had this. On a 14:40 hour flight that was quite painful.
Yeah, and the prices aren't that much cheaper. I'll pay an extra $100 to fly with another airline. Emirates and Singapore Airlines are my first choices. I avoid any US based airliners as well, their flight attendants need a serious attitude adjustment.
