Filipino News (Focus Pilipinas Edition) 2018

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Checking out PAL’s new
tri-class Airbus 330-300
By MEL FERNANDEZ
AUCKLAND –
Philippine Airlines has
been on a roll with its
nonstop Auckland-
Manila route which commenced
on 4 December
2017.
In the first month of
operation the load factor
on the 254-seat A340-300s
utilised for the sector
peaked above the 90%
mark, says PAL president
Jaime Bautista. He added
that in January 2018 it
was around 80%.
As the route was performing
better than
expected Auckland needed
to be upgraded to a
A330 aircraft.
The shift to this deluxe
aircraft on 17th June
increased overall capacity
by 22% and PAL hopes it
will help stimulate leisure
and business travel.
Media, travel agents
and key resource people
were invited to check out
the new plane when it
landed at Auckland
Airport.
Aside from the fact that
this big bird can fly to
Manila non-stop in 9
hours we saw for ourselves
some of the luxurious
offerings in the A330.
The original 414 economy
seats have been
replaced with three new
cabin sections, resulting
in a more spacious cabin
of only 309 seats.
There are fewer seats in
each row and all fullyequipped
with in-seat
video monitors, offering
more legroom and fewer
seats on each row.
The 24 Premium
Economy seats features
more legroom, special
footrests, extra incline on
wider seats and 13.3-inch
personal video screens.
And the A330’s business
class has full-flat
seats each with direct
access to the aisle, privacy
dividers, enhanced
reading lights, a pneumatic
air cushion with
massage functions and
18.5-inch video screens.
We are looking forward
to bringing you a flight
check report in the near
future.
In February this year
PAL was certified as a 4-
Star airline by Skytrax,
the international air
transport rating organisation.
PAL joins 40 other wellrenowned
airlines in this
prestigious category.
It is the first and only
airline in the Philippines
to have a 4-
Star Rating.
P A L
achieved this
coveted rating
after Skytrax conducted
a rigorous
audit of the airline's
inflight and on ground
service for both international
and domestic
flights and noted major
enhancements on its endto-end
passenger experience
and distinct wholehearted
service called
Buong Pusong Alaga.
“This is a big win for
the Philippines,” said
PAL Chairman & CEO
Dr. Lucio C. Tan.
“We
are elated by
this recognition which is a
victory for the more than
seven thousand members
of the Philippine Airlines
family.
“Our achievement is
the country's achievement
and we share this
with all Filipinos around
the globe.”
More Filipinos support Boracay closure
BORACAY ISLAND - Malacañang
has welcomed the
latest Social Weather Stations
(SWS) survey, saying that the
majority of Filipinos support
the full closure of Boracay
Island to pave the way for a
government initiated rehabilitation.
“The Palace feels vindicated
and welcomes the support of
the people,” Presidential
Spokesperson Harry Roque
said in a message to Palace
reporters.
According to the March 23-
27 SWS survey, 64 percent of
the 1,200 respondents agreed
that the six-month rehabilitation
should be extended to a
year for the full rehabilitation
of the island.
Only 16 percent disagreed,
while 20 percent were undecided.
The poll also showed that 61
percent of Filipinos believed
that the temporary shutdown
would increase the number of
tourists in the future, while 16
percent disagreed and 23 percent
were undecided.
The closure of Boracay got
the biggest support from
Metro Manila, with 71 percent
of respondents saying that it
would help rehabilitate the
beauty of the island, while 64
percent from both the balance
of Luzon and Mindanao and
61 percent from the Visayas
also agreed to it.
The six-month Boracay closure
started on April 26, the
CLEAN-UP work at Boracay Island starts in earnest
same date President Rodrigo
Duterte signed Proclamation
No. 475 placing three Boracay
villages, namely Balaag,
Manoc-Manoc and Yapak,
under a state of calamity for a
year.
Duterte had earlier described
Boracay Island, known
for its powdery white sands, as
a “cesspool” due to its worsening
sewage problem.
Just two months after the
rehabilitation work started,
Malacañang expressed hope
that Boracay’s pristine waters
will be enjoyed by tourists in
the future, following the sighting
of a whale shark two weeks
ago.
“That shows that the efforts
to clean up Boracay have succeeded,”
Roque said.
An inter-agency task force
headed by the Department of
Environment and Natural
Resources has been tasked by
Duterte to reverse the degradation
of Boracay Island.
(PNA)
Check out our indepth report on
the situation in Boracay Island
on www.travelgalore.nz