Airline Profile: Philippine Airlines
The Facts:
| Alliance | N/A |
| Competitors | Cebu Pacific AirAsia |
| Fleet Count | About 63 (+ 30 PAL Express) |
| Founded | 1941 |
| Frequent Flyer Program | Mabuhay Miles |
| Headquarters | Manila |
| Hubs | Ninoy Aquino International Airport Clark International Airport Mactan–Cebu International Airport Francisco Bangoy International Airport |
| Parent Company | PAL Holdings |
| Skytrax Rating | 4 (out of 5) |
| Subsidiaries | PAL Express |
| Travel Classes | Economy Class Premium Economy Business Class |
| Type of Airline | Full Service |
| Website | philippineairlines.com |
Analysis:
5 Things You Need To Know About Philippine Airlines
- US Flights: Philippine Airlines is the only airline which flies nonstop from The Philippines to North America and therefore has a monopoly on it. The airline does have a sizable presence in the US, especially on the west coast, which makes sense, given the US’ large Filipino population. Philippine Airlines flies from its main hub in Manila nonstop to Los Angeles up to 3x daily on the Boeing 777-300ER, San Francisco 2x daily (also on the 777), Vancouver 1x daily (777), Honolulu 1x daily (on the Airbus A330), New York JFK 1x daily (on the A350-900; it also is the world’s 8th longest flight), and to Toronto 1x (also on the A350). Additionally, Philippine Airlines did recently announce that it would be adding two new routes this year; from Manila to Seattle 3x weekly on the A350 and will be resuming flights from Cebu to Los Angeles 3x weekly on the 777.
- Route Network: Besides its US flights, Philippine Airlines mainly flies within the Philippines. Much of the domestic network is operated by its subsidiary, PAL Express, which operates a fleet of Bombardier Q400s and A320s. The airline also has a sizable operation in East and Southeast Asia, flying to destinations such as Singapore, Beijing, Jakarta, Tokyo, and even Guam. Philippine Airlines also flies to four (well, technically five if you include Port Moresby) destinations in Oceania, including Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland, and Brisbane, all of which are operated by A330s, save the flight to Brisbane, which is operated by an A321 (they also will begin flights to Perth this year). Unsurprisingly, given the large Filipino populations in the Middle East, Philippines Airlines operates flights to four destinations on the Arabian Peninsula–Dubai, Doha, Riyadh, and Dammam. Lastly, Philippine Airlines only flies to one destination in Europe, London Heathrow, although they did also historically operate flights to Paris until the late 1990s.
- Mileage Program: Philippine Airlines’ rewards program is called Mabuhay Miles, although it’s one of the most challenging rewards programs to earn miles in. Since Mabuhay Miles isn’t a transfer partner of any points currencies (such as Amex, Chase, Citi, Marriott, etc.), the only way to earn Mabuhay Miles is to fly on Philippine Airlines or on their partner flights – which there aren’t too many of, as they aren’t in any alliance and don’t codeshare with many airlines. However, they do have a very lucrative awards chart, as it only costs 58,000 miles to fly one-way in business class from Asia to the West Coast of North America and London and 67,000 miles to fly from Asia to the East Coast. So if you do happen to fly Philippine Airlines a lot, there are quite a few good redemption opportunities in the program. However, if you don’t have any Mabuhay Miles, Philippine Airlines does often have reasonably priced one-way flights from Asia to North America in the ≈ $1,000-$1,300 ballpark. You can also use ANA miles, transferrable from Amex and Marriott to fly from the US from 95,000 miles round-trip which is excellent.
- Fleet: Philippine Airlines operates a mixed Boeing and Airbus fleet, although the vast majority of their aircraft are from Airbus. The backbone of their short-medium haul fleet is the Airbus A321 series; the company operates 10 Airbus A320s and 24 Airbus A321s, and has also ordered 21 A321neos, 7 of which have been delivered. Philippine Airlines configured six of their A321neos in a medium-haul configuration with flatbed seats in business class and are used on longer flights, including on their flights to Brisbane. Their long-haul fleet consists of 15 Airbus A330-300s, 7 of which are in a high-density configuration and are used for their Middle Eastern flights and 8 of which are configured in a less high-density configuration. Philippine Airlines also operates 10 Boeing 777-300ERs which it primarily uses for its US flights and 6 Airbus A350-900s which it uses for its longest flights. Philippine Airlines used to operate a fleet of 6 ex-Iberia A340-300s until 2018, although they were recently replaced by the A350s.
- Hubs: As you probably would expect, Philippine Airlines’ largest hub is at Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport. Manila Airport currently is the only hub which Philippine Airlines operates long-haul flights out of, although the company will resume long haul flights to Los Angeles out of Cebu, a flight it ceased operating in 2017. Philippine Airlines operates a very large domestic network out of its hub in Manila, along with its secondary hubs in Cebu, at Angeles’ Clark International Airport, and at Davao City’s Bangoy International Airport. Philippine Airlines operates very few international flights out of its other hubs, although it does operate a few regional international flights out of Cebu and Angeles, such as its flights from Cebu to Osaka, Seoul, and Tokyo.
Travel Classes
Economy Class
Economy class is in a 2-2 configuration on all Q400s, a 3-3 configuration on all A320 series aircraft, a 2-4-2 configuration on non-high density A330s, a 3-3-3 configuration on all high-density A330s and A350s, and in a 3-4-3 configuration on all Boeing 777-300ERs. Personal on-demand entertainment of decent quality (on average 120 movies) is available on all Airbus A321neos, non-high-density A330-300s, A350-900s, and 777-300ERs, while personal device streaming entertainment is available on Philippine Airlines’ A330-300s. Additionally, Philippine Airlines offers 30 minutes or 15MB of free WiFi to all passengers (you can purchase more time or data) on all A330-300s and A350-900s, A321neos, and 777-300ERs. I have to commend Philippine Airlines for having WiFi on all of their medium to long haul aircraft and offering at least some data for free, as that’s something even many US and European airlines don’t do.
Unfortunately, power outlets aren’t available on any Philippine Airlines flights, so make sure to charge up your devices before the flight or to bring a portable charger, although USB ports are available on all A350s and A321neos. Free meals and beverages are served on all Philippine Airlines international flights, and snacks are provided for free on all domestic flights longer than 45 minutes. Complimentary pillows and blankets are available on all long-haul flights, along with amenity kits consisting of eye-shades, socks, and a toothbrush set are available on ultra-long-haul flights. Baggage allowance varies greatly on Philippine Airlines depending on where your flight is originating or departing to, although on flights to the US and Canada, passengers can check 2 23kg (50lbs) bags, which I find to be very generous.
You may have noticed earlier in this section that Philippine Airlines’ high density A330s are in a 3-3-3 configuration, which is very tight, with only 16 inches of width; the industry standard for A330s is a 2-4-2 configuration. Only a couple of other airlines have economy class in a 3-3-3 configuration on A330s… AirAsia and Cebu Pacific come to mind. Philippine Airlines uses those aircraft on some domestic or short-haul flights along with all of its flights to the Middle East. Those aircraft also don’t have power ports or personal on-demand entertainment, so without a doubt, you should try and avoid Philippine Airlines’ A330s in economy class, unless it’s by far the most convenient option. However, please note that these aircraft do have an extra-legroom economy class section which can be selected for a fee, though they still are in a 3-3-3 configuration.
Premium Economy
Philippine Airlines currently offers premium economy on all long-haul flights onboard non-high-density A330-300s and onboard all Airbus A350-900s, along with a separate product on some domestic flights. Because of this, premium economy isn’t offered on Middle Eastern flights or on most of their flights to the US, which are operated on 777s, although they are available on flights to New York, Toronto, and London (onboard the A350) and on the Auckland, Sydney, and Melbourne flights (onboard the A330), along with some regional A330-operated flights. On long-haul flights, premium economy is in a 2-3-2 configuration onboard the A330 and is in a 2-4-2 configuration onboard the A350. The seats are larger than economy class seats and seem to be slightly above average in terms of premium economy seats, as they have leg rests, food rests, extra recline, legroom (38-inches), and extra seat width, along with personal entertainment screens, USB ports, and power outlets. Premium economy passengers on long-haul flights also receive larger pillows and blankets than in economy class, amenity kits, and slightly better food, along with premium check-in and baggage handling.
A different premium economy product is also featured on some of Philippine Airlines’ domestic routes, including some operated with Q400s, A320s, A321s, and A330s. The seats themselves are identical to economy class, although they are equipped with extra legroom. In addition, domestic premium economy passengers can also expect priority check-in and baggage handling, free drinks, in addition to (and I quote): a “Light yet hearty hot sandwich.“
Mabuhay Business Class
Business class (branded as Mabuhay Business Class) is featured on all of Philippine Airlines’ long-haul aircraft (A330s, A350s, 777s) and A321s, along with some of the company’s Airbus A320s. The airline offers pillows and blankets on longer routes in business class, although it does not offer mattress pads. Additionally, power outlets are available on all of Philippine Airlines’ A330s, 777s, A350s, and A321s (both the -ceo and -neo variants, to all my avgeeks out there).
Business class passengers can also expect meals on all flights (although possibly not on some of the shortest domestic flights), including an impressive dine on-demand service on long-haul flights, which allows you to eat almost whenever you want onboard. L’Occitane Amenity kits are also given out on all long-haul flights. Business class passengers are also entitled to priority boarding, check-in, and baggage handling, along with having a baggage limit of 2 32kg (70lbs) bags on North American flights. Finally, business class passengers also have access to Philippine Airlines’ PAL lounges, which are located at 13 locations worldwide (link here). Philippine Airlines has an astounding eight different business class hard products, which I will describe and rank in detail below. What’s also interesting is that the airline seems to have chosen a different manufacturer for every new product introduced, which is even more rare.
- Recliner (Old-Style): On all of Philippine Airlines’ A320s and A321ceos, business class is equipped with old-style recliner seats in a 2-2 configuration. These seats are pretty bare bones and don’t have personal on-demand entertainment or in-flight WiFi, although their A321s do feature personal power ports. Unfortunately, the seats aren’t equipped with leg rests or foot rests; they are nearly identical to intra-North American business class on US airlines. The seats aren’t groundbreaking or amazing, although they should be acceptable enough, as Philippine Airlines only uses aircraft with these seats on short-haul flights.
Rockwell Collins MiQ: While the first of Philippine Airlines’ A321neos were in a medium-haul configuration with flatbed seats in business class, their most recent A321neos are in a regional configuration. Business class on these aircraft features the very popular Collins MiQ seat, which is featured either in long-haul premium economy or short-haul business class on many airlines. Philippine Airlines opted to install a more high-end version of these seats on their A321neos, with leg rests, lots of recline, personal on-demand entertainment, and power outlets. The seats should also be more than adequate for the short-haul flights which the aircraft operate on.
- Angle-Flat Business Class: Philippine Airlines’ first six 777s aircraft are actually equipped with a different business class product than their newer 777s (this is where it starts to get confusing). While Philippine Airlines technically has two different business class products on their 777s (this product on the older six and a different one on the newer four), they are in the exact same configuration (they have the same seat map), which means that there is no way to tell weather you will get the new or old business class product. Their older business class is in a 2-3-2 configuration and is slightly angled (picture link here). The product looks very similar to the B/E Aerospace Minipod seats, although the seats actually aren’t the same. The seats also are equipped with personal on-demand entertainment. Unfortunately, these aircraft are used on some of their longest flights to San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Vancouver and you can’t tell which routes on which day will get the older aircraft with the worse seats, so it’s just the luck of the draw.
- Stelia Equinox 3D: All of Philippine Airlines’ high-density A330-300s are equipped with 18 Stelia Equinox seats, which are in a somewhat bizarre configuration. The seats are in a 2-2-2 configuration, and while they do lie completely flat, one seat moves up so the flatbed seat becomes flat much further up than the other seat, making the configuration quite awkward (I know, it’s hard to explain, but here’s a good picture showcasing the seats). Because of the weird high density configuration, these seats aren’t as comfortable as some other flatbed products. Unfortunately, personal on-demand entertainment is not available on these aircraft, although personal tablets are handed out. These seats are mostly used on Philippine Airlines’ flights to the Middle East, although they are also used on some short-haul flights. Royal Air Maroc uses these same seats on their 787s and Air Caraïbes uses these seats on their A350s.
- Rockwell Collins Diamond: Philippine Airlines’ medium-haul Airbus A321neos are equipped with Rockwell Collins Diamond seats, which are also found on some of United’s 757s, 767s, and 777s, along with on countless other airlines. The seats are in a 2-2-2 configuration and can transform into fully flat beds. The seats are also equipped with personal on-demand entertainment and power ports. These seats are used on some of Philippine Airlines’ medium haul routes to places such as Brisbane and are more than adequate for the routes which they are used on.
- Safran Aura: Philippine Airlines installed a different business class seat onboard their newest four 777-300ERs, despite the aircraft actually having the same seat map as their older 777s. However, the new seats are a significant improvement. Philippine Airlines uses the Zodiac Aura Enhanced seat on their 777-300ERs, which turn into fully flat beds and are also equipped with privacy partitions, personal entertainment screens, and power outlets. While the seats aren’t as private as other seats on the market, they are spacious, give the cabin a very open feel, and don’t have restrictive footwells (like in the Collins Diamond seat), which makes the seats favored among many travelers.
Thompson Vantage XL: In 2017, Philippine Airlines introduced their new flagship business class seat, which is featured on their 8 non-high-density A330-300s and onboard all of their A350-900s. The seats are in a staggered 1-2-1 configuration and are also available on many other airlines, such as on SAS’ A330s and A340s, Qantas’ 787s and A330s, LATAM’s 767s and 777s, Delta’s A350s and 777s, and South African’s A330-300s. Having flown on them myself on South African Airways last year, the seats are very spacious, private, and have tons of storage; the seats are definitely among the world’s best (off-the-shelf) business class seats in the world. The seats are also equipped with personal on-demand entertainment and power ports. Fortunately, these seats are available on Philippine Airlines’ longest flights (their A350 flights to New York, Toronto, and London), along with on most of Philippine Airlines’ Australia and New Zealand flights and some regional routes onboard the A330.
Have you ever flown on Philippine Airlines? Share about your experience below in the comments section!
