PAL sees brighter prospects ahead

MANILA, Philippines—Philippine Airlines (PAL) believes that the people’s confidence in the flag carrier has returned, boosting its prospects in the coming year.

Operations have already returned to normal in time for the holidays, usually one of the busiest times of the year for local airlines, the company yesterday said.

The airline of tycoon Lucio Tan said that the public’s warm reception of its “12 days of Christmas” ticket sale showed that passengers were no longer concerned about flight disruptions that plagued PAL’s operations in the last 12 months.

Trouble came to a head last September when PAL was forced to cancel all flights for an entire day when workers staged a “wildcat strike,” to protest the company plan to retrench employees.

“Thousands of holiday travelers are availing of the giveway fares since the promo started Dec. 14, more than a month after PAL returned to normal operations since the labor tumult that disrupted the airline’s outsourcing program,” the company yesterday said in a statement.

Under the 12 Days of Christmas promo, PAL is offering low priced tickets for all its international and domestic destinations until Dec. 26—as low as $30 to Hong Kong, $48 to Singapore, $498 to the US or P788 to any destination in Luzon. Travel period is from Jan. 10 to March 15. The ticket sale is on a first-come, first-serve basis.

As a special treat, PAL is also giving surprise “add-ons” or “sweeteners” everyday on top of promo fares.

Daily surprise treats are announced in newspapers, the PAL website and Facebook page. The heavily discounted, round-trip tickets exclude fuel surcharges and government taxes.