By Nelson Alcantara l Special to eTN
Beaming with pride of Philippine Airlines’ achievements at the recently held World Travel Market in London was the vice president for the airline’s marketing support, Felix J. Cruz.  And why not, Asia’s first airline recently posted earnings of profit of $28.7 million on revenues of $1.24 billion for its fiscal year that ended last March 31, 2006.
So what’s next for Philippines’ flag carrier?  Cruz said the airline will be the sole carrier to offer business-class service on domestic routes with the launching of the flag carrier’s brand-new single-aisle fleet.

The first of the fleet’s 20 Airbus aircraft, an A319-100, was unveiled last month by Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in ceremonies at the main hangar of Lufthansa Technik Philippines in Pasay City.

That event marked the formal introduction of the A319, the first of 20 brand-new units belonging to the A320 family of single-aisle jets that will be delivered to PAL over the next six years.
Philippine Airlines said the package, costing upwards of $840 million, comprises a firm order for nine A320-200 aircraft plus options for five more A320s, all acquired from Airbus.  In addition, PAL will lease two brand-new A320s and four A319s from GE Commercial Aviation Services, the world’s largest aircraft lessor.

The airline also said the new fleet will be deployed mainly on the airline’s extensive domestic network.  It will also serve some Asian destinations. The new jets enable PAL to offer business-class service to all its 19 domestic points.  Previously, only the major trunk routes to Cebu, Davao, Puerto Princesa and General Santos consistently enjoyed the service.
The aircraft’s interior design is based on the theme of the Philippines’ scenic coastal areas, from the deep-blue upholstery with accents that mimic flecks of sand, to the palm-tree landscape design of the laminates, to the undulating wave pattern of the carpet, the interior scheme evokes the sky, sand and seas of the country.

In addition, all aircraft are outfitted with plush German-made Recaro seats.  Seat pitch is a generous 39 inches in business class (Mabuhay Class), which is equipped with Panasonic’s “eFX” inflight entertainment system, considered cutting-edge technology in the industry and capable of providing Audio/Video On-Demand (AVOD) to passengers, and 29 to 30 inches in economy class (Fiesta Class).
The airline added that its business class seats will feature personal TV and come with in-seat power supply that enables passengers to operate laptop computers continuously during flight.

The previous fiscal year was the airline’s most profitable year in over a decade.  PAL last reported a surplus exceeding $20 million in 1993, when it booked $40.5 million.