Another low-cost carrier enters RP travel market

By RACHEL C. BARAWID   http://www.mb.com.ph

Got a thousand pesos? Add a few extra bucks for airline taxes and fuel surcharges, and you’re well on your way aboard Hong Kong Airlines to the so-called entertainment capital of Asia.

 

Travel between Hong Kong and the Philippines has become more affordable today, with only or less than R1,000 (excluding airport taxes and surcharges) for a roundtrip fare, among the lowest offered in the market today. Thanks to the benefits of the booming low-cost carriers (LCC) industry in the country.

Hong Kong Airlines, the latest international airline to join the LCC bandwagon servicing the Philippines, recently began its Clark-Hong Kong daily flights via the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) in Clark Freeport, Pampanga.

The introductory roundtrip ticket includes food and refillable drinks on board brand-new Boeing 737-800 planes and free shuttle service for passengers coming from Metro Manila.

Soon, Hong Kong Airlines passengers will also be granted additional 10 kilos on top of its regular 20-kilo baggage allowance, 50 percent more than usual baggage allocation offered by other airlines.

Hong Kong Airlines Limited managing director Li Qiang is confident that the daily flights, launched in December, will increase passenger volume to and from Clark in the coming months.

According to Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) president Jose Victor Luciano, both the Philippines and China will benefit from the regular HK flights.

“Twenty million people in Central and Northern Luzon will now have easy and affordable gateway to Hong Kong. At the same time, tourist arrivals to the country is expected to increase with the growing number of Chinese travelers, estimated at 40 million outbound travelers a year, who are given another cheaper option to come to the Philippines,” he said.

 

HK TO BORACAY, CEBU, ETC.

Meanwhile, Li announced that the HK-based airline will become the first international carrier to do multipoint destinations in the country as part of its expansion efforts here. The airline will soon have direct flights from Hong Kong to top tourist destinations like Boracay via Kalibo, Aklan, Legaspi (Bicol), Bohol, Palawan, Davao, Cebu and Manila.

With these additional routes, Li said more people specially from the provinces will gain access to international gateways in Hong Kong and the rest of Asia.

“The routing strategy brings Filipino passengers from the islands directly to the airports of their international destinations, providing seamless travel and at the same time, decentralizes congestion and traffic on the country’s major airports.

Hong Kong Airlines also flies to Thailand, Vietnam, Korea, Japan, Cambodia, Singapore, Myanmar and to 10 other key cities in mainland China namely: Guilin, Changsa, Qingdao, Nanning, Kunming, Haikou, Sanya, Tianjin, Xiamen and Fuzhou.

Since its establishment in 2001, the young airline company is fast gaining reputation and a growing number of passengers due to its all new, advanced fleet of Boeing 737-800 aircraft, aggressive promotion and alliances, unique and ambitious vision, frequency of flights, and high quality of service.

Although not a budget carrier, Hong Kong Airlines aims “to expand globally as Hong Kong’s second flag carrier and become the most important means of transportation to connect mainland China to the rest of the world.”

 

RP’S LCC CAPITAL

Meanwhile, the DMIA, dubbed as the Budget Airlines Capital of the Philippines, recently reinforced this image after bagging the Low-Cost Airport of the Year 2006 Award.

Luciano received the award from the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) during a gala dinner of the Aviation Outlook Summit in Singapore last November last year. The award cited DMIA for its contribution to the regional aviation industry.

Since its inception a few years after the devastating Mt. Pinatubo eruption in 1991, the DMIA has now emerged as the second busiest airport in the Philippines.

Luciano said CIAC is planning to expand DMIA’s existing terminal to increase passenger capacity from 500,000 a year to about 2.1 million passengers annually in 2008.

In 2006, DMIA recorded over 480,000 international and domestic passengers. Per week, DMIA receives an average of 126 international and domestic passenger flights and cargo flights. Among the budget airlines regularly flying to Clark include Tiger Airways of Singapore, Air Asia Berhad of Malaysia, Asiana of South Korea, South East Asian Airlines, and Cebu Pacific.

(For Hong Kong Airline passengers who want to avail of the free shuttle services to DMIA in Clark, pick-up time is at 9 a.m. at Cafe Adriatico, Malate on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and at 2 p.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays.)

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