Tickets issued before July 1 – but for travel from July 1 onward – still entitle the passenger to the free baggage weight limit of 70 pounds (32 kilograms) per piece.

Record-high fuel prices have forced PAL to follow the lead of most major carriers in reducing baggage allowance on trans-Pacific routes, as a way of cutting operational cost.

The six largest U.S. carriers have gone even further. American, United Airlines, Northwest Airlines, Delta Airlines, Continental and U.S. Airways have all recently imposed fees on checked baggage on domestic U.S. routes.

American Airlines and United Airlines now charge their economy-class passengers $15 each way for the first checked baggage and $25 for the second while Delta, Northwest and Continental bill $25 only for the second bag.

The others are expected to soon follow AA and UA’s lead in charging even the first piece of luggage, thus virtually eliminating free baggage allowance for economy fliers on interior U.S. routes.

The draconian measures are part of efforts by airlines worldwide to stay afloat in the face of surging fuel prices. Oil touched a record US$139.12 per barrel in trading last June 5 and currently trades (at press time) at around US$$134 per barrel.

Prices are double what they were a year ago and have surged six-fold since 2002. As a result, the International Air Transport Association has forecast a massive global industry loss of $6.1 billion this year, which itself is likely to be revised downward if oil prices continue to escalate.

Lawyer Domingo Duerme, PAL senior vice president for Mindanao said on Monday at the Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM’s Café Rysus that present Davao-Manila flights are full that is why they decided to add another flight that will depart from Davao at 9:35 in the evening.

Duerme said they will run the newest flight until June and if the demand for more seats continues then they will consider making it a regular route.

Starting April 24, he said the schedule for Davao Manila flights are as follows 7:30 am, 1:55 pm, 4:25 pm, 7:20 pm, 8:40 pm and 9:355 pm.

He said this would indicate that there are more travelers and more money will be coming in to Davao.

Duerme also said by June they will also serve other shorter routes like Cebu-Butuan, Cebu-Davao, Cebu-General Santos, Cebu-Cagayan, Cebu-Ozamis, Cebu-Zamboanga and Zamboanga-Davao.

To service these routes he said they had acquired Q 400. These are nine Canadian aircrafts (72-seaters) valued at $1.5 million.

He said this is the PAL Express will have its hub in Cebu because their maintenance facilities are already set up there. They might in the future consider Davao as their third hub but he said it is very expensive to set up one.

Duerme however said that they haven’t increased their fare and the promo rates are still being offered to the riding public.

He said although rising cost of fuel this could be one reason to increase its fares but so far they have not received orders to increase the fare rates.

After which normal flight schedule for January 18 are as follows:
Philippine Airlines

Air Philippines

Cebu Pacific

The schedule was furnished to PIA by the Department of Transportation and Communication and was confirmed as of January 11, 2008 by the respective airline representatives. DOTC however stressed that such schedule may change without prior notice and therefore advises the clients of the different airlines to confirm their flight schedules with their respective airlines or travel agents prior to their scheduled flight.

The flying public is also advised to check in at least two hours before their scheduled flight.

From the present airport in Bacolod City, it takes approximately an hour travel at 60kph during a light-moderate traffic situation but the flying public should consider extra time in going to the new airport in Brgy. Bagtic in Silay City.

DOTC will also install road signages and arrows leading to the New Bacolod-Silay Airport along the 4.7-kilometer of the McKinley Road to guide those coming to the new airport.

Separately, PAL also signed a letter of intent with GE Commercial Aviation Services for the lease of two B777-300ERs.

Deliveries will commence in the third quarter of 2009 and until 2011.

“Our future fleet of B777-300ERs will allow PAL to enhance its passenger service to the US, while providing superior efficiency in our operations,” said President Jaime Bautista.

The decision to acquire the two-class B777-300ERs, PAL’s first new widebody aircraft model in 12 years, signals the long-anticipated modernisation of the airline’s long-range fleet.

It follows on the heels of a similar upgrading of PAL’s single-aisle fleet, which started last Sep-06 with the arrival of the first of 20 new A320-family aircraft. Six of those aircraft are already in service and four more are arriving this year.

PAL’s widebody fleet currently comprises 17 aircraft: five B747-400s, four Airbus A340-300s and eight Airbus A330-300s.

About Philippine Airlines

The Philippine airlines are one that is also known as PAL and does service worldwide destinations. The Philippine airline is one of the oldest airlines that remain after the global changes in fuel costs, and in the rising safety concerns. The Philippines airlines services over fifty different destinations, some internationally. Manila is the home of the Philippine airlines. Direct competitors for the Philippine airlines are those from Japan and from China. Thousands fly the Philippine airlines weekly, making this one of the larger competitors in the worldwide market when you are thinking about airline travel.

Philippine airlines has been servicing flying needs since the early 1940’s making it Asia’s oldest airlines and one of the oldest in the world as well. There was a group of businessmen who started this airline, to service their own business traveling needs, and then as the needs increased to make a profit, the Philippine airline opened transportation to the paying public.

The Philippine airlines continually services the public needs. In history, the Philippine airlines had faced interruptions and shut downs during World War II. The first planes that were used in the Philippine airline company where the Beech Model 18 and the Douglas DC 3’s. These were some of the oldest airplanes, and are not used today. The Philippines airlines were the first to cross the Pacific. They did this by transporting a few Americans to California in the late 1940’s. Philippine airlines was the first to transport people between Manila and San Francisco, which was a very big accomplishment in that time of history when flying was still young compared to what we have today.

During the late 1970’s, the plane was redesigned and Philippines airlines expanded with the use of the Boeing 727, and the Boeing 747. The plane that was also known as the love bus was introduced into the fleet of the Philippine airlines, which was the Airbus A300. Airlines in Singapore always seemed to be just one step behind in attaining the planes and in expanding fleet services.

In the 1990’s the Philippine airlines was moved and sold to a company. Previously the Philippine airlines were a company, an airline that was controlled by the government. In the later years of 1990’s the first Airbus A340 was put into action in the Philippine airlines, and would expand that airlines ability in flying even further. During the early years of 2000, Philippine airlines had faced hard times, and were facing shut down. But, the company has rebounded, and continued to fly the skies every since as passengers were able to book flights online, and find tickets that were competitive on the Philippine airlines compared to other airlines that service the same areas.

During the early years of 2000, the Philippine airlines began servicing additional locations in the US, such as in Las Vegas. This allowed travelers additional choices in flying and making Philippine airlines one of the favorites, known more locally as PAL instead of the long name of Philippine airlines.

Written by Reidar Aas, webmaster and author of http://www.airlinebest.biz