Philippine Airlines (PAL), the Philippine flag carrier has brought back its business class service in Dubai responding to the increased demand for premium leisure and corporate travel market among locals and expatriates in the region.
TTN has been informed that the premium service will feature 20.6-inch-wide seat, which converts into fully flat bed, access to airport business class lounges, 64-kg baggage allowance (32kg x 2 pieces), inflight entertainment, free on-board wi-fi and a business travel kit.
PAL will fly its 368-seater, A330 aircraft with 18 seats for business class with a direct aisle access through a 1 aisle-2 seat-1 aisle layout. Flights leave Dubai at 5:25 am and arrive in Manila at 6:25pm.
Genaro “Bong” C. Velasquez, PAL Senior Asst. Vice-president and regional manager for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), said: “PAL’s re-launch of business class service is in response to the growing international holiday makers and corporate travellers in the Gulf region. Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Riyadh, Jeddah and Damman will also have business class flights in the next three months.”
The flag carrier also reported that it is seeing a 50 per cent increase in Dubai-Manila carriage in the second quarter of the year compared to the same period last year. The increase in the passenger load is attributed to PAL’s more aggressive promotion of the airline services as the preferred carrier of choice for expatriates as well as the Philippines as a holiday destination.
International visitors from the Middle East have seen a consistent upward trajectory, growing by 9.6 per cent in 2015 at 83,546 over 2014. Tourist arrivals from Saudi Arabia and the UAE, the Philippines’ two largest markets in the region were at 50,884 and 16,881, respectively, according to latest data from the Philippine Department of Tourism.
Velasquez added, “Industry estimates show that outbound travel from the Middle East is growing 9 per cent year-on year, and is slated to reach $165.3 billion by 2025, and Philippines can have a fair share in that pie.”
PAL has been servicing the Middle East for 38 years since 1979 through flights in Bahrain, followed by Dahran, Saudi Arabia. It first flew to Dubai in 1982. The airline connects 30 domestic and 44 international destinations.