Cebu Pacific beats Philippine Airlines in global flight rankings

MANILA, Philippines - Gokongwei-led Cebu Pacific Air Inc. has overtaken flag carrier Philippine Airlines in the latest rankings of the Official Airline Guide, which claims to be the world’s foremost source of travel planning and booking tools. The budget carrier now ranks 65th with 1,665 flights, seven notches higher than Lucio Tan-led PAL with 1,566 flights, based on OAG’s data as of June this year. Philippine Airlines declined to comment about this matter. Cebu Pacific’s leadership was the result of its “sustained focus on offering the newest planes and the lowest possible fares to its passengers," the company said in a statement. It has ordered 15 new Airbus A320 aircraft for delivery from 2010 until 2013 with an option to buy five more, a move that will allow the company to increase its passengers by more than a third. It plans to carry nine million passengers this year, 34.33 percent more than 2008’s 6.7 million. By 2013, the airline expects to run and own a total of 27 Airbus aircraft and 10 turbo-prop ATRs, a small plane that can carry less than 100 passengers on short-haul flights. “With low fares, new planes, and the convenience we offer by flying from four hubs – which allowed direct flights within regions and did away with flying via Manila – the company offers what the people want and need," Candice Iyog, Cebu Pacific’s vice president for marketing and distribution said. Cebu Pacific, which claims to be 40 percent cheaper than its rivals, mounts flights from Manila, Cebu, Davao, and Clark, flying a total of 1,401-times weekly within the Philippines and a total of 264-times weekly in Asia. Since its maiden flight in 1996, Cebu Pacific has become Asia’s third largest low-cost carrier. It serves 32 domestic destinations and flies to 14 cities in Asia 1,665 times weekly. The airline has also pioneered several industry offerings including in-flight fun games, e-tickets, online booking, and even cheaper fares when traveling without any check-in bag, among others. - GMANews.TV