PAL resumes flights to Brisbane after 12 years

Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) is expanding operations in Australia by flying to Brisbane beginning next month, despite challenges in the airline travel sector. In a statement, the Lucio Tan-led carrier said it would offer an introductory rate of $552 for a round-trip flight, which is available for sale until Feb. 15. The discounted price is valid for travel from Manila between April 5 and Aug. 31. "The new Brisbane service marks PAL’s return to the Queensland capital after a 12-year absence and underscores the airline’s commitment to its customers in Australia despite the global economic downturn," the airline said in a statement on Wednesday. The twice-weekly Brisbane flights will start on March 17. PAL will use its 300-seat Airbus 320 aircraft, previously used for its Sydney service, for flights to Brisbane. The Sydney route, meanwhile, will be served by PAL's Boeing 777 jet, the company's new flagship aircraft. "The restoration of Brisbane to the network completes our comeback in Australia, following the return of Sydney and Melbourne in recent years," PAL said. "It presents an excellent opportunity to build business, trade and tourism links between the Philippines and Queensland," it added. The new service opens access for visitors from the Philippines to the popular Gold Coast tourist destination near Brisbane. PAL said it would also be looking at tapping the huge Filipino migrant community in Queensland, as well as the leisure, business and cargo traffic outside the state. "We also see an opportunity to provide Australian travelers, via our convenient connections in Manila, services between Brisbane and destinations in North Asia like Japan, China and Korea. Travelers can expect to shave hours off current travel time to these points," the airline said. PAL first flew to Brisbane on June 5, 1985. In succeeding years, the city formed a key part, along with Sydney and Melbourne, of the airline’s multi-legged operations to Australia. But commercial and operational difficulties spawned by the Asian financial crisis of 1997 forced the flag carrier to shut down its Australian services on June 5, 1998. Brisbane becomes PAL’s 25th international destination in a gradually expanding route network. PAL will also resume flights to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia later in March. It also flies to 20 local destinations. — NPA, GMANews.TV