PAL expands Japan service, adds Haneda flights

Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) is expanding its routes to Japan by mounting flights to Haneda and adding services to Narita by end-March.

 

In a statement Thursday, PAL said it will start flying to Haneda, also known as Tokyo International Airport, starting March 30.

 

"Starting March, [PAL will fly] twice a day to Tokyo Haneda and three times a day to Narita," president and COO Ramon S. Ang told GMA News Online in a text message.

 

Haneda is PAL's fifth gateway to Japan after Narita, Fukuoka, Osaka and Nagoya, making the flag carrier the biggest Philippine operator to and from Japan with 47 flights a week. 

 

Haneda is one of the two premier airports servicing the Greater Tokyo Area and is considered the world’s most slot-restrictive airport and a prime business hub. It has one domestic and two international passenger terminals and connects conveniently to the Tokyo monorail.

 

“The new service makes PAL the exclusive operator on the Haneda-Manila route. This route forms part of PAL’s network expansion aimed at providing our passengers more and better choices,” Ang said in a statement.

 

PAL is also upgrading its inflight menu with the introduction of Bento Box meals on all flights to and from Japan. 

 

Asked if PAL will add more flights to Japan, Ang said: "Yes."

 

The flag carrier is expanding its presence in Japan, citing a strong market demand.

 

Japan is the third biggest source of visitors to the Philippines equivalent to 329,008 visitors or  9.38 percent of the total as of end-September 2013, according to Tourism Department data. – VS,GMA News