PAL flights between Cebu and LA to start March 2016

Philippine Airlines will start offering nonstop flights between Cebu and Los Angeles on March 15 next year, as part of the flag carrier's expansion of route operations to the US.

The direct flight between Cebu and Los Angeles will take off three times a week, according to a statement PAL released on Thursday. The airline will use the Airbus A340 with 36 lie-flat seats for the business class and 218 regular economy seats for the new service.

"Our customers in the Visayas and Mindanao have long clamored for direct flights between Cebu and the US due to the travel convenience this will bring," PAL president and COO Jaime Bautista said.

"One can simply take a short hop to Cebu from any point in the Visayas and Mindanao and connect to Los Angeles, instead of flying all the way to Manila," he added.

The flag carrier currently offers 35 weekly flights to US states and territories. From Manila, the airline operates 11 flights to Los Angeles, 10 to San Francisco, four to New York and five each to Guam and Honolulu.

The new service will bring to 34 the total number of international flights in the Mactan Cebu International Airport, which is considered a major hub next to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila. —Keith Richard Mariano/NB, GMA News