First Philippine Airlines B777 Arrives in Los Angeles

The first Philippine Airlines Boeing 777-300ER arrived in Los Angeles on May 3, 2014 officially beginning the airline's transition to a modern, fuel efficient fleet on its United States routes following the announcement that the Philippines had been upgraded to Category 1 status by the US Federal Aviation Administration.

pal 777 los angeles
Copyright Photo: Speedbird HD/PPSG
The arrival of the first Boeing 777 marks the start of what will eventually become a full deployment of Boeing 777 aircraft on all routes to the United States including the existing destinations of San Francisco and Los Angeles. Flights to Honolulu and Guam will continue to be operated by Airbus aircraft. This also marks the end of the Boeing 747 era for Philippine Airlines as the carrier gradually phases out its remaining Boeing 747-400 aircraft.

Philippine Airlines currently operates 11 weekly flights to Los Angeles. Seven of the flights will initially be operated by the Boeing 777 aircraft while the remaining 4 weekly flights will be operated by a four-engined Airbus A340-300. Philippine Airlines intends to eventually operate 14 weekly flights between Manila and Los Angeles. 

The decision to switch from the ageing Boeing 747 aircraft is expected to save Philippine Airlines at least $100 million per year on fuel costs and an additional $60 million per year on maintenance. The modern Boeing 777 aircraft features lie-flat beds in Business Class and state-of-the-art amenities such as personal in-flight entertainment and on-board wireless internet.



Powered by Blogger.