Philippine Airlines Leases Two Additional 777 Aircraft

Philippine Airlines has revealed that it signed off on a deal to lease two additional Boeing 777-300ER aircraft as it seeks to standardize its long-haul product. In an interview with the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation in Miami, PAL President Jaime Bautista indicated that the national carrier will accept delivery of the new aircraft in 2016.

philippine airlines boeing 777
Copyright Photo: Angelo Agcamaran/PPSG
Since re-gaining control of Philippine Airlines, the Lucio Tan Group under the leadership of Bautista, has been eager to provide a standard product across its entire long-haul network. The network, which includes five destinations in North America and one in Europe, is currently served by a combination of Boeing 777-300ER and A340-300 aircraft. 

The Boeing 777 aircraft in the Philippine Airlines fleet offers a far superior product to its ageing A340 counterpart. While the Boeing 777 is equipped with angle-flat seating in Business Class and individual in-flight entertainment screens at every seat across all classes, the thirteen to sixteen year old A340 aircraft has old recliner style seats in Business Class, no power outlets, and overhead monitors for entertainment.

The Boeing 777 aircraft were originally ordered by the Lucio Tan Group in 2007. The order was for two aircraft plus two options, while a further two were acquired under a lease agreement. Both options were exercised, which brought the Philippine Airlines fleet of Boeing 777 aircraft up to six planes, with the most recent being delivered in 2013.

The Boeing 777 aircraft in the PAL fleet are all equipped with 370 seats. The Business Class cabin features 42 angle-flat seats in Business Class and 328 seats in Economy Class with ten seats across. According to Bautista, the two additional Boeing 777 aircraft arriving in 2016 will be delivered in the same 370-seat configuration.

It is believed that Philippine Airlines will eventually use the two new aircraft to operate all flights from Manila to Los Angeles and San Francisco with a Boeing 777 product. The 777 fleet currently operates seven weekly flights to San Francisco and six weekly flights to Los Angeles. The remaining five weekly flights to Los Angeles and three weekly flights to San Francisco are operated using the older A340 aircraft. 

Philippine Airlines began operating the Boeing 777 to Los Angeles and San Francisco in May 2014 after the United States lifted the Category 2 restrictions. This enabled Philippine Airlines to retire the fuel-inefficient Boeing 747 fleet. However, it led to product inconsistency on both routes as the on-board product now varies according to which aircraft operates the route.

According to the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation, offering a standardized product to Los Angeles and San Francisco, which are the two largest international markets for Philippine Airlines, could help to improve passenger satisfaction and boost sales. If Philippine Airlines transitioned both California routes to Boeing 777 aircraft, the only remaining A340 routes left would be Manila to London and Manila to New York via Vancouver.

Alternatively, Philippine Airlines could also use the additional Boeing 777-300ER aircraft on the Manila to New York via Vancouver route. However, this would prevent the national carrier from upgrading its remaining Los Angeles and San Francisco flights that are operated by the A340.

16 comments:

  1. Delivery of 2016 means January of 2016 right? Jaime?

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  2. if the fare is the same for LAX to MNL on B-777 as the A-340 why would i want to fly on the older airplane with less comfort? Book my flight on the B-777 plane. Take care of the passengers that are paying the bills for your airline.

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    1. Definitely agree with you and PLEASE..IMPROVE on board services hire a lot of hard working and kind FA'S! were's the old Filipino hospitality gone PAL other asian airlines do it much better than your's.

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  3. I will fly the A340-300 anytime..Less passenger and less cargo load....She is a Classic.

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    1. More comfortable in Y with 2-4-2 compared to B777 cramped 3-4-3 seating..

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  4. Alpha Dog, I cannot see how carrying lees cargo adds to A340-300 passenger appeal

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    1. Alpha Dog probably sits in the cargo hold!

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  5. Alpha Dog, OK we are idiots and don't understand the correlation between freight carriage and passenger appeal. Please explain.

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  7. It's my own opinion, I am a fan of A340 and I tried 200, 300, 500 and the 600 series and I picked PAL's A340 (PR112) over the 747 before and will choose the A340 over the 777 anytime not because of the performance but because it is my choice.

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  8. U people really don't get it! Alpha dog has his own choice n reasons to fly a340 v b777..once again people have their own liberty whether u like it or not..

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  9. I like A340 they are more comfortable in a 2-4-2 seating configuration. Total relaxing fly..am in my late 60's and i dont mind about if my seat have no avod..l

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  10. Yeah but 99% of passengers have no idea what type of plane is and even dont bother about it basta may ife at masarap ang foods ok na.

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  11. I could not agree more, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. However I was only trying to ascertain from Alpha Dog what he finds so appealing about the A340's lack of freight capacity.

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  12. Pilots are the guardians of the sky, ensuring the safety of everyone in their airspace. AV8 Prep private pilot license

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