PAL: Flights to Australia normal despite volcanic ash clouds from Chile

Although volcanic ash clouds from Chile had grounded flights in Western Australia, flag carrier Philippine Airlines assured its passengers Thursday that its flights to Melbourne and Sydney remain normal. PAL said all flights to Melbourne and Sydney continue to operate normally, amid concerns on the trans-pacific movement of volcanic cloud from Chile’s Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcano, which erupted last June 5. “Our commitment to the highest standards of safety remains a top priority. So far, the volcanic cloud movement from the volcano in Chile poses no imminent danger to our flights to Australia," PAL said in a news release. PAL is the only Philippine carrier that flies to the Australian Region via daily flights to Sydney and Melbourne. It flies to both destinations once daily or seven times weekly, using the 264-seater Airbus-340-300. However, PAL spokesperson Cielo Villaluna said they are closely monitoring the volcano’s spewed ash that has reached parts of Australia and New Zealand. She said PAL will immediately inform its Australia-bound passengers on any disruptive effect of the volcanic cloud on the air service to Sydney and Melbourne, if the situation worsens. PAL also advised passengers to visit PAL’s website or call the PAL reservations hotline at 855-8888. It said it will also post to its Twitter and Facebook accounts any update as needed. — KBK, GMA News