PAL back to full flight schedule as peak season nears

As the Christmas peak season nears, flag carrier Philippine Airlines fully restored its flights and frequencies to “pre-outsourcing" levels at its hub at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2, effective Thursday. PAL said it is also restoring full in-flight meal service following the transition to third-party service providers and the protest of ex-workers at its In-flight Center in Pasay City. “As PAL’s service providers gradually fill up their manpower complement, all operational requirements, from passenger handling to ground handling of all PAL flights, shall now be done in PAL’s home base at Terminal 2," PAL spokesperson Cielo Villaluna said in a news release. The airline said its flights are now consolidated at NAIA-2. Earlier, flights between Manila and Bacolod, Dipolog,Dumaguete, Ozamiz, and Zamboanga were temporarily housed at NAIA-3. Earlier, PAL resumed its cargo operations on both domestic and international flights. On the other hand, Davao, one of PAL’s major destinations, has returned to its normal four-daily-flight schedule a month after it embarked on its outsourcing program. PAL deploys its flagship Boeing 747-400 to Davao twice daily. The flag carrier used to mount 45 to 50 domestic and 80 international flights daily. Starting Thursday, daily domestic flights will average 50 to 60 while international flights will remain at 80, for an average daily flights of 140. Villaluna said PAL’s signature meals presentation and its wide array of complimentary drinks are also back on board. Transition woes “We thank our loyal passengers for bearing with us during these difficult times. We promise to exceed your expectations the next time you board a PAL flight," she said. Following an outsourcing program that took effect October 1 and affected some 2,300 workers, PAL had to reduce domestic flights by 30 percent, while international flights were down 12 percent. The reduction came after a work stoppage staged by some of its ground workers prior to the implementation of its outsourcing plan. In-flight operations were likewise hampered when separated workers encamped at the gates of PAL’s Inflight Center along MIA Road, Pasay City. PAL filed criminal charges of grave coercion against 41 former employees in the Pasay City prosecutor’s office over an October 29 incident when protesters barred a PAL truck from leaving the facility’s premises. — ELR/LBG/KG, GMA News