On its 74th anniversary, PAL resumes flights to NYC on March 15

'It's like home up in the air'

‘It’s like home up in the air’

Effective March 15, the red-white-and-blue with a peeking sun will be seen at JFK International Airport as Philippine Airlines (PAL) resumes services from the East Coast to Manila and back.

“It’s about time,” said frequent Manila visitor Linda Silos from Queens.

“PAL is like your home up in the air,” said Silos, who is a retired nurse. “I used to fly PAL, and then one day it’s just gone.”

PAL stopped flying to New York in late 1990s when the Asian financial crisis hit the region. This prompted company cost-cutting as well as a review of certain routes. Over the years, passengers flew other carriers, and those who have a brand loyalty for PAL, like Solis, had to get their ride on the West Coast.

“This auspicious start of regular flights to New York will coincide with PAL’s 74th founding anniversary,” announced PAL Chairman & CEO Lucio C. Tan in a statement.

PAL will operate four times a week – Manila-Vancouver-New York – and will operate at Terminal 1 of JFK International Airport. With the addition of New York, PAL effectively flies a total of five cities, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Honolulu, and Guam.

The flight to New York – distance of 14,501 kilometers or approximately 16.5 total flying hours – will be PAL’s longest route.

PAL’s return has been keenly anticipated by the huge Filipino American communities along the eastern seaboard ever since the flag carrier pulled out of the region in 1997, according to the company.

“About half a million ethnic Filipinos reside on the East Coast, with over 253,000 in the New York-New Jersey metropolitan area, 90,000 in Virginia, 75,000 in Washington, D.C. and environs, and 31,000 in the Philadelphia metro area,” said a statement. “Overall, Filipinos on the East Coast account for 15 percent of the estimated 3.4-million-strong Filipino population in the U.S., comprising a natural base market for PAL.”

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