Philippine Airlines will be the second ASEAN airline to introduce a premium economy class. Adopted by a number of airlines in North-East Asia - Eva Air was the first in the 1990s and has since been followed by All Nippon Airways, Cathay Pacific, China Airlines, China Southern and Japan Airlines, before finally being adopted at the end of last year by Singapore Airlines - this product is being offered by Thai Airways International for a limited period on Copenhagen and Stockholm on selected Boeing 777s.
SIA is often the forerunner in this part of Asia and it is now likely that other carriers in ASEAN will follow suit. Philippine Airlines (PAL), the national airline of the Philippines, has decided to launch an Economy Premium cabin. This new class of travel is due to be introduced in early 2017, initially on the carrier's Airbus A330s and then directly on the Airbus A350-900s, which will be delivered from 2018.
The strategy of the airline's management is to establish PAL as a traditional "full service" carrier. PAL is facing competition on its long-haul network from Cebu Pacific, which offers routes to Australia, Hawaii/Guam and the Gulf. PAL is therefore seeking to attract customers looking for greater comfort at a reasonable extra cost. According to PAL management, the airline will equip 8 of its 15 A330 aircraft and its six future Airbus A350s. Premium Economy should initially be available on flights to the Middle East and Australia, which are served by the Airbus A330. Boeing 777s flying to the United States, Canada and London will not be affected. London and Vancouver are expected to be among the first destinations served by the Airbus A350, the launch of which should result in new long-haul routes to Manila. Philippine Airlines has already announced non-stop flights to New York and Toronto - currently served via Vancouver. The airline is also studying the opening of a second European stopover - Frankfurt or Paris are in the starting blocks - and its probable return to Perth, in Western Australia.
