PAL hiring more this year

Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) will continue to hire more flight attendants and pilots this year to support its aggressive expansion program this year.

In a statement, PAL said its human resources team would be at the Royal Mandaya Hotel in Davao City on March 1 to 2 and at the Seda Hotel Centrio in Cagayan de Oro on March 8 to 9 to accept applications from locals.

“PAL is recruiting additional cabin crew to boost its roster of flight attendants in line with its refleeting program,” PAL said.

All applications will be reviewed by PAL president Ramon S. Ang himself, the company said. Last year, the company hired “dozens” of new flight attendants and several pilot trainees. The new employees are currently undergoing intense training at the SMC Training Center in Tagaytay City.

PAL was acquired by conglomerate San Miguel Corp. from the Lucio Tan Group last year.

Unlike other airlines in the region that hire foreigners for their staff, PAL said it would stick to hiring locals who possess “natural Filipino charm.”

Last year, PAL ordered 64 new short- and long-haul jets from Europe’s EADS, maker of Airbus planes. PAL intends to order 36 more planes to bring its total fleet to 100 aircraft, more than double its current fleet of 42 aircraft.

Last year’s new hires were recruited from Manila, Cebu, Dumaguete, Bacolod and Iloilo.

PAL said aspiring flight attendants should be below 27 years old, have a college degree, and fluent in English and Filipino. Female applicants must be at least 5 feet, 3 inches in height while male applicants should be at least 5 feet, 7 inches.

As of late last month, applications for flight attendant positions in PAL were already being accepted at selected Petron gas stations and PAL ticket offices throughout Metro Manila. This is to accommodate those unable to submit their documents at PAL’s Human Resource Department at the PNB Financial Center in Pasay City.