PAL sees 20% cost savings on long haul flights with new Airbus A350

Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) expects to make significant cost savings on its long haul routes—especially the soon-to-be-launched Manila-New York direct flights—with the delivery later this week of its new Airbus A350 jets.

In an interview with the Inquirer, PAL president Jaime Bautista said the new wide-bodied aircraft would be at least 20-percent cheaper to operate than the Boeing 777, thanks mainly to the former’s more efficient engines and lightweight construction using advanced materials.

“With the A350, we will be able to fly nonstop from Manila to New York without having to make a technical (refueling) stop in Vancouver, Canada, as we are doing today,” he said, adding the direct flights to the US East Coast will begin in October.

At an average list price of $371.4 million for each of the A350-900 aircraft, PAL’s order for six of Airbus’ newest model will cost $1.9 billion before the discounts normally extended to buyers. PAL also has an option for an additional order of six A350s.

Further A350 deliveries will be made at a pace of once a month in August, September and October, while two will be delivered in 2019.

Pending the introduction of the Manila-New York flights, the new jets will be used on regional flights and possibly on the Manila-London route. Flights between Manila and the US West Coast will, however, remain the exclusive domain of the Boeing 777 due to its higher passenger capacity.

In addition to its 14,800-kilometer range, Airbus claims the new aircraft has the quietest cabin among commercial airliners currently in service.

PAL’s business class cabin with 30 seats has a 1-2-1 configuration providing direct aisle access. Seat pitch is at 44 inches and seat width is 23-24 inches. The seat—which reclines to a full flat measuring 78 inches in length—has an adjustable air cushion to adjust firmness, lumbar massage feature, additional storage for personal items and power ports.

The premium economy class cabin has 24 seats on a 2-4-2 configuration. Seat pitch is at 38 inches and seat width is at 19 inches. Premium economy seats—which have a recline of 8 inches—are equipped with legrest and footrest, additional front pockets for personal items, bottle holder, reading light and power ports.

Economy seats total 241 on a 3-3-3 configuration. Seat pitch is at 33 inches, seat width at 18 inches and a recline of 6 inches. Features include a four-way headrest and USB power ports.

All seats on the Airbus A350 have personal TV screens.