AirAsia to launch Clark-Palawan flights in April

The local unit of Malaysian budget carrier AirAsia on Tuesday said that it would begin scheduled flights to the western Philippine city of Puerto Princesa, making the new airline’s third destination since it officially started operations last month.

AirAsia Philippines said the flights from the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport to the capital city of Palawan province would begin on April 20 and take advantage of the growing demand by local and foreign tourists for travel to the island’s nature-themed sites.

To drum up interest for the airline’s new route, it announced Monday a “free seats” promotion where passengers would only have to pay an all-in fee of P275, which will cover the fuel surcharge, processing fee and government fees for aviation security and value-added taxes.

At present, AirAsia is the only domestic carrier that offers the all-in-fare promo concept and follows the airline’s successful launch of its services to Kalibo and Davao using the same marketing concept.

“As a true low-cost airline, we ensure that our guests are always informed of what they are paying for when they book our flights, especially our promo seats,” AirAsia Philippines CEO Marianne Hontiveros said. “AirAsia believes in transparency and no hidden charges or misleading promotions will be practiced.”

The P275 all-in-fare promo will be available for booking from March 20 to 25 and flyers will be able to travel from April 20 to Jan. 31, 2013.

The all-in-fares are available online at www.airasia.com and also available via mobile at mobile.airasia.com as well as through AirAsia applications for Blackberry, iPhone and Android phones. The applications are available for download at Blackberry App World, iTunes App Store and Android Marketplace by searching for the keyword AirAsia.

The airline said its new service to Puerto Princesa from Clark would provide the accessibility to visit the Calauit Island wildlife sanctuary, the Coron Reef, the Tubbataha Reefs National Marine Park, the famous Puerto Princesa underground river—which has been voted as one of the seven wonders of nature—and many more adventure and leisure spots.

Last month, the low-cost carrier launched two daily flights departing from Clark to Kalibo International Airport and to Francisco Bangoy International Airport in Davao beginning March 28 this year.

Effective April 15, however, AirAsia’s twice-daily flights to Davao will be reduced to once daily to make way for the Puerto Princesa route.

“We’re a new player and we have to be sensitive to market demand,” Hontiveros said. “Palawan is a beautiful destination that travelers from Northern and Central Luzon would want to see. It is a market with lots of potential. It is gaining popularity and highly likely for us to anticipate additional frequencies.”

“These changes will improve domestic connectivity. When we have more aircraft, we will explore adding frequency to Davao,” she added.

AirAsia Inc. is a 60-40 joint venture between Filipino investors Antonio O. Cojuangco, Michael L. Romero and Hontiveros, and Malaysia’s AirAsia International Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of AirAsia Berhad. Its local unit uses Airbus A320 aircraft for its scheduled services.