Philippine Airlines marks 63rd year with launch of Las Vegas service

Philippine Airlines launches today its much-awaited service to Las Vegas, Nevada via Vancouver, Canada - its first destination in the North American interior and a fitting milestone on the anniversary of its founding as Asia's first airline 63 years ago.

"Our foray to Las Vegas is a major step in our march to full rehabilitation," said Avelino L. Zapanta, PAL's president and chief operating officer. "For the first time in seven years, PAL now flies to a point beyond the West Coast of North America, giving us a wider presence in the United States, our most important market. Coming just a day after our 63rd anniversary, this is an historic occasion indeed."

Yesterday PAL observed its founding day in typically modest fashion, with religious services held at airline facilities throughout the country.

But the mood was clearly upbeat with the Las Vegas inaugural and the announcement by Zapanta that the flag carrier had vastly exceeded expectations by posting a profit of 555 million pesos (US$ 9.9 million) in the month of January 2004.

The new service will operate four times weekly, with departures from Manila every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday at 4:40 p.m. Arrival in Vancouver and Las Vegas is at 12:45 p.m. and 4:40 p.m., respectively.

The return service departs Las Vegas at 6:40 p.m. on the same days. Arrival in Vancouver is 9:15 p.m. and in Manila at 5:20 a.m. two calendar days later.

PAL has full traffic rights between Las Vegas and Vancouver. Widebody Airbus A340-300 aircraft, configured into 12 First Class, 32 Mabuhay (Business) Class and 220 economy class seats, are deployed on the same-plane route.

Las Vegas is PAL's fifth U.S. destination after Los Angeles, San Francisco, Honolulu and Guam, and 24th internationally. PAL also flies to 18 points in the Philippines, with service to the 19th point - Laoag City in the northern Ilocos region - slated to start April 1, 2004.

Philippine Airlines was founded by a group of prominent Filipino businessman on February 16, 1941. A month later, on March 15, 1941, a twin-engine Beech Model 18, carrying two pilots and a full load of five passengers, took off from suburban Manila for the mountain resort of Baguio.

The flight made PAL the first commercial airline in Asia, launching a new era in aviation history.