Philippine Airlines Considering Flights From Vancouver To Chicago & Houston

2-3-2 business class is not solid

Overly ambitious and I doubt that these flights will make money. Virtually no connections for them on either end and PAL isn't in an alliance. Don't see these flights lasting very long.

Why do you think that they haven't joined an alliance? I know they are not great, especially compared to neighbouring countries' airlines, but they are not terrible.

Agree with Anon. Hard to call a 2-3-2 angle-flat business class "solid" on a transpac flight.

Considering PAL is not in any airline alliance liked One World, Star Alliance and SkyTeam it will be very difficult to open new market like Houston which is dominated by Star Alliance Carriers such as BR, CA, NH, SQ and UA also note that Korean Air is pulling out of Houston this October 10, show how tough is it to compete in market dominated by Airlines Allaince as for Chicago I'm not sure which carrier dominates the route either AA or UA but as Lucky Stated thier is only a small fraction of Filipino liveing in Illinois it possible to funnel passenger from the central US but it will be still challenging considering the market will be limited.

Seconding what Anon said. What exactly about their J product is solid? In your own review you note that the product is angled 2-3-2 on all but two 777s, the blanket is what you'd get in Y on most airlines, the headphones were crummy, the lavs were no-frills and pretty basic, the IFE was of terrible resolution despite having a decent library, and you needed to add additional padding to the seat because it wasn't comfy enough on its own.

I'd argue that there are much better ways to get to SE Asia and the Pacific Islands.

https://onemileatatime.com/philippine-airlines-business-class-777-review/

Interesting that they did not consider MIA
Since no one is flying that route now

I remember when they flew YVR-LAS.

Bought a roundtrip in 2005 for about $150 on a widebody A340!

I have flown PAL locally in Asia but never transpacific. I'd be willing to try them out given that my experience with them has been positive.

Anon I agree the 2-3-2 configuration is already dated compared to what most airlines have offering direct- aisle access is must now on international business class ! I would argued that even thier recently refurbished A330s have a much more superior then what is even on newer B77W !

This would be really interesting and I hope it works out. I have 2 Filipino friends who live in Houston and they prefer to fly SQ to go to MNL despite the 2 stops mainly due to price. If PAL is cheaper, I can see people opting to fly PAL instead.
As far as alliances go, I think PAL wants to be a member of an alliance but each of the 3 alliances have SE Asian market covered already.

Umm, business class is hardly solid on PAL. Perhaps on a YVR-ORD segment but certainly not generally,

I though he said: solid for the JFK-YVR, which is long but not that long.

Mach81, not compared to the flat beds big 3 on tcon and cx has on that route

Ask any Filipino what PAL stands for:)

I do think the PAL Business Class is solid - the B777 seats have a very slight angle and are just as comfortable as UA or others. Food is also good and service is better than any of the US3. It's not the best business class, but considering the price, it's solid value!
They are keeping the 2-3-2 layout on the new B777 for operational reasons - it makes it easier to swap planes on different routes. And, yes, I'd wish they'd use the same seats as on their new A330, they are much nicer:
https://dreamtravelonpoints.com/business-class-thats-easier-to-afford-philippine-airlines/
PAL is pursuing an alliance - while they haven't said much lately, they indicated that they want to work through their partners - my bet is on ANA and StarAlliance!
I wouldn't hold my breath though for these new routes - they are also looking at more routes to Europe, including Paris, Rome, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Hamburg for their A350... their future destinations change every time they make a speech, so I'd wait till they make an official announcement before getting excited!

I'm a Filipino and it's not worth spending your money in Business Class of PAL. Not value for money, poor amenities and poor in all sense. They are expensive, I will spend a few more dollars and fly JAL or ANNA. Never PAL!

I heard Israeli airline is coming to Houston, is this a rumor?

Flown YVR-JFK segment a few times. A great flight to have between Vancouver and New York - it made fares between these cities affordable (Philippine Air economy fare commonly found below $400), and it’s not a red-eye flight on the way to NYC. Food on the flight is OK, service is great. Plane’s interior sometimes worn and dated; a bad layout 3-4-3 in economy.

Though I prefer to fly Cathay, I will miss this flight once New York becomes non-stop for PAL - it adds choice and keeps fares on the route down.

You have to count Filipino that lives neighboring states of Illinois like Michigan Ohio Missouri Indiana, we are hoping that PAL will open flight via Chicago.

This would be interesting. To those complaining they aren’t part of an alliance, this may make them reconsider. They do have codeshares however. Afterall, it was just a few short years ago (2011, to be exact) China Airines (Taiwan) joined up with SkyTeam.

Also having flown from Chicago with Korean and Cathay, I would appreciate the added competiveness for a Philippines flight. My tickets for economy have ranged from $900 to $1800 and avoided the $2k+ flights. Maybe, just maybe I can consider splurging on a Business Class ticket.

Plus add no more 15 hour layover (sometimes 4 hour) at Incheon and being rushed with a 1.5 hour layover in Hong Kong.

My brother, two sisters and I, plus our families, go to the Philippines at least once a year, and would TOTALLY support and welcome a direct ORD-MNL flight, even if via Vancouver to start. We live in Chicago, and there are a lot of Filipinos not just in this state but driveable from ORD. Great idea and long overdue!

Lots of Filipino here in Seattle, can’t wait for you Philippine airlines!!