Philippine Airlines will be adding service to another gateway in the United States, to an airport that seems to be booming with transpacific service at the moment…
Philippine Airlines launching Seattle flights in October 2024
As of October 2, 2024, Philippine Airlines will add 3x weekly nonstop flights between Manila (MNL) and Seattle (SEA). The route will operate with the following schedule on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays:
PR124 Manila to Seattle departing 10:40PM arriving 7:15PM
PR125 Seattle to Manila departing 11:40PM arriving 4:45AM (+2 days)
The 6,661-mile flight is blocked at 11hr35min eastbound and 14hr5min westbound. Philippine Airlines will use a Boeing 777-300ER for the route, featuring a total of 370 seats. This is comprised of 42 business class seats (in a 2-3-2 configuration) and 328 economy class seats (in a 3-4-3 configuration).
This will be Philippine Airlines’ sixth destination in the US, as the airline also flies to Guam (GUM), Honolulu (HNL), Los Angeles (LAX), New York (JFK), and San Francisco (SFO). The airline serves an additional two destinations in North America, and also flies to Toronto (YYZ) and Vancouver (YVR).
Some context on Philippine Airlines’ new route
Philippine Airlines adding service to Seattle has been in the works for a long time. Initially the airline announced plans for this route back in January 2020, with an expected launch date of May 2020. Given the pandemic, the route was put on hold, as you’d expect. So it’s nice to see it return, though over four years late.
It’s interesting to see how the airline has weathered the pandemic. In 2021, the airline filed for bankruptcy protection, and significantly shrunk its fleet. Then in 2023, the airline placed an order for nine Airbus A350-1000s, just shortly after dumping some of its existing Airbus A350-900s. So the airline seems to have the goal of growing again soon.
Philippine Airlines certainly won’t have any issues filling these flights, the question is just if the yields can be halfway decent. The airline promotes how the state of Washington has the fourth largest Filipino population in the United States, how Seattle is a high-tech business hub and thriving port city, and how this will add 60 tons of cargo capacity every week between the two cities.
I’m curious to see if Philippine Airlines establishes any partnerships in Seattle, presumably with Alaska Airlines. Some connectivity could help this service, and Alaska Airlines is usually happy to work with airlines outside of the oneworld alliance.
Seattle has been booming with Asia flights over the years, which isn’t surprising, given the city’s geography, population, and business. This year is especially impressive for transpacific growth, when you consider that China Airlines, Delta, and Starlux, are all launching flights between Seattle and Taipei. Now there’s another player across the Pacific.
Bottom line
As of October 2024, Philippine Airlines is adding a 3x weekly flight between Manila and Seattle with a Boeing 777. This was initially supposed to launch in 2020, but has been delayed due to the pandemic.
It’s nice to see Philippine Airlines expanding again, though the 777 isn’t exactly a great passenger experience. I’m looking forward to seeing what the carrier’s new A350s are like.
What do you make of Philippine Airlines adding Seattle flights?
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