FLAGSHIP carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) has been certified as a four-star airline by international air transport rating organization Skytrax.

The four-star rating means that the airline company has excellent standards in terms of production and staff services across different assessment categories for both onboard and airport environments.

PAL is the only local airline company to get the four-star rating. There are 40 other airlines in the world which have received this rating.

PAL president and chief operating officer Jaime J. Bautista credited this to their upgrades in the last two years.

“Since 2016, we have embarked on a journey of rolling out in-flight and on-ground innovations, opened new routes, increase connectivity across PAL’s route network, added new aircraft to our fleet and importantly, invested in the Buong Pusong Alaga (whole-hearted training of all our cabin crew, ground crew, and service providers domestically and internationally in order to enhance the passenger travel experience and earn a higher Skytrax rating,” he was quoted as saying in a statement.

Since 2016, PAL has been adding airplanes to its fleet, with a current total of 88 aircraft. It has also renovated eight Airbus A330s to have tri-class cabins.

PAL will be launching non-stop services to Brisbane, New York, as well as flights to India and additional routes to China and Japan within the year.

By the next quarter, PAL will be opening its two-storey, 1,250-sq.m. International Mabuhay Lounge at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2.

Skytrax chief executive officer Edward Plaisted was quoted as saying that the new rating PAL recognizes the airline’s “improvements in terms of product change and development and enhancement of the front-line staff service.

“New and retrofitted aircraft have played an important part in the quality improvement process, and this looks set to develop further when Philippine Airlines introduces the A350 into their fleet,” he added.

“We look for consistency of quality in the four-star rating, and we look to Philippine Airlines to ensure this is duly delivered to customers.” — Anna Gabriela A. Mogato

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