Cost Saving: Philippine Airlines cuts flights

Flag-carrier Philippine Airlines Limited (PAL) will slash flight as part of a cost-saving programme.

MANILA: Flag-carrier Philippine Airlines Limited (PAL) said on Saturday that it would temporarily slash flight frequencies over the next two months as part of a cost-saving programme that would also eliminate 2,600 jobs. Eleven flights to Hong Kong, Bangkok, New Delhi, Macau, Singapore, Los Angeles, Vancouver, Guam, Sydney, Melbourne and Incheon would be affected from October 1, or 12 percent of the international total, a PAL statement said. Thirty percent of local flights would be suspended as catering, ground handling and call centre reservations are farmed out to third-party service providers, PAL spokeswoman Cielo Villaluna said. Normal service would resume on varying dates in October and November, she added.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 25^th, 2011.