PAL cancels domestic flights till May 31, 'evaluates' reopening of Davao hub

Aviation Updates Philippines – Philippine Airlines announced Wednesday the cancellation of domestic flights for its Manila, Cebu, and Clark hubs until May 31, 2020, in compliance with the scheduled enforcement of the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) starting May 16, 2020.

"We confirm that all Philippine Airlines domestic flights to or from our hubs in Manila, Cebu, and Clark will remain canceled up to May 31, 2020," the airline told passengers in an advisory dated May 13, 2020.

PAL, however, mentioned that it is now evaluating the possibility of resuming international and domestic flights from the Davao hub as the city expects to be downgraded into the general community quarantine (GCQ), subject to confirmation, starting May 16, 2020.

"We are working on plans to operate a few domestic routes from our Davao hub, possibly to Iloilo, Siargao and General Santos, to help support the economic recovery of Mindanao with the easing of quarantine restrictions there. We are coordinating with concerned government authorities and will announce any flight details once finalized," the flag carrier said.

Affected passengers due to travel bans and flight cancellations may opt for travel vouchers (with an additional 10 percent of the ticket value), rebook or reroute the ticket, and refund with penalties waived. For detailed information on options for affected guests, please read PAL's advisory here.

For operations beyond June 1, 2020, the airline plans to operate a 'reduced frequency' on domestic routes and select international destinations, depending on the COVID-19 situation — "community quarantine restrictions, travel bans imposed by various governments and their impact on passenger demand, and above all on the public health and safety situation in each of the countries that PAL serves," PAL said.

Flight schedules for June 2020 and beyond will be released once details are finalized.

While domestic flights remain suspended, PAL will continue to operate sweeper, repatriation, and cargo flights in support of the government's efforts to curb the COVID-19 pandemic. Since March, the flag carrier has operated several domestic and international all-cargo flights to ferry essential medical cargo for the Philippines. Recently, PAL sent several passenger aircraft to New York and Los Angeles to transport cargo.