PAL ramps up Davao-Manila flights

Aviation Updates Philippines – National flag carrier Philippine Airlines announced it would increase flights from Davao to Manila beginning October 3, 2020, in a bid to "...cater to growing demand for essential travel out of the commercial heart of Mindanao."

According to PAL Spokesperson Cielo Villaluna, the flag carrier would now offer eight weekly flights from Davao to Manila. Meanwhile, there would be three weekly flights from Manila to Davao—that is aside from scheduled all-cargo services between the two cities.

Effective October 3, the following PAL flights will be available for the Davao-Manila sector:

• PR-1810 (departure: 6:30am; arrival: 8:30am) operating every Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
• PR-1814 (departure: 1:05pm; arrival: 2:55pm) operating every Monday and Thursday
• PR-1818 (departure: 4:00pm; arrival: 6:00pm) operating every Saturday

Effective October 3, the following PAL flights will be available for the Manila-Davao sector:

• PR-1813 (departure: 10:15am; arrival: 12:05pm) operating every Monday and Thursday
• PR-1817 (departure 1:25pm; arrival: 3:20pm) operating every Saturday

Aside from these scheduled passenger trips, the company will also ramp up cargo services between Manila and Davao with five weekly flights scheduled early morning. PR-1809 departs from Manila at 3:55 am and arrives in Davao at 5:35 am every Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Davao-bound passengers are required to secure a negative RT-PCR test result issued at least 72 hours before the flight, a travel authority, a medical certificate and a valid ID. However, a passenger may still board a flight to Davao without an RT-PCR test result but will need to undergo the swab test at Davao Airport upon arrival.

On the other hand, Manila-bound passengers must secure a travel authority and a medical certificate issued by the local government unit and present these upon check-in for the flight.

In a recent ranking from Safe Travel Barometer, PAL ranked ninth out of more than 150 airlines worldwide for its COVID-19 measures implemented throughout the flight. The airline gained an overall score of 4.2 out of 5, making it the only Philippine carrier to emerge in the top 10.

Photo from Gerard Belvis, PPSG