PAL, Southwest ink interline deal to widen US reach

FLAG CARRIER Philippine Airlines (PAL) has entered into an interline partnership with Southwest Airlines, allowing transoceanic passengers to book single-ticket journeys across both carriers.

“Our interline partnership with Southwest Airlines enables seamless connections and single-ticket journeys across both of our networks,” PAL Vice-President for Revenue Management Christoph Gaertner said in a media release on Thursday.

The partnership will expand access between the network of airports served by Southwest Airlines and PAL’s destinations across the Philippines, Asia, Australia, and the Middle East.

“As we continue to expand PAL’s global reach, this collaboration provides more travel options and greater flexibility, giving our guests access to a wider range of destinations in the United States,” Mr. Gaertner said.

Southwest Airlines connects travelers through shared gateway airports such as Los Angeles, Seattle-Tacoma, San Francisco, and Honolulu, Oahu, where the carrier operates about four dozen interisland arrivals and departures per day.

“Each airline partnership brings unique and incremental reach to places around the globe for both carriers and gives more consumers an opportunity to begin or end their journey with Southwest,” Southwest Airlines Chief Operating Officer Andrew Watterson said.

The agreement underscores PAL’s commitment to expanding regional access and offering more travel options between the United States and the Philippines.

PAL earlier said it expects to receive its Airbus A350-1000 by December or January, as part of its fleet modernization and growth program that includes refurbishing older aircraft.

The new aircraft will be deployed on flights to New York, the company said previously.

In May, PAL said it was preparing for the delivery of nine Airbus A350-1000s and 13 A321neo aircraft, which will be used for nonstop flights to North America and other international destinations. — Ashley Erika O. Jose