Philippine Airlines was just recognised by Skytrax with a 4-star rating, an accomplishment the company states, belongs to the Filipino people. In this light, we sit down with Jaime Bautista, President of PAL, to get his insights on this momentous award

What was your reaction when you found out about the Skytrax rating?

This is a big win not only for the national flag carrier, but for the Philippines. We are humbled and elated by this victory which we share with the more than seven thousand members of the Philippine Airlines family. Our achievement is the country's achievement and we share this with all Filipinos around the globe.

Tatler Asia

What are the latest innovations and programmes of Philippine Airlines that you believe contributed to this achievement? 

Our Get That Star journey began in 2016. Our efforts over the last two years have borne fruit.

Since 2016, we have embarked on a journey of rolling out in-flight and on-ground innovations, opened new routes, increased 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.

From 2016 up to the present, the PAL Group finalized fleet orders of Airbus A350s, A321s, Boeing 777s and Bombardier Q400 Next Generation planes bringing the fleet count to 88 aircraft, the largest fleet in the Philippines; developed new domestic hubs (Clark, Cebu, Davao); introduced new international routes from Clark (to Seoul) and Cebu (to Bangkok, Chengdu, Beijing, etc.); launched direct nonstop services between Manila and Auckland and Manila and Toronto in addition to existing direct flights to London, San Francisco, Los Angeles, etc; improved on-time performance while maximizing fleet productivity; and strengthened its passenger care through the “Buong Pusong Alaga” (wholehearted service) philosophy, leveraging on its Brand Equity as the "Heart of the Filipino.” 

Eight of the airline's 15 Airbus A330s have undergone a total cabin transformation from a single economy to a tri-class cabin providing maximum comfort on all classes. The latest Boeing 777s and the incoming Airbus A350s will further upgrade the PAL fleet for the airline's long-haul international routes. 

A few of the country's outstanding chefs were commissioned to whip up exciting dishes for domestic, regional, and international flights. PAL rolled out its myPAL eSuite personal TV service that gives passengers access to a wide selection of movies, music and TV shows via touch screen monitors in all classes of many PAL aircraft, while myPAL Player provides in flight entertainment using passengers’ own devices. myPAL Wi-fi allows passengers to surf, browse and stay connected during the flight. 

PAL also embraced a new Brand Visual Identity inspired by the Tapestry of the Filipino People. This new visual language, designed with Interbrand, a global design studio, will be rolled out to unify the look of PAL’s products and visual touchpoints. 

For better on-ground service at airports, PAL renovated the inter-terminal transit lounge at the NAIA Terminal 2, improved its business class check-in product, introduced a more efficient boarding procedure and put up airport terminal signage for passenger convenience.

Tatler Asia

What can we look forward to for Philippine Airlines?

We are in the process of setting up new international and domestic Mabuhay Lounges at our Manila hub which shall redefine the experience of our Business Class Passengers and Frequent Flyers.

The new lounges will feature Modern Filipino interior design inspired by the Filipino tapestry from different regions of the country. We will showcase the Best of the Filipino food, outstanding service from our lounge staff, and world class amenities such as private work stations, a meeting room, sleeping pods, showers and massage rooms.