A Philippine Airlines 777 received a water-canon salute upon it’s inaugural arrival as flight PR124 at SEA
On Oct. 2, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport added yet another international carrier and city to its service roster: Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL) via Philippine Airlines (PAL).
The jet arrived after dark, allowing for some unusual and fun photo opportunities.
The 777’s red strobes made some great lighting effects as the jet passed beneath the crossed streams of water
Washington State is home to the United States’ fourth-largest Filipino population, and the route has been long-requested by travelers, according to SEA airport officials.
There were plenty of media and influencers invited to the inaugural event
For belly cargo on the new route, the flights will add up to 60 tons of cargo capacity every week to regional trade.
The now-current Philippine Airlines SEA schedule.
Seattle is PAL’s eighth destination in North America. The carrier already operates 46 weekly flights to San Francisco, Los Angeles, Vancouver, New York, Toronto, Honolulu and Guam.
A nighttime water cannon salute is a relatively rare occurrence
Philippine will use Boeing 777-300ER aircraft on the MNL-SEA route, with lie-flat seats in Business Class and meal service featuring Filipino and Western specialties.
Passengers and airport staff crowded the terminal windows as the jet arrived at its gate
The airline has nine Airbus A350-1000 jets on order, and airline officials have discussed hopes to further its US route expansion by adding Chicago, Houston, and Las Vegas in future years.
It’s always a treat to be up close to the giant 777 on the ramp
The new SEA flight provides connectivity via Manila to PAL’s extensive domestic and regional international network, including cities such as Cebu, Davao, Bangkok, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Kuala Lumpur.
The arrival gate had bannersAnd an area for an arrival celebration and welcome speechesThe obligatory landing-gear photo
I’ve long said that New York is one of those cities that almost every long-haul airline in the world would like to serve. Maybe it’s because New York is home to the United Nations, or because nearly every nationality and ethnicity is represented along the eastern seaboard. Or maybe it is just the prestige of flying to the “greatest city in the world.” Whatever the reason, it benefits both AvGeeks and travelers with a wide variety of airlines flying to a huge number of destinations, both near and far.
Almost every major long-haul airline in Europe serves either John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) or Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR). JFK also sees several South American airlines, a few of which have added long-haul aircraft specifically to serve New York. All of the major Middle Eastern carriers fly to JFK, in some cases several times a day. And while JFK has long had flights from a few airlines in East Asia, recent years have seen several new airlines begin service, while a few existing carriers have added additional flights.
On Monday, March 18th, Philippine Airlines (PAL) became the latest Asian airline to begin flying to New York. Or, should I say, resume flying to New York.
