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
Sir Richard Branson inaugurated Virgin Atlantic service to Seattle in his inimitable style
On the heels of Alaska Airlines’ announcement that it will soon do away with the Virgin America brand, after having purchased the airline last year to the tune of $2.6 billion, Virgin Atlantic inaugurated daily service from London to Seattle on March 27.
Virgin Atlantic’s daily service from London to Seattle will make use of the airline’s fleet of Boeing 787-9 aircraft.
Branson had publicly opposed the merger, but as a minority shareholder of Virgin America, there wasn’t much he could do. The new route will allow the Virgin brand to retain a presence in the Pacific Northwest, and perhaps help to restore a bit of Branson’s entrepreneurial dignity. The route had been announced last year, not long after news first broke about the sale of Virgin America to Alaska Airlines.
