Philippine Airlines makes Seattle its 6th US destination

Seattle is getting yet another new transpacific route.

This time, it's Philippine Airlines' new service from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) to Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL) in the Philippines. This new 6,661-mile route will commence on a three-times-weekly basis Oct. 2.

Flights will operate in both directions on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays on board a 370-seat Boeing 777-300ER. This jet features 42 lie-flat business-class seats and 328 economy seats.

Unfortunately, the onboard experience on the airline's Boeing 777 is quite outdated, with the biz cabin arranged in a 2-3-2 configuration with middle seats and no direct aisle access from all seats in the cabin. The economy cabin is arranged in a 3-4-3 layout. (PAL expects to refresh its long-haul fleet and cabins with upcoming Airbus A350 deliveries next year.)

Seattle becomes PAL's sixth destination in the U.S., joining Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Honolulu and Guam.

"Our Manila-Seattle-Manila flights give us a valuable opportunity to promote our beautiful island country as a flourishing tourist and business destination for American travellers. We also look forward to serving Filipinos who hope to reunite with family members or experience new travel adventures in the vibrant U.S. Pacific Northwest," PAL president and chief operating officer Capt. Stanley K. Ng said in a statement about the new route.

PAL explains that the new Seattle flight will cater to VFR (visiting friends and relatives) traffic in Washington and Oregon, which are home to more than 240,000 Filipino Americans. The flight should also help funnel tourists and business travelers to the Philippines, according to the airline.

Interestingly, Seattle-to-Manila flights have been in the works for years. First announced in January 2020, Philippine Airlines was planning to add Seattle service in May 2020. Of course, that announcement came just weeks before the coronavirus pandemic effectively shut down the travel industry. (United Airlines wasn't happy about this PAL announcement because United wanted to expand in Manila, which it has since done with new flights from San Francisco.)

Because of the pandemic, PAL shelved its plans to launch Seattle service. But now, more than four years later, PAL thinks that there's enough demand for travel from the Pacific Northwest to the Philippines.

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To celebrate the launch, the carrier is offering introductory airfares starting at $771 for economy and $3,071 for business class.

This new route continues to expand Seattle's portfolio of transpacific flights. Over the last few months, China Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Starlux Airlines announced new service from Seattle to Taipei.

The Manila market will remain a monopoly for PAL, but there will be plenty of one-stop options for travelers looking to fly between Seattle and the Philippines.

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