PAL bags new 4-star major airline rating

MANILA, Philippines — Airline customers have given Philippine Airlines (PAL) the thumbs up for the quality of its service, with the flag carrier receiving a new four-star major airline rating from a US-based air travel organization. 

PAL said it has secured the “Four Star Major Airline 2020” rating from the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX), its second consecutive award from the organization following the “Four Star Major Regional Airline 2019” rating it received last year.

“We are elated by this industry recognition. More importantly, we wish to thank our passengers for validating PAL’s brand of service. Their feedback and ideas help us make PAL a more formidable competitor. This accolade will make us work even harder to further improve the over-all passenger experience in all our flights,” PAL president and COO Gilbert Santa Maria said.

PAL said the latest rating is the result of a comprehensive survey of 1.4 million airline customers which was conducted through app-generated third-party passenger feedback collection and insights validated and certified by APEX.   

It involved respondents rating key aspects of the inflight experience of nearly 600 airlines, such as seat comfort, inflight meals, cabin service, inflight entertainment and WiFi connectivity, from July 2018 to July 2019.

APEX official airline ratings recognized airlines in four categories namely, global airlines, major airlines, regional airlines, and low cost carriers.   

“Only a small, single digit percentage of these airlines reached the prestigious APEX Four Star Airline status. All of us at APEX take extraordinary pride in giving full power to airline passengers as the ultimate source of validated truth in airline ratings worldwide,” APEX chief executive officer Joe Leader said.

To cement its place as one of the world’s airlines recognized for quality service, PAL has pursued various initiatives such as the introduction of a brand-new fleet of high-technology aircraft, the expansion of its flight route network featuring more convenient nonstop routes to key global centers and tourist markets, and the roll out of service innovations such as an all-new premium economy cabin and upgraded business and economy class products on its long-haul aircraft.