Pal Raises the Bar with 4-Star ‘Buong-Pusong Alaga’ Indulgence

The iconic arroz caldo of Philippine Airlines just got more delicious. With a sprinkle of 4-Star love.

Now, PAL has a restaurant in the sky where you can order anything you want from the menu, aside from arroz caldo, anytime. A full flat bed, with massage you can adjust to your liking. No longer just a blanket, but a duvet to keep you warm and comfy while you sleep, with adjustable lighting in the cabin.

  The country’s flag carrier embraces its “Buong-Pusong Alaga” trademark service with all its heart with these new premium passenger offerings for long-haul flights that earned it a 4-Star Skytrax rating.

“We have worked hard to reach this 4-Star level,” says PAL vice president for marketing Ria Domingo. Multimillion-dollar investments in the installation of new cabins and seats, as well as ordering new aircraft, demonstrate PAL’s determination to place passenger comfort top of its priority list.

PAL will have six new Airbus A350 planes for its existing direct flights to London, and new direct flights to New York starting October. The first of such aircraft will be delivered from Toulouse this July. PAL is the only airline with direct flights from Manila to San Francisco and Los Angeles.

“From the additional aircraft, improved cabins, new flights, higher rate of on-time departures, we at PAL believe that all these will enhance the overall experience of those we are committed to serve — our passengers,” adds Domingo.

The airline’s coveted 4-Star rating, given by the prestigious UK-based international rating organization Skytrax, has placed PAL as one of only 42 airlines in the world with this elevated classification.

“With our 4-Star rating, we’ve raised the bar of service excellence — a commitment to provide world-class sky-high indulgence,” declares PAL assistant vice president for product research and development Debbie Cuyegkeng.

Now you can order anything, anytime from PAL’s a la carte menu and enjoy movie choices and free Wi-Fi.

“The new state-of-the-art Business Class seats installed on eight reconfigured Tri-Class Airbus 330s, the latest Boeing B777s and the upcoming Airbus A321neo and Airbus A350 aircraft turn into full-flat beds with up to 78-inch bed length for maximum comfort.

“On the new Premium Economy Class, the seats feature a built-in leg and foot rest with seat pitch of 38 inches, providing value for money.”

Cuyegkeng adds that PAL’s latest in-flight entertainment system through the myPAL eSuite is outfitted with over 300 hours of movies, TV shows and music. The myPAL Player inflight streaming app is also available for download of all IOS and Android users who wish to watch and consume content through their own devices, while the myPAL Wi-Fi allows passengers to surf the Internet. “We raised it further with faster high-speed Internet, free of charge.”

Jose Perez de Tagle, the new PAL vice president for corporate communications, stresses that the transformation for PAL goes beyond the cosmetic. “What we did was really focus on the product and training of all PAL staffers and crew as well, to imbibe the ‘Buong-Pusong Alaga’ culture.”

Perez De Tagle’s concern for the customer stems from his rich experience at PAL where he started as reservations clerk — just like Domingo and Cuyegkeng — answering the 24-hour reservations line, giving him a chance to interact with customers and help them with problems. His expertise in the airline business was further enhanced when he moved to the Tariffs Division and External Affairs, working on aviation rights deals with foreign countries.

PAL’s inflight cuisine is now more delectable with collaborations with the country’s renowned chefs Jessie Sincioco, Fernando Aracama, Glenda Barretto, Myrna Segismundo and Miko Aspiras. Now, inflight meals include dishes like Angus beef caldereta, bangus sarciado and guinataang sugpo, to name a few.

Seriously, my favorite comfort food on the Manila-London flight is hot pandesal with gourmet tuyo and bangus in olive oil. I also like the Filipino artisanal desserts like Carmen’s Best ice cream, Auro chocolates (the Cocoa Nibs)  and Malagos cheese from Davao.

And don’t forget that PAL’s amenities are by L’Occitane.

“The only thing lacking? Pajamas!” I tell Domingo.

“Oh, that will come when we turn 5-Star,” declares Domingo. “Hopefully in 2020.”

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For more information, PAL's official website is www.philippineairlines.com

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Follow the author on Instagram and Facebook@milletmartinezmananquil. Email her at mmmananquil@philstarmedia.com.