PAL to resume Saipan flights

Amidst increasing airfares, Philippine Airlines (PAL) will restore direct flights to Saipan, hoping that a surge in upcoming holiday travel will sustain influx of visitors on the route.

PAL announced that Manila-Saipan flights will resume starting Oct. 25, giving Filipinos a direct route to the capital of the Northern Mariana Islands.

The return of flights to Saipan follows the rise of air fares to new levels as jet fuel prices reach nearly 200 per barrel due to geopolitical instability in the Middle East.

The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) allowed airlines to raise their fuel surcharge to Level 17 for the first half of October, the highest level since climbing to Level 18 in the first half of May.

PAL expressed confidence Filipinos would travel during the holiday season in spite high airfares. Saipan is a popular vacation destination for Filipinos, offering clear waters, diving sites and historical landmarks.

“The restored route will strengthen tourism, family and commercial ties between the Philippines and Marianas, while providing more opportunities for people and communities across the Pacific to reconnect,” PAL said.

Saipan is the latest addition to PAL’s expanding route network in the US, following the scheduled launch of direct flights to Chicago on Nov. 9.

Hovering over PAL’s optimism is recent increase in fares after the CAB raised the fuel surcharge to Level 17 for Oct. 1 to 15, the highest since May.

At Level 17, airlines can slap a fuel surcharge of P559 to P1,635 for domestic services. Further, they may charge an additional fee of P1,846.1 to P13,726.58 for international flights.

PAL’s Saipan flights may include a fuel surcharge of as much as P2,553.19 under Level 17.

Based on the monitor of the International Air Transport Association, jet fuel prices have risen by 24% on a monthly basis to $194.9 per barrel as of Sept. 18.