Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

New Philippine flight also opens market in Canada

Local tourism experts say Tuesday's arrival of Philippine Airlines Flight 106 represents a double boost in international travel for Southern Nevada.

PAL's four-engine Airbus A-340-300 jumbo jet with 174 passengers aboard touched down about 10 minutes early in its inaugural run from Manila to Vancouver, British Columbia, and then to McCarran International Airport.

Officials with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority and McCarran said PAL's entry in the Las Vegas market not only would jump-start tourism from Asia, but also would bolster service from western Canada.

"This is one more step in the marketing of Las Vegas worldwide," said Terry Jicinsky, senior vice president of marketing for the LVCVA, as passengers filed through U.S. Customs and into a welcoming line that featured a showgirl and an Elvis Presley impersonator.

"This is a huge opportunity for us in the Philippines and we get access to Canadian markets at the same time," Jicinsky said.

Randy Walker, Clark County's aviation director, said any new international service for Las Vegas is a good thing, but PAL's flights would be a huge addition, since the flagship carrier of the South Pacific island nation would bring Asian travelers to the city.

Walker said the commitment of four flights a week by PAL and Japan Airlines' plan to increase its number of nonstop flights between Tokyo and Las Vegas next month from three to four may be a sign that Asian tourism is back.

Japan Airlines cut flights following the Sept. 11 terrorist attack. Months later, a JAL comeback bid wilted and Singapore Airlines abandoned its Hong Kong-Las Vegas route in travel downturns that followed the outbreak of war in Iraq and the spread of the SARS virus throughout Asia.

But that seemed like a distant memory as smiles filled McCarran's terminal Tuesday after the PAL flight flew 11 hours between Manila and Vancouver, stopping for 90 minutes before a two hour and 10-minute flight between Vancouver and Las Vegas.

The biggest smiles were worn by Avelino Zapanta, president and chief operating officer of PAL, who rode the inaugural flight; Harry Kassap, administrator of market development at McCarran, who first recruited PAL more than a year ago and who also took the maiden trip; Capt. Emmanuel Generoso, who guided the 264-seat wide-body jet through a water arch welcome on the McCarran tarmac; and Maria Lilibeth Ruiz, director of marketing for Prestige Travel & Cruises in Las Vegas, who said the new flights would benefit the thousands of Filipinos who have made Southern Nevada their home.

Although PAL is starting its Las Vegas service as a one-stop flight from Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, Zapanta said there's room to grow if the demand warrants it.

He said if loads are high, the flight could be expanded to include more days and if logistical issues could be overcome, a nonstop flight between Manila and Las Vegas could be considered. But for now, the airline is marketing Vancouver and Las Vegas as a package. So far, the marketing seems to be working -- Thursday's return flight to Manila already is oversold.

Zapanta also was smiling because PAL, a day earlier, had observed the 63rd anniversary of the company's founding.

The company, listed by Airline Business magazine as one of the world's most profitable airlines by operating margin in 2002, posted earnings of $9.9 million in January, the company said. It's the ninth foreign-based carrier to serve McCarran.

Kassap said PAL would be a boon to Las Vegas, since Filipinos are exceedingly loyal to the airline. He added that through bilateral agreements between the Philippines, the United States and Canada, the airline would be given "local traffic rights" that would enable passengers to board in Vancouver, putting the carrier in competition with Alaska Airlines, Canada's HMY Airways and America West Airlines, which began flying the route earlier this month.

Generoso was all smiles because he captained the flight to McCarran -- and only had to fly the Vancouver-Las Vegas link. Because of the length of the trans-Pacific flight, a crew change will be standard, with one crew handling the round trip between Vancouver and Las Vegas and no crews based here.

"A routine flight," Generoso said. "The weather was perfect all the way."

The jet used for the new flight is one of 30 in the Philippine Airlines fleet. Because the flight crosses the International Date Line on the Manila-Vancouver run, the plane leaves at 4:40 p.m., and eventually arrives in Las Vegas at 4:40 p.m., the same day. Travelers making the return flight lose a day by the time they arrive in Manila.

And Ruiz thinks there may be plenty of those in Las Vegas.

She said advanced bookings for the PAL service have been strong and that Las Vegas has a base of more than 50,000 Filipinos who have made Southern Nevada their new home.

She said having a single stop in Vancouver would be preferable to change-of-plane service offered by other airlines through Los Angeles or San Francisco.

"We were channeling a lot of our business through Los Angeles," Ruiz said. "But this will be more seamless because there's no change of planes. And while we think Filipinos living in Las Vegas will have an opportunity to see friends and family, we also know that Las Vegas should be a great market for the Philippines because there are so many people who love gaming."

Zapanta and other PAL executives are meeting today with Walker; Lt. Gov. Lorraine Hunt, chairwoman of the Nevada Commission on Tourism; and Henderson Mayor Jim Gibson. Filipino pop singer Martin Nievera also is scheduled to perform for the celebration gathering at the Golden Nugget.

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