The country’s flag carrier Philippine Airlines hopes to resume operations starting April 15 if allowed by Philippine and international authorities and if global public health condition and the travel environment will become favorable.
The airline management temporarily suspended its operations starting last March 24 after a careful deliberation considering the pandemic caused by COVID-19.
The global health crisis prompted Philippine Government to declare an Enhanced Community Quarantine effective March 17 until April 14, 2020.
The airline aims to resume operations once the ECQ is lifted and airlines in the Philippines are permitted to fly again.
In March 25, PAL PR-104 bound for San Francisco was the last flight to depart Manila at 10:10 in the evening.
The airline company stressed that the suspension of the flights was due to limited number of international flights as a result of the strict travel and entry restrictions imposed by many countries, collapse in the demand for travel, and continuing challenges in staffing support in Manila’s airport hub because of the lockdown.
In spite of the suspension, PAL assured travelers that its booking is safe and it offered flight rebooking without penalties and without a fare difference or an option to convert the unused value of ticket to a travel voucher valid for one year. 
“If your flight was initially scheduled on any date from March 15 to April 30, 2020, or if you were prevented from travel by COVID-19 cancellations, travel bans or quarantine requirements, you can request for the following even after your flight date, or even after the end of the Luzon-Wide enhanced community quarantine period,” said PAL’s emailed advisory to its Mabuhay Miles members.
Booking options
- Rebook* your flight without penalties and without fare difference if you travel in the same cabin. We suggest that you request for rebooking after our target flight resumption date, on April 15, 2020. Travel at any time before November 30, 2020 or your ticket validity, whichever comes first.
- Convert the unused value of your ticket to a travel voucher valid for one year.*Rebooking and rerouting with blackout travel dates for Canada and United States:
(1) Westbound (Canada/United States to Philippines): June 15, 2020 until July 31, 2020;
(2) Eastbound (Philippines to Canada/United States): July 15, 2020 until September 15, 2020
Note: The said passengers may also refund their tickets without penalties
Booking changes
Given the current circumstances, PAL will do our best to keep our customer support network open to serve your needs. Passengers who booked in the PAL Website, Mobile App, Ticket Office, or Reservations Hotline may:
- Call our 24/7 Reservations Hotlines at (+632) 8855-8888 (Manila) and
1-800-435-9725 (USA/Canada). – Note: The hotline is experiencing very heavy volumes right now and cannot be fully staffed due to quarantine restrictions; please defer all but the most urgent calls for the time being. - Visit our Ticket Office when our operations resume by April 15, 2020 or
- Log on to https://mypal.vip/url/RequestHub to submit your requests for booking changes online, and we will reply within 5-7 business days.
It urged passengers who secured booking from travel agents to request for changes through their issuing travel agent.
“We understand that this pause in operations will be an inconvenience, and we hope for your understanding as we at PAL look to the safety of our colleagues and our families as we all face this global contagion,” appealed PAL.
“The global crisis is monumental in scale, but we are confident that we can all join together and work to overcome the challenges, and that your PAL will soon be back in the air to again connect you to the beautiful islands of the Philippines, and to the world,” the airline said.
It encouraged the passengers and the public to stay posted for PAL-related announcements on its website and social media accounts.