Flag-carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) has opted for a Manila-Doha flight via Abu Dhabi instead of its earlier plan for direct flights to Doha.
Launched on Monday, the new route is part of PAL’s expansion plans to the Middle East in addition to its flights to Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Dammam, Kuwait, Riyadh and Jeddah.
“It is the conservative way of doing business and making sure the airline does not jump into the water without the necessary equipment,” PAL’s Commercial Group senior vice president David Lim said at a press conference in Doha.
“By doing the via Abu Dhabi, we are making sure that we are reaching our fellow Filipinos the best way that we can do, profitably,” he explained.
An Airbus 330 plane will be used to fly to Qatar five times a week except Wednesday and Sunday.
The entire cabin comes with free wi-fi for 30 minutes or 15mb. Wireless entertainment allows passengers to stream in-flight movies, TV shows, music and magazines for free using their own personal devices through the app 'myPAL'player which can be downloaded through itunes or Google store. 



PAL's David Lim, flanked by colleagues Ismael Augusto Gozon
and Ryan Uy, announces details of the new service to Doha
on Tuesday. PICTURE: Shemeer Rasheed.

Ticket prices for the Manila-Doha route starts at $665 (one way) and $760 (round trip) while rates for the Doha-Manila route starts at QR980 (one way) and QR1,400 (round trip).
PAL has 30 domestic and 43 international destinations, including direct flights to the US. It operates a fleet of 75 modern jets, which include Boeing 777-300ERs, Airbus 340-300s, A-330-300s, A321-300s, A-320-200s, Bombardier Q400s and Q300s.
About plans to launch direct flights to Doha, Lim said flying from major Philippine cities such as Cebu, Manila or Clark in the immediate future is not their target.
Besides Filipino expatriates, PAL also wants to attract more Emiratis and Qataris to visit the Philippines and use Manila as a gateway to Asia and Australia.
PAL’s vice president for sales Ryan Uy said many restaurants in the Philippines are now serving halal food as he cited an increasing number of visitors from GCC countries particularly from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar.
He also encouraged the private sector to further promote halal. PAL's senior vice president for operations Ismael Augusto Gozon was also present.
In his speech during a gala reception on Monday, Philippine ambassador Wilfredo Santos said that PAL’s entry signifies another partner in promoting tourism in Qatar.
“This is another Philippine company added to the growing roster of Filipino businesses investing in Qatar,” he noted.
PAL organised a formal dinner reception at Al Sharq Village and Spa in Doha on Tuesday to mark its inaugural flight.
It was attended by airline executives, Qatari officials, travel agents, tour operators, and representatives from the Filipino community.