Article from BTNews 21 AUGUST 2017
Philippine's UK advance
More capacity on the Heathrow – Manila route is on the way with Philippine Airlines replacing its 254-seat Airbus A340 with a bigger Boeing B777-300ER with 42 Business Class seats and 328 in Economy from next month.
The airline, which is also introducing a major enhancement on the Manila – Auckland route with non-stop flights beginning 6 December, was due to change aircraft in December but has brought it forward to 19 September.
Business Class seats on the 777-300ER have a pitch of 78in and convert to fully-flat beds and also feature 18.4in TV screens and retractable privacy dividers.
The new Auckland service, which will operate from Manila on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, means New Zealand's largest city will be reachable from London with just one stop.
Flights will be by the A340, representing a 60% capacity increase and 2hr 15min cut in flight time over the single-aisle 156-seat A320 which was used on the previous Manila – Auckland via Cairns service.
PAL country manager UK and Ireland David Cochrane said: “The new non-stop service makes it easier than ever to reach Auckland from the UK with same-day connections at Manila making the trip to New Zealand faster and more convenient.”
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