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Tag: cebu

  • Cebu Pacific boost Boracay flights

    Cebu Pacific boost Boracay flights

    Cebu Pacific has started evening flights to and from Caticlan, the gateway to Boracay Island. CEB is the first carrier to introduce night flights and use the upgraded air traffic control system and newly-installed night navigational equipment at the Godofredo P. Ramos Airport.

    CEB has added roundtrip flights daily between Manila and Caticlan and will be use ATR aircraft through its wholly owned subsidiary Cebgo.

    In total, Cebu Pacific has 39 flights weekly between Manila and Caticlan; 14 between Cebu and Caticlan; and seven between Clark and Caticlan. The additional night frequencies will add 12 more flights to Caticlan to bring the total CEB frequency to 72.

    Currently, the last flight from Manila to Caticlan leaves at 1530 with the return flight at 1710. With CEB’s new night operations, the last flight will leave Manila at 1855 and will be return from Caticlan at 2045.

    Night flights at Caticlan Airport was given the go-signal following  technical reviews and consultations on its night operation capability with  the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), the Department of Transportation, and other relevant aviation authorities.

    Prior to Caticlan, Cebu Pacific had added night flights to and from the Roxas City Airport in Capiz, the Laguindingan  Airport (Cagayan  de  Oro)  in  Misamis  Oriental,  and  the  Legazpi  International  Airport  in  Albay.

    “We believe that expansion of operating times will not only boost frequencies to key domestic routes,  but  it will  also give  travellers  more  options,  greater  flexibility on when they fly and also help decongest air traffic, especially during the peak flying hours at noon and during the early afternoon,” said Cebu Pacific vice president for corporate affairs Atty, JR Mantaring.

    For as low as PHP2,774.88 (approximately USD55), passengers can fly from Manila to Caticlan, while Cebu Pacific also offers daily flights from Clark to Caticlan at PHP2,365.88 (approximately USD48) and from Cebu to Caticlan at only PHP2,217.88 (approximately USD45).

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  • New Cebu Pacific flights from Davao to boost tourism

    New Cebu Pacific flights from Davao to boost tourism

    New Cebu Pacific direct domestic flights from Davao are seen as another door of opportunities for the local tourism industry especially for the upcoming Kadayawan Festival, said City Tourism Operations Office (CTOO) official. By July 26, Cebu Pacific will have scheduled flights three times a week, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday between Davao and Dumaguete. They will also fly four times a week from Davao to Tacloban and vice versa starting July 27. Schedules will be every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday.

    The flights will be carried by the Cebgo fleet of ATR aircraft. “We’re very happy with these updates as it means opportunities for us. We’re deep into planning for Kadayawan so we’ll include these new routes in our plans. We’re going all out now with preparations and events. We’re setting up a Kadayawan Village at Magsaysay Park and hoping that Dabawenyos will also help promote and join the activities,” said CTOO Head Generose Tecson. It was earlier reported that the tourism sector in Davao City had been “slightly affected” by the declaration of Martial Law in Mindanao especially with the hotel bookings, accommodations, and events being cancelled for security purposes.

    Aside from the direct Davao flights to be launched by the last week of July, Cebu Pacific will also launch flights between Cebu and Masbate, Zamboanga and Cotabato, and Cagayan de Oro and Zamboanga.

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  • Cebu Pacific to launch evening flights to Caticlan in July

    Cebu Pacific to launch evening flights to Caticlan in July

    Cebu Pacific Air will launch in July night flights to and from Caticlan, the gateway to tourism spot Boracay, the airline announced Thursday.

    The country’s leading budget airline said it would add two round-trip flights for this route daily, with the last leaving Manila at 6:55 PM and returning from Caticlan at 8:45 PM.

    This would bring to 72 the total number of Cebu Pacific flights to Caticlan, including the current 60 from Manila, Cebu and Clark.

    Cebu Pacific said it would be the first carrier to mount night flights and use the upgraded air traffic control system and newly-installed night navigational equipment at Caticlan’s Godofredo P. Ramos Airport.

    The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), the Department of Transportation, and other relevant aviation authorities gave the operations the green light after technical reviews and consultations on Caticlan Airport’s night operation capability.

    “We thank CAAP for continually leading the scale-up of our airports to night-flying capability. We believe that expansion of operating times will not only boost frequencies to key domestic routes, but it will also give travelers more options, greater flexibility on when they fly and also help decongest air traffic, especially during the peak flying hours at noon and early afternoon,” said JR Mantaring, Cebu Pacific’s Vice President for Corporate Affairs.

    Mantaring said the launch of evening flights to and from Boracay, world-renowed beach destination, was “a long-standing request of tourism stakeholders.”

    The additional flights, he said, would make flights available to more passengers.

  • Cebu Pacific dominates Manila-Sydney route

    Cebu Pacific dominates Manila-Sydney route

    he Philippines’ leading airline, Cebu Pacific (CEB) continues to soar high, capturing the lion’s share for both passenger and cargo traffic between Manila and Sydney in the first quarter of 2017. Data from the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics (BITRE) of Australia showed that CEB carried over 43,512 passengers, representing 42% passenger market share on the Manila-Sydney route, the highest among the three carriers covering this route.

    The BITRE report noted that from January to March 2017, passenger traffic between Manila and Sydney totalled 104,446, up seven percent (7%) versus the same period last year.  The growth in passenger traffic was dominated by CEB, which carried 16% more passengers from the 37,640 reported in the first quarter of 2016. Load factor for CEB for the Manila-Sydney route was at an average 78% for the first three months of 2017.

    “We are very pleased to see that the Cebu Pacific effect continues across one of our strongest international markets. Our goal is to make flights affordable, accessible and available to a greater number of travellers. These numbers do not only showcase the Philippines as a flourishing destination, but it also shows our strong commitment to remain and further stimulate our key market in Australia,” said Candice Iyog, Vice President for Marketing and Distribution of Cebu Pacific.

    Aside from the growth in passenger volume, Cebu Pacific also reinforced its leadership in the Manila-Sydney airline cargo service. CEB flew 1,131 tons of cargo between Manila and Sydney in the first three months of 2017, covering 49% of the total 2,325 tons carried by the three carriers.

    The growth in CEB’s cargo service tracked the increase in total volumes, from 1,567 tons carried in the comparable quarter last year.

    BITRE, an agency under the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development of the Australian government, “provides economic analysis, research and statistics on infrastructure, transport and regional development issues,” according to its official website. The bureau holds data and statistics on the aviation industry.

    Cebu Pacific offers the most number of seats between Manila and Sydney, covering close to 40% of the route’s total capacity.

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  • Cebu Pacific deploys bigger planes, opens new domestic routes

    Cebu Pacific deploys bigger planes, opens new domestic routes

    Cebu Pacific said Tuesday it would upgrade some domestic routes to larger aircraft, open new routes and add more flights to meet strong demand.

    The 180-seater Airbus A320 will replace the 78-seater turboprop ATR 72-600 for flights from Manila to Cauyan, Legazpi and Virac, the country’s largest airline said in a statement.

    The freed up ATR aircraft will be deployed to five new routes, which open late next month: Cebu-Masbate; Cagayan de Oro-Zamboanga; Davao-Dumaguete; Davao-Tacloban; and Cotabato-Zamboanga.

    The Gokongwei-owned airline said it would add 10 more flights weekly between Manila and Iloilo, 6 between manila and Bacolod, and 8 between Manila and Cagayan de Oro.

    Cebu Pacific is also shifting to the 436-seater Airbus A330 for its Cebu, Davao and Hong Kong routes by July 4.

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  • Philippine airline Cebu Pacific to suspend operations in Kuwait, Doha, Riyadh

    Philippine airline Cebu Pacific to suspend operations in Kuwait, Doha, Riyadh

    Philippine carrier Cebu Pacific will fly the last of its four-times-a-week service from Manila to Kuwait on June 13, 2017, and its Kuwait-Manila flight on June 14, 2017.

    The thrice-weekly Manila-Doha-Manila route will have its last flight on July 1, 2017, while its last flight from Manila to Riyadh will depart on July 2, 2017, while the Riyadh-Manila flight will leave on July 3, 2017.

    “The entry of Cebu Pacific into these markets benefitted passengers with lower fares and more choices. Of late, other carriers have aggressively added more flights, which has resulted in substantial oversupply of seats and fares that are so low, hence making the routes unsustainable,” said Atty JR Mantaring, vice president for corporate affairs of Cebu Pacific.

    “We have to continuously review our routes to ensure their viability. At this point, it makes more sense for us to re-deploy the aircraft used for our Riyadh, Doha and Kuwait service to routes where we can further stimulate demand and sustain our low fare offers.”

    The airline will retain its other long-haul services to and from Dubai and Sydney with a view to increasing frequencies to these destinations in the future. The airline also flies to 24 other international destinations across Asia and USA, as well as 37 domestic destinations.

    Passengers affected by the suspension of the airline’s service in Doha, Riyadh and Kuwait are being contacted. Options are being provided to minimize the disruption, which include rebooking passengers on flights with other airlines or on earlier travel dates with Cebu Pacific, a full refund, or placing the full value of the ticket in a travel fund for future use.

    From January to March 2017, Cebu Pacific carried 4.8 million passengers, of which 1.3 million flew international destinations. Total revenues for the first quarter of 2017 were up 4.7 per cent to 16.9 billion Philippine pesos. However, this was outpaced by the growth in expenses, driven by a weaker peso versus the US dollar and rising fuel prices. The airline’s net income for the first three month of 2017 was down 68 per cent versus the same period in 2016.

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  • Cebu Pacific to buy 7 Airbus jets for $812M

    Cebu Pacific to buy 7 Airbus jets for $812M

    The Philippines’ largest airline Cebu Pacific is ordering seven Airbus A321ceo aircraft in a deal worth $812 million to meet growing domestic and regional demand, the airline said Wednesday.

    Cebu Pacific, best known for its budget flights, said in a statement the new planes would start arriving next March.

    “There is… the need to increase our current capacity to meet growing domestic and regional network demand, thus the A321ceo order,” chief finance officer Andrew Huang was quoted in a statement as saying.

    The A321ceo order comes on top of an existing order for 32 Airbus A321neo aircraft which were originally scheduled to arrive from September 2017 to 2021.

    However these deliveries have been pushed back till late-2018 until 2022 due to delays with the engines selected to power them, the statement said.

    “The aircraft will enable us to increase capacity on popular routes, while at the same time benefiting from the lowest operating costs in this size category,” said Cebu Pacific president Lance Gokongwei.

    Cebu Pacific, which started operations in 1996, boasts a 61-plane fleet of which 48 are Airbus planes. It flies both domestic and international routes.

  • Cebu Pacific to end flights to Qatar from July 1

    Cebu Pacific to end flights to Qatar from July 1

    The low-cost Philippines carrier Cebu Pacific Air will stop flying to Doha at the beginning of July because the route is no longer financially viable, it said.

    The airline has been flying direct to Qatar for just over two years, and announced that its last return flight from Manila to Doha will be on July 1.

    It will also cease flying to Kuwait from mid-June and the Saudi city of Riyadh in early July.

    Passengers who are already booked on flights after these dates can transfer to another airline offering the same routes (subject to availability), book for an earlier flight with Cebu Pacific (also depending on availability) or get a full refund.

    The airline “strongly advised” all such passengers to contact their travel agents or its hotline to discuss their options.

    Too much competition

    Cebu Pacific is essentially halting the routes due to too much competition, according to Atty JR Mantaring, vice president for Corporate Affairs of Cebu Pacific.

    In a statement this week, Mantaring said:

    “Of late, other carriers have aggressively added more flights, which has resulted in substantial oversupply of seats and fares that are so low, hence making the routes unsustainable…

    At this point, it makes more sense for us to re-deploy the aircraft used for our Riyadh, Doha and Kuwait service to routes where we can further stimulate demand and sustain our low fare offers.”

    Cebu Pacific will continue to fly to Dubai and Sydney and may increase capacity to these cities, the statement added.

    Crowded market

    The airline began direct flights between Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport and Hamad International Airport in Doha in June 2015.

    A 436-seat, all-economy class Airbus A330 flies between the cities twice a week. It was initially popular when the route first started because of its competitive fares.

    While Qatar Airways also flies twice-daily direct flights on the same routes, prices were usually higher.

    The national carrier increased its service to the Philippines’ capital in July 2015. That’s the same month that Cebu started its direct Doha-Manila service.

    National flag carrier Philippine Airlines also began offering the same route earlier this year, in a bid to meet the needs of Qatar’s 260,000-strong Filipino population.

    That carrier operates four times a week, on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday on A330 aircraft.

    Its daytime departure and arrivals times, and its competitive introductory prices, has attracted many travelers.

    Tickets range from QR885 to QR2,745 in economy, and include WiFi and meal service. Passengers can also check in two pieces of luggage, weighing up to 23kg each.

    A business class option could be rolled out this summer.

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  • Cebu Pacific to suspend operations in 3 Middle Eastern routes

    Cebu Pacific to suspend operations in 3 Middle Eastern routes

    CEBU Pacific Air announced Wednesday that it will halt flying to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Doha in Qatar because the routes are not viable anymore. Lawyer JR Mantaring, CEB vice president for corporate affairs, said there were too many competitions already in the said routes. “The entry of Cebu Pacific into these markets benefited passengers with lower fares and more choices. Of late, other carriers have aggressively added more flights, which has resulted in substantial oversupply of seats and fares that are so low, hence making the routes unsustainable,” he said in a statement. He said it makes more sense for CEB to re-deploy the aircraft used for the Riyadh, Doha and Kuwait service to routes where they could further stimulate demand and sustain the low fare offers.

    “We have to continuously review our routes to ensure their viability,” he said. CEB will fly the last of its four-times-a-week service from Manila to Kuwait on June 13, and its Kuwait-Manila flight on June 14. The thrice-weekly Manila-Doha-Manila route will have its last flight on July 1; while CEB’s last flight from Manila to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia will depart on July 2, while the Riyadh-Manila flight will leave on July 3.

    CEB said it will retain its other long-haul services to and from Dubai, United Arab Emirates; and Sydney, Australia, with a view to increasing frequencies to these destinations in the future. The airline also flies to 24 other international destinations across Asia and the United States; as well as 37 domestic destinations. “Passengers affected by the suspension of CEB service in Doha, Riyadh and Kuwait are being contacted. Options are being provided to minimize the disruption, which include rebooking passengers on flights with other airlines or on earlier travel dates with CEB; a full refund; or placing the full value of the ticket in a travel fund for future use,” CEB said.

  • Cebu Pacific Air commences second route to Cotabato

    Cebu Pacific Air commences second route to Cotabato

    Cebu Pacific Air started its second new domestic route from Cebu (CEB) this week with the launch on 16 May of a four times weekly service to Cotabato (CBO). The 351-kilometre route will be flown by CebGo using its ATR 72s. No other carrier connects these two airports. Cotabato is located on the province of Maguindanao.

    The airport’s only other scheduled services are to the capital, Manila, which are offered by both Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines. Cotabato City is home of Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Masjid, also known as the Grand Mosque of Cotabato, which is the largest mosque in the Philippines. Completed in 2011 the facility can accommodate 15,000 people and was funded by the Sultan of Brunei.

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  • Discover the best of Cebu with AirAsia

    Discover the best of Cebu with AirAsia

    Whether you are into mouthwatering dishes, breathtaking beaches or amazing historical sites, Cebu offers the best experience and AirAsia is making it easier and more affordable for you to fly now to the “Queen City of the South” from Davao with an all-in fare from as low as P499. AirAsia, voted the world’s best low cost carrier for eight consecutive years, flies twice daily to Cebu from Davao and five times daily from Manila. Cebu is the secondary hub for AirAsia after the airline launched in April several flights to/from Palawan and Boracay.

    International flights are also available from Cebu to Incheon/Seoul, Taipei, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur with fares now on sale at 50-percent off from May 17 until May 21, 2017, valid for travel from September 5, 2017 to February 8, 2018. AirAsia Philippines chief executive office Captain Dexter Comendador said, “We are a Filipino company but a regional and proudly Asean brand and part of the AirAsia Group delivering world-class service.

    As a Filipino low cost carrier, we feel strongly about supporting the growth and development of cities outside Metro Manila.” “Starting April 22, Cebuanos now have direct access to Boracay via Caticlan, Palawan, and Davao with our signature low fares.

    Foreign tourists arriving in Cebu can skip the crowded airport of Manila and fly straight to Cebu and to our country’s best island destinations. With our newest routes, AirAsia would like to provide the much-needed connections and tap into underserved market and grow it as there is definitely great tourism and business potential in Visayas and Mindanao.” Comendador added. AirAsia in the Philippines operates a fleet of 17 aircraft with domestic and international flights out of hubs in Manila, Cebu and Kalibo. The airline operates several flights to/from Manila, Davao, Cebu, Kalibo, Caticlan (Boracay), Tacloban, Tagbilaran (Bohol), Puerto Princesa (Palawan) and Clark in the Philippines with international flights to/from Shanghai, Taipei, Incheon (Seoul), Hong Kong, Macau, Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu, and Singapore (via Cebu only). AirAsia Philippines is part of the AirAsia Group that has been awarded by Skytrax as the World’s Best Low Cost Carrier for eight consecutive years since 2009.

  • Cebu Pacific Q1 profit drops 68.2% to P1.28B

    Cebu Pacific Q1 profit drops 68.2% to P1.28B

    Low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific said its first quarter net income fell 68.2 percent to P1.28 billion from P4 billion a year ago due to increased expenses arising from higher fuel prices coupled with a weaker of Philippine peso.The airline told the stock exchange on Wednesday that its operating expenses swelled by 20.3 percent to P14.3 billion in the first quarter as the peso depreciation affected fuel, aircraft and engine lease, and repairs and maintenance expenses, and also contributed to the increase in international airport charges.

    However, it said revenues continued to grow by 4.7 percent to P16.86 billion, driven by increases in passenger and cargo volumes and ancillary revenue. Cebu Pacific operates a fleet of 59 aircraft and serves 62 domestic routes and 41 international routes with a total of 2,870 scheduled weekly flights from seven hubs in the Philippines.

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  • Tourism exec welcomes new Cebu Pacific routes in Clark

    Tourism exec welcomes new Cebu Pacific routes in Clark

    The Department of Tourism (DOT) in Central Luzon welcomed the two new routes of Cebu Pacific which will commence on May 15. Ronnie Tiotuico, DOT-Central Luzon director, said the new routes will attract passengers from Central and Northern Luzon. “This is good for our tourism.

    People from Central and Northern Luzon will no longer have to travel to Metro Manila to get to their favorite destinations in Boracay and El Nido in Palawan,” Tiotuico said.

    Cebu Pacific set the new flights in line with its program to strengthen its domestic route network geared towards making inter-island travel more accessible to residents outside Metro Manila. Starting this May 15, Cebu Pacific’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Cebgo, will be flying daily between Clark and Caticlan (Boracay) and three times weekly on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday between Clark and Busuanga.

    “We believe that by opening these new routes, we are enabling more residents from Central and even North Luzon to travel to Palawan and Boracay — two of the world’s best islands, without having to make the trip to Metro Manila to catch their flights. Aside from boosting domestic tourism, our new routes will also enhance trade and investment as we also make available our cargo services,” Alexander Lao, Cebgo president and chief executive officer, said.

    Lao said that Cebu Pacific has remained true to its commitment of making air travel safe, affordable, reliable, and fun-filled for everyone. “Rest assured, we will continue expanding our network to enable even more of our kababayans to travel with our trademark lowest fares, not only within the Philippines, but also to international destinations,” added Lao. Cebu Pacific also operates flights out of four other strategically placed hubs in Manila, Davao, Kalibo, and Iloilo.

    The airline’s extensive network covers over 100 routes and 66 destinations, spanning Asia, Australia, the Middle East, and United States of America. F

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  • Cebu Pacific passenger traffic slipped in Q1

    Cebu Pacific passenger traffic slipped in Q1

    The operator of budget airline Cebu Pacific Air saw passenger growth contract in the first quarter of 2017, partly on increased competition with domestic rivals.

    Cebu Air, which owns Cebu Pacific and Cebgo, announced its January to March 2017 operating statistics on Wednesday, showing that passenger traffic slid by 0.5 percent to 4.81 million passengers compared to the same period in 2016.

    Cebu Air said capacity, with a growth of 2.9 percent, rose faster than demand, causing seat load factor to slip 2.9 percentage points to 83.8 percent for the period.

    Since tycoon Lucio Tan resumed full control of rival Philippine Airlines in 2014, the flag carrier vowed to aggressively compete anew in the domestic arena.

    As a result, think tank CAPA-Center for Aviation said in a report early this year that Cebu Pacific ceded some domestic market share to PAL in 2016. However, CAPA noted these were mainly on “lower yielding and generally unprofitable point-to-point routes.” Separately, Philippines Air Asia noted higher passenger volume in 2016.

    Cebu Air also said passenger traffic for March 2017 alone was down 0.2 percent to 1.64 million passengers compared to the same period in 2016.

    Capacity during the period was up by 3.3 percent, while seat load factor was down 2.9 percentage points to 82.8 percent.

    Cebu Air disclosed earlier that full-year 2016 net income jumped 122.3 percent to P9.75 billion compared to the same period in 2015 on strong passenger volume and lower oil prices.

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  • Bosch store boosts Cebu’s top retail market status

    Bosch store boosts Cebu’s top retail market status

    The store opening of a high-end kitchen appliance brand in Cebu proves its position as a primary retail market for top-of-the line products.

    This also means that Cebu’s buying population has a discriminating taste for brands that last for longer period, said Efren Reyes, sales manager, kitchen and appliance division of Hafele Philippines Inc.

    “This signals our company’s confidence in the Cebuanos as the biggest market outside Metro Manila. Cebu is a primary market … it is a growing and booming metropolis with a population that has more disposable cash who are loyal to brands that offer superior quality,” said Reyes.

    Häfele Philippines is the exclusive distributor of Bosch products in the Philippines. It is a subsidiary of the German-based Häfele Group. Häfele has been in Cebu since 1995. The Bosch-Häfele store in Mandaue is the first Bosch retail store outside of Manila.

    Reyes said they hope to “cover the market” as Cebu progresses as the site of condominium developments.

    “We are going out there to make ourselves known because Bosch is currently known as the maker of power tools and spark plugs. Our presence here hopes to be the spark that will enliven your kitchen and your home,” he said during the press conference before the grand store opening last May 5 at the Design Center Cebu.