Airphil Express opens 4 new routes via Clark

AirPhil Express sandwiched by its rival

MANILA, Philippines - Airphil Express, the fastest growing budget carrier in the country, is expanding its service capabilities further with the launch of four new routes to and from Clark starting March 29.

The additional routes are Davao, Cebu, Kalibo and Puerto Prinsesa, bringing the total number of its daily scheduled trips to 32 local destinations.

The Clark-Cebu route will fly twice in the morning every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, while the Clark-Davao route will fly twice in the morning every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. The Clark-Kalibo route, meanwhile, will fly four times (two in the morning, two in the afternoon) every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Finally, the Clark-Puerto Princesa route will fly four times every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

“With its highly improved road network and increasing flights, Clark is setting out to become a natural entry point to major tourist destinations and a major hub for business and tourism in the country,” according to Alfredo Herrera, Airphil senior vice president for sales and marketing.

“Aside from being a major part of the company’s growth plans this year, one other reason why we have decided to offer flights from Clark is so we may bring our services closer to people in Pampanga and the nearby areas. It goes hand in hand with our commitment to help spur growth for the country’s economy via the promotion of local tourism in the area,” he added.

Due to the immense volume of passengers expected to be shuttling to and from the area, the budget carrier’s hub in Clark will likewise be made a separate center dedicated to the city.

The newly-opened routes from Clark is also expected to allow for more visitors, who often travel for the purpose of business and leisure, to take advantage of the latest express sale promo fares of Airphil en route to enjoying resource-rich destinations in Clark and the nearby areas.

Airphil has gained patronage among budget-conscious travelers due to its frequent Express Sales, which offers heavily-discounted fares for featured destinations within a certain time period. Airphil Express also offers online booking with seat selection, online check-in, travel insurance and pre-paid additional baggage.

While Airphil considers its much-anticipated Express Sale promos as a contributor to growth last year, its top executives prefer to give more credit to its excellent customer service. “We actually offer other intangibles like listening to consumers and satisfying their needs. By taking advantage of emerging trends in social media, such as Twitter and Facebook, we are able to get in touch with our customers, and be responsive to their needs any time of day, any day of the week,” Herrera said.

Airphil distinguishes itself from other budget carriers by offering affordable airfare and convenience-driven products and services like the web check-in, seat selector, travel insurance, and pre-paid baggage, as well as travel exclusives of as much as 15 kilos free baggage allowance and an additional seven-kilo free hand carry. Furthermore, the company is known as the first budget airline to address the needs of business and leisure travelers through its round-the-clock customer service presence in social networking websites.

One other first in the company’s online service is the “manage booking” feature, which enables Airphil passengers to make flight adjustments such as rescheduling and rerouting of previously booked tickets through.

SOURCE: Philippine Star