PAL return hinges on CNMI policy shifts, not just passengers

Philippine Airlines’ return to Saipan next month is being pitched not just as a resumption of flights, but as a test of whether the CNMI is ready to fix the policy and market gaps that forced carriers out in the first place.

Speaking before the Saipan Chamber of Commerce last Feb. 4 at Saipan World Resort, PAL regional head for Japan, Korea, and Oceania Bryan Sansolis made it clear that March 29 is only the beginning. The real issue, he said, is whether the community—from government to private sector—will help make the Manila-Saipan route viable long term.

“So about our future flights, as you may have known, Philippine Airlines will be resuming again our flights here in Saipan starting March 29,” Sansolis said, outlining the twice-weekly schedule: Wednesday and Sunday departures from Manila, Thursday and Monday from Saipan.

He emphasized the 2am Saipan departure arriving in Manila at 5am, calling it “a really good schedule” that connects to domestic Philippine routes and regional Asian destinations such as Vietnam and Bangkok.

But beyond connectivity, Sansolis framed PAL’s return as a response to what he described as a post-pandemic “gap in connectivity to CNMI.”

“We recognize that there are now less flights in CNMI. So we saw the gap, and we looked at it as an opportunity to return back to Saipan,” he said.

What the airline discovered during its visit, however, was that the opportunity cuts both ways.

“This is not only an opportunity for us, but this is also an opportunity for the community here in CNMI.”

Sansolis cited medical referrals as one of the strongest untapped segments, noting the time, cost, and inconvenience for CNMI patients traveling onward to other destinations. Direct Manila access, he said, “tick all those boxes.”

He also pointed to business, government, educational, cultural, and sports exchanges—along with the reconnection of the Filipino community in the CNMI with families back home.

Still, Sansolis cautioned that PAL’s return will not survive on sentiment alone.

“We don’t want the flights to be successful, but we also want the flights to be successful in the long term,” he said, acknowledging the airline’s previous withdrawal from the route.

“When we launch a flight, we want it to be long-term.”

To get there, he directly appealed to the business community to do more than applaud.

“We will also want to seek your support in making it feasible. Some of this is, of course, we encourage everyone to take our flights.”

He urged companies to encourage affiliated employees to fly PAL, and challenged organizations to host competitions, business events, and cultural exchanges that would generate inbound traffic.

“If they return and they have a good experience, they might also be passengers and spread the word how good CNMI is to the place where they come from,” he said.

Perhaps the most pointed part of his message, however, involved policy.

Sansolis revealed that PAL has been engaging government agencies and encouraging the Chamber to support efforts to ease travel entry requirements for Philippine visitors.

“As you may have known, the Philippines’ outbound international travel out of the Philippines is increasing every year. So Filipinos are now spending more [time] traveling abroad,” he said. “We think that Saipan is one of the destinations that will be more in their vicinity if the ease of travel gets resolved.”

He added that local officials are already lobbying to review restrictions that affect travel options, including cabotage-related limitations that prevent foreign carriers from transporting passengers between U.S. points.

“I think the government officials here have also lobbied to have that reviewed as well,” he said, noting that current routing options can be “disadvantageous” due to higher costs and longer travel times.

During the question-and-answer portion, Sansolis confirmed PAL has cargo capability but works through freight forwarders. On group travel, he said rates are flexible and seasonally adjusted rather than fixed.