PAL waited for Saipan recovery before resuming Manila flights

Philippine Airlines waited for Saipan to get back on its feet following super typhoons Sinlaku and Bavi before resuming its Manila-Saipan service, while also weighing passenger traffic in both directions rather than returning primarily for the touchback travel period.

PAL regional head for Japan, Korea, and Oceania Bryan Sansolis said the Philippine flag carrier wanted conditions in the CNMI to stabilize before restarting the route, which will resume with a Manila departure on Oct. 25 and a Saipan departure on Oct. 26.

PAL will operate the route twice weekly. Flight PR2571 will leave Manila every Wednesday and Sunday at 7:45pm and arrive on Saipan at 1:45am the following day. The return flight, PR2572, will depart Saipan every Monday and Thursday at 2:50am and arrive in Manila at 5:05am. The route will be served by an Airbus A321.

“Of course, that's one of the reasons why we really have to delay it a little bit because we know how much time and effort it takes for a place to really recover,” Sansolis told Marianas Press during an interview Monday afternoon, Sept. 28, at TSL Plaza in Garapan.

PAL also considered the touchback period for CNMI foreign workers but determined that restarting earlier could produce mostly one-way traffic. Sansolis said a sustainable route needs passengers traveling in both directions.

“So we've really waited for October, which is the start of the un-airline winter schedules, just to make sure that during this time, we'll get a healthy traffic as well of going out of Saipan as well as going into Saipan,” he said.

PAL's return comes after what Sansolis described as a promising start when the Manila-Saipan service resumed last March following a nine-year hiatus, only to be interrupted by Sinlaku about two weeks later.

“We actually had a very good momentum during that first two weeks,” Sansolis said. “If I remember correctly, the first flight was, I think, almost full.”

He said the flight had only about three vacant seats, reinforcing PAL's view of the route's potential before the typhoon forced the suspension.

“So Sinlaku was a really unfortunate event because I think we were really up to a good start,” Sansolis said. “But at the same time, we recognized, by that time, we already recognized the strategic value of having the Saipan-Manila flight.”

Beyond point-to-point travel between the CNMI and the Philippines, PAL sees Manila as a potential gateway for Saipan residents traveling elsewhere in Asia. Sansolis said the flight schedule provides convenient connections through Manila to destinations in Japan, Southeast Asia, North Asia, and Australia.

PAL previously saw Saipan passengers connecting through Manila to Thailand, and Sansolis said the airline wants travelers to consider Manila as a hub rather than having to connect through Guam, Korea, or Japan.

The airline also sees potential for inbound tourism to Saipan, although Sansolis acknowledged that the U.S. visa requirement remains a hurdle for Philippine passport holders.

He said a possible expansion of the Guam-CNMI Visa Waiver Program to include the Philippines could help sustain the route, but PAL is not basing its strategy solely on that possibility.

“Probably not betting because I'm not putting everything on one basket, but it's going to help the sustainability of the flights,” he said.

Sansolis said PAL will work with the Marianas Visitors Authority and other tourism stakeholders to develop the market. He said PAL is also coordinating with the Philippine Department of Tourism on potential projects, including familiarization trips.

Asked about the possibility of bringing Filipino journalists or vloggers to Saipan and arranging similar familiarization trips from Saipan to Manila, Sansolis said it is something PAL could pursue with its tourism partners.

“Yes, that's something that we could work with. But of course, that's, again, a collaboration effort,” he said.

Sansolis explained that airlines typically provide air transportation for such trips while tourism agencies or other partners handle accommodations and other ground arrangements.

PAL is also looking at Saipan not simply as a source of passengers but as a destination it can help promote in other Asian markets.

“We're also working with other stakeholders, like for example, MVA, other tourism stakeholders, to make sure that we will also contribute to the recovery of the tourism sector here in Saipan,” Sansolis said.