Philippine Airlines is the flag carrier of the Philippines and the oldest airline in Asia with 75 years of operations. They have embarked on the ambitious journey to become a premium, 5-star airline. They have added new planes, reconfigured them with better seats and more space in all cabins and improved food, entertainment and service offerings. Find out all the facts and figures about their fleet and destinations, the experience you can expect from Philippine Airlines and their loyalty program, Mabuhay Miles!

Facts & Figures: Philippine Airlines (airline code PR, usually referred to as PAL) is based out of Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL). They are the oldest Asian airline and currently serve 103 destinations world wide with a fleet of 97 planes.
SkyTrax rates them as a 4-star (out of 5) airline.
AirlineRatings gives them 6 out of 7 stars for safety – one star is missing because the Philippines as a country didn’t meet all criteria of an aviation audit. Get all the facts & figures about PAL, their destinations and fleet here

The Experience: Philippine Airlines has embarked on an ambitious program to become a 5-Star airline and has worked to improve the experience across all cabin classes. They are currently offering three cabin classes: PAL Economy Class is available on all of their planes. On their new Airbus A350 and reconfigured Airbus A330 long-haul planes, they offer a true Premium Economy class, with wider seats, more legroom and larger entertainment systems. Their PAL Business Class ranges from recliner seats on older planes to fully-flat seats with direct aisle acccess on their A350 and A330. They have even introduced fully-flat beds on their new A321!
PAL has their flagship Mabuhay Lounge at their hub at Manila’s NAIA 2 Terminal, it was recently renovated and is a pleasant place to wait for your flight.

 

The Rewards: PAL has its own rewards program, Mabuhay Miles. They have partnerships with ANA and Etihad and are also hoping to join one of the big alliances in the future (read here). They also offer credit cards in the Philippines to provide more options to earn miles. While it is a limited program compared to other major carriers, it does have its sweet spots, so read my full review of Mabuhay Miles!