Registrations close early for special flights from Melbourne and Sydney to Manila on May 27

Note: Philippine Airlines has closed registrations for these flights at 4pm on May 21, due to high demand.

PAL have stated “Passengers who have received a confirmation notice are requested to settle their ticket payments as soon as possible. Passengers who have registered before the deadline may stand by for a confirmation notice.

Only a total of 200 seats were available on the flights combined. This is likely due controlled arrival numbers in Manila, who would be subject to hotel quarantine and COVID-19 testing. CNN Philippines reports that NAIA currently has a daily arrival capacity of 400 passengers.

NAIA was closed in between May 3 and May 11 due to high number of returning OFW’s staying in facilities while awaiting test results.

PAL will operate the two special flights from Australia to Manila on May 27 (Wednesday), which will likely be the last flights until regular scheduling of flights will commence.

It is still unknown as to when PAL will be able to commence regular flights while the Australia’s travel restrictions and borders remain in place as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Only Filipino nationals and Philippine passport holders and their foreign spouse and children (in line with Philippine entry restrictions) are able to take these special flights to Australia.

PAL has stated that the flights can only accommodate a total of 200 passengers for both flights combined (e.g. 100 passengers per flight) on a first-come-first-served basis, as required by the Philippine Government.

Registration:

Registration is closed

Registration was to close on May 25, 12:00PM Australian Eastern Time, but closed on May 25, 4:00PM Australian Eastern Time due to high demand.

Price:

Below are the all-in rates per class of service for the Sydney and Melbourne flights:

Economy: AUD 1080
Business Class: AUD 2465

Please note that these special flights to Manila are NOT available for booking on the PAL website.

Updated Quarantine Procedures in the Philippines:

According to Philippine Airlines, upon arrival, “all passengers will undergo a swab test to be performed by trained personnel from the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ).”

Passengers must stay either in a government-designated quarantine facility or in a BOQ approved quarantine hotel while awaiting their test results.

Filipino or foreign nationals will pay for the cost of their accommodation, whether it is at a government-designated quarantine facility, or a BOQ-approved quarantine hotel.

Overseas Filipino Workers will have the option of staying in a government-designated quarantine facility, which will be shouldered by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).

Philippine Airlines also states in its advisory, “Travellers whose test results are negative will be allowed to move out and undergo a 14-day quarantine at home or at an appropriate local monitoring facility.”