CEB increases local flights from Cebu, int’l flights to Hong Kong, Seoul

BUDGET carrier Cebu Pacific (CEB) announced on Sunday its plan to add more domestic and international flights due to anticipated increased demand during the holiday season.

“We know that many are raring to travel again to their favorite local and foreign destinations, so we are very excited to mount these additional flights as we approach the holiday season,” Xander Lao, Cebu Pacific’s chief commercial officer said in an emailed statement.

Starting Dec. 1, the airline will increase weekly flights between Cebu and Iloilo, Dumaguete, Legazpi, Surigao, Pagadian, and Tacloban.

To widen its international footprint, Cebu Pacific will also add more flights between Manila and Brunei, Jakarta, Seoul, Taipei, and Hong Kong. The increased weekly flight frequency (from two times to four times) to and from Brunei is expected to start on Nov. 27.

Weekly flights between Manila and Hong Kong will be increased to 32x from 28x currently starting Dec. 11.

Flights between Manila and Seoul (Incheon) will increase to 14 times per week from seven times currently starting Dec. 1.

Cebu Pacific currently flies to a total of 34 domestic and 19 international destinations.

The airline said it continues to implement a multi-layered approach to safety while it operates with a 100% fully vaccinated crew, 97% of whom have been boosted.

Cebu Air, Inc., the listed operator of Cebu Pacific, managed to cut its attributable net loss for the third quarter of the year to P2.54 billion from a loss of P8.20 billion in the same period last year.

The company’s revenues for the quarter reached P16.85 billion, surging from P3.25 billion previously. This was propelled by a strong recovery across the airline’s business segments, according to the company.

Expenses increased 111.6% to P19.89 billion from P9.4 billion in the same period last year.

“Despite being a lean season, the continued easing of travel requirements encouraged strong travel demand. For the third quarter, Cebu Pacific has flown over four million passengers, a 489% increase versus the third quarter last year,” the company said in a statement. — Arjay L. Balinbin