Feature

Filipino expats cheer as Cebu Pacific announces Manila to Batanes direct flight

The online votes of #CEBFlyMeTo are in and Batanes was chosen as the new local flight destination of Cebu Pacific (CEB).

A percentage of the online votes came from UAE-based Filipinos who cheered as CEB announced its plans to launch direct flights between Manila and Batanes, starting March 25.

Batanes emerged the most popular destination in the CEB’s first crowdsourcing aviation campaign, which was widely supported by UAE-based Filipino expats. The global campaign encouraged Filipinos to raise awareness about their hometowns and increase tourism.

The new route will enable over 900,000 Filipino expats in the UAE as well as tourists, to fly from Manila to Batanes for as low as Dh 305.

“Our new flight to Basco is in keeping with our commitment to connect more of the Philippines and make air travel safe, affordable, reliable, and fun-filled for every Juan. What makes this route more special is that netizens were actively engaged in the selection of our new destination—our customers were part of the process,” Alexander Lao, Cebgo President and CEO, said in a statement.

Home of the resilient and welcoming Ivatans, Batanes is an archipelagic province located on the northernmost Philippine frontier, boasts of breathtaking landscapes and seascapes, rolling hills, windswept traditional stone houses and ancient cultures.

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The other top choices of the #CEBFlyMeTo campaign included Daet (Camarines Norte), Mati (Davao Oriental), Bantayan Island (Cebu), San Vicente (Palawan) and Siquijor.

In order to come up with the decision, CEB, which also flies to 36 other domestic and 25 international destinations, took into account airport readiness such as safety and security, facilities for passengers and runway specifications before launching the new route.

Netizens on Facebook also expressed their delight after CEB announced Batanes as its new flight destination.

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