Cebu Pacific, the largest carrier in the Philippines, celebrated its 10th anniversary of the Dubai-Manila-Dubai route with a Stakeholders’ Night held last Friday at the JW Marriott Hotel in Dubai.
Present during the event was His Excellency Philippine Ambassador Alfonso Ferdinand Ver, who thanked Cebu Pacific for its efforts, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. Ambassador Ver stated that while the UN has already announced the end of the pandemic, Cebu Pacific still has a vital role to play.
“I’m counting on Cebu Pacific to continue innovating and providing the service it can and to give whatever it takes to meet the challenges. As the Philippine government, through the Embassy, and the Department of Tourism, we are here to provide support that becomes the catalyst for making this happen,” stated Ambassador Ver.
Tourism Promotions Board COO Maria Margarita Montemayor Nograles also graced the event. During her speech, she emphasized the importance of air travel as the Philippines strives for a stronger tourism recovery.
“As we look forward to an even stronger tourism recovery in the months ahead, I am proud that Cebu Pacific is making greater operational strides to address the growing capacity and passenger demand that everyone in the industry is experiencing post-pandemic,” said COO Nograles.
Cebu Pacific’s Chief Marketing and Customer Experience Officer, Candice Iyog, shared the airline’s milestones, which include having 35 Philippine destinations, 23 international destinations, 107 Philippine and International Routes, and 3,100 weekly flights by May and June.
“We’ve doubled our capacity and we are now at 109% of our pre-pandemic capacity, adding another 29,000 seats per month. And this is why we believe we offer the best proposition for Filipinos coming home. Aside from the Filipino brand of service the moment you step into our aircraft, it’s twice-daily frequency, because we operate our flights from the same terminal in Manila, we can also offer you the shortest connecting time,” stated Iyog.
Tourism Undersecretary Shereen Gail Yu-Pamintuan underscored Cebu Pacific’s pivotal role in positioning the Philippines as a top-of-mind destination.
“As one of our country’s cherished carriers, Cebu Pacific’s continued service offering, with the most reasonable way to travel by air and, as announced earlier, the lowest way to travel by air expansion, the routes and direct flights all contribute greatly to positioning the Philippines as a top-of-mind destination and connecting travelers from all over to our stunning beaches, breathtaking landscapes, and our 7,641 islands,” said Usec. Yu-Pamintuan.
The highlight of the event was the celebratory launch of 10 dirhams (one-way base fare) flights to Manila.
Ollie Pineda, a Filipina UAE resident who attended the Stakeholders’ Night, made sure to be one of the first to book using the 10 dirham base fare launch.
“Syempre, masaya kasi opportunity ulit na makauwi sa Pilipinas. Umuuwi kami twice a year and now we can go home for as low as 10 dirhams. We’re very happy with their service and we always enjoy the food. Gusto ko yung crew nila mababait and very friendly,” said Pineda.
Also present during the event were Philippine Consul General Renato Dueñas Jr, Vice Consul Aleah Gica, and Vice Consul Jim Jimeno.
The event concluded with a lucky raffle for three attendees, each of whom received free roundtrip tickets from Dubai to Manila.
Cebu Pacific is launching its 10th Anniversary kick-off sale, offering flights for as low as AED 10. The sale period runs from May 5 to May 9, 2023, with a travel period from June 1 until November 20, 2023.
