Philippine Airlines (PAL), the Philippines’ national flag carrier, has appointed José María “Chema” Alvarado as Regional Head of North America, reinforcing the airline’s commitment to accelerating commercial growth and strengthening its presence across the United States and Canada. Alvarado brings over two decades of senior leadership experience across international airlines, alliances, and travel-technology organizations.
He has a proven track record of driving revenue growth, forging strategic partnerships, developing winning sales and distribution strategies, and leading multicultural commercial teams across global markets.
In his new role, he will oversee sales and distribution across North America, driving revenue performance, expanding travel trade and corporate partnerships, and shaping the strategy in one of PAL’s most important markets. He will also work with cross-functional teams to enhance distribution effectiveness and support sustainable commercial growth.
“North America is a cornerstone market for PAL and one that is marked for significant growth with increased frequencies and the deployment of our new long-haul flagship aircraft, the Airbus A350-1000,” said Justin Warby, Vice President for Sales and Distribution. “Chema’s strong leadership and deep industry relationships will help accelerate our growth and strengthen our partnerships across the region.”
The appointment comes as Philippine Airlines continues to invest in fleet modernization, network expansion, and product enhancements to meet rising demand for transpacific passenger and cargo services.
“I am honored to join Philippine Airlines at such an exciting time in its growth journey,” said Alvarado. “North America is a dynamic and strategically important region for PAL. I look forward to working closely with our partners, customers, and teams to further strengthen our presence in the region and expand PAL’s global reach.”
PAL operates the largest network of nonstop flights between the Philippines and North America. It offers daily flights from Manila to San Francisco, Vancouver, and Guam (with additional thrice weekly flights from Cebu). The airline also operates 14 flights per week to Los Angeles (set to increase to 18 flights weekly beginning June 1, 2026), five times weekly to Seattle and Honolulu, and three times weekly to New York (JFK) and Toronto, cementing its position as a leading carrier for transpacific flights.
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About Philippine Airlines
Philippine Airlines (PAL) is the flag carrier of the Philippines and Asia’s first commercial airline. As the only full-service network airline in the country, PAL operates a modern fleet of Boeing, Airbus, and De Havilland aircraft, offering scheduled nonstop flights out of hubs from Manila, Cebu, Clark, and Davao to 31 destinations across the Philippines and 39 international destinations in North America, Asia, Australia, and the Middle East. For North American travelers, PAL’s Boeing 777s and Airbus A350s provide direct service from Manila to seven convenient gateways in the region, including Hawaii.
PAL delivers air cargo and charter services and has been recognized as an APEX Four™ Star recipient. In 2025, Cirium named PAL the Asia-Pacific carrier with the highest on-time performance.
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