Flag carrier Philippine Airlines recently announced that it will be assisting stranded American citizens in the country by mounting two separate flights to Los Angeles and San Francisco this week.
The “user-pay” flight leaving for LA is scheduled on May 21 with two domestic sweeper flights — one from Cebu and one from Davao, according to the United States Embassy in Manila.
Meanwhile, the one leaving for San Francisco is scheduled on May 26 with eight domestic sweeper flights from Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Davao, Dumaguete, Iloilo, Siargao, and Tagbilaran.
The Manila to LAX/SFO economy tickets are priced at USD $1,200 (plus taxes and fees), while the Domestic sweeper flight costs are priced at USD $200 (plus taxes and fees).
“All flight arrangements will be made by PAL, not the Embassy. You must submit a working phone number and include all local or international area codes. PAL will contact you directly to arrange payment and ticketing after you have registered for the flights, so check your contact details carefully before submitting the survey and keep your phone on and handy,” the embassy said in its announcement.
“PAL had difficulty reaching some U.S. citizens who submitted a form indicating their interest for the previous flights – their telephone numbers were either incomplete or unattended. This caused some to miss this opportunity. PAL requests that passengers not call them for a status update as this will clog up their lines and increase wait time. Once you have registered, please make sure you are available,” it added.
The U.S. Embassy in Manila also advised stranded American citizens to take actions such as monitoring the news, consulting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website for the most up-to-date information, and visiting the U.S. Embassy’s page as well as the Department of Homeland Security’s website on the latest travel restrictions to the U.S.
