PAL cuts fare on flights from Narita to Manila

MANILA, Philippines -  Philippine Airlines (PAL) slashed its fare by more than 30 percent on flights from Narita, Japan to Manila as a way of helping Filipino evacuees from Fukushima prefecture.

The price of a one-way ticket from Narita to Manila or Narita-Cebu has been reduced for a limited time from $500 to $335.

PAL chairman and CEO Lucio Tan ordered the discounting of plane tickets for Filipinos following reports of high radiation levels near Fukushima.

But only those facing involuntary evacuation from areas declared as danger zones by Japanese authorities can avail themselves of the “all-in” discounted tickets, excluding Japanese taxes or fees.

They are advised to coordinate with the Philippine embassy in Japan in charge of overseeing the repatriation.

Regular passengers, on the other hand, may buy their tickets through the PAL sales office in Narita Airport, PAL ticket offices in Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka and Nagoya, and accredited travel agents in Japan or the PAL website.

PAL said the latest airlift assistance is the company’s contribution to the Philippine government in charge of repatriating Filipino victims of earthquake, tsunami and radiation leaks.

The company said the reduced fares are just enough to recover actual cost of operating the flights such as jet fuel, landing and parking fees, crew salaries, other airport fees, among others.

A few weeks ago, PAL started shipping thousands of bottles of water to Japan.                                           

Donated by Asia Brewery Inc., another Tan-owned company, the drinking water was coursed through the Tokyo metropolitan government.

A total of 700,000 bottles of distilled water were shipped for free by PAL to help calamity victims.

Last March 9 and 10, PAL also repatriated over 700 Filipinos and their families from Libya.                                           

PAL flies once a day from Narita (Tokyo) to Manila using the 370-seater Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, and five times a week from Narita to Cebu using the 302-seater Airbus A330-300.