MANILA, Philippines - AirPhil Express continues to make headway towards redefining the low-cost air travel category in the region as it recently inaugurated a vital new route. The fully booked Cebu-Singapore flight was sent off on its maiden flight with a breakfast reception attended by executives, partners, and media friends.
According to Alfredo Herrera, AirPhil Express senior vice-president for Marketing and Sales, linking the two strategic destinations represents another vital advance, which began in the first quarter of 2010, in achieving the company’s vision of becoming the country’s foremost low-cost airline. “The company’s objective is to cater to the Filipino consumer and we will continue to provide routes where the Filipino consumers are.”
On the morning of the inaugural flight, a ribbon-cutting ceremony formally opened the Cebu-Singapore route and passengers were welcomed at the boarding area by company executives who wished them a pleasant journey aboard a newly acquired Airbus A320. The aircraft has a capacity of 180 passengers.
“The economics make sense,” Herrera says of the renewed market buoyancy attributable to an improving local economy that has resulted in more Filipinos choosing value travel by air. AirPhil Express serves this growing consumer demand by expanding its reach into strategic areas that include Singapore where a strong workforce of an estimated 200,000 Filipinos presently live.
Establishing itself as “the low-cost carrier with a heart,” the airline has started carving a niche in the very competitive budget travel sector by providing better quality service and travel experience. “In terms of pricing and promotions, we are very competitive. We give you free 15 kilos of baggage allowance; other airlines charge you for that. From a consumer standpoint, you look at the cost of the ticket and then add to that the benefit of free baggage. We are here to provide value to consumers,” he explains. On the day of the inaugural flight, a promotional fare to Singapore costing only P888 was offered to online consumers, while friends in the travel agency sector and the media received free travel passes to Singapore in a raffle draw during the media launch.
Airphil Express was restructured in March 2010. Revitalizing the brand meant enhancing organizational and operational efficiencies that redound to consumer savings and travel bonuses, one of which is the use of Terminal 2 in Changi Airport in Singapore, instead of the Budget Terminal. This means that arriving and departing passengers of AirPhil Express are guaranteed airport conveniences not enjoyed by other low-cost carriers: centralized and modern facilities, less congestion, extensive duty-free shopping, and efficient immigration and baggage handling services.
“Re-branding AirPhil Express is a long-term commitment,” says Herrera. Despite the many transitions that the company has gone through and as it continues to face dynamic market realities, consumers can be confident of AirPhil Express emerging as a reliable major player in the industry. “The repositioning as a low-cost carrier, the investment in aircraft, in pilots, in organization development — all of these are indications of the vision that the group has in terms of investing for the long-haul.”
The prospects of budget air travel are very good, and the carrier is courting and building markets with vigor. “How many people take the bus to Bicol every day? How many people travel by boat overnight to Bacolod and Iloilo? If you’re an OFW coming back to see your family after taking a 12- to 14-hour flight, the last thing you want to do is take a 24-hour boat ride. People realize the value of traveling by air faster to be with their loved ones.”
A more consumer-driven AirPhil Express is riding high, optimally tuned to opportunities that contribute to economic growth in the country and in the Asian region. “Our market share now has doubled and we expect to double it again by next year,” Herrera reveals. “We continue to grow month to month and we will continue to provide value-added consumer benefits.”