PAL flights normal Friday despite bad weather

MANILA, Philippines – None of the flights of flag carrier Philippine Airlines were significantly affected by bad weather on Friday, with most flights leaving as planned and only minor delays reported on some routes.

In a statement on Friday, PAL said it also dispatched two replacement flights to accommodate passengers that were affected by two cancellations on Thursday when flash floods wrought by Tropical Storm “Falcon” swamped large blocks of Metro Manila, stranding thousands in rush-hour traffic.

“The cancellations were due to Thursday’s heavy rains, widespread flooding and a massive traffic jam that prevented passengers and airline crew en route to (the airport) to arrive in time,” PAL said.

“PAL flights remain normal with some flights experiencing minor delays due to prevailing weather condition at airports in Manila and provincial stations,” the company said.

“Using an all-jet fleet of airplanes, PAL continues to safely operate all its flights, but with slight delays on 17 international and 21 domestic points,” PAL said.

Among those dispatched Friday were two replacement flights to accommodate passengers of Thursday’s cancelled flights to Los Angeles (PR102/103) and Tacloban (PR393/394).

Passengers of Thursday’s cancelled PR277/278 were also flown on the regular morning flight to Legazpi on Friday.

The 310 passengers of the cancelled Los Angeles flight were booked in various hotels while waiting for their next flight.

On Friday, Manila airport officials said none of the international flights coming out of the country’s premiere gateway were cancelled due to heavy rains.