Dipolog City (Zamboanga Journal / 17 July ) Travellers and local officials in Zamboanga del Norte province in the southern Philippines hailed as historic the opening of Manila-Dipolog City route by Cebu Pacific (CEB).
Cebu Pacific (CEB), the country’s low-fare pioneer, last week opened its maiden flight and airline executives said an A319 Airbus now flies three times weekly from Manila to Dipolog City, the provincial capital, known for its pristine beaches and historic places.
"This is really good. Now we can travel back and forth from Dipolog to Manila, instead of going to Zamboanga City or Cagayan de Oro airports. We can also sell Dipolog as a major tourist destination in Western Mindanao," said Wency Cruz, a trader.
The Manila-Dipolog service departs Manila every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday at 11:45 a.m. arriving in Dipolog at 1 p.m. and leaves Dipolog at 1:30 p.m. to arrive back in Manila at 2:45 p.m.
Lance Gokongwei, CEB president and CEO, said the Manila-Dipolog service reinforces the airlines’ commitment to strengthen local tourism in the country.
“Dipolog is known for numerous tourist spots like Dakak Beach and Dapitan Bay as well as its sardine industry. It also showcases year-round festivities and presents itself as one of the major trade hubs in Mindanao."
"And with the recent success of its Biyahe Na Zamboanga Peninsula regional showcase and the Hudyaka Festival, we believe that the ‘Orchid City’ of the Philippines can become a major gateway for tourism and business in Mindanao,” Gokongwei said.
CEB introduced its Manila-Dipolog (vice-versa) service with an introductory seat sale of only 688 pesos one-way.
The sale, which began June 13, will run until July 22 only for travel up to October 19, 2006. After the seat sale, the year-round ‘Go’ fares to Dipolog start at only 868 pesos one-way, more than 70% less than the current airfare. The ‘Go’ fares are exclusive of regular surcharges and government tax.
"In line with our vision to make air travel an option for more Filipinos, we are bringing our trademark low fares and brand new Airbus A319 service to Dipolog.
"We hope that CEB’s entry to this market will once again bring down airfares to Dipolog and stimulate travel to this vibrant city because we really believe it’s time everyone flies," Gokongwei said.
"For best availability of our lowest fares, I suggest for everyone to plan their travel ahead of time and book online on cebupacificair.com," he said.
Mayor Roberto Uy expressed optimism that the latest air route would boost tourism industry in Dipolog and Zamboanga del Norte.
Passengers from the neighboring provinces of Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay and Misamis Occidental, as well as the cities of Oroquieta, Ozamis, Pagadian and Dapitan also find Dipolog airport more accessible for them to fly for Manila and back.
The Dipolog service is CEB’s 2nd new domestic destination launched this year, the first being the Laoag service which opened only on June 8.
This service is part of the airline’s expansion program as their new Airbus fleet continues to arrive. At present, CEB operates 8 brand new Airbus aircrafts for its domestic and regional flights.
The new service brings the number of domestic destinations CEB services to 18. The airline also flies to Hong Kong and Seoul in South Korea. Now in its 11th year, CEB pioneered low fares in the country in March 1996.
It also introduced travelers to on-time service, e-ticketing, and on-line booking, setting the standards for airline innovation in the local aviation industry.
No comments:
Post a Comment