Philippine Airlines (PAL) has begun operating its flagship Airbus A350-1000 daily between Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL) and San Francisco International Airport (SFO) ahead of the year-end peak travel season. The daily service gives West Coast travelers access to the carrier's newest long-haul product every day of the week and adds premium seats in a season when many Filipino Americans travel home for the holidays.
San Francisco is one of PAL's most important North American gateways and a key link to the large Filipino American community on the West Coast, with onward connections via Manila to destinations across the Philippines and the wider Asia-Pacific region. The A350-1000 is PAL's newest and largest aircraft type, seating 382 passengers: 42 business-class suites in a 1-2-1 layout, 24 premium economy seats and 316 economy seats, each cabin fitted with 4K in-flight entertainment screens, in-flight Wi-Fi, seat power and USB-A and USB-C charging ports. PAL says the type also offers better fuel efficiency, greater operational flexibility and larger cargo capacity to support long-haul network growth. Flight PR104 departs Manila at 23:15 local time and arrives in San Francisco at 20:45 through October 31, while return flight PR105 departs San Francisco at 23:40 and arrives in Manila at 05:35. From November 1, PR104 arrives at 19:45 and PR105 departs at 22:40, with the Manila arrival unchanged at 05:35, a shift the article links to the end of daylight saving time in the United States on November 1.