GenSan International Airport now has 5 flights out 3x a week; Cargo rates cut soon??

With Cebu Pacific recently announcing that it will add a morning flight to its Manila-General Santos-Manila service every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, in addition to its daily afternoon flight effective July 11, 2008, there will now be a total of 5 flights out of GenSan 3x a week!

The other three Gensan flights are Philippine Airlines‘ morning flight to Manila, PAL Express‘ mid-day flight to Cebu and again, Cebu Pacific‘s afternoon flight to Manila.

The additional Cebu Pacific schedule will depart from Manila at 7:05am and will arrive in General Santos at 8:55am using CEB’s A320 aircraft. The return flight takes off at 9:25am and lands in Manila at 11:15am.

A PAL plane and an AirPhil plane at the GenSan International Airport.   Is there room for MORE Cebu Pacific flights?

For years now, PAL has been raking it in on the cargo department because its 10:05am flight exiting Gensan for Manila is almost always on full capacity with tons of FROZEN TUNA making up for most of the load for both the US and Japan markets.

Since tuna is a highly perishable item, it needs to be shipped out of Manila on the next flight available for the US or Japan on exactly the same day.  With PAL being the first plane out of Gensan at 10:05 in the morning, it has been the most preferred airline among Gensan exporters.

But of course, with this new development from CebPac, PAL’s dominance is bound to end soon.  The Gokongwei-owned flight carrier has even one-upped Philippine Airlines by scheduling its morning flight out of the Tuna Capital forty minutes ahead of the national flag carrier’s time of 10:05am.

And who knows?  It might even cut its cargo rates lower than that of PALs?

But even without that in consideration, and if you are a GenSan businessman with a highly perishable cargo which needs to be delivered at the soonest time possible, where would you want it flown out now?  PAL or CebuPac?

The answer is obvious.

And if you yourself want to arrive in Manila before lunch time, you would now know what to fly.  🙂

Addendum: According to the ATO-Gensan Manager Nathaniel Nazareno in an interview earlier this week, Cebu Pacific will soon have its own Cebu-Gensan-Cebu flights too (just like PAL Express).  Oh wow!!!!!  I could only imagine how this will further increase passenger and cargo traffic between the Tuna Capital and the Queen City of the South with the soon-to-follow lowering down of fare rates of both competing airlines!  BIYAHE NA!!!

And to CebuPac owner Mr. John Gokongwei who is also currently constructing his BIGGEST mall in Mindanao, the Robinsons Gen. Santos Mall, what can Bariles Republic say but, “A MILLION THANKS TO YOU sir and may your tribe increase!”