More American carriers flying to Manila likely – envoy

MANILA, Philippines — More US airlines may be flying to the Philippines following the arrival yesterday of the first nonstop flight by an American carrier from mainland US to Manila.

In a post on X, US Ambassador MaryKay Carlson said the arrival of United Airlines Flight UA 191 in Manila from San Francisco was a “momentous” event in trans-Pacific travel – one that is “accelerating opportunities and strengthening connections between the two countries.”

A water cannon salute welcomed Flight UA 191 at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 yesterday.

Carlson said the United flight would be the “first of many more air links between our countries” as she joined other officials in a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the milestone.

“The San Francisco-Manila flight is indeed the first time a US airline has flown between the US mainland and the Philippines, Manila. So, we are just really, really pleased to be high in the air and to be leading this new service,” Marcel Fuchs, United’s managing director of international sales, told reporters yesterday.

With this new Manila-San Francisco daily nonstop service, United will be the first and only US airline connecting Manila and the continental US.

The daily nonstop flights will be operated using a Boeing 777-300ER – the airline’s largest aircraft which has 60 seats in the United Polaris business cabin, 24 seats in the United Premium Plus cabin and 266 seats in the United Economy cabin.

Passengers on the 15-hour flight will be served Filipino-inspired meals.

“The Filipino team created the menu for this flight so customers can expect a good meal,” UAL country manager for Philippine sales Pam Navarro said. “We have to make Manila-San Francisco work. Everything we see – from the support of the travel, trade and business community – would suggest that we’re going to be successful in this market.”

The US hosts one of the largest communities of overseas Filipinos, with remittances from the country accounting for 41.2 percent of all cash remittances. Filipinos who have permanently migrated to the US and those who work there temporarily often travel between the Philippines and the US, Navarro added.

Yesterday’s Flight UA