The Travel Weekly website published a story yesterday which concludes that the twice weekly flights were still being explored by the airline.
The Brisbane Airport Corporation website suggests things are a little more advanced with their schedule for 30 October to 1 December showing that on Saturday 1 December PR221 is scheduled to arrive at 10:00 from MNL-DRW and then turn around as PR222 at 11:00.
Using the Brisbane Airport Corporation arrival/departure times and Jetstar's flight times a likely schedule is something like this:
Travel Weekly 25 October 2012
Philippines Airlines is making plans to re-enter the Queensland market with twice weekly flights from Manila to Brisbane via Darwin.
The services have been pencilled in to start in very early December using A320 aircraft, Travel Today understands.
PAL last operated flights to the Queensland capital in 2010 with an A330 triangular service with Melbourne. But they didn’t last long.
It began flights in March after a 10-year hiatus but pulled them again in October, blaming market conditions.
But the airline is exploring the possibility of trying again, this time with a smaller 156-capacity aircraft and operating via the Northern Territory.
Sources said PAL will operate mid morning flights on a Tuesday and Saturday from Brisbane with the first service due to arrive in Queensland on December 1.
“The airline recently said they are keen to start flights to Darwin, and Brisbane may very well be best served with a smaller aircraft until they deem fit to upgauge to the larger A330 or 777,” the source said.
Philippine Airlines declined to confirm or deny the launch, saying only it was exploring opportunities.
“Philippine Airlines has a business review team examining its entire international network including several potential expansion opportunities, however no final decisions have been made at this time,” a spokesman said.