Philippine Airlines made history when it became the first Asian airline to cross the Pacific Ocean in 1946. The PAL plane took off from Neilson Airport in Manila and flew to Oakland, California, on the US mainland, carrying 40 US servicemen home. The plane made four stops before landing in Oakland. PAL still operates transpacific flights from Manila to the US mainland. I’ve now compiled a list of all the planes used by PAL to fly across the Pacific Ocean to the US mainland and back.
Douglas DC-4 “Skymaster”
The DC-4 was PAL’s first aircraft, flying across the Pacific to the US West Coast and returning 40 US servicemen after the war. It also cemented PAL’s position as Asia’s first transpacific airline. The total flight time was 41 hours, with four layovers.
During the war, the DC-4 was known as the C-54. They were sold to commercial airlines after the war, and PAL used them for scheduled services to the United States, initially to San Francisco. PAL began flights to Rome and Madrid on May 3, 1947, making it the first Southeast Asian airline to do so.
Douglas DC-6 “Pacemaker”
PAL began modernizing its international fleet in 1948. They then purchased the DC-6 for transpacific flights. The DC-4 had a pressurized cabin, a longer fuselage, a more powerful engine, and a longer range. On May 29, 1948, PAL began using DC-6s on transpacific routes. Because of its more powerful and newer engine, the crossing time was reduced from 41 hours to 31 hours with only three stops. The DC-6 also set speed records along the majority of its route.
Douglas DC-6B
On July 4, 1952, the Douglas DC-6B was added to the PAL fleet. It was the most advanced transporter at the time, measuring five feet longer than a standard DC-6.
Douglas DC-8-50
With the Douglas DC-8-50, PAL entered the jet age in 1962. Known as the “Sampaguita,” PAL purchased eight of these planes for transpacific and other international flights. They were decommissioned beginning in 1979.
Douglas DC-8-63
To compete with airlines flying widebody aircraft on transpacific routes, PAL purchased the DC-8-63, which was 11.7 meters longer than the Series 50. Because of its length but narrow body, this aircraft was also known as the “flying pencil.” In May 1972, two frames were leased for transpacific flights. They were decommissioned in 1974.
McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30
To increase capacity, PAL entered the widebody aircraft era with the DC-10 tri-jet aircraft. The first of three DC-10 tri-jets joined the PAL fleet in 1974. Aside from transpacific flights, PAL also used the DC-10 for flights to Europe, the Middle East, and Australia.
Boeing 747-200B
In December 1979, PAL finally acquired the ‘Queen of the Skies’ and the world’s largest passenger aircraft at the time, the Boeing 747. In March 1980, these jumbos replaced the DC-10s on transpacific routes. What made the PAL 747 even more unique were the 16 full-flat beds on the upper deck of the aircraft known as the “Skybed,” a first in Asia. These were only available to first-class passengers. Skybeds transformed long-distance luxury travel. The 747-200s flew between North America and Europe.
Boeing 747-400
The Boeing 747-400 was an upgraded version of the 747-200 that served as PAL’s mainstay for transpacific flights from 1993 to 2016. The first frame flew nonstop from the Boeing manufacturing plant in Seattle, Washington, to Subic Bay International Airport in the Philippines. It was transporting then-President Fidel V. Ramos to the APEC meeting in Seattle.
McDonnell Douglas MD-11ER
The FAA downgraded Philippine aviation to Category 2 status in 1996. As a result, in order to continue flying to the US and Canada, PAL had to sign a wet-lease agreement with World Airways for two MD-11s. The MD-11 is an enhanced version of the classic DC-10, featuring newer engines and a wider wing with winglets.
Airbus A340-300
The Airbus A340-300 is a four-engined ultra-long-range version of the A330-300. PAL acquired four A340-300s in 1997 as part of a $3.2 billion fleet modernization. During peak seasons, the A340-300s were an excellent complement to the 747-400s. They were replaced by the more modern twin-engine Airbus A350-900 in PAL’s fleet in 2018.
Boeing 777-300ER
With the arrival of its first Boeing 777-300ER, the world’s largest twin-engine aircraft at the time, PAL received a significant fleet upgrade in 2012. This is also PAL’s first aircraft capable of nonstop flights from Manila to the West Coast of the United States and back. When flying from the West Coast of the United States to Manila, the Boeing 747-400 had to make stops in Honolulu or Guam. This also enabled PAL to operate ultra-long-distance nonstop flights from Manila to Toronto. PAL’s longest recorded non-stop flight (unscheduled) was from Manila to Miami on a Boeing 777-300ER, which the airline currently has 10 of in its fleet.
Airbus A350-900
PAL’s A350-900 ultra long-range aircraft is not only a frequent transpacific flyer, but it is also the aircraft used for nonstop flights from Manila to New York JFK. As of this writing, PAL’s scheduled flight from JFK to MNL is the world’s sixth longest flight.
PAL is still flying transpacific routes, which are the airline’s bread and butter. Flights between Manila and Los Angeles, San Francisco, Vancouver, Toronto, and New York JFK are operated by both Boeing 777-300ER and Airbus A350-900.
First love never dies. I fell in love with airplanes and aviation when I was a kid. My dream was to become a pilot, but destiny led me to another path: to be an aviation digital media content creator and a small business owner. My passion for aviation inspires me to bring you quality content through my website and social accounts. Aviation is indeed in my blood and blog!
