Manila to Los Angeles May 9th

[OnMyWay]

In case anybody needs this:

POSSIBLE FLIGHTS FROM MANILA TO LAX
United States Embassy Manila, Philippines
Health Alert - U.S. Embassy Manila (April 30, 2020)
Location:  The Philippines
Event:
U.S. Embassy and Philippine Airlines Partner to Assist Stranded U.S. Citizens:

The U.S. Embassy and Philippine Airlines (PAL) have partnered together to assist stranded U.S. citizens who want to return to the United States.  We are surveying passengers to determine if a special flight to bring home stranded U.S. citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs) is feasible.  This would be a commercial flight on May 9 from Manila to LAX on PAL on which U.S. citizens and LPRs will have priority.

Available seats would be offered at-charge, on a first-come first-served basis.  According to PAL, arranged airfare for the Manila to LAX flight would be USD $1,200 (plus taxes and fees) and domestic sweeper flight costs would be USD $200 (plus taxes and fees) per seat.  Interested travelers must meet all Philippine exit requirements, including health certificates.  Please click here to begin the process to register your intent and purchase a ticket.  The deadline for registration is Sunday, May 3 at 8:00 PM.  This flight is contingent on meeting a minimum number of travelers, so please register your intent NOW.

Please confirm the accuracy of your contact information before submitting.  Once registration closes and a minimum number of travelers is met, a PAL representative will then contact you directly to arrange payment and confirm your seat.  All flight arrangements will be made by PAL.

We are aware of the hardship the enhanced community quarantine is creating for U.S. citizens who need to get to the United States, particularly for those who require sweeper flights to connect to Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).  For those who are not already in Manila, PAL has agreed to arrange sweeper flights from various cities to Manila to connect with the May 9, Manila-LAX flight.  U.S. citizens and LPRs will have priority on these sweepers, but other seats will be made available to other nationalities.  Each sweeper flight will be contingent on meeting a minimum number of travelers.

U.S. citizens who need a travel letter to assist with passage through checkpoints to the airport should send an email to the U.S. Embassy at ACSInfoManila@state.gov, subject line TRAVEL LETTER REQUEST.  We will do our best to respond as soon as possible.
We are monitoring the situation and will continue to inform U.S. citizens of known sweeper flights through the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP).

Department of Health (DOH) City or Municipal Health Office Certificates:

Travelers may need additional requirements, such as a Medical/Health Certificate on quarantine status or fitness to travel.
The DOH Bureau of Quarantine issues this certificate in larger cities, e.g. Cebu and Davao.  For other areas, travelers should obtain a medical/health certificate from the City, or Municipal Health Office.  Some local government Health Offices require a certification letter from the barangay stating the individual has stayed in their locality for at least 14 days to ascertain their quarantine status.  In some cases, individuals may be asked to submit additional medical documentation, such as a chest X-ray.  Check with your province, city, or municipality government website for more information on the Health Office in your area.

The Department of Tourism:

The Department of Tourism (DOT) coordinates with its Regional Offices to monitor and assist stranded foreigners.  Travelers may also want to register with the DOT if they have not already done so.  The DOT Directory of Regional Offices can be found at: http://www.tourism.gov.ph/regional_offices.aspx.  More DOT information is located at: https://philippines.travel/safeph.  Each DOT Region also maintains a Facebook page with hotline numbers, which stranded U.S. citizens may call for assistance.

Actions to Take:

Monitor local news for updates.
Consult the CDC website for the most up-to-date information.
For the most recent information on what you can do to reduce your risk of contracting COVID-19, please see the CDC’s latest recommendations.
Visit the COVID-19 crisis page on travel.state.gov for the latest information.
Visit our Embassy webpage on COVID-19 here for information on conditions in the Philippines.
Visit the Department of Homeland Security’s website on the latest travel restrictions to the U.S.

[AusExpat]

Bugger that I just want to go from Manila to Angeles City, do you think my Embassy could be of assistance in this dire struggle?

[Mike J]

4 hours ago, AusExpat said:

Bugger that I just want to go from Manila to Angeles City, do you think my Embassy could be of assistance in this dire struggle?

Short answer is no.   Long answer is hell no. 

[OnMyWay]

This flight is cancelled and there will be no international flights in/out of PH for the next week.  Not sure if it is true, but I read that one reason is that 20,000 OFWs are in inbound 14 day quarantine facilities and there is no more room for new ones.

I think I made a mistake.  Check with PAL.  The inbound flight from LAX is cancelled but they may still operate outbound to LAX.    In the announcement that @intrepid and I were discussing, there is a line that sweeper flights will be allowed.

Edited May 3, 2020 by OnMyWay

[Arizona Kid]

Just now, Arizona Kid said:

It will change daily. What you have posted is yesterdays news.

Woops..forgot to quote again. Sorry JGF.

[Arizona Kid]

2 hours ago, OnMyWay said:

This flight is cancelled and there will be no international flights in/out of PH for the next week.  Not sure if it is true, but I read that one reason is that 20,000 OFWs are in inbound 14 day quarantine facilities and there is no more room for new ones.

This is the craziest time of my life that I have ever witnessed. And I have experienced many situations during my service in the US Military..Weird. 

[AusExpat]

49 minutes ago, Arizona Kid said:

This is the craziest time of my life that I have ever witnessed. And I have experienced many situations during my service in the US Military..Weird. 

This is just the start, wait 'till next week.

[Mike J]

Apparently "Sweeper flights" from the Philippines for expats/foreigners to return to home countries are on the exception list.

https://www.manilatimes.net/2020/05/04/news/top-stories/international-flights-suspended-for-7-days/722191/

The task force working against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) suspended flights in all of the country’s international airports for a week because of the pandemic.

In a statement, Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito Galvez Jr., National Task Force Against Covid-19 chief implementer, said, “The new flight restriction is only temporary and will be implemented for one week to give the government the opportunity to decongest the quarantine facilities in Metro Manila.”

The enhanced community quarantine imposed in Metro Manila and other areas with a high number of Covid-19 cases is scheduled to end on May 15, 2020. Other areas with fewer cases went on downgraded general community quarantine on May 1, 2020.

Galvez added that the suspension would “also ensure that our overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are well taken care of when they arrive from abroad. As of today, there are already approximately 20,000 OFWs undergoing mandatory quarantine in Metro Manila.”

The suspension applies to domestic flights at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

Besides NAIA, the international airports covered by the suspension are the Davao International Airport, Clark International Airport, Iloilo International Airport, Mactan-Cebu International Airport, Zamboanga International Airport, Kalibo International Airport, Laoag International Airport and Puerto Princesa International Airport.

Galvez also said the suspension would apply to all commercial flights, except in cases of emergency, air ambulances and planes carrying medical supplies, aircraft diverted to the country because of bad weather, and maintenance flights.

Sweeper flights to repatriate foreigners in the country would also be allowed under the exceptions, according to the statement.

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said international flights that wish to land and depart must request exemption from the CAAP Operations Center “at least 36 hours before the scheduled departure from their place of origin,” the statement added.

PAL cancels flights
Because of the suspension, Philippine Airlines (PAL) canceled its special passenger flights to Manila from the United States from May 4 to May 8.

“If you are previously booked on any of the canceled flights, we will endeavor to rebook you to another special flight operating after the airport closure period” PAL spokesman Cielo Villaluna said. “All such flights are subject to government approvals.”

On Sunday, the last seven foreign airlines that were still flying into NAIA had departed.

Hong Kong Air and Gulf Air were the “last planes out” of the NAIA, according to the Manila International Airport Authority.

The other flights are Eva Air from Taipei, Saudia Airlines (Riyadh), Qatar Airways (Doha, Qatar), Korean Air (Incheon), and Emirates Airlines (Dubai).