PAL won’t yield on LAX bump off

PAL said it will also seek assistance from LA city officials to halt the transfer

Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) vowed to contest the decision of the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to transfer its flights to a new midfield gate starting 15 June which the airline said will mean huge discomfort to its passengers.

The local carrier said it will continue to appeal the “forced transfer” of PAL flights to the Midfield Satellite Concourse (MSC) of LAX.

PAL said it will also seek “assistance” from LA city officials to halt the transfer. “We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience that the Airport’s decision may cause you,” PAL said in a message to its clients.

It added that it is issuing an “urgent appeal to the airport authority to reconsider the decision to move PAL flights from the main Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT) to the MSC.”

“We have raised the important consideration that a large number of our Filipino-American and visiting Filipino travelers are senior citizens or persons with disability who would be better served if the boarding gates are located closer to the check-in and security areas,” PAL reiterated in its appeal.

PAL said it will continue to pursue all available remedies in the hope that flights will be retained at the original gates of TBIT concourse.

Implementation by mid-June

The directive is set for implementation on 15 June 2021 but PAL said it will pursue discussions with the Los Angeles World Airports authority “in the coming days in the hope of a further delay or a full reversal”.

The MSC gates to which PAL planes will be transferred are in a separate concourse that is linked to the TBIT by an underground pedestrian tunnel.

PAL said passengers will have to traverse on foot for about 20 minutes to reach the departure gates at the MSC.

“From the TBIT main concourse, after clearing security, passengers will need to access the tunnel walkway via escalators, elevators and moving walkways,” it added.

We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience that the Airport’s decision may cause you.

Nonetheless, PAL said there will be terminal transfer vehicles, similar to golf carts, for passengers who are unable to walk the full distance that will be accessible by elevators and escalators from the TBIT main concourse.

Extra time, however, should be alloted in case of limited availability of the vehicles. “Passengers using wheelchairs will also need to take the elevators,” it added.

The transfer will also mean limited shops and food service facilities.