Travelers between the Philippines and Australia will get more flight options in time for the year-end holiday rush as Philippine Airlines (PAL) increases its Manila-Melbourne service to daily starting 19 November.

The flag carrier said Thursday it will add two flights a week to Melbourne, expanding from the current five weekly services and giving passengers greater flexibility for holiday, family and business travel.

Under the new schedule, PR 209 will depart Manila daily at 8:20 p.m. and arrive in Melbourne at 7:30 a.m. the following day.

The return flight, PR 210, will leave Melbourne at 9:20 a.m. and arrive in Manila at 2:25 p.m.

The additional flights will also make it easier for passengers arriving in Manila from Melbourne to connect to PAL’s domestic network and onward destinations in Asia, North America and the Middle East.

More options to Melbourne

Travelers originating from the Philippines and other points in PAL’s international network, meanwhile, will have more options for reaching Melbourne.

The daily service will increase cargo capacity between the two countries, providing additional space for Philippine exports and supporting growing trade links with Australia.

PAL currently operates the most flights and serves the most destinations connecting the Philippines and Australia. It flies daily to Brisbane and Sydney and three times a week to Perth, on top of its Melbourne service.

PAL began flying to Melbourne in 1971 and has since used the route to connect travelers, businesses and communities between the Philippines and Australia.