Air charter services take off

In one of the gatherings we attended over the weekend, we chanced upon a Korean woman who has been living in the Philippines for more than 20 years now and working in a travel agency. Our conversation veered towards how the closure of Boracay has been affecting their travel business. For now, she has diverted her clients, mostly Korean nationals, to other Philippine provinces such as Bohol and Palawan.

When we recommended other destinations in other parts of the country, she countered that most of their clients prefer to visit Boracay because of its travel convenience. The island has all the accommodations they need, they don’t need to travel far to reach it, they can book the flight, land at Caticlan or Kalibo airport and, within just a few minutes, enjoy the white-sand beach to their heart’s content.

Unlike, for instance, Puerto Galera. To reach the destination, one has to travel far. One needs to take the bus going to Batangas Pier, which will take about three hours (four or more, if there is traffic), then take the almost-two hour ferry ride to reach Sabang or White Beach.

Same is true with Clark. The land travel takes about three to four hours, depending on the traffic. Baguio and Sagada, two popular destinations up north, need even more time for land travel.

But what if there is a way to reach Puerto Galera or Clark without the long hours of land travel? Enter AirTrav Corp., a a Filipino company that owns and operates air charter services in the Philippines.

In response to the growing need for quicker travel between shorter distances in the country, the company recently launched scheduled flights from Manila to Clark International Airport and Puerto Galera.

“We notice that there are quite a number of businessmen who hold office both in Manila and Clark. These are people who value their time. Rather than spending their precious time commuting to and from Clark, we figured they would value flying and be more productive, instead of being stuck in traffic,” said AirTrav account manager Jema Ng.

She pointed out that many tourists who frequent Puerto Galera would want to have more time to enjoy the destination than spend their vacation on the road.

“Commuting to Puerto Galera takes about five hours or more. Going to Clark, one needs to travel for three or four hours. But with Airtrav, they can reach Clark within 30 minutes, and Puerto Galera in 40 minutes,” said Ng.

The one-way trip from Manila to Clark costs P4,500, while a one-way trip to Puerto Galera costs P6,000.

“Yes, flying on a seaplane can be quite pricey. But you are paying for the convenience and the experience. I think Airtrav is for those people who really value their time and convenience. The experience of flying on a seaplane is a different experience. When ride the seaplane, you’ll be flying between the clouds and the sea below. It is a very scenic ride,” said Ng.

In today’s language, flying on a seaplane is a very “Instagrammable” experience. Plus, unlike the regular flight where you need to be at the airport two or three hours before the flight, you can take your time and arrive 20 to 30 minutes before your Airtrav flight. Fifteen minutes before the flight, the pilot will give a short safety briefing and then you’ll be on your way.

Unless there is inclement weather or unforeseen circumstances, you don’t have to be worried that your flight will be cancelled.

“There is no minimum (in number of) passengers before we take off. We keep with our scheduled flights,” said Ng, who shared that Airtrav has four legs per destination, meaning there are two roundtrips per destination daily, except Tuesdays. Each scheduled flight can accommodate eight passengers.

AirTrav president Jacob Cusi is looking to attract at least 500 passengers, depending on the frequency of the flights, for the remainder of the year.

“We are looking to serve both local passengers, as well as international tourists. The market is very good now that tourism is booming for the Philippines. In Clark, commerce is very good. We have many tourists coming in from China, South Korea and all over the world. It is increasing every year,” said Cusi who shared that about 80 percent of their seats have been booked.

With this robust tourism economy, Cusi revealed that the company plans to expand its route and increase the number of seaplanes. The commercial aviation company is shelling out $6 million (approximately P320 million) to acquire two more Cessna Grand Caravan 208 planes this year.

“A brand new plane’s average cost is about $3 million. We have two coming in by the end of the year. For the next delivery, we are looking at August or September. Then, another one before the year ends. So, we will have three in total this year,” said Cusi.

With these three seaplanes, Cusi plans to expand to the Visayas region later this year, and hopefully in Mindanao by next year. Aside from that, the company plans to partner with more resorts. Currently, they partnered with Friday’s Resort in Puerto Galera as their landing area.

For their Puerto Galera flights, Airtrav lands right in front of Friday’s. So, tourists can arrange with their resort to have a boat pick them up at Friday’s. But there will also be available boats docked in the area that can drop them off at the Muelle Pier, where their resort can pick them. For Clark, they land at the Clark International Airport.

How safe is it? Very safe, as how Captain Josh Mast puts it. The Cessna Grand Caravan 208 is the largest single-engine airplane ever produced by Cessna.

“The company’s pilots undergo factory training directly at Robinson’s manufacturing facility, making our flight crew one of the best in the industry. Aside from this, our aircraft and pilots are insured by the country’s premier insurance firm, Pioneer Insurance and Surety Corporation, for its airframe, passengers, cargo and crew,” said Capt. Mast.

The same company that partnered with UBER in 2015 to launch the country’s first and only UBERCHOPPER service in the Philippines (although that project didn’t push through), AirTrav PH holds an Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, as well as a non-scheduled domestic carrier certificate from the Civil Aeronautics Board.

The company also offers air charter services with its own Robinson R-44 Raven II. Made in Torrance, California, the aircraft can comfortably seat up to three passengers. Able to fly up to 300 nautical miles or three hours without refuelling, the R-44 can fly its passengers in utmost safety in its air-conditioned cabin.

For booking flights to Clark or Puerto Galera, even for chartered flights, you can email at sales@airtrav.ph or visit their website www.airtrav.ph. AirTrav flies from the CCP Complex, Terminal B, Roxas Boulevard, Manila (right beside Harbor Square, fronting the Cultural Center of the Philippines).