This A350 high (and Timothée Chalamet can wait)

We do not remember a time when we saw excited people inside a new plane. in Toulouse, France. Men are enthusiastic about cars, women salivate new bags "it". But the planes?

They just did. The air was charged with anticipation as airline and media executives set foot in the Airbus Delivery Center in Toulouse, Vivaldi's vibrating accents played by a string trio.

The new Philippine Airlines Airbus A350-900, whose graceful curve shines in the blue summer sky of southern France.

Everything was going to fly. Shortly before noon, PAL President and CEO, Jaime Bautista, Airbus Executive Vice President, Jean Francois Laval, and Airbus Vice President, Christophe Molus, stopped on the tarmac to cut the ribbon.

The delivery of the A350-900 this month is a historic event. -For the national carrier, as it is the flagship of PAL long-haul operations, a game changer, no less.

Bautista pointed out in his remarks, "The aircraft is a game changer in the industry with their greater reach,"

The A350 of PAL will set a new standard in allowing The national carrier travels nonstop almost to the other end of the world on the longest routes ever serviced by a Philippine carrier.Bautista added, "This aircraft uses state-of-the-art technology and first-rate design to improve operational performance and will be allocated to premium roads, thus meeting the need for comfort, convenience and efficiency. "

This is the first of six A350 aircraft orders from Four-star PAL carrier, which will be used to make direct flights to New York, then London and other transatlantic routes, said Mr Bautista, with more passengers, "without penalty payload". [19659003] He described "a level of he service different from that of the Philippine "

PAL director and chairman of the LTG (Lucio Tan Group of Companies) Michael Tan succinctly summarized in Lifestyle:" This is our commitment to the country and our people. "

Make Filipino Proud

The zeitgeist of our era is such that the Filipino yearns for things, big and small, and people, big and small, who will do the Filipino proud. In one way or another, a new flagship is such a source of pride.

It happens at once Filipinos, especially millennials (forgive the term, for lack of a catch-all word to describe this demographics), travel more than ever, wanting new and more recent experiences that They can post on social media.

Filipinos are so claiming the moment. That's why, even before delivery, when our group started to post photos of the A350 and its booth on social media, we received comments and messages, such as: "Is that really good? ? "" How are the seats? "" TV screens on your seat? "Am I now changing my XXX schedule (another airline) to PAL?

Compete against any defects (eg, flight delays) Filipinos like to fly PAL, as if it was their default airline, because the food is relatively suited to their palate; the flight is direct to the west coast (a second home for many Filipinos) and other popular routes; the service is not only hot but also, we are always in chikahan mode with the staff.

When our media group that was transported by PAL to Toulouse for delivery of the A350 walked into the cabin for the long flight, after the ribbon cutting and blessing of the plane, we have finally understood their previous claims of comfort and convenience.

The cabin ceiling is higher, especially in business, because the cargo storage bin in the center is removed. The storage bins on both sides make up for the game by accommodating more hand-bagged luggage, six large, to be exact.

Business has 30 seats arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration, so every passenger has direct access to the driveway. No need to jump over other passengers.

Unlike other airlines' cabin business where one feels a sense of intimacy but who feels buried, you get an intimate space, but the cabin is airy.

The height of the seat is 44 inches and the width up to 24 inches. The seat converts to a flat bed (78 inches in length), with adjustable air cushion to achieve the desired firmness, lumbar massage.

Storage for personal belongings is less than half an arm, great for tired bones Passengers like us who just want to wander around the cabin.

But before we could lose interest, Daniel Baron, the interior architect of Lift Strategic Designs, who was with us, must accurately show the atmosphere of the cabin. The lighting is what distinguishes the PAL A350 from the others

Airborne, we were treated to a light show – a real fireworks show – to illustrate that the cabin design has 16.7 millions of colors possible. Talking about the custom mood lighting

Colors of the Fiesta

The lighting of Baron becomes a festive moment – as the "colors of the famous Filipino fiesta He tells us earlier. the next day, and a fresh mint green the next second

Then there was clear amber – our own sunrise / sunset in the sky.

"The scenario of ambient lighting in the cabin is developed around the Philippine flyer," Baron told Lifestyle. "It's the sky on more than 7000 Philippine islands."

Indeed, the ambient lighting of the cabin envelops you.

and woven fabric in the cabin evoke the Philippines. The woven yarns produce various colors that change, as Baron showed us, depending on where you see it and how the light hits it.

"It's the most comfortable aircraft of all time. Feel the angle and shape of the seat cushion," Baron said.

We understand his high-after all, we learned that he was given a free hand by PAL when designing the cabin.

-tasker, "said Baron." Now, how do you let him be, while allowing him to relax? He still wants complete control of his environment. (We designed the cabin) to allow him to sleep and be comfortable even in economy. Today's economy passenger is the business of tomorrow.

Ambient LED lighting helps the passenger to adapt to the time zone and day and night changes. "So that you can feel calm and relaxed before landing," said Baron, Airbus' commercial director, Eric Schulz, praising "the solid partnership between Philippine Airlines and Airbus over the years". The latest technologies, improving operational performance, reduce fuel by 25% and generate 25% less CO2 emissions. "

The A350, equipped with the advanced Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engine, can fly up to 14,000 km. 19659003] It has a quieter cab, up to four times less noise , making it the quietest two-lane aircraft to date.

And yes, the Airbus A350 seats set. (See box, "PAL A350 Features" )

I watched "Ghost Wire" (Daniel Day-Lewis), "Lady Bird", "Call me by your name", without ending it.

t tell me the end Our pilot, Captain Butch Generoso's landing, was good enough to leave me no worries, even if Timothée Chalamet had his. (Kids!)

The A350 will provide non-stop service between Manila – New York JFK and Manila – London Heathrow by the end of the month of October. Services to other points in North America and / or Europe follow the number of. planes that will join the fleet over the next 12 months, including links to Seattle, Chicago and a point in Western Europe