The Philippine Airlines lax terminal , our national airline, are currently at odds (LAX). The issue stems from LAX's unilateral decision to relocate the PAL flights to the recently finished Midfield Satellite Concourse (MSC) in the Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT). On the surface, it could seem innocent, and one might even contend that it is appropriate given that it is the new terminal. Nevertheless, if you examine the mechanics of the move, you'll see that it poses serious difficulties for PAL clients who are elderly and/or have disabilities.

PAL has requested a rethink because the relocation is set to take effect on June 15, 2021. Based on the facts that PAL typically boards up to 60 wheelchair-using customers per turnaround aircraft and that one-third of its passengers are 59 or older, PAL is still making a plea to the Los Angeles World Airport (LAWA). Moreover, the MSC has few dining and shopping options, making it a less than ideal place to board.

The transfer would cause a disruption in the PAL passengers' travel experience by tripling the duration from curb to door. Test runs to the intended gates extended travel times by 20 minutes, requiring passengers to cross the tarmac and travel via a tunnel below ground to get to the MSC.

Since 1946, PAL has operated flights to California, and since 1984, it has operated flights to LAX. Between July 2020 and March 2021, when the pandemic was still in progress, PAL ranked eighth among carriers operating in TBIT and was the largest Asian airline in terms of inbound and outbound passengers at LAX.

"LAX's decision to shift PAL to remote gates is a challenge for our kababayans on both sides of the Pacific who have relied on PAL's direct service from Los Angeles to Manila for decades," said Jose Perez de Tagle, PAL's vice president of corporate communications. We continued to preserve our crucial air linkages with the Fil-Am community even as the pandemic raged.