Philippine Airlines Going 10 Abreast In Economy (New A350): Wow

Intro

The flag carrier of the Philippines, Philippine Airlines, has recently had their cabins leaked online for their upcoming 9 A350-1000 to be delivered, and I wanted to go over what this could mean for passengers going forward. Because honestly, this isn't great for those that don't fly in the pointy part of the plane...

The Details

Come the end of 2025, Philippine Airlines is set to start taking delivery of nine A350-1000s that will become their new flagship aircraft. Set to connect Manila and places in North America primarily, this aircraft has a maximum range of 8,700 nautical miles and will be able to stretch flights from Manila to most parts of the globe.

However, there is one issue: Philippine Airlines plans to create a very dense A350-1000. Instead of the traditional 3-3-3 layout on the A350, PAL is deciding to make it this a 3-4-3 going forward...

Philippine Airlines A350

However, on the other hand, multiple sources online have flagged that this new A350-1000 will not only have premium economy, but an elevated business class experience with closing doors.

10 Abreast??

Most A350 operators around the world tend to fly the plane in a 3-3-3 configuration to balance passenger comfort with profitability. However, PAL seems to be following suit with what Air Caraibes is doing, going into a 3-4-3 configuration.

Here are a couple of notes about what to expect:

• Seat width should be reduced from around 18 inches to 17 inches

• Seat pitch will go from 31/32 inches to 33 inches, representing a notable upgrade

However, I never thought I would say this, but it sort of makes sense. Philippine Airlines tends to target the Southeast Asia community with reasonable fares when flying to North America and vice versa, and while Americans might not be happy flying in a 3-4-3, the average weight of a Filipino man is 135 lbs, while the average weight of a woman is 120 lbs.

Would you rather more legroom or more width?

And especially with the likes of United launching 2x daily flights to Manila, Air Canada serving MNL, and PAL selling cheap upgrade offers, you have options if you are someone who likes to stretch out...

Final Thoughts

With Philippine Airlines set to start taking delivery by the end of the calendar year, it will be interesting to see the new cabins when they are eventually leaked. The airline has opted to install 42 business class seats with closing doors, 24 premium economy seats, and 316 economy seats in a 3-4-3 configuration. While a lot of people might be gutted about the lack of width in economy, it makes sense for the targeted audience.