Philippine Airlines is getting into the maritime business with a new ferry service for travelers heading to Boracay in the Philippines.



The new ferry service – named Mabuhay Maritime Express (MME) - will be operated by a subsidiary owned by Philippine Airlines between a company-owned jetty in Kalibo and the Cagban Jetty Port in Boracay using high-speed catamarans with a three-class configuration – First, Premium, and Regular. No official start date has been announced, with the launch date expected to be before the end of the year.

The jetty in Kalibo is 10 minutes away from the city’s Airport, where Philippine Airlines serves flights for Boracay-bound travelers from Manila and Cebu. Along with domestic flights, the airline also operates international flights from Kalibo to Beijing, Seoul, Busan, Taipei, and Chengdu.

“We decided to join ― and revolutionize―the inter-island ferry service business to complement local air travel as a holistic approach to promoting Philippine tourism,” Jaime Bautista, Philippine Airlines President and COO said. Bautista, who will also serve as President of the ferry service added: “We aim to offer travelers a seamless air to sea transfer, taking passengers to their favorite tourist destinations as fast and as comfortable as possible.”

The direct ferry service will reduce travel time between Kalibo and Boracay, which could be a three-hour trip that include a shuttle ride from the airport to Caticlan to board a boat to take you to the island. The estimated travel time on the ferry is around an hour, and roundtrip fares have been reported on the Rappler to be PHP2500 (USD $46) for First Class, PHP2000 (USD $37) for Premium, and PHP1500 (USD $28) for Regular cabin seats.



The news comes as Boracay is expected to fully reopen to tourists in a few days, with airlines including Philippine Airlines announcing the resumption of flights to Kalibo and Caticlan that were cancelled when the island was closed earlier this year.

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