Philippine Airlines has just revealed plans to expand its service to the United States, with flights to a new gateway…
Philippine Airlines plans Chicago flights as of summer 2026
Philippine Airlines has filed with the Department of Transportation (DOT), requesting permission to launch regularly scheduled service between Manila (MNL) and Chicago (ORD). At 8,132 miles, this will be an ultra long haul flight, probably around the 25th longest flight in the world.
The airline is requesting expedited approval, as it hopes to launch this service during the summer 2026 IATA traffic season (which runs from late March through late October), and wants to put tickets on sale ASAP. Getting approval for this route shouldn’t be an issue.
The service is consistent with the air service agreement between the Philippine and the United States, which authorizes carriers of the Philippines to operate scheduled flights “from the Philippines via intermediate points to Honolulu, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Guam, Saipan, and four additional points in the United States to be selected by the Government of the Philippines.” So Chicago would be one of those “four additional points.”
I’ll be sure to provide an update once this route is official, with the schedule published and tickets on sale.
How Chicago fits into Philippine Airlines’ route network
For context, currently Philippine Airlines’ destinations in the United States include Guam (GUM), Honolulu (HNL), Los Angeles (LAX), New York (JFK), Saipan (SPN), San Francisco (SFO), and Seattle (SEA). Seattle is the newest gateway, with that route having launched in late 2024.
Philippine Airlines has been through quite the transformation in recent years. In 2021, the airline filed for bankruptcy protection, and significantly shrunk its fleet, given the impacts of the pandemic. Then in 2023, the airline placed an order for nine Airbus A350-1000s, just shortly after dumping some of its existing Airbus A350-900s. Those planes are now joining the fleet, so I imagine that growth is what enables new routes like this one.
Philippine Airlines doesn’t belong to any major global alliance. Instead, the airline (obviously) serves the local market in the Philippines, but also often has attractive fares across the Pacific, for those connecting to elsewhere.
In terms of the size of the Filipino population, Chicago ranks seventh(ish) among US cities, after Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Honolulu, San Diego, and Las Vegas. As you can see, the top four cities are all served by the airline. Meanwhile the airline used to fly to Las Vegas as a tag flight from the Vancouver service, but that doesn’t operate anymore.
Bottom line
Philippine Airlines intends to launch nonstop flights between Manila and Chicago in the coming months. The airline has requested permission for this service from the DOT, with hopes of the flight starting as of this summer.
This would complement the existing US mainland destinations of Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Seattle, and it seems like a logical enough place for the airline to expand to. With the new A350-1000s that the airline is acquiring, there’s also a bit more room to grow.
What do you make of Philippine Airlines adding Chicago flights?
