PAL Names "Chema" Alvarado Regional Head for North America

‍PASAY CITY — Philippine Airlines (PR) has named José María “Chema” Alvarado as Regional Head of North America. He will oversee sales and distribution in the U.S. and Canada as the airline aims to grow in this key long-haul market.

PAL says Alvarado brings 20+ years of leadership experience spanning airlines, alliances, and travel technology, with a focus on revenue growth, partnerships, and distribution strategy. In this role, he will drive revenue performance, expand corporate and travel trade relationships, and work cross-functionally to improve distribution effectiveness.

The airline says this appointment is part of a larger plan to grow in North America. This includes adding more flights and introducing its new Airbus A350-1000 long-haul aircraft.

Current North America network snapshot (as cited in the release)

PAL says it operates the largest network of nonstop flights between the Philippines and North America, including:

• Manila (MNL) – San Francisco (SFO): daily
• MNL – Vancouver (YVR): daily
• MNL – Guam (GUM): daily (plus Cebu (CEB) – GUM: 3x weekly)
• MNL – Los Angeles (LAX): 14x weekly, increasing to 18x weekly from June 1, 2026
• MNL – Seattle (SEA): 5x weekly
• MNL – Honolulu (HNL): 5x weekly
• MNL – New York (JFK): 3x weekly
• MNL – Toronto (YYZ): 3x weekly

With the appointment, the Philippine flag carrier is signaling a new phase of commercial growth in North America. By strengthening its senior sales team before adding more planes and flights, the airline shows it wants to make sure its transpacific expansion stays profitable, not just larger.