Cebu Pacific (CEB), the airline business unit of JG Summit Holdings Inc., will fly direct from Manila to Osaka, Japan three-times weekly starting on November 20, 2008.

Using its 179-seater A320 aircraft, the new service departs every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday at 1:40pm and arrives in Osaka at 6:35pm. The return trip takes off at 7:20pm and arrives in Manila at 10:15pm.

Osaka is CEB's first Japan destination and it's fifteenth in Asia after Bangkok, Guangzhou, Ho Chi Minh, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Kaohsiung, Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur, Macau, Pusan, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore and Taipei.

Lance Y. Gokongwei, CEB president and CEO, said, "Japan has a very active and vibrant travel market which should help us attain our goal of flying 7 million passengers this year. This service will likewise allow overseas Filipino workers in Japan to come home more frequently because of our trademark low fares."

"The Manila-Osaka service will be strategically important to the Philippines' tourism agenda. It will help generate interest on our country's medical and wellness tourism among the Japanese," Gokongwei added.

CEB offers a one-way introductory fare of P1,999 on the Manila-Osaka route; a price cut of 70% from the current fares offered by other airlines. The seat sale will run from September 16 to 30, 2008 and is good for travel from November 20 to December 18, 2008. Fare is non-refundable and exclusive of applicable surcharges and government taxes.

After the seat sale, the lowest year-round 'Go' fare is P3,999 which is still 40% lower than the current fares offered by other airlines for this route.