Philippines Airlines picks Bird Travels as GSA for India ops

Philippine's national carrier Philippines Airlines has appointed Bird Travels as its general sales agent (GSA) to develop its sales distribution network in the Indian market ahead of starting flight services here by the winter this year.

A GSA is a sales representative for an airline in a specific country or region, responsible for selling all products including tickets and cargo services in the region where the airline does not operate.

As part of the mandate, Bird Travels, which is the airline management services arm of diversified Bird Group, will be responsible for all the airline's sales, marketing and ticketing activities in India through its centrally located headquarters in New Delhi, a release said.

"We are delighted to be associated with Philippine Airlines (PAL) and look forward to building a strong partnership and promote the airline's presence in the country," Bird Group president Vijay Bhatia said.

Philippines Airlines plans to launch services to Delhi and Mumbai from the capital city Manila, which will enable India-based travellers seamless air connectivity to over 31 destinations in the Philippines, out the airline's hubs in Manila, Clark, Cebu and Davao, the release said.

"India's tourism industry is expanding rapidly and we're already seeing a steady flow of leisure and business travellers flying between India and Philippines," said Ryan Uy, vice-president for sales, Philippine Airlines.

"Bird Group will help PAL in successfully launching its upcoming flights to New Delhi and Mumbai and strengthen the presence in the Indian market," he added.