Philippine Airlines Confirms Daily Melbourne Flights From November
Melbourne becomes PAL's third daily Australian route from 20 November 2026
Philippine Airlines has confirmed it will move its Melbourne to Manila service to a daily operation from 20 November 2026, up from the five weekly flights it runs today. The extra capacity arrives ahead of the summer peak, when demand from Filipino-Australian family travel and Japan ski traffic is at its highest.
Melbourne joins Sydney and Brisbane as PAL's third daily Australian city. Perth remains on three flights a week.
PAL Country Manager for ANZ and PNG, Krystle Ramirez-Gastrock, said in the announcement:
"Moving to a daily schedule for the Melbourne-Manila service gives Victorians unmatched choice and flexibility during the busiest travel period of the year. Whether it's Aussie holidaymakers heading to the beaches of the Philippines, travellers connecting to Japan's snowfields, or families reuniting for the festive season, PAL is proud to strengthen Victoria's vital link to Asia and beyond."
The New Melbourne Timetable
The morning departure out of Tullamarine works well, landing in Manila at 2:25pm with a full evening bank of onward flights available. Southbound is an overnight arriving into Melbourne at 7:30am.
What You'll Be Flying
Melbourne is served by PAL's Airbus A330-300, fitted with 18 business class seats in a 1-2-1 layout, 24 premium economy and 267 economy seats. Every business seat is a lie-flat bed with direct aisle access.
These aircraft were delivered from 2013, and PAL has flagged a refurbishment programme for its A330 and 777 fleets starting in 2027. Anyone booking this route over summer will be in the current cabin.
Connections Through Manila
The 2:25pm arrival is timed to feed PAL's evening departures to Bangkok, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Seoul Incheon, Tokyo Narita, Tokyo Haneda and Osaka Kansai. PAL is promoting the Japan connections for Victorians travelling to Hokkaido and Nagano over January and February. Melbourne to Japan via Manila has historically priced well below the direct options.
Allow extra time at Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). PAL operates international flights from Terminal 1 and domestic flights from Terminal 2, so an onward connection to Cebu, Caticlan or Puerto Princesa involves a terminal change with your bags.
The added frequencies also increase cargo capacity between Australia and the Philippines, which is a significant part of the commercial case for adding flights on a route like this.
Booking Philippine Airlines With Qantas Points
Qantas Frequent Flyers have been able to redeem Classic Rewards across the entire PAL network since 28 May 2026, priced using the Partner Classic Flight Reward Table.
Here's what Melbourne to Manila costs one way:
Melbourne to Manila falls into Zone 5 of the partner table, covering 3,601 to 4,800 miles. Partner rewards price on total distance flown, so you can add a connecting flight inside that same band without spending extra points. From Melbourne that allows a domestic Philippines leg, or onward flights to Da Nang, Hong Kong or Taipei, all still at 90,000 points in business.
To search, log into your Qantas account, head to the multi-city booking page, select "book with Rewards", tick "Flexible with dates for all flights" and run the search. That returns a full month of availability in a single search.
PAL reward seats are limited, and searching the Qantas site date by date across a long booking window is slow. I use Gyoza Flights for this, and Flight Hacks readers can grab $100 off a membership through this page using promo code HACKS100.
The partnership launched burn-only. There is no Qantas Points earning on PAL flights, no reciprocal lounge access and no status benefits, and neither airline has flagged a change. Amex Membership Rewards holders have another route in through Qatar Airways Privilege Club, which added Mabuhay Miles as a full earn and redeem partner from 1 June 2026.
Summing Up
I would treat this as a seasonal increase rather than a permanent upgrade. PAL ran a daily Melbourne schedule across the December 2025 to January 2026 peak and then wound it back to five weekly, and nothing in this announcement commits to daily beyond summer.
For anyone flying it, the product is solid. A morning departure, a flat bed in business, and a Qantas redemption option that did not exist six months ago. You can read our full Philippine Airlines business class review for a closer look at the cabin.
