Flights for the Guam-Cebu route to begin and flights on the Busan-Saipan route for the Chuseok holiday
Good news for tourism in Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands comes in the form of additional flights.
Philippine Airlines will launch three flights a week between Guam and Cebu.
Sen. Jesse A. Lujan, chairman of the 38th Guam Legislature’s Committee on Transportation, Tourism, Customs, Utilities and Federal & Foreign Affairs, told the Journal that the “announcement of the new Guam–Cebu direct flight on Sept. 26 is the culmination of work I began as both chairman of the Legislature’s Committee on Tourism and as chairman of the Guam International Airport Authority. From the moment air travel resumed after the COVID-19 pandemic, I worked closely with GIAA to pursue this route, and I am deeply grateful to PAL for seeing the opportunity and making this investment in Guam.”
Lujan said the flight is just one piece of a larger puzzle. A visa waiver for Philippine tourists remains a top priority and achieving it will require coordination between the Guam Legislature, the Guam Visitors Bureau, and the Governor’s office. This is why I established the Guam Philippines Friendship Caucuses, so that the Guam Legislature and the Philippine Congress can speak with one voice to finally make the visa waiver a reality.
Lujan said including flight incentives in the fiscal 2026 budget was another critical step.
At the last GVB general membership meeting, Lujan said he clarified, “This is not a bailout; it is an investment —one that comes with the promise to deliver results. The Legislature’s credibility is on the line; my name is on the line.”
Included in the Government of Guam Fiscal Year 2026 budget is about $10 million in airline incentives. Photo by Skyler Obispo
He said GVB should “be ready to show results, not talking points but hard data, every month. Appear at oversight hearings.”
Lujan said, “Tourism is not just an industry, it is the foundation of our economy, our jobs, and our future. If we don't act now with urgency, the conversation in a few years will not be about what we saved, it will be about what we lost.”
The latest arrival statistics for Guam on the GVB site are from July. Guam saw 1,117 arrivals from the Philippines, compared to 1,482 in July 2023. Arrival numbers from the Philippines have not been large, possibly due to the need to acquire an entry visa. Guam saw 1,482 arrivals from the Philippines in July 2019.
Jeju Air will operate three outbound flights for the Chuseok holiday from Busan on Oct. 2, Oct. 5, and Oct. 8, with return flights from Saipan on Oct. 6, Oct. 9, and Oct. 12. The flights are expected to bring about 510 visitors to the islands during the holiday, according to the Marianas Visitors Authority. mbj
Travelers flying to or from the Federated States of Micronesia will need a credit or debit card for payments to United Airlines at its airports. The airline will switch to cashless payments for airport and cargo operations in the FSM beginning Jan. 15, 2027, according to an advisory from its station management.
If there was an overarching message from David Kinzelman, chief customer officer and senior vice president for airport operations, during his visit, it was that the region is not only important to the airline, but that its customers receive the same attention as anywhere else in the United network.
Leaders and officials converged here this week on the margins of the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting, announcing a series of financial commitments aimed at bolstering the region’s fiscal stability, energy security and border security.
