Post-pandemic, Sea–Tac has rapidly grown its list of international destinations—Belize, Turkey, the Bahamas, and most recently increased flights to Taipei. Our city is increasingly serving as an international hub on the West Coast.

The airline notes that almost a million Americans visited the Philippines as tourists last year, making it the second-largest source of recreational visitors to the country. And as Washington is home to the fourth-biggest Filipino population in the US, it'll mean a family link for a lot of people.

Oh, and the flight will also carry 60 tons of cargo, part of the busy trade exchange between Seattle and Asia.

The flight lands in capital city Manila, which at 1.78 million, makes it slightly larger than the city of Phoenix. Sightseeing there often includes the Spanish architecture—churches, prisons—left over from more than 300 years of colonialism.

But the Philippines is a country of more than 7,000 islands, and it also has beach destinations galore, and a famous underground river. Across the country, signature foods include pork and chicken dishes, plus fried snacks like lumpia.

Manila itself is connected to a number of Asian cities, though many are ones already linked directly to Seattle, like Singapore and Tokyo. But they also have flights to Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok.

Like every airline flight, costs will vary once its underway. But through April 30, Philippine Air is offering an introductory price of $799 round trip for economy and $2,999 for business class. It's not part of the big airline groups commonly used by Americans to accrue miles—Oneworld or Star Alliance.