The proposed reforms were put forward during the hearing of the House Committee on Transportation on Wednesday where congressmen heard resolutions and measures aimed at improving the aviation industry.
During the hearing where apologies became the byword, executives of airline firms that offer services to passengers with low-cost budget also promised to investigate their “intrusive actions” and repeated violations of their passenger and service manuals.
The hearing dwelt on the practices of companies, including Cebu Pacific and Air Philippines, of issuing “nonrefundable, nonreroutable and non-endorsable” tickets, overbooking, flight delays and denied boarding.
Speaking from their own individual experiences, some of the committee members took to task the airline firms, particularly the two low-cost companies, for the breakdown in their services and “for only looking after the welfare of their pockets.”
Rep. Marcy Teodoro (Liberal Party) of Marikina City said it was high time the airline companies servicing the domestic route struck a balance between business and service to their customers.
Rep. Dakila Carlo Kua (Liberal Party) of Qurino demanded that the airline companies review regulations that penalize “late” passengers by forfeiting their purchased tickets and forcing them to buy new or another ticket, although their supposed carrier has not even landed or is late.
“What is the logic of not allowing passengers to check in if they are a minute late for their boarding time when the plane they are supposed to board is not even there?” he asked. “Why are they forced to buy another ticket when their plane is even late or delayed for one hour?”
Cua said he was basing his observation from his own experience with Cebu Pacific and Air Philippines.
While officials concerned could only apologize, Ainer Librodo of Air Philippines hinted that they should not be blamed because sometimes the delay is caused by arrival and take-off traffic, particularly in Manila’s congested domestic airport.
She said when a plane suffers a delayed landing or takeoff because of airport traffic in Manila’s domestic airport, all the local airplanes are affected.
A representative from the Civil Aviation Board, which acts as the economic regulator for the airline industry, said the agency is already in the process of updating its passenger-protection regulations.
He gave assurances that the update will include the rights of passengers in cases of delayed and canceled flights.
He said the passenger-protection guidelines were issued in 1972 and it is high time they were revised and updated, given the growth in domestic travels.
