Six Airline Passenger Rights That You Should Remember

The Air Passenger Bill of Rights which took effect last December 21, 2012, signed by Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya and Trade Secretary Gregorio Domingo, sets guidelines on several airline practices, such overbooking, rebooking, ticket refunds, cancelled and delayed flights, lost luggage and misleading advertisements on fares, all of which are top causes of passenger complaints in 2011. 

Here are the things you should take note of before you engage and book that flight: 

Full Disclosure

The first is Airlines are compelled to fully disclose to passengers both in print and verbally what is at stake when they rebook flights, refund tickets, impose conditions on baggage allowances, check-in policies, and their promotional fares. 

These conditions of the fare must be printed when airlines issue passenger tickets or boarding passes and must be delivered electronically when tickets are bought online. It should also be verbally explained to the passenger in English or in Filipino with emphasis on the limitations or restrictions attached to the ticket. 

Promotional fares also should include the number of seats offered on a per sector basis and not just the promotional duration. 

The following are the provisions in the Airline Passenger Bill of rights that outlines the compensation passengers should receive. 

Check-in

If you arrive within the designated check-in area at least one hour before the flight's published time of departure, you will not be considered late and the carrier is obliged to make sure you are checked in within the deadline. (This is where web check-in services come in handy, especially if you feel that you might be a bit late. Plus it allows you to zip through the long check in lines that are usually happening with budget airlines)

Overbooked flights

An airline is allowed to overbook a flight, an industry practice of selling more than the seats the aircraft has, based on for a specific flight, as long as the passengers who are bumped off do so voluntarily.

If you volunteer to choose a different flight, the airline will offer you compensation in the form of amenities or cash incentives.

If the number of volunteers is not enough to resolve the overbooking, the airline is mandated to increase the compensation package by adding more services until the required number of volunteers is met.

Lost Luggage or Off Loaded Luggage

The Airlines covered by this bill includes both local and foreign Airlines. 

For lost luggages, airlines will have to compensate passengers P2,000 for every day that a bag is missing. After 7 days, that bag will be deemed lost and the passenger will be compensated based on "relevant convention." (I wonder if this covers umbrellas that get lost, such as what had happened to me and my friends last week in our flight back from Singapore with Cebu Pacific Airlines, something that I shall be checking on shortly)

Delayed flights

Airlines are required to provide free food, drinks, Internet access, phone use and, in extreme circumstances, hotel lodging until the flight departs. (I feel that there are a lot of free meals that were due to me and my friends, luckily this wasn't in effect back then)

The flight is considered cancelled if it is delayed at least 6 hours after the original departure time. You have the right to be compensated accordingly. 

Flight cancellation

If your flight is cancelled, you have to be notified in advance via public announcement or written notice such as through a text message. (It would be best to subscribe or follow an Airline's twitter account as they normally announce these notices through there)

If an air carrier cancels the flight because of unavoidable circumstances, safety or security reasons the passenger shall have the right to be reimbursed for the full value of the fare.

I personally am happy that there has been a move by our government with regards to the our rights as Airline Passengers. The only thing left is for us to show vigilance that this is being fully implemented and if not make them aware that we know our rights well.

If you have had an experience that are related to this topic, I strongly encourage for you to share it with us here. Simply leave it at the comments area. Your story can eventually help others that are experiencing the same thing, plus it allows us to keep track if this bill is being implemented and upheld properly.

Till Next Time...

-Metz-

Cebu Pacific Will Start Flying to Dubai and More

Budget carrier Cebu Pacific is set to fly to Dubai, its first long-haul destination, in October.

The Gokongwei-led airline will start its daily flights to Dubai on October 7, 2013.  No Philippine carriers are currently plying the Middle East routes.  Cebu Pacific will be up against Emirates Airlines, which is the only airline with direct flights from Dubai to Manila. 

Emirates is adding an additional flight from Dubai to Manila in January 2013. It currently flies twice daily non-stop between Manila and Dubai.

Cebu Pacific is planning to lease up to 8 Airbus A330-300 aircraft to serve new markets beyond the range of its current fleet of Airbus A320 aircraft. The A330-300 planes have a range of up to 11 hours, which means the airline can embark on long-haul flights that are within 11 hours of the Philippines

The Airbus A330 has a range of up to 11 hours which means CEB could serve markets such as Australia, Middle East, parts of Europe and the US. The aircraft is one of the most commonly used wide-body aircraft in operation today, given its highly reliable operating statistics.

“The A330-300 will give us the lowest cost per seat, allowing us to drive long-haul fares 35% lower than those currently offered by other airlines, and as much as 80% lower when CEB offers promo fares. This aircraft type is very well suited to the kind of network we want to build and the routes we want to launch,” said Lance Gokongwei, CEB President and CEO.

“We are exploring serving cities where large Filipino communities reside --- Europe, Middle East, Oceania and the USA. Data indicates that more than half of Filipinos deployed in these regions take multiple stops and connecting flights because no home carrier can fly them there non-stop,” added Gokongwei.

Gokongwei cited Saudi Arabia as an example, where only 165,000 passengers flew direct non-stop flights from Manila (Civil Aeronautics Board 2010 data), compared to 293,000 Filipinos deployed to Saudi Arabia in the same year. This means that nearly half of Filipinos who flew to Saudi Arabia in 2010 had to take multiple flights to get to their destination. With CEB’s long haul operations, the budget airline will provide more affordable, direct flight options to Filipinos overseas, a population estimated to be 11 million worldwide.

Since its inception in 1996, CEB has posted a good track record in stimulating short-haul travel of Filipinos working and residing overseas. Passenger traffic to and from Hong Kong, where a lot of Filipinos reside and work, grew by 88% since CEB started operating flights from Manila in 2001.

“We want to do the same for long-haul traffic --- offer the lowest fares possible and drive a significant increase on demand for air travel to regions outside of Asia. This is truly an exciting time for CEB as we continue to be of service to the 11 million strong global Filipinos, wherever they are in the world; and to their families back home,” Gokongwei said.

“As CEB develops long-haul routes and opens new destinations for a Philippine flag carrier, we will be creating an important enabler for increased trade, tourism and foreign investment.” 

I guess the major air carriers of South EastAsia and the Middle East are to expect a major price and choice competition by the time this gets fully launched as currently Cebu Pacific is a tough contender in air fare packages.  

Will you be flying with Cebu Pacific to Dubai, Saudi Arabia and other 11 hour flight destinations? I would believe the OFW would definitely love this offer, as for regular tourists, that's the question that I would like to consider but the offer is going to be tempting. 

Till Next Time...

-Metz-