THE sanction for budget carrier Cebu Pacific for its supposed mishandling of scheduled flights during the holidays might go as far as the revocation of its franchise, government officials said, even as the panel probing the issue has yet to present its findings and recommendations to regulators.
Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio A. Abaya said the government panel investigating the holiday rush mayhem at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) Terminal 3 “doubts the carrier’s explanations, prompting it to gather its own data, such as the number of dislocated passengers, routes affected and total capacity versus seats sold and flown to determine overbooking.”
“What is clear from the panel’s initial report is that Cebu Pacific had an appalling number of delayed flights from December 24 to December 26. Cebu Pacific is blaming air-traffic congestion, but this does not appear to be supported by the facts,” he said.
The panel is composed of the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB), the Manila International Airport Authority (Miaa) and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP).
“Six flights arrived late at Naia in the early morning of December 24 alone. There was no congestion yet at that time. These incidents of tardiness caused a domino effect of delays throughout the rest of the day. And, yet, Cebu Pacific claims that it was congestion that caused the mess,” the Cabinet official said.
Worse, he said, only two check-in counters for domestic flights were opened in the morning of December 26. It was not until 11 a.m. that more counters were opened after the regulators intervened.
Initial data submitted by the airline to the panel last December 29 showed that Cebu Pacific posted a total of 20 cancelled flights and 288 delayed flights at the Naia Terminal 3 alone, from December 24 to December 26.
Cebu Pacific, in an earlier statement, said the delays and the dislocation of a large volume of passengers were caused by air-traffic congestion, coupled with the weather condition on the 24th of December, resulting in a spillover of traffic to the next day.
The fiasco, it added, was also fueled by the large number of absentee check-in personnel that resulted in the delayed processing of passengers.
“The flying public deserves much better service than that. We sympathize with those who lost precious hours with their families and loved ones on Christmas, and we will see to it that Cebu Pacific will answer for any possible mismanagement,” Abaya said.
The Cabinet official warned that the air-services regulator “has authority to impose fines, suspensions and even revocation of franchise if warranted.”
CAB Executive Director Carmelo L. Arcilla confirmed this, but noted that “it is too early to tell if that would be the sanction imposed.”
“We will base it on the findings of the panel. It would be too speculative to say, but that’s one of the sanctions that the airline might face,” he told the BusinessMirror via phone.
Cebu Pacific has to submit all other pertinent data—its capacity as against total seats sold, the routes serviced, number of passengers affected by the incident and documents pertaining to passenger load factor today, January 7.
“We need those data to make a conclusion. The findings of the joint panel will be submitted to the three agencies for regulation. On Monday CAB will convene to deliberate on this incident,” Arcilla said.
Sought for comment, Cebu Pacific Vice President for Corporate Affairs Jorenz T. Tañada said in a brief text message: “We will cooperate with the Department of Transportation and Communication and the CAB to address the concerns and issues of the flying public.”
The dominant budget carrier offers flights to 28 international destinations, namely Bali, Bangkok, Beijing, Brunei Darussalam, Busan, Dammam, Dubai, Guangzhou, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, Hong Kong, Incheon (Seoul), Jakarta, Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur, Kuwait, Macau, Nagoya, Narita, Osaka Phuket, Riyadh, Shanghai, Siem Reap, Singapore, Sydney, Taipei and Xiamen.
It also operates the most extensive airline network in the Philippines, with 55 routes and 44 destinations.
The airline’s 52-strong fleet is comprised of 10 Airbus A319, 29 Airbus A320, five Airbus A330 and eight ATR-72 500 aircraft. Between 2015 and 2021, Cebu Pacific will take delivery of nine more brand-new Airbus A320, 30 Airbus A321neo and one Airbus A330 aircraft.
1 comment
alam na naman pala nila ang reason, so ano pa ang hinihintay? sana ma solve na ito dahil kawawa ang mga pasahero na naka book na sa kanila, nag hihintay kung matutuloy ba ang flight nila o hindi, kelangan bang mag book sa ibang airline o hindi. utang na loob, wag nang isama si Mr Abaya sa imbestigasyon at baka magkaroon pa ng feasibility study. Peace