Cebu Pacific's blindside and betrayal of its passengers

[Lee]

 

Manila Times

Quote

 

IT turned out that what happened to me was not an isolated case. It was, in fact, deliberate. The betrayal by Cebu Pacific of its passengers is systemic.

I went to Iloilo City last week for the annual conference of the Philippine Political Science Association (PPSA), where I presented a paper and oversaw the regular elections for its board of trustees. I bought a round-trip ticket from Cebu Pacific. I was supposed to fly to Iloilo on June 6 via 5J 457 departing at 9:20 a.m., and back to Manila on June 10 via 5J 458 departing at 11:20 a.m. On May 18, I got a notice from Cebu Pacific that my flight to Iloilo had been canceled and they offered me three options: to rebook the flight, to convert my fare to travel fund for future use, or to refund. Fortunately, I was able to rebook to an earlier flight, 5J 453 departing at 8:00 a.m. I was not actually that bothered by the incident since I even found the rebooking process seamless, and the new flight was on the same day, albeit earlier.

What I did not realize was that the worst was yet to come for my return flight on June 10.

Everything appeared well and normal. I checked in online as early as June 7 and Cebu Pacific already emailed me my boarding pass. I even received an email later on June 7 reminding me of my confirmed flight on June 10. And then it happened. I was alerted of an incoming email from Cebu Pacific at around 9:05 p.m. I was informed that I was rebooked to another flight due to "additional requirements needed by the flight." I jokingly thought it was probably because I failed to submit my yearbook. I learned later that it is the code used when the flight is overbooked. In short, I was off-loaded and bumped off.

What made the matter worse was that, while Cebu Pacific offered me automatic rebooking, the flight they moved me to, 5J 452, was not on the same day but was scheduled two days later on June 12. This would have meant an extension of two more nights, which meant additional hotel expenses. I was not even offered hotel and meal vouchers. I was instead informed that I had three options: to rebook, to convert my fare to a travel fund I can use in the future, or to ask for a refund. I was also offered two one-way travel vouchers I can redeem within 180 days.

I tried rebooking for the same day, but there were no more available flights. The email did not provide a hotline I could call to seek assistance, or even a website I could log in to for a live chat with an agent.

I became desperate. I called and asked help from my son-in-law to book me with Philippine Airlines (PAL). We were fortunate to find a seat in the 6 a.m. flight on June 10, but considering that it was a late purchase, I ended up paying more for a one-way flight. I had no choice. I would have spent more if I stayed for two more days in Iloilo, which under normal circumstances I would have relished if only I had not made other plans. And I did not want to take the risk of being off-loaded once again on June 12. It was only after my booking with PAL was confirmed that I applied for a refund from Cebu Pacific.

I could not help but rant on social media. I thought of my fellow political scientist from Ateneo de Manila University who was bumped off from her evening flight on June 8 and was forced to stay for one more additional night in Iloilo. I learned that this has happened to many others. A colleague from my school related how her 4 p.m. flight from General Santos was canceled and she was forced to travel by land to Davao to catch the 1 a.m. flight. One friend had the same experience and had to take another flight from another airport in Panglao, Bohol. I learned that Cebu Pacific has been repeatedly excoriated in Naga City radio airwaves for this notoriety that has become habitual.

Being bumped off from a full flight that is accidentally overbooked is part of the normal risk passengers take. But for an airline like Cebu Pacific to ritualize and normalize it to maximize its revenues by ensuring that all flights are full, which is achieved by systematically overbooking and then off-loading excess passengers, is patently wrong.

Under normal circumstances, off-loaded passengers are asked at the gates before boarding. Boarding agents ask for volunteers, who can negotiate not only for free tickets but for hotel and meal vouchers. Passengers can even demand being transferred to other airlines at no additional cost. But nowadays, as notoriously practiced by Cebu Pacific, the offloading is systematically planned in advance, and where the passengers are subjected to some form of lottery, or a wheel of misfortune, where they are left to deal with AI and not with live humans.

Being rebooked on the next available flight may be tolerable if on the same day and in the same airport. But to be moved to a flight two days later, or to be forced to travel to another airport is patently unjust. We cannot imagine what it would be like if the passenger had no place to stay and no extra money. We can just imagine the havoc and stress this creates on those with scheduled meetings and events. What if failure to arrive on schedule could mean loss of opportunity, or even loss of jobs, like what could happen to departing migrant workers who would miss their scheduled connecting flights?

Cebu Pacific cannot be allowed to play Russian roulette with our lives. Refunds, travel funds and travel vouchers are not enough to compensate for the stress and missed opportunities. I urge Congress to inquire into this matter and pass laws to protect passengers when they are blindsided and betrayed by airline companies.

 

 

[JJReyes]

In the future, would it help if you booked a Philippine Airlines flight?  Possibly not as crowded because their fares are higher.

[Dave Hounddriver]

Are there any airlines who do not overbook?  They should just be honest and say that the cheap seats are "standby" only and you might be bumped if everyone buying a ticket shows up.

[BrettGC]

"Betrayal" is slightly hyperbolic but the way Cebu Pacific operates is annoying. 

[Ram1957]

42 minutes ago, JJReyes said:

In the future, would it help if you booked a Philippine Airlines flight?  Possibly not as crowded because their fares are higher.

Philippine Airlines is just as bad. Still trying to get a refund from them since 2021.

[baronapart]

1 hour ago, BrettGC said:

"Betrayal" is slightly hyperbolic but the way Cebu Pacific operates is annoying. 

As a fellow Political Scientist I recognized the flair for the dramatic in the article ;-)

[Old55]

1 hour ago, BrettGC said:

"Betrayal" is slightly hyperbolic but the way Cebu Pacific operates is annoying. 

Slightly hyperbolic? Well, maybe not so much considering that the author is Filipino after all.  

[BrettGC]

3 minutes ago, Old55 said:

Slightly hyperbolic? Well, maybe not so much considering that the author is Filipino after all.  

And a political scientist . Known for their flare for the dramatic apparently 

[Freebie]

My Cebu pacific gripe...so I just looked up Manila Tacloban on July 3rd. On their little calendar the fare is shown as P2000.

One think,s good, nice and low.

One then proceeds to the book flights page and the lowest fare... not 2k but now 3k or 5k The 2k is no where to be seen. Its like that always.

Even the senior fare ( and yes you can get it if you know how, even with a foreign passport ) is not 2k.

so what is the 2k.. Im guessing its a fare without any taxes... whatever it is its never available and its like this one every flight.

Oh and they love to include their add on crap especially insurance. Have to manually remove. They wouldnt last long in Europe doing that sort of crap.

[Tommy T.]

I have only flown Cebu Pacific once. I will never fly with them again. Too many add-ons, including taking a fully acceptable sized carry on bag and casually dropping it into their "sizing" checker without even trying to  really see if it will fit. If it doesn't drop in naturally, then they demand it be checked in and charged for it. Everything with them is a la carte. We're lucky they aren't charging us for the air we breath or the air/con on their planes. And I know several people who have been bumped from flights for more than a day with no hint or remuneration or compensation.

Phil/Air isn't perfect either, and Air Asia is worse so I guess you pick your poison and take your chances.... I have had my

best experiences with Phil/Air....