A CONGRESSMAN has filed a resolution seeking to suspend the franchise of budget carrier Cebu Air, Inc. amid a Senate investigation of mounting customer complaints.
Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus B. Rodriguez said the airline, which operates Cebu Pacific, “has a history of unsatisfactory service to the public.” “Passengers of Cebu Pacific experience flight delays and cancellations, and to make matters worse, their customer service is also unreliable,” he said in House Resolution 1101.
“Following the recent Senate hearing, we have taken serious note of the issues raised therein and are currently in the process of implementing various measures in support of our passengers,” Cebu Pacific spokesperson Carmina Reyes-Romero said in a Viber message.
“We look forward to sharing these to our lawmakers in the spirit of cooperation and collaboration so that the industry can continue to contribute its share to the overall effort in accelerating tourism and economic growth in our country.”
During a Senate hearing last week, Cebu Pacific Chief Commercial Officer Alexander Lao said engine supply issues and weather disturbances had disrupted some of its flights.
“Cebu Pacific acknowledges the difficulties and frustrations that our passengers have been experiencing lately,” it said in a statement on June 21. “This is primarily driven by fleet availability issues affecting the global aviation industry along with specific environmental factors.”
In his resolution, Mr. Rodriguez cited complaints against sudden flight changes for checked-in passengers, refund issues, rude ground personnel and the lack of compensation for inconvenienced passengers.
He also cited complaints of unreliable customer service hotlines and in-person help desks.
Mr. Rodriguez said Cebu Pacific is “more interested in more profits than good service to the riding public.”
He said the airline’s revenue from rebooking, refunds and cancellation fees had almost quadrupled to P1.98 billion in the first quarter from a year earlier.
Mr. Rodriguez said Congress should suspend the airline’s franchise until its services improve “to the satisfaction of the riding public.”
“That is a congressional prerogative,” Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) Executive Director Carmelo L. Arcilla said on the sidelines of the Senate hearing last week. “These are matters that would require serious scrutiny and ascertainment of facts.
Mr. Rodriguez last week called for the resignation of officials from CAB, the Transportation department and Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines for failing to act on the passenger complaints.
“They are guilty of negligence for failing or refusing to sanction Cebu Pacific for its lousy service to the riding public,” he said in a separate statement. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz