MANILA, June 28 ----- An official of the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) on Friday said a cap on airline overbooking should be reimposed to minimize the practice and protect air passengers following complaints of alleged overbooking and offloading.
CAB Executive Director Carmelo Arcilla said the Philippines used to limit airline overbooking to 10 percent of the flight capacity or seats, but the cap has been removed since 2012. Setting a limit to overbooking "will discourage abuse" of this practice, he added. "I believe a cap should be reimposed so that passengers would have two safeguards -- the cap and the compensation under the Air Passenger Bill of Rights [APBR]," he said in a public briefing.
Two of the country's major airlines the Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific -- have been facing backlash due to alleged overbooking and offloading, apart from flight delays and cancellations. The limit was removed since the APBR has countermeasures against overbooking, such as accommodating the passenger to the next available flight, giving compensation, and shouldering the expenses on hotel, food and transport, Arcilla said. Contrary to reports of overbooking, Arcilla said such air travel issues could be attributed to the downgrading of aircraft since there is a problem with spare parts supply as well as engine repairs.
"Ngayon, iba po naman iyong napapabalita na nag-o-overbook na parang scam ‘no. Kasi ganito po iyan, sa imbestigasyon po at maging sa imbestigasyon sa Senado at iyong aming imbestigasyon ay lumabas na ang dahilan ay—hindi ba alam naman natin na mayroong tinatawag na supply chain disruption sa buong mundo, hindi dumating iyong mga order ng eroplano, walang spare parts, iyong mga repair ay matagal ang repair. Ngayon, kinapos ang mga equipment ‘no, so nagkaroon ng mga pagbabawas ng flights at saka iyong tinatawag na downgrading ‘no (This is different from reports of overbooking like a scam. Our initial investigation showed that the supply chain disruption is the cause -- the plane orders did not arrive, no spare parts, and repairs take a long time. The lack of equipment forces airlines to lessen the number of flights, as well as what we call downgrading)."
In downgrading, he said, the airlines would use smaller planes or those with fewer capacity, which would mean some passengers cannot be accommodated. Airlines would resort to downgrading so they could continue the scheduled flight, Arcilla added. This would make passengers who were not allowed to board think that the flight was overbooked once they find out that the flight actually pushed through, he said. In cases of overbooking, Arcilla said the airlines are obliged to find volunteers and offer them compensation.
Arcilla reiterated that their initial findings showed the downgrading of the aircraft is the reason why not all passengers can board the flight. In choosing those who can board, Arcilla said priority is given to seniors, persons with disability, and pregnant women. The other passengers will be selected randomly using a computer. "Based on our initial findings, this is not overbooking. Because overbooking requires passengers to be checked in. The number of overbooked seats and needed volunteers would be known at the boarding gate," he said.
If the situation was indeed overbooking and the passengers were told that they cannot board, then the airline would face sanctions. He added that airlines should exhaust all means to prevent or minimize the inconvenience and suffering of the riding public. Meanwhile, Arcilla said passengers should immediately contact their airlines for concerns.
Source: pna.gov.ph
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