Cebu Pacific: Your airline of choice?

Never in the history of the country’s air transport industry that we get to enjoy promotional fares as low as or even lower than what shipping companies pegged for the same route. Thanks to the Philippine government’s deregulation, unlike the oil industry’s perceived cartelization, we are enjoying the fruits of the honest-to-goodness airline industry competition.

Apparently, one of those reasons for this surge of the country’s air transport industry is the Cebu Pacific. Incorporated as Cebu Air, Inc., Cebu Pacific Air reportedly is equipped with the youngest fleet of aircrafts. Recently, it claimed to have a fleet of 29 aircrafts composed of Airbus A320s and ATR 72-500s. This fleet, reportedly, has an average age of 11 months as of April, 2009 and flies to 27 domestic destinations and to 15 international destinations in 10 countries.

With this strength, on May 28, 2008, Cebu Pacific was allegedly named as the world's number one airline in terms of growth. The airline was also ranked fifth in Asia for Budget Airline passengers transported and 23rd in the world. This is commendable considering that the airline just started operations on March 8, 1996.

In evaluating Cebu Pacific’s strength based on the aforementioned figures and information, the airline’s rank could even be certainly higher than what award-giving bodies afforded them. In fact, inarguably, we can’t help but say amen to the cabin crew’s repeatedly claimed phrase “your airline of choice”.

However, despite all these claims of awards, performances and capabilities, the airline had been, more often, ridiculed for poor service. Feeling shortchanged, some aggrieved passengers even went further by suggesting that congress should initiate an inquiry and ultimately cancel the airline’s franchise.

I had my own share of experiences with the airline too. Yes, there were bad but admittedly there were good experiences as well. However, the experiences I had last Wednesday (April 29) was a different one. With an airbus-load of passengers, all of us were made to believe upon check-in that our flight 5J577 from Manila to Cebu will just be delayed for two (2) hours. Therefore, instead of 7:20PM, we were supposed to leave at 9:20PM. Being informed ahead of time, the delay was just acceptable.

The supposed departure time elapsed and the public address system remained mum on our flight. After almost an hour beyond our rescheduled departure, we were made to believe that the aircraft has arrived and was suppose to be in another bay not in the originally assigned Gate no. 119. Then, the public address system, in a less than authoritative tone, advised us to transfer to Gate no. 116. After a long walk, we enthusiastically settled and primed ourselves for the final boarding. Another hour of wait agonizingly passed and the public address system was again in deep silence as far as our flight is concerned. Then, a big lift came. Ground personnel in orange shirt arrived. Men and women whom we thought will take their positions and hurriedly tear our boarding passes so we can go. Sadly, after having a short conference among themselves (probably on how to make the announcement), we were advised that the flight was cancelled.

Frustrations set in. Furious yells and shouts of disapproval ensued. Gate no. 116 was overwhelmingly filled with so much anger. Then, adding insult to injury, we were asked to move up to the arrival area to meet the manager. It was so inconceivable that hundreds of us were to approach the manager in another area spanning about a hundred meters than the manager by his lonesome coming down to Gate no. 116.

Feeling helpless, we moved to the arrival area only to be entertained by a lady whose only task was to issue travel vouchers. Unwilling to bark at the wrong tree, we demanded for the manager’s presence. True enough, he arrived about 30 minutes later.

After picking himself up from a barrage of insults and invectives, apologetically, the manager on duty (Mr. Harold Gonzaga, if my memory won’t fail me) explained that some aircrafts are down, thus, the cancellation.

He further suggested that we should claim our checked-in baggage. At this point, we felt an attempt by the airline to downgrade us as chance passengers. Angrily, we disagreed and demanded for a special flight for all of us.   Apparently seeking advice from his superior, we were informed that they can only mount a special flight not earlier than 2:30PM on Thursday.

The announcement solicited mixed reactions. A young lady who came all the way from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to be with her father who just passed away shed a tear. Understandably, she would like to be with her father in Naga, Cebu the soonest she can. Four Iranian students were furious because they were to take an IELTS exam. As one of them claimed, this is a life-changing examination that was scheduled in Parklane International Hotel at 7:00AM on Thursday. Apparently, therefore, the earliest morning flight was their only option.

As the chilling temperature at the NAIA 3 wore us down, most of us took the airline’s offer to be billeted at Traders Hotel, Heritage Hotel and Palm View Hotel. About twenty passengers who never took the offer went back to the departure area ignoring the security cordon thrown on them. 

While trying to replenish the spent energies in the comforts of our hotel rooms and the lavish food we took, we can only wonder with so much anxiety the fate of our unrelenting co-passengers.

As the day concluded, however, Mr. RG Orense’s (PR Manager) assurance for a special flight at 2:30PM on Thursday and making good such promise made us went through our rescheduled appointments on time. Undeniably, however, it was still a fact that on that day, Cebu Pacific did not just take away our smiles; it took us out of business. 

On hindsight though, as emotions subside, we can only suggest to Cebu Pacific to address concerns like this timely and squarely. The delay by which the cancellation was announced was just unbearable.

Worst, the open-endedness of the initial responses made us felt abandoned. 

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