Airlines urged to address delayed flights, missing luggage

MANILA, Philippines - Cagayan Rep. Jack Enrile urged airlines yesterday to address issues related to delayed flights and missing luggage.

He said efforts by the Department of Tourism and the Aquino administration in general to bring in foreign tourists and encourage Filipinos to travel would be for naught if they experience flight delays and missing luggage.       

“We are concerned about the growing number of complaints on how our local airlines are conducting their operations. As service companies, airlines are bound to uphold certain standards in the delivery of their services, lest they face sanctions,” Enrile said.

He reminded airlines that their congressional franchise is not a right but a privilege that Congress can withdraw.

Enrile said local airline companies would do well to study and, wherever possible, adopt customer service practices in countries such as the United States.

“In the US, if your flight is delayed for 30 minutes, passengers are promptly informed about the delay and its causes. If your flight is delayed for an hour, there’s provision for food. If your flight is delayed for up to four hours, there’s already a provision for a hotel room for passengers,” he said.

“In the Philippines, what do we do? We leave many of our passengers fending for themselves to find out why their flights are delayed or being cancelled, or to check where they could find their missing luggage – only to be informed that these were offloaded without notice to the passengers,” he added.