Letter to the editor - The worst business firm of 2008: Cebu Pacific

If there is anything that would define a bad business company for 2008, it would be carelessness, incompetence and lack of care for clients. Cebu Pacific perfectly fits the bill. In my view, they are the worst company in the whole country all year long.

Up until now, these passenger horror stories continue to happen: Very long delayed flights (up to 17 hours), unexplained cancellations, long delays of refunds, lost luggage, hidden charges, etc. Every month, there is always something bad that happens, and the victims are quite many.

Just this past Christmas Eve, my ten friends and cousins from Manila were supposed to have Noche Buena here in Cebu and took Cebu Pacific's mid-afternoon flight. Unfortunately for them, their flight was delayed by five hours due to "technical adjustments", according to the much-criticized airline. All because of Cebu Pacific, our reunion and celebration got spoiled!

The pathetic service does not end. It is also clear that Cebu Pacific's corporate officials display arrogance and a lack of care for their clients. They simply dismissed every complaint without giving any detailed explanations at all. Even if you fax or send them via mail a complaint or letter of concern, they will never respond to you.

Because Cebu Pacific's service is often terrible and that their officials don't really care about their clients, they gave us Cebuanos a bad image all over the nation and in some parts of the world!

Luckily for us Cebuanos and travelers, we've got other alternative airlines to take when traveling by air. We're also lucky that Cebu Pacific does not have a monopoly of flight routes.

Could you just imagine how Cebu Pacific could take part in ruining our nation's tourism industry? Could you imagine how Cebu Pacific's poor services could turn potential tourists and investors away from Cebu?

All in all, Cebu Pacific's flights are cheap but not so much compared to other airlines. Just a mere few hundreds in difference. Worse, even if you pay low rates, Cebu Pacific often fails to live up to its promises. First and foremost, we pay fares not only to fly but also to get to our destination in due time. Cebu Pacific does not care about that because they are obsessed in profiting at the expense of the traveler.

Jake Moralde

Labangon, Cebu City