Clark airport as Phl gateway

CLARK, Philippines — This is my first time to leave the country for abroad via the Clark International Airport (CIA) here in Angeles City, Pampanga. Along with several other editors and journalists, we were invited to join the inaugural flights to Macau and Hong Kong by AirAsia, the newest budget airline now operating in the Philippines.

AirAsia Inc. is a 60-40 joint venture between Filipino investors led by presidential cousin Antonio “Tonyboy” Cojuangco, Michael L. Romero, and Marianne “Maan” B. Hontiveros, with Malaysia’s AirAsia International Ltd. Its Malaysian partner is a wholly owned subsidiary of AirAsia Berhad, which prides itself as SkyTrax’s best low cost airline voted for three consecutive years. Skytrax is the world’s largest airline and airport review site.

So it was but natural for the latest Filipino domestic carrier to have launched its first international flight to Malaysia last June 9 with afternoon flights departing daily from Clark to Kuala Lumpur’s LCCT (Low Cost Carrier Terminal). From that time on, AirAsia has daily afternoon flights complementing Malaysia’s AirAsia, which has been operating the same route since 2005.

AirAsia started flying out of Clark to Hong Kong and Macau, which we joined here yesterday. As of this writing, I have no idea yet how much travel volume these routes have.

Former TV host Maan Hontiveros, now the chief executive officer of AirAsia Inc., told us they count much on business travelers and overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to fly these routes of AirAsia while it provides tourists and shoppers attractive choice of carrier.

“These twin launches provide yet another opportunity for Filipinos to have access to Hong Kong and Macau’s attractions, but more important for our OFW families here in Central and Northern Luzon where more than 30 percent of OFWs come from to reconnect and bring their families closer more than ever through our low cost, high value travel fares,” Hontiveros pointed out.

“With AirAsia providing awesome and daily connectivity between these two popular destinations and the Philippines, we can tap tourists from Hong Kong and Macau to include a trip to our amazing beaches, diving spots and natural wonders in their itinerary,” Hontiveros enthused.

As the country’s newest low cost carrier, AirAsia has been flying the new routes at Clark with brand new Airbus A320 operated by its best-trained and experienced flight and cabin crew. But AirAsia actually began its domestic operations via Clark only last March 28 this year. AirAsia started servicing daily flights to Francisco Bangoy International Airport in Davao, Puerto Princesa International Airport in Palawan and twice daily flights to Kalibo International Airport.

To commemorate the twin launch of its regional flights, AirAsia offers all-in promo fare at only P688 one way from Clark to Hong Kong and only P588 one way from Clark to Macau. Customers who avail of promo seats will be able to travel from 19 July to 31 January 2013.

According to its brochures, AirAsia’s all-in fare includes base fare, fuel surcharge, processing fee and government-mandated fees such as aviation security fee and value added tax. Like any other airline firms, e-ticket can be purchased online at www.airasia.com and also via mobile at mobile.airasia.com

The entry of AirAsia in the Philippine airline industry adds more choices for Filipino travelers to get the best service at the lowest affordable price. AirAsia gives customers better choice in the spate of complaints over hidden costs reportedly being resorted to in the cutthroat competition among budget airlines.

A solution to this is the proposed “Bill of Rights of Airline Passengers” that is currently undergoing public hearings. The proposed draft highlights the bumping off of passengers due to overbooking flights and offloading of luggage, among the perennial complaints of airline passengers. Offloaded baggage was the root of the scuffle between veteran newsman Ramon Tulfo and the movie couple Raymart Santiago and his wife Claudine Barreto at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 a few weeks back.

The draft of the Passengers’ Bill of Rights is jointly being worked on by the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC), the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and the Department of Tourism (DOT). The second round of public hearing is scheduled to resume today.

And speaking of DOTC Secretary Mar Roxas II, his name was all over the streamers on our way to Clark, which only put him in a bad light. Roxas is being denounced by a group called Pinoy Gumising Ka Movement (PGKM) for his alleged failure to fully develop the CIA. C’mon guys, you’re asking too much for a Cabinet member who just took office in July last year.

It was former President Fidel V. Ramos who signed Executive Order 174 in 1994, declaring Clark as the “future site of the country’s premiere international airport.” From that time on, the PGKM deplored, nothing much was done to turn this into reality.

During a courtesy call at The STAR office last week, Ambassador Hirubalan V.P. of Singapore said his country’s flag carrier, Singapore Airlines (SIA), has put up a maintenance hangar at the 2,000-hectare Clark airport. He said SIA’s 330-Airbus are being serviced there and soon, the 380 Airbuses could also be accommodated in the hangar complex.

The ambassador said this would certainly help fill the quite heavy volume of travel of people going to and from the Philippines and Singapore. According to latest figures from the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, the ambassador noted, Philippine and Singapore carriers operate a total of 165 weekly flight services between both countries. This includes flights to and from Manila, Clark, Cebu and Davao.   

In the case of AirAsia, it decided in 2011 to set up its hub in Clark as part of its commitment to develop tourism and transportation outside Metro Manila.

As more and more budget airlines like AirAsia and big ones like SIA operate a hangar here, the long wait to make Clark as the country’s premier international gateway may soon be over.