Airline passenger traffic expected to pick up by Q4

CEBU, Philippines —  Air Asia Philippines expects domestic passenger load to pick up this fourth quarter with increased flight frequencies to Cebu, Bohol and Boracay.

“With the holidays just around the corner, we expect the influx of passengers outbound Metro Manila starting mid-next month. We have seen a 32 percent increase in passenger volume and booking for travels within 1to 30 days,” said AirAsia Philippines Spokesperson Steve Dailisan in a recent virtual briefing.

To date, the airline has restored 15 percent of its pre pandemic frequency. An increase of 78 percent has also been observed in its month on month load factor.

AirAsia Philippines is likewise strongly backing local government units and other business organizations’ call to scrap the RT-PCR test and implement a more relaxed travel requirement for fully vaccinated guests to help stir demand and revive the tourism industry.

In its bid to strengthen market presence and confidence among its guests, AirAsia Philippines has issued a guarantee that all its domestic flights from 1-15 October 2021 will take off as scheduled, without any cancellation.

Recent imposition of COVID-19 quarantine restrictions in Metro Manila and nearby provinces have prompted Philippine carriers to adjust flight schedules as necessary. Now that most Local Government Units (LGUs) have relaxed entry protocols, allowing both essential and leisure travelers in their provinces, AirAsia assures its guests that their travel will proceed as scheduled.

“In AirAsia, we take to heart the sentiments of our guests. We know that traveling in the new normal entails a lot of preparation such as submission of negative RT-PCR or antigen test and acceptance certificate or QR codes to their respective LGUs,” assured Dailisan.

“We understand the need to reassure our guests that when they travel with AirAsia, they fly with peace of mind because of our stringent health and safety protocols, and that they will reach their destination safely and on time as scheduled,” he added.

AirAsia Philippines however clarified that this initiative is not applicable to situations involving operational reasons or any circumstances beyond the control of the airline under force majeure such as typhoons, volcanic eruptions and government imposed restrictions. For this reason, flights may still have to be merged or rescheduled as the need arises.

To ensure safety for its guests and employees, and as part of its Covid-19 mitigation plan, AirAsia has made check-in via the airasia Super App mandatory for all guests. All guests are encouraged to download and make full use of the airasia Super App, the only all-in-one app that guests would need for their journey - from flight to hotel bookings.

Over recent times the airline has implemented numerous contactless procedures including during check-in, boarding, inflight and baggage collection.

Furthermore, 100 percent of AirAsia Philippines’ flight crew and ground staff are already vaccinated against COVID-19 so guests can be assured of the highest safety and hygiene standards at all times.