PAL cancels cheap fares sold due to app glitch

Flag carrier Philippine Airlines on Thursday said a glitch in its system caused its mobile app to display incorrect plane ticket prices, resulting in a number of passengers booking "heavily discounted" flights.

In a statement,  PAL spokesperson Cielo Villaluna confirmed that certain fares quoted recently by the PAL mobile app for specific flights from Japan to the US and Canada (via Manila) were incorrect "due to a system glitch resulting in erroneous booking transactions."

But Villaluna said it has already canceled the erroneous booking transactions but assured affected passengers of a full refund of the amount paid for their tickets.

"The airline apologizes for the inconvenience caused by this system glitch and is coordinating with its system service provider for the mobile app to get to the bottom of the issue," she added.

The PAL spokesperson also assured that the glitch is only limited to the said specific itinerary and is currently exerting all efforts to identify the cause of the error.

"Customers must book a new ticket using the correct fare [sales agent to quote the lowest fare for the route]. Customers may also visit our PAL's website (www.philippineairlines.com) to book a new ticket," she said.

But affected passengers said PAL should honor their original booking transactions.

A passenger, who requested anonymity, told GMA News Online that a Japan to US flight he booked on May 6 was "heavily discounted" and about 30 to 40 percent cheaper than the usual price.

The passenger said he booked the flight, thinking the reduced fares were part of a Mothers' Day promotion.

"I fully complied with everything they asked to make the booking and paid for it using my credit card. Then, I received an email from PAL that the booking was confirmed."

Similarly, another passenger, who asked not to be identified, said that she booked a flight from Osaka to New York on May 5, paid the cost, and got a confirmation from PAL.

The passengers, however, said they were surprised a few days later as they learned through PAL's "Manage Booking" feature in its website that their flights were canceled.

The passengers said that the cancellations were made without prior notice. Upon checking with PAL's customer service, they were informed that their flights were canceled by the airline because the bookings for them were made during the system glitch.

The passengers, however, were not buying PAL's full refund scheme as they want the airline to honor their bookings.

"Mas gusto namin iho-honor nila ang ticket. Error nila 'yan eh, hindi naman kami ang may kasalanan niyan so hindi dapat consumer ang mag suffer sa nangyari," one of the passengers said.

The passenger said they are organizing a group on Facebook, which currently counts 108 members, to compel PAL to honor their tickets.

"We bought the ticket out of good faith... we even paid for connecting flights and hotel reservations, that's why we want them to honor the service we paid," the passenger added.

"Gusto namin ma-fulfill ang obligation, there was a price paid. We want PAL to fulfill the service." — MDM, GMA News