All PAL flights canceled until May 15 amid extended ECQ

Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) announced on Saturday that all of its flights would remain canceled until May 15 - the duration of the extended enhanced community quarantine over Metro Manila and other major areas of the country.

“We confirm that all Philippine Airlines domestic and international flights are canceled up to May 15, 2020, in line with the extension of the Luzon Enhanced Community Quarantine until May 15th,” PAL said.

The airline said it intended to resume flights by May 16, 2020 if allowed by the government, global public health conditions, and the travel environment.

For those with affected flights due to the COVID-19 crisis, PAL said its customers could avail the following:

• Convert tickets to travel vouchers equivalent to ticket value plus additional 10% of unused base fare. It is valid for one year for travel of up to 12 months out.
• Rebook or reroute flights with no rebooking fee. For first rebooking, no fare difference will be applied (same cabin class, travel on or before November 30, 2020 or ticket validity, whichever comes first, with blackout dates for US and Canada)
• For succeeding rebookings, fare difference, taxes, and no show fees may be collected (must be on the original booking class, travel within original ticket validity, request 24 hours before flight)
• For rerouting, fare difference and taxes may be collected
• Guest may also opt for a full refund without penalties

If a passenger's flight was on May 16, 2020 onwards and was not affected by cancellations or travel bans, PAL said the following options were available:

• Conversion of tickets into travel vouchers with validity for one year and for travel for up to 12 months out
• One time free rebooking with no penalty for travel within ticket validity. Fare differences and taxes may be collected
• For rerouting, fare difference and taxes may also be collected
• Refund is subject to fare rules

The airline said passengers affected by COVID-19 cancellations or travel bans could request for flight changes even after the ECQ period or after the original flight schedule.

For passengers whose flights are not canceled or not banned for travel, requests can be made at least seven days before flight departure.

Rebooking, travel vouchers, and refund requests can be submitted through https://mypal.vip./url/RequestHub.

For passengers who booked through a travel agent, PAL advised passengers to contact their respective travel agents.

“We will announce the list of operating flights and routes once finalized,” PAL said.

“If your flight is canceled, we assure you that your ticket is safe and remains valid. We’ve enhanced our policies to give you more flexibility due to the evolving COVID-19 situation,” added the airline. — DVM, GMA News