DOTC eyes prohibiting airlines from overbooking during peak seasons

The Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) is mulling prohibiting airlines from overbooking their flights during peak travel seasons after thousands of passengers of Cebu Pacific Air were stranded at the airports over the holidays.
 

Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya said there is a need for the government to take drastic action to avoid a repeat of Cebu Pacific's mass flight cancellations and delays in the days leading to Dec. 25, which affected thousands of airline passengers.
 

“Mukhang kailangan nang pag-aralan namin if the government can step in to control, limit, if not prohibit or completely eliminate overbooking,” he said in an interview over dzBB radio Sunday.

While acknowledging that even top airlines in the world tend to overbook their flights sometimes, Abaya said Cebu Pacific should have considered the likelihood that passengers who first booked the flight will show up because it is the peak holiday season.

“Hindi kami natutuwa [at] hindi dapat matuwa ang pamahalaan na porke't na-penalize [ang airline company] after the fact ay tapos na ang iyong role... So dapat bago pa mangyari 'yon (dumami ang stranded na pasahero) ay may ginagawa na ang pamahalaan. Kailangang magkaroon ng clear policy addressing overbooking and undermanning of check-in counters,” he said.
 

DOTC is set to meet with the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) and the management of Cebu Pacific Monday to discuss the complaints lodged by passengers about flight delays and overbooking in recent days.

'Refund not enough'
 

Meanwhile, Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Neri Colmenares said he will file a resolution next month to ask the House to investigate business practices implemented by airlines and the CAB's supposed failure in protecting the rights of airline passengers.
 

Aside from the long queues, delayed flights and overbooking,  Colmenares also wants a probe into cancelled flights, expensive rebooking fees, lack of fines for airlines over flight cancellations and rescheduling, and the “deceptively low” initial base fare offered by some budget carriers that end up becoming expensive due to several add-on charges.

 

In a statement, Colmenares also said Cebu Pacific's offer of a refund is not enough compensation for the inconvenience it has caused passengers.

 

“Kulang ang refund na ito at paraan lang para patahimikin ang mga nagrereklamong pasahero. Ang dapat ay patawan ng parusa ang mga airlines na pumalpak,” he said. — Xianne Arcangel/JDS, GMA News