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Passengers still stranded at NAIA; MIAA says airlines should take care of them


Some passengers remained stranded at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport for the fourth straight day on Monday even if the Xiamen Air plane that skidded off the runway has already been removed.

Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) General Manager Ed Monreal said Monday in an interview on Unang Balita that it was the responsibility of the airlines to take care of the needs of their passengers while their flights are rearranged.

"Hindi ko po masasagot specific kung bakit po 'yung ibang flights ay meron pang delays o cancellations," Monreal said. "Ang pag-aruga at pagtitingin po ng pasahero ay nasa airline po 'yan."

In a separate interview on Dobol B sa News TV, Monreal said most of the airlines have provided hotel booking and food to their passengers.

"Eto po ay isang pagpapatunay na kung gaano mag-alaga sa pasahero. Customer care is the basic question here," he said.

"I know there is an expense but at the end of the day as a moral obligation dapat may konting concern at konting bukal na pag-aaruga kasi 'pag ang isang pasahero naalagaan mo nang maayos especially in these trying times, babalik sa 'yo ang loyalty niyan," Monreal added.

Monreal also said the runway has been fully operational since Saturday; operations are not limited. Airlines should be honest and inform their passengers of the real reason why their flights are canceled or delayed, he added.

"Ang cancellation, hindi manggagaling sa aming Authority. 'Yan po ay manggagaling sa airlines... The better point is sabihin nila bakit sila nagkansela," Monreal said.

Several overseas Filipino workers who continued to wait at the airport were featured in the reports by Rhea Santos and Bam Alegre on Unang Balita.

An OFW named Cheryl told Santos that she will be forced to stay at NAIA until Friday to make her flight back to Riyadh and keep her job as a domestic helper.

Another OFW said the nearest rebooking date was on September 4.

Like Cheryl, other Filipinos employed overseas said they will remain at NAIA rather than return to their provinces as traveling costs would be unreasonable.

To accommodate the needs of their passengers, airlines began to distribute cardboard sheets for comfort and either food or small allowances to pay for their meals.

Airlines were still timing their recovery flights — or those that got delayed or rebooked — as airport authorities continued to prioritize flights with prior scheduling or have been rescheduled.

NAIA saw more than 600 flights take off and land since the re-opening of its runway on Saturday.

MIAA expects the situation to stabilize as airlines continue to resume normal operations.

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade apologized on behalf of the Department of Transportation, adding that the incident was an "eye-opener."

"This incident served as an eye-opener—a reminder for us to take a second look at the processes, procedures, and protocols of concerned agencies, as well as airlines, so that we may all improve in the future," Tugade said.

"Again, on behalf of the entire DOTr Family, I am deeply sorry,” he added. —Rie Takumi/KG, GMA News

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