By Lea Regina Dulay and Rojean Grace Patumbon
THE COUNTRY’S flag-carrier Philippine Airlines continues to promote its services amid an influx of passenger complaints.
PAL struggled to get its planes airborne due to the lack of spare parts. But Reyani Romano, PAL Mindanao Sales and Services head, claimed that it’s an industry-wide concern since other airlines like Cebu Pacific face the same issue.
She said the reason behind the delays in their flight operation is the maintenance done to their fleet to ensure the safety of the passengers. If a particular aircraft with an assigned route is unavailable, all succeeding flights will either be delayed or canceled.
She said passengers have three options in case of delayed or canceled flights: first is to rebook them to the next available flight; second is to convert their ticket to a travel certificate valid for two years, and third is to refund it. If it’s an emergency, PAL will refer them to another airline.
Non-voice assistance can also be accessed through their mobile channels in different social media platforms such as Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp, Viber, and MyPAL Assist.
StartingJune 16, PAL will now have its international flights operate at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1, while all of the domestic flights will be at the North Wing of NAIA Terminal 2 instead of the South Wing, which has been previously used.
For passengers with connecting flights, there are travel desks available to ask for luggage assistance and readily available shuttles for easy transfer.
PAL encourages international passengers to sign up for E-Travel Registration, which replaces the hard copy of their arrival and departure immigration cards. Arriving international passengers have to register at least 72 hours before their arrival. As for departing Filipino passengers, they only have to register at least three hours before departure.
Using the E-Travel Portal, passengers can manage their flight status by taking a look at their assigned terminal before heading to the airport and checking in online.
Romano said the airline company is short-staffed and still recovering from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Hence, the ratio between staff and passengers is uneven.
“Give us more understanding at this time because, really, our priority is the safety of our passengers,” Romano said.
