“It’s already a space problem. We can add so many officers, but if the space is limited, then there will still be lines,” BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said.
WHILE the holiday season sees a surge of passengers travelling to and from the Philippines, Rep. Nathan Oducado of 1Tahanan Partylist filed a Resolution urging the House of Representatives to investigate flight delays, cancellations, and diversions and their impact on air passengers’ rights.
“Sadly, peak travel seasons like this are also seasons of numerous complaints about sudden and excessive spikes in airline ticket prices, mass flight delays, cancellations, and diversions,” said Cong. Oducado. “The law expects extraordinary diligence in those engaged in air travel and we cannot simply allow these inconveniences and the financial burden they entail to be expected and considered normal.”
Filed alongside Cong. Elijah Fernando of Kamanggagawa Partylist and Cong. Nikko Daza of the First District of Northern Samar, House Resolution 596 urges the Committee on Transportation to investigate in aid of legislation the “implementation and adequacy of existing policies on air passenger protection in cases of delayed, cancelled, and diverted flights,” specifically by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB), and the Department of Transportation (DOTr).
“Whenever delays and cancellations happen, it is the passengers who are paying for it with their money, time, and the emotional distress they have to face,” said Cong. Oducado. “It is unfair to our OFWs, embarrassing to our local and international tourists, and unreasonably costly to those travelling for business purposes.”
The inquiry shall help in the deliberations on House Bill 3303, which seeks to establish air passenger rights and compensation for delayed and cancelled flights, in order to “enhance airline accountability, reinforce the Air Passenger Bill of Rights, and ensure fair, humane, and reliable air transport services for the riding public.”
“We also want to look into whether airline companies are doing their duty in providing timely information, refunds and rebooking, compensation, and special consideration for vulnerable passengers such as the elderly, children, and persons with disabilities,” said Cong. Oducado. “We want to pin down how and why these inconveniences occur, who is accountable, and how they can be prevented.”
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