Passengers stranded over unannounced cancellation of flights
CEBU CITY-- Many passengers of Air Philippines were stranded here or suffered delayed flights after the airline canceled unannounced its late afternoon flights from here to Iloilo and Davao starting last Sunday.
Irate passengers flocked to the airline's office at the Mactan International airport since Sunday after they only learned of the cancellation of their flights upon checking in at the airport.
“I got my ticket last week of January and there was no advise that this schedule would be canceled. The worst thing is that there was no notice. Other airlines would call you at 3 a.m. to inform you if your flight is delayed or canceled,” Victor Jaleco of Iloilo City said in an interview at the airport on Monday.
Jaleco was to take the 5:25 p.m. flight to Iloilo but only learned that the flight had been canceled when he inquired from the airline's check-in counter at 3 p.m. why there was still no advise for passengers on that flight to check in.
Several passengers said they got their tickets a day before the flight was canceled.
There was no visible announcement at the check-in counters or the airline's offices at the airport. There was also no announcement or press statement of the change of schedule on the airline's website (www.airphils.com).
The schedule at the website indicated that the daily 2:30 p.m. Cebu to Davao flights and the daily 5:25 p.m. Cebu to Iloilo flights will start on March 16.
Jim Patindol, supervisor on duty at the Air Philippines operations office at the Cebu airport, said the flights were canceled indefinitely upon orders from its Manila office. He did not give any explanation on why the flights were canceled without prior notice.
But a staff at the ticketing office at the airport said they only learned of the change of schedule Sunday morning.
The airline provided overnight hotel accommodations and meals to passengers who opted to stay here and take a flight the day following their canceled flights. Others were transferred to Cebu Pacific or Philippine Airlines flights.
Some had to take a flight to Manila where they stayed overnight and another flight to Iloilo the next day.