Business as usual at PAL but cases prepared vs pilots: exec
The operations of Philippine Airlines is back to normal after some of its flights were cancelled following the resignation of its 26 pilots last week.
Jonathan Gesmundo, PAL spokesperson, said a new schedule was released starting Monday for flights going to and from Manila and Ozamiz, Dipolog, Puerto Princesa, Cebu and Davao.
Under the new schedule, instead of five flights, PAL will only have three flights daily at 10:05 a.m., 2:05 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Suspended flights are those scheduled at 6:10 a.m. and 8:40 p.m.
Gesmundo said customers could also visit their website wwww.philippinearlines.com or call their office for inquiries.
“This is to further optimize operational efficiency following suspension of several international and domestic flights,” Gesmundo said.
But he said that some flights were temporarily suspended and not cancelled due to the “lean season.”
Regularly, the “lean season” in airline companies is from August 9 to November 30.
Gesmundo said that during this period, PAL also schedules the major maintenance checks on its airplanes.
After the “lean season,” these flights will resume its original schedule.
CHARGES
Gesmundo said they are preparing to file administrative sanction against the 26 pilots who resigned from their posts without giving a 180-day notice to the management.
These pilots resigned from PAL for flying jobs abroad where their salaries cannot be matched by PAL, he said.
Gesmundo said these pilots violated their contract as well as pertinent government regulations that require resigning pilots to give PAL six months prior notice to be able to train their replacements.
He added that most of the pilots still owe PAL the cost of their aviation school training, which run into millions of pesos per pilot.
STRIKE
Just this week, reports are coming out that some PAL flight attendants are also planning to conduct a strike against the management.
Gesmundo said he is still verifying the report.
In Iloilo, PAL Manager Juancho Demaguila said that so far he has no fear that the local flight crew will join the reported strike.
“The Ilonggos (seem) very passive and I’m confident they will not do that,” he said.
Demaguila said he is open to his personnel and in fact, they have regular meeting every month where they talk about problem-solving.
