Philippine minister files resolution to suspend Cebu Pacific Air over 'unsatisfactory service'

Cebu Pacific is in hot water after the chairperson of the Philippines house committee, Rufus Rodriguez’s filing of a resolution to suspend the franchise due to its “history of unsatisfactory service to the public”.

In the resolution he filed, seen by MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, Rodriguez cited the complaints that Cebu Pacific’s passengers had regarding customer service and their experiences with flight cancellations and delays that has resulted in it being deemed unreliable.

The resolution read that reports online reflecting Cebu Pacific’s financial statement revealed that revenues from rebooking, refunds and cancellations of flights allegedly grew by 270%, reaching ₱2 billion in the first quarter of this year. This, according to him, showed that “Cebu Pacific is more interested in more profits than good service to the riding public," the resolution said.

Don't miss: Cebu Pacific Air launches zesty new ice cream flavour as marketing promo

The resolution also included a passenger's account which said that they were given different reasons for the delay of their flights and were "left without food and any commitment for accommodation while waiting for their flight and that they were forced to sleep on the floor of Narita International Airport in Japan.

According to CNN Philippines, Cebu Pacific acknowledged the difficulties and frustrations that its passengers have been experiencing. It attributed these difficulties to fleet availability issues affecting the global aviation industry along with environmental factors. It then apologised to its passengers who were affected by these challenges.

"Our recent operational challenges have resulted in flight cancellations or schedule changes for some of our guests, and we sincerely apologise if there have been any disruptions to your travel plans,” the airline said.

According to CNN’s report, Cebu Pacific Air stated that it is currently facing problems in its supply chain with Pratt & Whitney, which is the manufacturer of the engines for its Airbus fleet.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out for more information. 

Cebu Pacific recently resumed its Melbourne-Manila route, earlier this year. It celebrated with a collaboration with Melbourne-based ice cream brand Manila St to create a new ice cream flavour. The flavour was a blend the creaminess of cheesecake with the bright and zesty flavour of Calamansi fruit.

The resumption of the flights was first announced in January this year, after the relaunch of its Sydney-Manila service in July 2022. As part of the launch promotion, there were also flight promotions being offered at the start of the year. Earlier this month, Cebu Pacific also inked a deal with STB to promote travel to Singapore, which is one of the top-of-mind destinations for visitors from the Philippines. Key projects in this 2023 MOU will include joint marketing and promotions and joint business development in the areas of fly-cruise and meetings and incentive corporate groups. 

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