Photo shows Mr. Julian Rabe, Jr. Branch Manager, Cebu Pacific, Kalibo Branch talking to his outraged and angry passengers because of lousy treatment while they were stranded at the Kalibo Airport. Cebu Pacific failed to provide them the necessary comfort while stranded at the airport. Three PAL planes landed at the Kalibo Airport on January but Cebu Pacific‘s two planes did not land. Moreover, that plane load of passengers were advised they are rebooked for the January 5 flight, 3 or 4 days after.
My wife and I arrived at Kalibo Airport, Kalibo, Aklan at 9 am, January 2, 2007 to catch the Cebu Pacific plane flight scheduled to depart at 10 am that day. At around 9:45, it was announced that Cebu Pacific’s incoming flight from Manila had turned back due to poor visibility. We did not make a big deal out of this since the Philippine Airlines flight from Manila that was scheduled to arrive at more or less the same time had likewise been unable to land. All passengers were advised to wait for further announcements. An hour passed and still there were no updates so we decided to take lunch at an eatery fronting the airport.
We returned to the airport when we heard a plane arriving. It was the PAL flight which had been delayed earlier. When we inquired at the Cebu Pacific counter, we were informed that our flight was scheduled to arrive at 2:35 pm. Patiently, we proceeded to the waiting area. At 2:20 it was again announced over the loudspeaker that our flight would arrive at 2:35. The appointed time came and still no plane had landed. By 3 pm, passengers were getting restless as no further announcement was heard. One Cebu Pacific passenger couldn’t take the suspense any longer and went directly to the check in counter. He came back with the Cebu Pacific airport manager, Julian Rabe, who told the waiting passengers that the plane had again turned back to Manila because of the weather. When asked when the flight would be rescheduled, he said he did not know. I asked whether passengers, many of whom had not yet taken lunch that day, would be provided with meals and accommodations should the flight be canceled, he answered "no".
Sure enough, it was announced at a little past 4 pm that our flight had been cancelled. We, along with several other passengers went to the Cebu Pacific ticketing office to inquire about our options. Foreign tourists with scheduled international flights the following day were especially worried. The manager was not at the ticketing office and the person in charge said all she could do was try and rebook us on subsequent flights, the earliest of which she could guarantee is scheduled to leave Kalibo on Jan. 5, 2007. This arrangement was not acceptable; my wife is a physician at a Quezon City hospital and had important appointments the next day. We ended up hurriedly buying tickets, spending an additional P7,400, for a PAL flight scheduled at 5 pm that same day. We, along with a few other stranded passengers, managed to make the flight with around 10 minutes to spare.
Of course, this option was not feasible for those short on cash or without a credit card.
I wish to make it clear that in the past, we have never had any major problems with Cebu Pacific. I appreciate and often avail of the substantial discounts offered during their promos, though the Jan. 2 tickets we had were bought at a regular price. I also understand that weather related cancellations are sometimes unavoidable (though the fact that three PAL flights were able to land that day made one wonder about the competence of the Cebu Pacific pilot). My complaint has to do with Cebu Pacific’s shabby and unapologetic treatment of their stranded passengers. Management was well aware that we had been waiting since before 9 am. A small gesture such as an offer of sandwiches would have done wonders to sooth our irritation. My wife and I ended up spending an unexpected substantial amount for lunch. After the flight was cancelled, the Cebu Pacific staff’s offer to rebook passengers on flights three or four days away only outraged the already more tired and hungry passengers.
This should not have been the first option; an entire planeload of people should warrant a special flight as early as possible. Kalibo Branch management should have exerted every effort to secure such a flight before offering other options such as four days delay? Who will pay their foods and housing? When informed of this, the staff insisted an extra flight was not possible. Granted that certain passengers were willing to be rebooked on flights the following days, where would they spend the night? Not everyone has adequate resources to book a room at even a small hostel, not to mention the necessary food and drinks.
In general, customer assistance is an area wherein Philippine companies fall far below international standards. This is especially true of Cebu Pacific, (an airline aspiring to go international). Any foreign airline in the same situation immediately assures its passengers that their board and lodging will be attended to at no extra cost. Cebu Pacific’s staff made no offer of such assistance whatsoever. There were not even any offer of assistance with regard to rebooking passengers on the later PAL flights. Could this be connected to the fact that the company already has the customer’s money, so it doesn’t really matter what he or she thinks of the quality of service rendered?
While we were lining up for our PAL flight back to Manila, I could still hear my former co-passengers at the check-in counter screaming at Mr. Rabe, the Cebu Pacific (Kalibo Branch) manager. Some in their anger were hurling obscenities and threatening legal actions which merited the arrival of SWAT team. I almost felt sorry for the target of their rage, though earlier I had been on the verge of strangling him myself. Naturally, Mr. Rabe’s options were entirely dependent on his Manila office’s decisions. A little consideration for their passengers on the part of Cebu Pacific’s top level management would have made such an ugly scene completely unnecessary. /MPmailto:madyaas_pen@yahoo.com
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