JV Ejercito tells Cebu Pacific: Improve customer service for passengers with flight delays
June 21, 2023
Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito on
Wednesday asked Cebu Pacific to be “patient” and “courteous” when dealing with
passengers affected by delayed flights.
During the hearing of the Senate Committee on
Tourism, Ejercito said he has received reports of passengers experiencing
“cheap” customer service from Asia’s oldest low-cost airline.
“I think this is very important. While we are
still having this problem right now, dapat siguo yung ground staff should be
more courteous, more patient. Kasi sa totoo lang and I hope you would take this
constructively, yung ground staff ng Cebu Pacific, medyo mas masungit talaga.
Sabi nga nila, parang budget airline yung ugali,” he said.
“I hope you can tell these agencies to be more
patient and more courteous, especially with these people, mga OFWs, mga
nagvavacation,” he added.
The lawmaker from San Juan said passengers
should receive truthful and timely updates about their flights so that they can
prepare accordingly.
He recounted his experience during his most
recent senatorial campaign, where he was forced to sleep at the Mactan-Cebu
International Airport after his flight was delayed by nine hours.
“We really have to do something about it. Ang
gusto lang naman ng riding public ay yung may nakakausap to give information
that is honest. Katulad namin noon, natulog po ako sa Cebu (Airport), ang sabi,
delayed dahil sa late arrival of aircraft. Pero umabot ng 6:00 AM from 9:00 PM.
Sana nakapagcheck-in na kami,” the Senator said.
Ejercito reiterated that Cebu Pacific and
other Filipino-owned airlines play a key role in shaping the “first and last
impression” of tourists and foreign investors about the country.
The investigation earlier was conducted in
response to complaints by Cebu Pacific passengers regarding incidents of
overbooking, offloading, and other booking glitches.
Representatives from the country’s major airlines said
these were mainly caused by maintenance backlogs, supply chain delays, and the
overwhelming influx of passengers.