PAL, CEB issue advisories, options for refund

THE Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) Management assured the public that the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) is ready for any emergencies as Tropical Storm “Paeng” makes its way to the metro late Saturday.

In an earlier statement, the MIAA stated that it had placed its emergency response teams on alert for any incident that may arise as a result of torrential rains. The engineering and operations teams on Friday have started tying down passenger boarding bridges, securing billboards within the vicinity of the four Terminals, pruning trees, and checking airside and landside facilities.

The MIAA emergency services are on alert for any aircraft or structural emergency or any need to respond to emergency calls. The warehouse will be kept open for any need for supplies while service vehicles and drivers at the motor pool are ready for dispatch anytime.

MIAA food concessionaires have been requested to make additional stocks available in case passengers of delayed or canceled flights opt to stay and wait in NAIA.

Airline companies, on the other hand, were told to carry out safety protocols employed during severe weather conditions, such as securing their ground equipment and evacuating aircraft to safer grounds, if necessary.

Ground handlers were urged to ensure maximum deployment of the ramp and check-in personnel enough to cover any vacuum in succeeding shifts should personnel fail to report for work due to flooding in some areas of Metro Manila.

In a meeting on Saturday, October 29, 2022, with MIAA, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), and Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), affected foreign airline operators reported that they had employed planned cancellations to spare passengers from the difficulty of getting to NAIA under the extreme weather condition.

Passengers of these flights already in NAIA will be processed for flight rebooking and hotel accommodation.

Local airlines likewise have employed planned cancellations and delays for the day. They will submit to MIAA their proposed retiming and schedule of recovery flights. MIAA has lifted the daily maintenance closure of its main runway to accommodate recovery flights.

MIAA reminds passengers to monitor flooding on roads leading to NAIA and to stay vigilant of the developing situation. They are urged to closely monitor airline websites and social media pages before heading to the airport.

For assistance, the NAIA can be reached at the following contact details: Trunkline: 8877-1109; Local 2181 for Terminal 1; Local 2182 for Terminal 2; Local 2183 for Terminal 3, and Local 2184 for Terminal 4.

In the latest flight advisory by MIAA, 106 domestic flights and 12 international flights were affected and canceled due to bad weather by typhoon Paeng.

In a separate statement, Philippine Airlines (PAL) Spokesperson Cielo Villaluna said: “we are closely monitoring the track of Tropical Storm ‘Paeng’ (international codename: Nalgae), which is expected to cross through parts of central Luzon and affect other areas of the Philippines on October 29 (Saturday) and October 30 (Sunday).

Most flights to and from Manila (MNL) are still slated to operate on both days. Nonetheless, if the storm remains on its current path or veers closer to the Metro Manila and Clark areas, PAL may have to cancel certain flights or adjust schedules for urgent safety reasons.

PAL canceled the following domestic flights on October 29, 2022 (Saturday):

PR 2671 Manila-Calbayog

PR 2672 Calbayog-Manila

PR 2921 Manila-Legazpi

PR 2922 Legazpi-Manila

PR 2923 Manila-Legazpi

PR 2924 Legazpi-Manila

“If you are traveling on a flight to/from Metro Manila, Clark, or one of the affected areas on October 29 or 30, we recommend that you check the status of your flight before proceeding to the airport,” Villaluna said.

Villaluna advised passengers to please visit www.philippineairlines.com and click the “Flight Status” icon on the main page, and then fill in the flight number (without the “PR” or “2P” designation, just the number itself) and date of departure to check the latest update.

Cebu Pacific (CEB) Spokesperson Carmina Romero, on her social media account, posted the management’s “advisory #3” regarding the status of canceled flights.

CEB canceled additional flights as of October 29, 2022:

DG 6041/6042 Manila – Coron – Manila

DG 6057/6058 Manila – Coron – Manila

DG 6043/6044 Manila – Coron – Manila

DG 6047/6048 Manila – Coron – Manila

DG 6066/6067 Cebu – Coron – Cebu

5J 851/852 Manila – Zamboanga – Manila

5J 393/394 Davao – Zamboanga – Davao

5J 132/133 Cebu – Boracay (Caticlan) – Cebu

5J 895 Manila – Boracay (Caticlan)

5J 909/910 Manila – Boracay (Caticlan) – Manila

5J 899/900 Manila – Boracay (Caticlan) – Manila

5J 911/912 Manila – Boracay (Caticlan) – Manila

5J 919/920 Manila – Boracay (Caticlan) – Manila

5J 901/902 Manila – Boracay (Caticlan) – Manila

5J 903/904 Manila – Boracay (Caticlan) – Manila

5J 2001/2002 Manila – Boracay (Caticlan) – Manila

5J 905/906 Manila – Boracay (Caticlan) – Manila

DG 6243/6244 Manila – Boracay (Caticlan) – Manila

5J 140/141 Cebu – Boracay (Caticlan) – Cebu

DG 6241/6242 Manila – Boracay (Caticlan) – Manila

DG 6247/6248 Manila – Boracay (Caticlan) – Manila

Affected passengers have been informed and provided with options through the Manage Booking portal on the Cebu Pacific website http://bit.ly/CEBmanageflight.

1. Free Rebooking

Rebook without fare difference for travel up to thirty (30) days from the original flight date. The fare difference will apply if the travel period is beyond thirty (30) days from the original flight date.

2. Travel Fund

Store the amount in a virtual CEB wallet valid for six (6) months and use this to either book a new flight or pay for add-ons (for example: baggage allowance, seat selection, etc.).

3. Refund

The process may take up to two (2) months from the date of request.

CEB is also offering flexible options, which include free rebooking and travel fund, to passengers who wish to postpone their flights to certain destinations during the following dates:

· October 29-31: all flights touching Manila, Boracay, Kalibo, Roxas, Iloilo, Tacloban, and Cotabato.

· October 30-31: all flights touching Legazpi, Naga, Virac, Masbate, and San Jose.

They may avail themselves of their preferred option online up to two hours before their scheduled time of departure.

Passengers must avoid going to the airport unless they have confirmed flights. As such, there may be more flight changes as the tropical storm passes. Guests are urged to check real-time flight status updates via https://www.cebupacificair.com/flight-status.

“We continue to monitor the situation across all the airports we fly to. Everyjuan’s safety remains our top priority. CEB will do its best to inform guests ahead of time if flights are canceled. If these are done on the spot, our ground staff are on standby to assist affected guests,” Romero said.

For other questions or concerns, passengers may send a message via Charlie the chatbot at https://m.me/cebupacificair.