CEBU PACIFIC RECORD OF TOP 3 FAILURES
Epic Fails of Cebu Pacific
Cebu Pacific if the leading air passenger carrier of the Philippines. It is a budget airlines, but with wide reach (local and abroad) and a relatively good service.
However, part and parcel of its operations are its complaints and failures in services as well. We are listing the top 3 epic fails of Cebu Pacific in recent times.
NUMBER 3 - OFFLOADING A CHILD WITH MENTAL DISABILITY (DECEMBER 2010)
On December 23, Alcantara and her son, John Arvin, was pressured by Cebu Pacific's purser and cabin crew to get off a plane bound for Manila from Hong Kong.
Alcantara said the crew members flatly told her that John Arvin was a special child and was banned from boarding Cebu Pacific planes as stated under company rules.
Gokongwei-led Cebu Pacific Airlines is facing a P5-million civil suit for attempting to offload a child with developmental disability from one of its flights last December.
Marites Alcantara and her family, represented by their legal counsel Salvador Panelo, filed the case before the Antipolo City Regional Trial Court on Thursday.
Cebu Pacific had apologized to Alcantara and her son, saying that the incident was "a result of the cabin crew's misinterpretation of government regulations designed to assure the safety of passengers."
"Cebu Pacific has no policy that discriminates against persons with special needs," the airline previously clarified. "We taken all the necessary measures to make sure similar incidents do not happen again and that passengers with special needs are properly attended to."
NUMBER 2 - CHRISTMAS SEASON FLIGHT CANCELLATION FIASCO (DECEMBER 2015)
The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) imposed a P52-million fine against the Gokongwei-led airline for operational lapses and a disproportionate number of delayed and canceled flights over the Christmas holidays.
The performance of ground handling agent for domestic operations was inadequate. "Our ground handling agent failed to meet manning and service level commitments."
There was a shortfall of "promised domestic check-in agents on the afternoon and evening of 25th.
"By the early morning of 26th, we were faced with unprecedented absenteeism which created chaotic situation at our check-in counters," he added.
Gokongwei said the airline is reviewing the performance of its ground handler "in order to ensure that the appropriate service levels are maintained in the future."
Cebu Pacific earlier said the widespread cancellations were due to air traffic congestion, weather conditions, and sudden absence from work of ground crews.
"In hindsight, we should have been more aggressive in pursuing remedial measures including increasing number of frontline staff and being more vigilant in supervision of ground handler," he said.
Cebu Air took initial steps to prevent a recurrence of the massive flight delays and cancellations over the Christmas holidays, Gokongwei said.
Data submitted to the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) showed that Cebu Pacific had 20 canceled flights and 288 delayed flights at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 from Dec. 24 to Dec. 26.
NUMBER 1 - DAVAO CITY LANDING OVERSHOOT (JUNE 2013)
Cebu Pacific on Monday apologized for Flight 5J-971’s skidding off the runway at Davao International Airport Sunday night and offered to transport passengers from Davao to General Santos at no extra charge.
The carrier also waived rebooking fees and mounted 16 additional flights to “reaccommodate” passengers.
Despite the apology offered to its passengers for their harrowing experience on Sunday night, however, Cebu Pacific Air, the country’s biggest budget airline, is threatened by a boycott by longtime customers who felt they were neglected during the emergency.
The management of the Davao airport is also facing an investigation, with the Davao City government itself asking the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) to “make heads roll” for the airport’s alleged concealment of information from the city government and refusal of an offer of help.
Jacones said the pilots and the crew seemed to have been stunned by what had just happened that they failed to attend immediately to the passengers.
“They (cabin crew) apparently lacked crisis management training because they performed so poorly during the emergency. A few of us passengers were the ones who tried to calm down the rest of the passengers,” he said.
Jacones said it was only 15 minutes later that the pilot came out of the cockpit to speak to the shaken passengers.
“He told us that it was the heavy rain and that they lost sight of the runway lights,” he said.
Narciso also said it was 15 minutes after the incident before the pilot came out to speak to the passengers.
“He explained that the problem was caused by the plane’s wiper,” he said.
Menard Dacono, 26, a business development manager working in Singapore, said it took a while for the passengers to be evacuated.
“When the passengers reached the terminal, there was no one there from Cebu Pacific to face them,” Dacono said.
“No one from the airline offered an explanation,” he said.
“We were even barred from taking photos of the aircraft,” Dacono said.
CAAP Deputy Director General John Andrews told a news conference on Monday that the Cebu Pacific plane overshot the runway probably because the pilot failed to correct the aircraft’s heading while landing against a crosswind.
