House to probe problems with airlines

MANILA, Philippines—Reducing the fuel surcharge in airline fees is well and good, but airline companies and the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) still have a lot to answer for regarding exorbitant air fares, overbooking and for disregarding passengers’ rights, a party-list lawmaker said on Saturday.

Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares welcomed the CAB’s announcement of reduced fuel charges but stressed the agency and the airlines still needed to answer many questions at a congressional hearing this month which will inquire into the “dismal service of airline companies and the CAB’s failure to protect the public from exorbitant rates.”

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/SAM AUDREY PAJARILLO

Last month, Colmenares assailed airline companies and the CAB in a privilege speech at the House of Representatives. He also filed House Resolution No. 1780 to investigate the Dec. 25 to 26 fiasco at the airport involving Cebu Pacific Air, which resulted in massive delays and flight cancellations for irate passengers.

“Fuel prices have fallen by more than 40 percent since June 2014 and are in fact less than $50 per barrel now but there has been no corresponding decrease in air fares until the public raised this issue to CAB’s attention,” he said in a statement.

“Airline companies always used rising fuel costs as a reason for high fuel surcharges but since oil prices plummeted they have not decreased their fares. Worse, airline services have remained dismal” said the deputy minority leader.

Colmenares cited cases of passenger rights being violated as a result of “overbooking, cancellation of flights, delays and the refusal to compensate affected passengers.”

“These are just some of the violations of passenger rights committed by airline companies such as Cebu Pacific. Worse, the CAB which is supposed to regulate the airline industry has practically allowed these companies to get away with it for a long time,” he added.

“While it is correct to take out the fuel surcharge in airfares, the CAB must still answer for its inaction for a long period of time. It cannot act as regulator only when the public exposes anomalies in the airline industry, and it must be held to account for the hundreds of millions of pesos lost by passengers as a result of high fuel surcharges despite plummeting oil prices,” Colmenares said.