(INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE)
MANILA, Philippines — The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) on Thursday reminded air travellers to watch out for of hidden charges in promo air fares this peak travel season.
With the expected increase in flight bookings as the summer season approaches, CAB Executive Director Carmelo Arcilla warned against misleading advertisements that share ambiguous information on promo fare prices.
“Inaasahan po natin na maraming mag-bobook nga dahil peak season and very competitive nga ‘yung local market natin with three major airlines competing in the market…Ngayon lang, kumukumplikado na rin ang mga fare structure dahil nga sa mga promo fares. Dapat po maingat po kayo sa pag-titick sa mga online booking,” he said in a public briefing.
(We are expecting a lot of flight bookings this peak season due to the competitive nature of our local market. However, this complicates fare structures because of promo fare inclusions. We should be careful in clicking fare options and inclusion in online booking.)
Arcilla said that the CAB is also doing its part in inspecting deceptive flight and promotional advertisements.
He advised passengers to evaluate promo fares, and specifically assess whether or not the flight they are eyeing to book is all-inclusive
Passengers should especially look out for options or add-ons that are not included in the promo and have separate fees, the CAB official said.
Arcilla further reminded the public to inspect page contents when booking.
“Kinakailangan po ang mga magbobook na pasahero ay laging maingat dahil alam niyo na, modern technology, mga online booking. Kailangan masusi niyo pag aralan yung mga contents nung page para hindi kayo mag-click ng hindi dapat ma-click. Tapos lagi niyong titignan, all-in ba ito, kasi ang requirement ng batas, lalo na sa mga advertisements, sa mga promo fares dapat nakalagay din dun kung ano yung lahat ng babayaran,” he said.
(Passengers have to be careful with modern technology and online booking mechanisms. They should inspect contents indicated in a page before they click. Also, always look at the inclusions, whether it’s all-in or not. Because according to the law, especially in advertisements, and promo fares, all conditions and restrictions should be disclosed.)
The CAB Economic Regulation 9 states passengers have rights against misleading and fraudulent sales promotion practices, to clear and non-misleading advertisement, and clear disclosure of services offered by carriers.
Section 5 of this regulation indicates disclosure of conditions and restrictions attached to the fare, refund and rebooking policies, baggage allowance policies, carrier contact information, government taxes, fuel surcharges, and other fees. In case of promo fares, the CAB Approval Number of the fare shall also be indicated. (MJ Soriano, INQUIRER.net trainee)