DOJ report: Airlines should treat passengers better

MANILA, Philippines — Ever cancelled or rebooked a flight for unexpected circumstances only to get the runaround, plus extra charges, from your airline? The justice department feels your pain.

The Department of Justice- Office for Competition (DOJ-OFC) has called on the airline industry to take better care of its customers, citing the lack of clear procedure and guidelines in rebooking or cancelling flights and refunding tickets, often leading to passenger complaints.

In a 27-page Report on Airlines’ Cancellation and Refund Policy, the DOJ-OFC recommended that air carriers operating in the Philippines should adopt international best practices and set clear and specific guidelines for passengers who would need to rebook or forego their flights for various reasons.

It also called for an amendment of the Airline Passenger Bill of Rights “to enhance protection of airline passengers,” and for carriers to set customer service standards through a customer service plan, standardize complaints handling procedures, and “make complaint forms and tools publicly accessible.”

“Consumer rights would be better protected if airline policies on cancellation and refund are clearer and more transparent, particularly by providing a proper breakdown of the flight costs, which may be refunded prior to concluding the sale and collective payment for the ticket purchased,” read the report dated Sept. 23 but released only on Tuesday.

The report noted that the rise in passenger traffic due to the availability of promo fares — from about five million in the mid 1990s to 30 million in 2014 — has led to the spate of passenger complaints due to un-refundable tickets, hidden charges and other problems associated with flight cancellation or rebooking.

The problem is compounded by congestion in the country’s airports.

“Although beneficial to the riding public, the proliferation of these low-cost travel options spawned its own unique set of consumer protection concerns,” the report read.

It said promo fares “are usually non-refundable, non-changeable, available only well in advance of the trip and only for limited off-peak periods.” It said tickets could not be refunded when a passenger needs to forego travel “whether as a result of any change in personal circumstances or even due to medical emergencies.”

The DOJ-OFC further cited the “complicated and exhausting process of obtaining airline ticket refunds,” saying this “has often been a source of customer resentment.”

“Lack of transparency, accessibility and clarity of terms in air carriers’ contract conditions create a significant information gap which prevents passengers from making informed decisions. Most passengers only realize the implications of what they have agreed to when disputes arise,” said the report, citing how the air carrier’s conditions are printed in very fine print. SFM