Senate Panel Launches Investigation into Complaints against Cebu Pacific

Led by Senator Nancy Binay, the Senate Committee on Tourism will commence its inquiry into reported incidents of “overbooking, offloading, and booking glitches” associated with Cebu Pacific.

Passengers dissatisfied with Cebu Pacific’s alleged subpar service are anticipated to gather at the Senate on June 21 to lodge their complaints before a Senate panel.

Senator Binay, in her Resolution 575, highlighted that affected travellers and customers have lodged complaints stating that Cebu Pacific has failed to offer prompt assistance or support for their concerns, even after reaching out to the airline’s customer service hotlines and in-person help desk.

Senator Binay emphasized that overbooking, a deliberate practice in the airline industry where more tickets are sold than the available seats, has become a concern. The Civil Aeronautics Board has limited overbooking to 5% from the standard 10% to optimize seat utilization and minimize empty seats.

Binay pointed out that being offloaded without an alternative flight or compensation not only disrupts travelers’ plans but also negatively impacts tourists’ perception of how airlines treat their customers. These incidents also have a detrimental effect on the government’s efforts to attract more tourists to the Philippines.

The upcoming public hearing aims to urge the Department of Tourism and the Civil Aeronautics Board to address the issue robustly and establish proper compensation mechanisms for affected customers.