Flights to Boracay May Get Cut

Photo Copyright: Sinjin Pineda/Libertero.com
The Civil Aeronautics Board has announced that the government may ask airlines to reduce the number of flights offered to Caticlan Airport after several incidents of flight cancellations.

It was reported that flights had been cancelled with no legitimate reason right in the middle of the peak summer season by the country's two main carriers, Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific. The Civil Aeronautics board says that by asking the airlines to reduce their flights, they can free up slots at Caticlan Airport to offer other airlines an opportunity to compete but also an alternative to minimize disruption for passengers when flights are cancelled. 

In an interview with the Philippine Daily Inquirer, the head of CAB's legal division states that most of the cancellations are for noon and afternoon flights and that the airlines are always citing the same reason which is "aircraft situation." That reason is far too broad to be acceptable by the CAB. Although it was not confirmed, this report could suggest that the country's main carriers are purposefully monopolizing slot times in order to maintain a competitive advantage over other carriers even though the flights may only be operated when the loads are sufficient for the carrier. CAB said the daily flight cancellations began the first week of April.

At present, Cebu Pacific and PAL Express are the only two carriers operating to Caticlan Airport. PAL Express often offers as many as ten flights daily utilizing its Bombardier Dash 8 aircraft. Flights were previously offered by competitors Zest Airways and Southeast Asian Airlines prior to their affiliations with Air Asia and Tiger Airways and the subsequent removal of turboprop aircraft from their fleet.

The Civil Aeronautics Board stated that it will give Cebu Pacific and PAL Express an opportunity to reduce their flight prior to issuing an official order that the airlines must comply with. Should the reduction of flights occur, it is unclear who will fill the void. The current runway at Caticlan is only capable of handling turboprop aircraft. No other airline in the Philippines currently has turbo-props in their fleet. SkyJet Airlines indicated last year that it would launch flights to Caticlan using its British Aerospace 146 Jet capable of taking off and landing on short runways but no date has been set.


2 comments:

  1. Recently, I discovered a platform that compiles a comprehensive list of free spins offers from various gaming platforms. This platform has been nothing short of a revelation. https://bestbonusmoney.com/freespins/ It's easy to use, and the time it's saved me is invaluable. The user-friendly interface and the breadth of information available make it an invaluable resource for any gamer. I highly recommend giving it a try!

    ReplyDelete

Powered by Blogger.