Offloading Issue In Manila Needs To Be Clarified

Here's an interesting article about offloading woes encountered by Filipino travellers in Brunei.  Read on:


Bandar Seri Begawan - Following complaints on offloading in Manila, the Philippine Embassy reiterated it is still clarifying matters through proper channels as to what travel documents will satisfy Philippine immigration authorities to allow Filipino travellers to fly to Brunei.

The embassy said it is helping to prepare travel documents needed by Filipinos planning to visit Brunei as required by other government agencies in the Philippines.

"It is the Philippine Bureau of Immigration which requires the statutory declaration (issued by the Brunei Magistrate) and the affidavit of support and consent (issued by the Philippine Embassy) to be authenticated by the Philippine Embassy in Brunei," according to Atty Neil Brillantes, legal officer at the Philippine Embassy.

While the statutory declaration issued by the Brunei Magistrate costs $7, the affidavit of support and consent from the embassy costs $57.50.

The authentication of the document costs another $57.50.

It is advisable and cheaper to get the Brunei Magistrate's document and have it authenticated at the Philippine Embassy.

Original documents have to be sent to the Philippines. Scanned documents or facsimiles are not accepted and could lead to offloading.

Filipino travellers to a visa-free Asean country like Brunei have repeatedly complained the Philippine Embassy that their right to travel guaranteed by the Philippine Constitution is denied by the Philippine Bureau of Immigration whose mandate is to keep out undesirable aliens.

They said despite having valid passports, entry visas and statutory declarations, they are denied to board their air flights.

In answer to an inquiry from the Philippine Embassy on the offloading issues affecting visitors from the Philippines, Cebu Pacific Vice President for Marketing and Distribution responded:

"CEB's forfeiture policy for offloaded guests due to lack of valid or required documents applies to all passengers, regardless of the fare class.

"It is the responsibility of the passenger to secure valid travel documents.

"The airline's priority is to transport the passenger from his or her point of origin to the point of destination.

"A promo fare is not re-routable, non-refundable, but re-bookable subject to penalties and charges.

"Low-cost carriers worldwide has strict rebooking policies because it discourages guests from changing their flights at the last minute.

"The closer the travel date is, the harder it is to sell that seat, and the harder for the low cost carriers to operate successfully.

"The earlier they book for their flight, the lower the fare they can avail.

Rebooking must be done more than 24 hours before the flight."

Six foreign air carriers which protested the offloading of Filipino passengers with valid passports said they are losing at least 2,000 passengers a week, at a cost of $350 per passenger for each ticket worth $800 one way to the Arab countries, according to Manila media reports.

"The Etihad, Gulf Air, Qatar, Emirates, Saudia and Kuwait Airlines said they are losing hundreds of dollars everyday due to the arbitrary decision of airport immigration officials to offload these passengers.

"The foreign air carriers said the seats reserved for the offloaded passengers could no longer be sold at such short notice.

"They added that food and beverages prepared for these booked passengers also go to waste.

"Once dozens of passengers are offloaded, the airline officials said, there is an additional loss in income in terms of additional fuel loaded to the airplane that compensates for the lost weight-and-balance requirement for every flight is looked into, and the weight of any offloaded passenger or cargo is compensated for by the fuel load.

"According to the Mideast carriers, some of those who were denied boarding were workers carrying overseas employment certificates.

"However, on their return to their worksites in the Middle East, Manila immigration authorities barred them from boarding their flights without offering any explanation.

"The Bureau of Immigration said although they have profiled a traveller as a would-be tourist, they could simply deny him or her chance to leave the country if they suspect such person could become a full-time illegal worker," according to Manila media reports. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin




more from here: http://www.brudirect.com/index.php/2010102231773/Local-News/offloading-issue-in-manila-needs-to-be-clarified.html

Seair acquires 3 new planes

Got across this news article from Philippine Star.  Seair is expanding and is offering promo fares.  Read on:

MANILA, Philippines - Southeast Asian Airlines (SEAIR) has announced that it is boosting its operations in the growing markets of Batanes, Boracay, and Romblon by adding three 32-seater Dornier 328s to its fleet starting August 2010.

The acquisition of new planes is part of the SEAIR fleet expansion program. One of the three new aircrafts will start operating in August while the two will fly in October, bringing the total fleet count to five by the end of the year.

SEAIR president Avelino Zapanta said that they have received positive responses in these destinations that translated to a 100-percent increase in sales for the first half of 2010 compared to the same period last year.

He said that by adding more planes, they will be helping in the tourism development in the Philippines, especially in the niche leisure market segment where SEAIR is a pioneer.

Featuring the latest German technology, the Dornier 328 is the fastest and most advanced jet-prop in the region. The aircraft enables SEAIR to offer the fastest flights from Manila to Boracay at just 35 minutes. It has large seat pitch and is designed with more interior volume per passenger than the 100+ seat Boeing 737, and has the feel of a big jet.

Dornier 328s are capable of short take-off and landing (STOL) in about 750 meters with full pay load and are the most appropriate for the small runways of Caticlan, Batanes, and other hard-to-reach destinations where bigger commercial planes cannot land.

Some of the major international airlines that use Dornier 328s include British Airways, KLM, United Airlines, US Airways, and Minerva Air (Alitalia).

Meanwhile, SEAIR also recently announced its special lean season promo for flights from Manila to Tablas, Romblon and vice versa. One-way airfare can be availed for as low as P 1735 ++ for travel until Oct. 15, 2010. SEAIR flies from Manila to Tablas, Romblon v.v. every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and in just 30 minutes via the Dornier 328.



Romblon is a cluster of 20 islands, with Tablas being the largest. The province offers panoramic views reminiscent of the Mediterranean islands and has some of the most breathtaking unspoiled white sand beaches in the country. Romblon is nicknamed “Marble Country” and experts say that Romblon marble is comparable to Italian marble in terms of quality.

SEAIR has also increased flights from Cebu to Caticlan and vice versa to six times a week. Flights are offered once a day except on Mondays. One-way fare is for as low as P 1235++. SEAIR is the only airline that brings passengers directly to Boracay via its complimentary transfers from Caticlan airport to Boracay and vice versa.

More from here: http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=598825&publicationSubCategoryId=66

Malaysia Mega Sale for August-September Travel

Go to Malaysia and avail Cebu's promo:

All domestic and Malaysia fares as low as P999

We're cutting fares to all our domestic destinations and Malaysia by as much as 49% in a seat sale from now until June 28, 2010 for travel this August 1 to September 30, 2010.

You can avail of P999 ‘Go Lite’ fare to any of CEB’s domestic destinations, such as Bacolod, Iloilo, Davao, Surigao and Dipolog from Manila and Cebu. Boracay (Caticlan), Bohol (Tagbilaran), Camarines Sur (Naga) and Palawan (Puerto Princesa) flights are also included in this seat sale.

The same P999 ‘Go Lite’ fare is also available for guests traveling from Manila to Kota Kinabalu, while Manila to Kuala Lumpur seats are selling for only P1,999 ‘Go Lite'.

We operate Airbus services to Kota Kinabalu twice weekly, and to Kuala Lumpur daily. The seat sale is in time for the Malaysia Mega Sale Carnival 2010, which will kick off this July 24 until September 16, 2010. The mega sale offers great shopping bargains up to 70% off!

Enjoy the Malaysia Mega Sale Carnival this year, and the country’s other cultural offerings. Book early at www.cebupacificair.com to take advantage of the P999 seat sale to any point in CEB’s very extensive network within the Philippines!