I was surprised by the news about PAL's move to penalize latecomers with additional fees. I actually thought that they have been doing that since the start. Well, Cebu Pacific is already doing that. The first time I actually felt it was in 2010. The story goes like this. My friend is scheduled to fly to Cebu after a week of vacation in his hometown in Marikina. It was a week after the deadly flood of typhoon Ondoy. Many roads were closed. He miscalculated his chances and he ended up 10 minutes late in the airport. And guess what, he was denied to check-in. He paid another 2500 pesos for the next trip. That was terrible but as I read through the Terms and Conditions, I realized what they did is valid.
Two years later, I was going to the airport after a few days of vacation in Bulacan. In the past, it usually takes 3 hours from Bulacan to Airport. But it was not a usual day. Starting in East Ave, everything seems to be slow. The bus is slow. The traffic is terrible. We had to reroute to Ayala Avenue and had to navigate Pasay City in a totally different way. It took me four agonizing hours to reach the airport. Forty minutes before my flight, I was pulling my luggage in Roxas boulevard looking for taxi to bring me to the airport. There was none. I walked as fast as I can and reached the intersection where the buses that passes to the airport stop. I reached the airport 30 minutes before my flight. I was nervous. I asked the lady in the counter and she said I was late. I pleaded. She checked the records and told me I can still check-in. I was relieved.
There's a heavy competition among local airline companies. They have to be strict with their rules to survive. What I still complain though is when they are the ones that was late or delayed. Can they be penalized too? I hope so.
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Two years later, I was going to the airport after a few days of vacation in Bulacan. In the past, it usually takes 3 hours from Bulacan to Airport. But it was not a usual day. Starting in East Ave, everything seems to be slow. The bus is slow. The traffic is terrible. We had to reroute to Ayala Avenue and had to navigate Pasay City in a totally different way. It took me four agonizing hours to reach the airport. Forty minutes before my flight, I was pulling my luggage in Roxas boulevard looking for taxi to bring me to the airport. There was none. I walked as fast as I can and reached the intersection where the buses that passes to the airport stop. I reached the airport 30 minutes before my flight. I was nervous. I asked the lady in the counter and she said I was late. I pleaded. She checked the records and told me I can still check-in. I was relieved.
Cebu Pacific (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Lesson: Don't Be Late
The lesson is simple: don't be late. PAL is now explicitly saying that they will penalize latecomers. With that, the possibility of evading the consequences is microscopically small. Don't take it. Don't even risk taking it if it's not worth it.There's a heavy competition among local airline companies. They have to be strict with their rules to survive. What I still complain though is when they are the ones that was late or delayed. Can they be penalized too? I hope so.
____________________________________
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How dare you airlines penalize passengers for being late. And what about you airlines being penalized too for ALWAYS being late. This goes for both PR and 5J yanhuh?
ReplyDeleteI share the same sentiments as you docMartin.
Deletethats right if they are late they shoulkd pay the passengers
ReplyDelete