BLOGGED PHILIPPINES

About eight years ago when me and my friends were flying from Cebu to Davao, we came across an issue as we pass by the second inspection point in the airport. After my friend’s bag passed through the X-ray machine, an airport officer called her up and confirmed if she’s bringing an umbrella inside the plane cabin. On that day we knew that umbrellas needs to be checked-in. We are not informed of the new policy. In that instance, my friend surrendered her precious umbrella than pay extra baggage for it. Baggage security check in airports. Since then, things have already improved. At some point, checking in your umbrella won’t cost you a dime. And now, the latest as per my experience last month, you can now bring your “foldable” umbrella inside the plane. The prohibition only applies to cane type of umbrella. What I mean are the long “non-foldable” umbrellas. So the next time you fly and are worried you won’t have an umbrella to use in your destination, this information may comfor...

Streamlined check-in process. Saves time. We only hear of the advantages of integrating terminal fees to ticket price. But have you ever thought of the flip side of this move? Have you ever tried booking a promo fare which is non-refundable and then cancel your flight? The ticket price is non-refundable but should the terminal fee be the same?

I've been flying domestic flights for about five years now since I started working in Cebu. Through the years, I have witnessed the growth of the number of travelers and the changes in policies of local airlines. For instance, before the second half of 2010, you can still bring your umbrellas with you inside the cabin. But, sometime on the on the second half of that year, things changed: you are now required to check-in your umbrellas. In my opinion, in some if not most, of the changes, people are not well informed. So they usually find themselves arguing with the ground personnel. But in most of my experience, the airline companies is less considerate when it comes to making exceptions. For example, because of the "umbrella" policy change, my friend was forced to leave hers at the airport just to make it to the plane. In some cases, people paid extra baggage just to check-in their umbrellas. But to be fair to the local airlines, they are now more considerate than bef...