It's great that Cebu Pacific gives us options. It has more flights with cheaper rates.
More flights + Cheaper rates. What more could anyone ask for? Very enticing right? It's definiely worth a try.
Ever since I was a kid, I've always been a loyal PAL passenger. I've just began to acquire Cebu Pacific's services on my personal trips on local destinations last year because of its friendlier rates. But nevertheless I suffered setbacks upon setbacks upon setbacks.
Last year, my boyfriend and I bought a round trip domestic ticket at Cebu Pacific for the Manila-Kalibo destinations. Our rates were cheap all right, due to a couple of miss and hit on online bookings. Aside from the fact that the manila airport terminal was chaotic, compared to the hassle free and modern infrastructure of PAL, everything seemed to be just bearable.
However, on our return trip from Kalibo to Manila, we were in a surprise of our lives. My boyfriend and I got stranded in the cramped Kalibo airport for more than 2 hours, waiting for our flight to Manila. Our friends who had acquired SEAIR's services in Caticlan had a much later flight, but got to Manila way ahead of us. We were cranky. We were stuck in the middle of the heated day. We were hungry.
Things like these are expected to happen, yes. Not everything's foolproof. But how unfortunate that it has to happen on my first trip via Cebu Pacific. No matter how cranky we were at the time we still understood that maybe we were the unlucky ones. Good thing the airline provided a set of CHOWKING meal for us. Until now I'd wish they would've given us a lauriat.
In the Year 2008, my friends and I again looked forward to our Boracay Trip. But this time it's going to be different. Cebu Pacific has announced last year that they would gain access to Caticlan by buying special ATR aircrafts that can be allowed to fly directly to the small airport. To save us from the hassle of traveling from Kalibo to Caticlan, and to not get psychologically tortured to ride other budget airlines such as SEAIR and Asian Spirit, we booked our flight as early as December of 2007.
THE FLIGHT:
March 28, 2008:
We boarded the new Cebu Pacific ATR aircraft from Manila Domestic airport to Caticlan Port at 6 am. The aircraft was obviously new. One could smell the seats, touch the sides and still feel the smoothness of the paint. Our flight to Caticlan was flawless.
March 29, 2008:
We started receiving text messages that our flight to Manila's rescheduled from 11 to 11:30 then to 12:35. Actually, we've been receiving text messages even before we left for Caticlan. But we took it lightly, it must have been a technical issue on the Cebu Pacific's part...as long as we're informed and the flight's not rescheduled in the wee hours in the morning, then we're still amiable passengers.
March 30, 2008:
While we were having breakfast at the terrace we heard a very angry man on the phone on the resort premises. He was apparently mad as hell at some agent for booking them in a much later flight, which he wouldn't be able to accept. He used all kinds of threat and possibly made the agent's dignity about the size of an amoeba. That was the time we got worried. My boyfriend and I secured the last text message we got from Cebu Pacific. Apparently at that time, there were no other changes or cancellations.
IN a few hours or so, some of our friends who were also scheduled at Cebu Pacific on the same day, yet with a different time, got a text message that their flight for March 31 was cancelled...period. They didn't receive any other flight details or flight reschedules. Something's definitely wrong.
March 31st 2008
We went to Caticlan port eager to go home to Manila. As far as we were concerned at that time, our flight was moved, but not cancelled. We didn't receive any other text information or calls.
We got to the airport and saw people at the waiting area looking glum. We went to the already harassed Cebu Pacific Crew and presented our E-ticket. The ladies who assisted us were whispering and started fumbling with their computers.
Karen (Agent): Um, Sir, Ma'am, according to the system, you're flight to Manila Flight 598 is non-existent.
Translation = Flight's been canceled
Oh god, traveling all the way from our Boracay Resort to Caticlan only to be informed that our flight was already "non-existent" was not a funny joke when it's almost 31++ degrees outside.
We released our disappointment and anger to the agents. We tried calling people. I tried calling my friend who also got stranded in Boracay to possibly assist =in booking us another room. I tried calling my mother to inform them why their daughter might not come home on that day; and to inform them that no..I am not eloping. I also texted an officemate to inform them of my flight rehash.
What the hell just happened? How come some flights of Cebu Pacific were not cancelled, but some flights were branded "non-existent." What happened to our last December 2007 booking? Why weren't we properly notified? Is there a way to know how they might have prioritized other people? HOw come we are still the unlucky ones.
We later found out that we cannot be accommodated by Cebu Pacific via Caticlan for the whole week; also we were chance passengers for Asian Spirit.
After musing around and wasted the whole day, we knew our options. It's either we travel to Kalibo to take a chance flight to ride Cebu Pacific (Keyword: Chance) or just fly via Asian Spirit in Caticlan.
Well, some of our friends opted for the Kalibo flight, but some of my friends and I saved us from the hassle of further traveling on a cranky state, and took the Asian Spirit Jet just to get back to Manila.
Asian Spirit, gracious for them, accommodated us with speed, efficiency and security. The plane was not bad at all. The body was secure. The landing was flawless. We rode on their jet, 6 seats to each row of more or less 15. Our flight was fast. Our flight was smooth. Plus we have complimentary juice to go with it.
So much for the Cebu Pacific options.
We might not know what really happened in the whole Cebu Pacific Mix up. They only told us that they had to bump off flights because of security reasons. According to my traveler colleague...it was BS! Also, according to my conversation with other airline executives and a travel blogger colleague of mine, Cebu Pacific has been notorious for delaying and bumping off flights. One main reason is that Cebu Pacific's might have been inefficiently utilizing their planes and air time. They don't usually allot allowances on the time of their departure and arrival, probably to save costs and ironically, time. Another probable reason of this mayhem, particularly in Caticlan, was that they actually lacked the needed ATR aircrafts to accommodate clients, which means they've OVERBOOKED. According to a source, some of the ordered ATR aircrafts have not arrived yet. Unfortunate for us, some flights just had to be sacrificed. Thank goodness for the Caticlan carrier veterans like Asian Spirit or Seair to cushion the blow.
Luckily, some were compensated by being offered free roundtrip domestic tickets. Also, some accommadations will be reimbursed or already paid for by the airline. But bottomline is that it was a great inconvenience. It's a reflection of incompetence. It's a reflection of past mistakes gone haywire. Whatever their methodology is on booking or how they operate their airline business, they should always make sure that everything is close to foolproof. Time is of the essence and a day is still a day. Resources are still resources. Plan B is always welcome, but it should also be working for the clients' convenience and not the other way around.
If this is what I would 'regularly' get for cheap air rates or flights, well I think it's about time that I should study more about my options.
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