LIVE: Senate hearing on flight cancellations and delays
MANILA, Philippines — The Senate committees on tourism and on public services has launched an investigation into frequent flight delays and cancellations that have forced passengers to wait for hours in the airport or , in some cases, on the tarmac.
The hearing was prompted by a resolution filed by Sen. Nancy Binay, who chairs the tourism panel, on complaints against Cebu Pacific about overbooking, offloading and glitches in booking flights.
“There were complaints that travelers were offloaded by Cebu Pacific without any verifiable cause or reason due to the airline’s overbooking,” Binay said in Senate Resolution No. 575.
Overbooking is an industry practice where airlines sell more tickets than what the aircraft is able to accommodate.
Government regulations allow overbooking, but require airlines to compensate those who are denied boarding because a flight was overbooked.
Cebu Pacific has attributed the delays to problems with getting spare parts and maintenance schedules for their aircraft, which has also led to reduced flights.
Philippine Airlines has also had flight cancellations, which it also attributed to "ongoing supply chain delays and unexpected technical issues that developed."
Watch the Senate hearing on flight woes from 10 a.m. on July 21, 2023
— with a report from Xave Gregorio
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