Talk N’ Text files case vs Gulf Air

MANILA, Philippines - The players and staff of the Talk N’ Text basketball team owned by Philippine Long Distance and Telephone Company yesterday filed charges against Gulf Air,  which cancelled their confirmed tickets from Dubai to Manila without any notice two years ago.

PBA commissioner Atty. Chito Salud filed the case on behalf of the Talk N’ Text team, according to lawyer Melvin Mendoza, the league’s legal counsel.

Mendoza said the PBA was constrained to bring the issue to court in the wake of Gulf Air’s failure to give a satisfactory explanation regarding the incident. 

“We have written them several demand letters but up to this time the airline company has not yet given a satisfactory explanation,” Mendoza said.

The case stemmed from Gulf Air’s refusal to board the players and officials of the PLDT team who had confirmed bookings on their return trip to Manila on July 2, 2011.

TNT, Barangay Ginebra and Barako Bull, together with the PBA staff, were part of the PBA delegation that went to Dubai on July 2011 to play official games to entertain Overseas Filipino Workers.

It was surprising that Gulf Air cancelled the confirmed bookings of the PLDT team without even giving them any notice. They did not encounter any problems when they left Manila for Dubai, and they did not have any inkling that they would be subjected to a harrowing experience at the airport when they checked in for their return flight.

“The players and officials of TNT went to the check-in counter of Dubai airport at least three hours before their scheduled flight only to be informed that their flights were cancelled,” Mendoza said.

Some of the team members stayed at the airport and took their chance to book a flight with other airlines at their own expense while the rest opted to spend the night in a nearby hotel and catch a flight the next day.

The list of TNT players and officials who were refused to take their return flight included Aaron Aban, Jimmy Alapag, Richard Alvarez, Dexter Aseron, Harvey Carey, Jayson Castro, Ranidel De Ocampo, Larry Fonacier and Gilbert Lao.