Bantayan Is. airfare stays

CEBU, Philippines —  More than a month after the inaugural flight to Bantayan Island via Mactan Cebu International Airport, the operator of the airline has expressed its intention to increase the fare.

However, after a meeting between Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia and officials of Leading Edge Air Services Corporation (LEASCOR), operator of the Bantayan-Mactan flights, it was agreed to maintain the flight fare in order to continually attract public attention to their services.

During the meeting, LEASCOR raised the possibility of increasing the fare from P888 to P1,888 on regular days and P2,588 during peak holiday seasons starting on November 1.

But Garcia expressed concern over the fare hike particularly with the approaching holiday season that usually attracts many local and foreign travelers to Bantayan Island, according to a report by Sugbo News, the Capitol's official media arm.

Bantayan Island is composed of municipalities of Bantayan, Madridejos, and Santa Fe.

The 30-minute flight from the MCIA in Lapu-Lapu City to the Bantayan Airport in Santa Fe town is on a 72-seater ATR twin-engine turboprop aircraft that reduced the six-hour land trip from Cebu City to Bantayan Island.

Prime Aces Holdings Corporation (PAHC) Chairman, Retired Major General Gilbert Llanto, as reported, agreed to the proposal of the governor and commits to keep the P888 fare until further notice.

Captain Jose Commendador, vice president for Operations at LEASCOR, was also present during the meeting.

Prime Aces Holdings Corporation, is a subsidiary of King Aces Travel and Tours Service's Inc., an agency for travel and touring established by ACDI Multipurpose Cooperative and serves members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), including retirees, regular civilian employees, reservists, and active members of the military.

Garcia, for the Provincial Government's part, said she is committed to helping the company remain in business.

As reported, Garcia revealed that she is in negotiations with fuel suppliers to ask lower fuel prices for LEASCOR so that it could keep travel costs affordable for travelers.

Prior to the inaugural flight last August 28, Garcia had been negotiating with the operator to keep the airfare at P888.

“We must support this, even us, I continue to ask King Aces and the generals here, please maintain the P888,” said during her speech during the inaugural flight ceremony.

“Give a chance for those that are just trying to eke out a living every day; give them a chance to also be able to enjoy this service. I promise you, with the continuing commercial flights here in Bantayan this is certainly going to improve the economy as well,” she added.

Garcia initially shared that the original airfare was P2,995 per way, but with the Cebu provincial government lowering the price of the jet fuel that it supplies to the operator to P62 from P74, the operators agreed to the P888 airfare.

“You want this to be sustained, keep it at P888. And in fact, it has become such a good marketing tool,” Garcia stressed. (CEBU NEWS)