Two airlines offered rebooking options and changes in flight schedules to passengers affected by the power outage at the Manila international airport.
Electricity at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 suddenly went out early in the morning of Labor Day, May 1.
The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA), the organization operating the country’s premier gateway, said that the power outage started at 1:05 a.m. on that day.
As of writing, the terminal is using standby power to cover necessary airport operations and areas. These include computers in check-in and immigration counters.
READ: Power outage cancels flights at NAIA | ‘Inaalam pa sa ngayon’: Meralco gives update on NAIA power outage
Workaround of Cebu Pacific, Air Asia
In an advisory, Cebu Pacific Air offered the following options to its affected passengers who no longer want to proceed with their flights at NAIA Terminal 3:
- Free rebooking
- Travel fund
The company advised that these two alternatives can only be availed online up to two hours before their scheduled time of departure.
“We appeal for your patience and understanding. CEB will provide an update as soon as more information becomes available,” it further said.
In the post, Cebu Pacific also said that there will be no fare difference if travelers rebooked within 30 days from their original flight dates.
“The fare difference will apply if the travel period is beyond 30 days from the original flight date,” the airline said.
Travel funds, meanwhile, can be stored on Cebu Pacific’s virtual wallet for up to six months.
“Store the amount in a virtual CEB wallet valid for six (6) months and use this to either book a new flight or pay for add-ons (example: baggage allowance, seat selection, etc.),” the airline said.
All the canceled flights listed in MIAA’s latest advisory are carried by Cebu Pacific.
A total of 40 flights were canceled due to the power failure.
Air Asia Philippines, on the other hand, stated that affected passengers can receive snacks and refreshments while waiting for delayed flights.
“We sincerely apologize to all affected guests. While waiting for the power supply to be restored, our ground staff have offered snacks and refreshments and have attended to other needs of our guests. We are also closely working with the MIAA management to minimize any inconvenience in the present circumstances,” Steve Dailisan, AirAsia Philippines communications and public affairs country head, said.
“We also advise our guests to regularly visit the airasia fly safe page, airasia newsroom, and airasia Super App social media platforms Facebook and Twitter for flight schedules and other travel advisories,” Dailisan added.
The airline also previously posted new departure times for the domestic and international flights affected by the power disruption.
The following are the earlier changes on its international flights:
- Z2 124 MNL-TPE – New ETD 8:10 a.m.
- Z2 884 MNL-ICN – New ETD 9 a.m.
- Z2 188 MNL-KIX – New ETD 10:30 a.m.
Here are the changes on its domestic flights:
- Z2 781 MNL-CEB – New ETD: 10 a.m.
- Z2 217 MNL-MPH – New ETD 10:20 a.m.
- Z2 783 MNL-CEB – New ETD: 14:00 p.m.
The following flights have operated as scheduled:
- Z2 217 MNL-MPH – Standard Time of Departure: 9:40 a.m.
- Z2 221 MNL-MPH – Standard Time of Departure: 10:40 a.m.
- Z2 225 MNL-MPH – Standard Time of Departure: 12:35 n.n.
Under the law, air travelers who are affected by any flight disruption may be entitled to the following benefits:
- Sufficient refreshments or food
- Free phone calls, texts, or e-mails
- Rebook, refund, or endorse to another air carrier without paying any fare difference
The rest of the rights of air passengers can be read on the Official Gazette on this link: Summary of the Rights of Air Passengers | Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines.
READ: Canceled, delayed flight? Here are air passenger’s rights, benefits