PAL to address concerns to keep ‘flag carrier’ title

Philippine Airlines, the country's flag carrier, said it is addressing the issues raised by Senator Alan Peter Cayetano during the Senate plenary debate last Monday on the proposed 2024 budget of the Department of Transportation, where the senator expressed dismay over the increasing complaints from passengers about PAL's services, particularly about the randomized removal of passengers due to overbooked flights, dysfunctional seats and sudden changes in flight details.

Cayetano said certain standards should be met by the airline to retain its title "flag carrier" title.

In response, PAL spokesperson Cielo Villaluna said, "We are cognizant of the areas where we fall short, but we are committed to carrying out our mandate as the nation's flag carrier."

Villaluna said the airline is currently working to address the concerns raised by Cayetano and other passengers. Cabins are being renovated to upgrade seats and in-flight entertainment, more planes have been ordered to expand and strengthen our fleet and the airline is increasing staffing and investing in digital transformation, said Villaluna.

On the issue of overbooking, it is usually due to decisions to downgrade to smaller aircraft for operational or safety reasons, added Villaluna, who pointed out that despite these and other challenges, PAL has restored flights to most of its domestic, regional and international destinations as is looking forward to route network expansion, fleet growth and service innovations.