MORE AIRCRAFT. Carmina Romero, Cebu Pacific’s corporate communications director, assures Thursday (Jan. 18, 2024) that the airline will add more aircraft this year to address problems with offloading and flight cancellations. She says that from 76 aircraft, CEB will increase it to 91 at the end of 2024. (PNA photo by Che Palicte)
DAVAO CITY – Low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific (CEB) has assured clients that it will address the issues of offloading and flight cancellations to meet the demand for air travel by adding more aircraft this year.
In a press briefing on Thursday, Carmina Romero, the CEB corporate communications director, announced that the company will increase its fleet from 76 aircraft to 91 by the end of the year.
Among the additional fleet, according to Romero, are two Bulgaria Air aircraft catering to domestic routes such as Davao and Cebu.
“The Bulgaria Air operated on Jan. 14 this year, and it has a 180-passenger capacity,” she said, adding that in 2023 alone, CEB rented 19 aircraft to augment its flights.
Last year, the company faced criticism for several flight disruptions due to offloading and cancellations.
Cancellations happen if there is a need for the aircraft to be inspected, Romero explained, adding that should passengers experience flight disruption and cancellations, CEB offers domestic and international travel vouchers.
“As to the flight cancellations, we have addressed it. If you notice, there are no more issues about it because we already fixed the network,” she said.
Passengers, she said, will be notified via text or email and that major flight changes are announced at boarding gates through in-flight messages.
"We have improved our customer policies, such as the no-expiration travel fund. We also enhanced our customer care communication," Romero added.
Despite the additional fleet, Romero assured that CEB will not increase the airfare to maintain its status as a budget carrier that provides lower airfare and seat sales. (PNA)
