Airline companies remind passengers of longer check-in, boarding process

Airline companies Philippine Airlines (PAL) and Cebu Pacific are reminding passengers to arrive at airports a few hours before their scheduled international and domestic flights to avoid any inconvenience.

PAL spokesperson Cielo Villaluna said passengers should arrive at least three hours before the scheduled domestic flights and four hours before any international flight. 

“May konting kahabaan ang process kasi ang mindset dapat ng mga passengers ay may pila sa entrada kasi may temperature reading, sa check-in counter may space sa pagitan ng bawat pasahero and yung boarding process is by batches (The process is a bit long, so the passengers’ mindset should be that there is a queue at the entrance because of temperature reading, the check-in counter requires space between passengers and the boarding process is done by batches),” Villaluna said.

She said PAL resumed operations on June 1 for selected international flights. PAL's domestic flights will resume on June 3 with routes to Cebu, Dumaguete and Cagayan de Oro.

Cebu Pacific spokesperson Charo Logarta-Lagamon said their check-in and boarding process will also take longer because of the implementation of health protocols and social distancing measures.

Lagamon however said they have yet to resume their flights as they are still waiting for the go signal from the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP).

Lagamon added that food and other refreshments will no longer be served on Cebu Pacific flights except for bottled water. This is in line with the advice to keep face masks on as much as possible. 

“Kumain po muna kayo dahil wala tayong snacks and refreshments or drinks para hindi tanggalin ang facemasks. So dapat kumain muna tayo bago mag board sa flights. (Eat before boarding the plane since we have no in-flight snacks or other refreshments so you won’t remove facemasks),” Lagamon said.

Lagamon added that passengers whose flights were cancelled have the option to rebook their flights, request for a full refund, or have their payment converted to a travel fund.

Both PAL and Cebu Pacific officials said their aircraft crews will follow the health guidelines of the Department of Health (DOH) to ensure the safety of their passengers.