AIRASIA welcomed Monday, October 18, the announcement by four AirAsia destinations in the Philippines that have scrapped the use of a negative RT-PCR test and mandatory quarantine for fully vaccinated guests arriving from Metro Manila.
Guests coming from Manila entering Bacolod, Iloilo, Tacloban and Cagayan de Oro City will no longer be asked to present a negative RT-PCR test as an entry requirement.
Instead, they just need to upload the digital copy of their vaccination cards for the S-Pass.
Cebu Province, meanwhile, regardless of vaccine status, has completely scrapped the testing requirements in lieu of a medical certificate taken 24 hours prior to departure date which confirms that guests do not manifest any Covid-19 symptoms.
Meanwhile, other destinations like Bohol, Caticlan (Boracay), Davao, General Santos City, Puerto Princesa and Zamboanga will continue to require negative RT-PCR tests taken at least 72 hours prior to departure.
AirAsia Philippines spokesperson Steve Dailisan said, “The easing of restrictions has always been a welcome development for AirAsia. While we strongly push for more relaxed travel requirements, we continuously advise our guests to be extra cautious and be responsible travelers as we all live and adapt to the new normal in air travel.”
The Octa Research group recently reported that the Covid-19 infection rate in the National Capital Region (NCR) continues to drop to 0.58 percent with a positivity rate of 10 percent, which translates to a seven-day average of 1,681 cases per day.
AirAsia Philippines has welcomed this positive development with additional frequency of flights that are guaranteed with a no cancellation policy, meaning guests can be assured that their flight will depart on schedule, except for any unforeseen factors outside the airline’s control.
Beginning Monday, October 18, AirAsia Philippines will fly daily from Manila to Boracay, Cebu and Tacloban.
Meanwhile, the airline will continue to fly to Iloilo (4x weekly), Davao, Bohol and Zamboanga (3x weekly), Puerto Princesa, Bacolod and General Santos City (2x weekly) on schedule.
Dailisan added, “Filipinos are known to be family centric. With All Souls’ Day and All Saints’ Day nearing, we expect more people to fly and visit their loved ones in the provinces especially since the occasion falls on a long weekend.”
Since the relaxing of travel restrictions last month, AirAsia Philippines’ load factor continues to increase. Its average load factor was up to 73 percent during the first half of October. Top destinations include Bacolod, Bohol, Cebu and Boracay.
Seats sold for the period between August 16 and October 14 for Boracay were recorded significantly higher than previous months, at a whopping 173 percent higher than in the period July to mid August, which was followed by Bohol at 137 percent and Cebu at 68 percent stronger.
“The noticeable increase in seats sold and our healthy load factor shows that we are ending 2021 with a very strong path to recovery. Due to strong pent up demand we are confident that the increased flight frequency will support our guests’ clamor to fly again and reconnect with their families in the provinces,” Dailisan added.
AirAsia was recently awarded the Best Low-Cost Airline in the world for the 12th consecutive year by international airport and airline review and ranking site Skytrax. AirAsia Group is also among the top airlines worldwide to achieve the top 7/7 rating for being Covid-19 safe by the aviation experts at Airlineratings.com.
To ensure safety for its guests and employees, and as part of its robust Covid-19 mitigation plan, AirAsia has made check-in via the airasia Super App mandatory for all guests. All guests are encouraged to download and make full use of the airasia Super App, the only all-in-one app that guests need for their journey -- from flights to hotel bookings and more.
Over recent times, the airline has implemented numerous contactless procedures including during check-in, boarding, inflight and baggage collection.
Furthermore, 100 percent of AirAsia Philippines’ flight crew and ground staff are already fully vaccinated against Covid-19, so guests can be assured of the highest safety and hygiene standards at all times. (PR)