A LOCAL contractor is contemplating on filing a civil case against the management of the Philippine Airlines (PAL) for supposedly not honoring their tickets for a flight from Hong Kong to Cebu during the Holy Week. He purchased the tickets online.
My friend Jay Ruiz, together with 14 members of his family, spent their Holy Week vacation in Hong Kong and Macau. They left on Maundy Tuesday. From Cebu to Hong Kong everything was okay, except for their having to pay P30,000 to the airlines just to change the nickname used by a member of his entourage to the original name.
Ruiz admitted that it was their fault. Immigration officials barred the passenger as the name in the passport did not match the one on the ticket.
But the worst came on their return early morning of Easter. Seven members of their entourage, including him, were not allowed by HongKong PAL personnel to go on board, saying their tickets were void. Ruiz argued that he bought the tickets from PAL’s online ticketing using his credit card.
If their Hong Kong-Cebu tickets were void, Ruiz noted, then their Cebu-Hong Kong tickets could also have been void. How come PAL Cebu honored these?
Airline officials told him to purchase another set of tickets in order for them to be accommodated on the scheduled flight. Ruiz complied just to be accommodated. You know how much he paid? He shelled out P17,000 per passenger. Inside the airplane, he later learned that several other passengers experienced the same thing.
I think the PAL management should be taught a lesson. What they did was a great disservice to the Filipino people and to their regular customers. How come that the tickets of some of the members of the entourage were voided? If there was a problem between the credit card company and the airlines, then PAL should have settled it.
Good for Ruiz that he can afford to purchase another set of tickets. But what about the other passengers, especially domestic helpers, who have limited resources? Experiences like that will drive away the flag carrier’s customers.
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“Panagtagbo sa Katawhan” will be the theme of Team Rama's proclamation rally at the Plaza Independencia tonight. Reelectionist Mayor Michael Rama will lead the rally with his complete slate both in the north and south districts.
Some senatorial candidates under the United Nationalists Alliance (UNA) will grace the occasion. Also, showbiz personalities led by the children of talent manager and north district congressional candidate Annabelle Rama will entertain the crowd. Sources within Team Rama said that this political event is an initiative of the ordinary people and that Mike will be declared as “the people's choice.”
I hope that those who will attend the rally will get something substantial from the candidates during their speeches. They should not just perform dance-and-song numbers.
Politicians nowadays are trying to become entertainers just to establish name recall.
Aw, kung kining pagpili og mayor ipaagi pa lang sa sayaw ug kanta, siguradong daog na si Mike. Maayo gud na siya mokanta ug mosayaw. Si Tomas di man makamao. Pero mas daghan og funding si Tomas kay ni Mike. Nagpakaon na gud kuno si tomas didto sa iyang panimalay sa Guadalupe.
(bobby.nalzaro@yahoo.com)