PAL, Cebu Pacific improve OTP

MANILA, Philippines — The on-time performance (OTP) of flights of major local carriers Philippine Airlines (PAL) and Cebu Pacific saw significant improvements last month, following a commitment to improve their performance in ensuring convenience and comfort of passengers who often found themselves encountering flight delays and cancellations due to congestion at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) said PAL’s monthly average OTP rose from below 60 percent in April to nearly 80 percent in June.

For July, the running average OTP for PAL stands at 82 percent.

Cebu Pacific’s flight OTP, meanwhile, improved to 77 percent so far this month, with peak days reaching 80 percent, from 60 percent in June.

OTP rating for airports is measured by the number of departures and arrivals that take place in less than 15 minutes after scheduled departure/arrival times, including cancellations.

Both airlines said the improvements came on the heels of the signing of the pledge of commitment last June 26, wherein top officials of five local airlines inked their support for initiatives on air sector improvements with the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA), Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) and Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB).

Under the commitment, airlines pledged to aid in the decongestion of the NAIA through improved on-time flight performance, support the development of other gateways including Sangley Airport in Cavite, and improvement of passengers’ travel experience.

“I can confirm that our participation in the pledge of commitment really helped improve our OTP. At the same time, we will continue to improve our internal processes and collaborate with CAAP, MIAA and CAB to make sure that our passengers will have a better experience when traveling to the Philippines,” PAL vice president for flight operations Stanley Ng said.

“Coordinated and concerted efforts from all stakeholders resulted in OTP improvement at the NAIA, and we will remain in cooperation with the government under the Pledge of Commitment to ease the travel of the public,” Cebu Pacific chief operations officer Michael Ivan Shau said separately.

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade lauded the airline operators for the improvements and encouraged them to improve further for the comfort and convenience of travelers.

“I thank PAL and Cebu Pacific for their efforts to improve OTP. It is my hope that this be increased, and that more and more airlines follow suit,” Tugade said.

MIAA general manager Ed Monreal also welcomed the upward trend of airline OTPs as a sign of effective collaboration and cooperation between the government and the private sector to improve aviation services for the Filipino people.