Cebu Pacific starts rebuilding operations

MANILA, Philippines — Budget carrier Cebu Pacific has started mounting flights to additional key Asian destinations in a bid to rebuild its international operations.

Cebu Pacific has increased its flight frequencies to Singapore from twice to thrice weekly, with Manila to Singapore operating every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

Singapore to Manila will be every Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday.

Special commercial flights from Dubai to Manila are mounted every Wednesday, in response to the government’s call for assistance to repatriate workers in the Middle East while the travel ban remains in effect.

Beginning Aug. 16, Cebu Pacific flights between Manila and Seoul will also go up from twice to thrice weekly with additional frequency on Monday.

The carrier will be flying from twice to thrice weekly from Tokyo (Narita) to Manila, with additional frequency every Sunday, starting Aug. 22.

Daily flights to Hongkong from Manila will also resume on Aug. 11.

Cebu Pacific said other reinstated flights include flights to Nagoya, Osaka (Kansai) and Taipei, starting the week of Aug. 14, with twice weekly flights for Nagoya and Osaka (Kansai) and weekly flights for Taipei to and from Manila.

“We remain cautiously optimistic as we gradually rebuild our international network,” said Candice Iyog, vice president for marketing and customer experience of Cebu Pacific.

“We recognize the need for non-leisure travel to these routes and we assure every Juan that we are committed to keep prioritizing safety as we restore trust and confidence in air travel,” Iyog said.

Cebu Pacific also announced it has fully refunded its passengers on the almost P8 billion worth of requests filed until June 2021.

The airline said it has issued a total of P7.7 billion to its customers to address their refund requests.

The airline said it overhauled its refund processes and augmented a refund-dedicated workforce to process 991,764 refund requests with various forms of payment.

It said passengers with completed refunds have been updated, through the email address provided upon booking, and were asked to check with their issuing banks and travel agencies for the remittance.

“The COVID pandemic remains the most challenging crisis we’ve faced in recent times. We thank our guests for their patience and understanding and our teams for delivering on this important undertaking for our customers,” Cebu Pacific vice president for marketing and customer experience Candice Iyog said.

Cebu Pacific, however, said the 100 percent refund completion rate excludes unsuccessful refund requests, such as bookings made through travel agencies that may have ceased operations, and cash bookings that had incorrect or were lacking bank details and other forms of validation.

Cebu Pacific operates the widest domestic network in the country covering 31 destinations, on top of its eight international destinations.

Cebu Pacific is also mounting flights to additional key Asian destinations starting this month in a bid to rebuild its international operations.

The carrier has increased its flight frequencies to Singapore from twice to thrice weekly, with Manila to Singapore operating every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

Singapore to Manila will be every Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday.

Special commercial flights from Dubai to Manila are mounted every Wednesday, in response to the government’s call for assistance to repatriate workers in the Middle East while the travel ban remains in effect.

Beginning Aug. 16, Cebu Pacific flights between Manila and Seoul will also go up from twice to thrice weekly with additional frequency on Monday.

The carrier will be flying from twice to thrice weekly from Tokyo (Narita) to Manila, with additional frequency every Sunday, starting Aug. 22.

Daily flights to Hongkong from Manila will also resume on Aug. 11.

Cebu Pacific said other reinstated flights include flights to Nagoya, Osaka (Kansai) and Taipei, starting the week of Aug. 14, with twice weekly flights for Nagoya and Osaka (Kansai) and weekly flights for Taipei to and from Manila.

0“We remain cautiously optimistic as we gradually rebuild our international network. We recognize the need for non-leisure travel to these routes and we assure everyJuan that we are committed to keep prioritizing safety as we restore trust and confidence in air travel,” Iyog said.