Foreign airlines get refund complaints

MANILA, Philippines — Foreign airlines were not spared from the overwhelming number of refund complaints from air passengers in the country beginning last year following the spread of COVID virus.

The STAR reported last week that complaints from airline passengers against local carriers skyrocketed last year and continues to happen this year, with the majority of the complaints involving refunds.

According to the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB), more than half or 65.18 percent of the 112 passenger complaints it received last year on foreign airlines were on refunds.

Meanwhile, of the 70 complaints received by the CAB as of end-September, refund issues accounted for more 75 percent.

Refund complaints on foreign airlines only accounted for 18 percent of the 111 total filed in 2018, and was almost nonexistent in the 75 complaints received by the CAB in 2019.

Baggage-related issues were the major complaint of the country’s air passengers on foreign airlines in 2018 and 2019, accounting for over 40 percent in both years.

For local carriers, 97.20 percent of the 4,255 complaints filed in the CAB as of end-September were on refunds. Last year, refund concerns on domestic flights accounted for 91.42 percent of the 2,691 total complaints received by the agency.

“The overwhelming majority of complaint is on refund because there have been a lot of cancellation of flights because there are still uncertainties in the market due to restrictions and outbreak.’’ CAB executive director Carmelo Arcilla said in a television interview last week.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) recently reported a moderate rebound in air travel in September compared to August’s performance, driven by recovery in domestic markets.

IATA director general Willie Walsh said that while September’s performance is a positive development, recovery in international traffic remains stalled amid continuing border closures and quarantine mandates.