Air travelers urged to study Passenger Bill of Rights

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang yesterday advised air travelers to study the Air Passenger Bill of Rights that took effect Friday so they would be properly guided when dealing with airlines.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said it was important for travelers to understand their rights in time for the expected influx of air passengers for the Christmas holidays.

Under the Air Passenger Bill of Rights, airline companies are obliged to provide passengers with compensation and amenities, such as refreshments or meals, hotel accommodations, transportation to and from the airport, and communications in case of cancellation or flight delays.

They also have the right, among others, to be provided with accurate information; receive full value of the service purchased; and compensation in cases of delay, cancellation, and delayed, lost or damaged baggage.

Valte said passengers must be given the right to be processed for check-in and sufficient processing time, especially since the queues can be long and check-in counters do not open on time.

Under the rules, check-in counters must be open at least two hours before the flight so the passengers would have ample time to be accommodated.

With the right to board aircraft for the purpose of flight, Valte said the general rule was that a passenger could not be denied the right to board the aircraft without his consent.

“There are now rules in case of overbooking... right to compensation and amenities in case of cancellation of flight. So there are now a lot of guidelines and passengers must be informed of cancellation of flights because we receive a lot of complaints that they only get to know their flight is cancelled once they are already at the airport,” Valte said.