Government tackling steep domestic airfares

LAPU-LAPU CITY, Philippines — Amid criticisms of international flights being cheaper than domestic travel, the Department of Tourism (DOT) has called on airline companies and state agencies to be more transparent in setting airfares for local destinations.

The Department of Transportation is working to resolve issues on expensive domestic flights, Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said yesterday.

“(Acting Transportation) Secretary Banoy (Giovanni Lopez) is coming up with a solution,” she said.

Certain situations may have dictated airfares, she noted.

Using smaller aircraft that could carry up to 70 passengers, compared to those that could transport up to 200 passengers, may have made flying to certain destinations costly, Castro said.

Another reason could be the “fluctuating cost of fuel,” she said.

Lopez has discussed the issue with Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific, both of whom agreed to bring down the price of plane tickets, particularly in Siargao.

The Civil Aeronautics Board has “reminded airlines to reduce fuel surcharge that would effectively cut down airfare.”

Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco said the DOT listened to the complaints of travelers and tourism stakeholders bemoaning expensive domestic flights.

Television host Bianca Gonzales earlier lamented the costly plane tickets to Siargao compared to trips to Hong Kong, Bangkok in Thailand or Vietnam.

Gonzales had responded to former elections commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal’s question on social media: “How can you convince Filipinos to travel to other parts of the Philippines when it’s cheaper to fly to Hong Kong, Singapore or other ASEAN countries than it is to fly to some tourist destinations in the Philippines?”

Social media went abuzz with similar concerns. Many users said they spent less money visiting destinations overseas.

Frasco said the DOT has reached out to the Department of Transportation, Civil Aeronautics Board, Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific and AirAsia.

“They committed to first take out their two most expensive price buckets for tickets to certain destinations including Siargao,” she said on Wednesday on the sidelines of the ASEAN Tourism Forum at Mactan Expo.

The DOT also lobbied for “complete transparency in terms of the pricing of tickets” by “proposing a monthly publication of prices for tickets and for the (Civil Aeronautics Board) to clearly indicate suggested price ceilings,” she said.

However, Frasco said there are tourist destinations in the Philippines that “continue to be competitive.”

“For those that are challenged with price competitiveness, I invite (Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific and AirAsia) to help us, help Filipino travelers by providing competitive prices for domestic tourism,” she appealed.

Frasco thanked local and foreign travelers for making the Philippines first in Southeast Asia’s domestic tourism, with 134 million domestic trips made and revenue worth $70 billion, citing a recent study by the World Travel and Tourism Council.

Frasco reiterated that airfares were beyond the DOT’s control, with its jurisdiction covered by the Department of Transportation.