MANILA: The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is preparing an economic sabotage case against the online travel agent platform of aviation group AirAsia for allegedly selling plane tickets to Tacloban at “unreasonably” high prices.
Update: AirAsia Move clarifies recent discrepancies in fare display
In a press briefing on Monday (June 2), Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon (pic) said they were finalising the complaints against AirAsia MOVE with the target of filing the case this week.
Prior to this, the government agency issued a cease and desist order against the company headquartered in Malaysia on May 26.
Dizon said the case stemmed from the complaint by Leyte 4th District Rep. Richard Gomez and Ormoc Mayor Lucy Torres-Gomez, who booked Philippine Airlines (PAL) flights from Tacloban to Manila via AirAsia MOVE that cost them about P77,704 (US$1392) – or almost P40,000 each.
Had they booked through the PAL website, the plane tickets would have only cost them P49,507, Dizon noted.
“I have asked them (Philippine National Police – Anti-Cybercrime Group) to take this website down today, so this AirAsia MOVE can no longer scam others. I’m sure Congressman Richard Gomez is not the only victim here,” Dizon announced in a press conference on Monday.
“I also asked the CAB (Civil Aeronautics Board) and DOTr aviation group to immediately file a criminal economic sabotage case against AirAsia MOVE because this is really economic sabotage,” Dizon added.
Dizon stressed that AirAsia MOVE’s one-way plane tickets are three times higher compared to the tickets sold by other airlines at around P12,000.
Aside from Gomez, Dizon said he had also received a letter from the Office of the Civil Defence executive director, Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno, detailing similar complaints about the selling of unreasonably high-priced plane tickets to Tacloban.
Dizon also said that the overcharging might have stemmed from the limited access to the 53-year-old San Juanico Bridge, whose load limit has been limited to three tonnes starting May 15, barring trucks and buses from crossing the 2.16-km. bridge.
“Clearly there is a crisis there because the movements of goods and people were affected by the partial closure of the San Juanico Bridge to heavy vehicles, such as buses and trucks. They are taking advantage of the situation,” he lamented.
The DOTr chief also instructed CAB to investigate other online platforms suspected of overcharging plane tickets not only in Tacloban but also in other destinations.
Asked if Dizon had already asked AirAsia about this, he said that the multinational airline “has nothing to do with” the issue surrounding the online travel booking platform and is only “affiliated” with it. - Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
