Along with the nationwide inflation that has regularly made headlines lately, domestic carriers like Cebu Pacific, Philippine Airlines (PAL), and AirAsia Philippines announced an upcoming increase in air tickets in March to cover the rising prices of jet fuel.
This comes after the recommendation of the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) to apply higher rates.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, many airlines worldwide have been drowning in debt and struggling to return to a state of profitability.
According to PAL spokesperson Cielo Villanueva, the flag carrier will increase its fuel surcharge next month to cover the higher operating costs.
“We will adhere to the guidance from CAB on the higher fuel surcharge that takes effect next month,” Villanueva said to the Star.
Likewise, budget carriers Cebu Pacific and AirAsia Philippines announced that despite the upcoming increase in air tickets, travelers can expect that they will still carry on giving seat sales and discounts next month.
Steve Dailisan, spokesman of AirAsia Philippines told reporters that the increase in surcharges may impact travelers but believes that the travel demand will remain.
“Any increase in surcharges will impact fares. With the fuel surcharge now raised to Level 7, an additional P201 to P690 will be reflected on the domestic ticket fares and P1,053 to P1,827 for international flights originating from the Philippines,” Dailisan said.