THE Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Friday expressed full support for the Civil Aeronautics Board’s (CAB) decision to impose a P6-million penalty on booking platform AirAsia MOVE for posting excessive and unreasonable airfares.
The fine was issued after complaints surfaced over steep ticket prices on the Malaysia-based platform, including one flagged instance involving P77,704 for two one-way tickets from Tacloban to Manila — purchased by Leyte Rep. Richard Gomez and his wife.
Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon welcomed the CAB’s swift action, stating that the move affirms the government’s commitment to protecting consumers against abusive pricing practices in the transport sector. Dizon said the excessive rates came to light amid repairs on the San Juanico Bridge, which disrupted movement and triggered a surge in travel costs in Eastern Visayas.
“The P6-million penalty imposed on AirAsia MOVE sends a clear message: the government will not tolerate any form of abuse to Filipino passengers,” the DOTr said in a statement.
“We will continue to protect the rights of the commuting public and hold accountable those who violate established consumer protection regulations,” it added.
Get the latest news
delivered to your inbox Sign up for The Manila Times newsletters By signing up with an email address, I acknowledge that I have read and agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
In addition, the department emphasized that the decision supports President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to make air travel safe, fair, and affordable for all Filipinos.
AirAsia MOVE, which operates as an online travel agency (OTA), clarified that it does not directly control flight prices. CEO Nadia Omer said that the fare discrepancies were due to a temporary data synchronization issue with the platform’s pricing partners, affecting certain routes — including domestic flights operated by Philippine Airlines.
Advertisement
“We do not manually set or manipulate airfares,” Omer said, adding that immediate steps have been taken to resolve the issue with their third-party pricing provider.
“MOVE has been working closely with relevant authorities and is fully compliant with all regulatory requirements applicable to OTAs operating in the Philippines.”
She also said the platform has since enhanced its safeguards to prevent similar incidents from recurring.
Dizon, while calling for legal action and possible closure of the platform, clarified that AirAsia Philippines, the airline, was not involved in the matter.
Advertisement
“They’re affiliated, but I don’t think AirAsia — in fairness to AirAsia Philippines, the airline — has anything to do with this,” he said.
