Cebu Pacific offers free rebooking for March 2020 flights due to virus

MANILA, Philippines – Local carrier Cebu Pacific is allowing free rebooking for March 2020 flights, considering passengers’ “concerns and hesitation” regarding air travel as the novel coronavirus continues to spread.

Passengers who booked for domestic and international travel from March 10 to 31 may rebook their flights for free, subject to fare difference. These passengers may rebook flights by:

• calling +632-9702-0888 between 7 am and 10 pm Manila time daily
• using the Manage Booking portal of the Cebu Pacific website starting Wednesday, March 11

Other contact centers may be found at http://bit.ly/CEBcontactus.

Meanwhile, passengers who will book new flights between March 10 and March 31 may avail of CEB Flexi for free, regardless of travel date and route.

CEB Flexi allows passengers to rebook flights up to two times and up to two hours before departure, subject to fare difference.

Travelers who wish to get CEB Flexi may select it as an add-on. By visiting the Manage Booking portal, they may use CEB Flexi for rebooking their flights.

The carrier is also conducting preventive measures to combat the virus. These include:

• disinfection of aircraft, aside from regular cleaning
• crew use of personnel protective equipment such as face masks and gloves
• restriction on transferring seats during flights
• use of air filters which block 99.99% of contaminants and viruses

Cebu Pacific announced on Monday, March 9, that its senior management took a pay cut to avoid layoffs during the coronavirus crisis.

To cushion the business impact of the virus, Philippine airports will also defer charging local airlines for a year, meaning that fees for takeoff, landing, and parking will not be collected immediately.

On Monday night, President Rodrigo Duterte announced 4 more confirmed coronavirus cases in the country, bringing the total number to 24. He earlier declared a state of public health emergency. – with reports from Loreben Tuquero/Rappler.com