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Ailyn Agonia
Doha
After two years of operations in Qatar, Philippine budget carrier Cebu Pacific has announced that it will suspend its service to and from Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, citing that"these routes are no longer viable and sustainable". The last flights from Manila to Doha and Doha to Manila will operate on July 1.
The announcement was posted on the airline's website and social media accounts on Wednesday.
In a statement, Atty. JR Mantaring, Vice President for Corporate Affairs of Cebu Pacific, said their decision was in view of the increased competition over the three destinations.
"The entry of Cebu Pacific into these markets benefited passengers offering them lower fares and more choices. Of late, other carriers have aggressively added more flights, which has resulted in substantial oversupply of seats and much lower fares, hence making the routes unsustainable."
"We have to continuously review our routes to ensure their viability. At this point, it makes more sense for us to re-deploy the aircraft used for our Riyadh, Doha and Kuwait service to routes where we can further stimulate demand and sustain our low fare offers," he said.
Cebu Pacific became the first Philippine carrier to fly to Doha when it launched its non-stop fights between Manila and Doha on June 4, 2015. It has attracted both Filipino and non-Filipino passengers for its offering of low year-round fares which the company claimed to be about 60 percent lower than other airlines.
The announcement caused a stir among the affected passengers, including the Filipino expatriates in Qatar. Many were saddened to forego the luxury of going on frequent trips to Manila on a cheap airfare.
"Where can I now avail of cheap air tickets whenever I want to fly to the Philippines anytime I want?" said a Filipino expat based in Doha.
Another expat described the news as a big blow to many overseas Filipinos given the current economic climate. Requests for immediate rebooking of flights and refunds also flooded Cebu Pacific's social media account.
Cebu Pacific advised the affected passengers to contact their travel agents or the airline's hotline (+632 7020 881) to discuss options, which include transfer to another airline with the same route (subject to availability), rebook to an earlier Cebu Pacific flight (subject to availability), refund in full or get a travel fund in full. The company is also keeping other communication lines open for the passengers such as through its official Facebook page or Twitter account.
The last flight for Manila to Riyadh is on July 2 and Riyadh to Manila on July 3. Prior to that, Cebu Pacific will be taking its last flight from Manila to Kuwait on June 13 and Kuwait to Manila on June 14.
