INQUIRER.net
7:24 am | Wednesday, June 12th, 2013
AFP file photo
MANILA, Philippines—Several passengers bound for Singapore at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia)) early Wednesday were irked over a policy by an airline company, which refused to honor their tickets that were paid for on credit cards owned by either their companies or by their travel agencies.
A Miascor ground team manning the Jet Star Asia check-in counter composed of Joanne Aquino, supervisor; Richelle Raygon; and Chalison Dionisio informed passengers on Flight 3K78 about the budget airline firm’s “no physical credit card, no accommodation” policy that required them to present the credit cards used to make the payments before they could be allowed to board the plane.
This despite the fact that the bookings were made online, after the airline firm’s system had accepted the payments made through these credit cards, and after photocopies of the credit cards were presented to the crew for verification.
Joanne Llavore, INQUIRER.net’s sales and marketing director, who was booked on the 6:20 a.m. flight for an advertising conference in Singapore, was forced to shell out cash for a two-way ticket because she could not even transfer flights on another airline back to the Philippines as she was told by the same staff that payment had been made for the entire trip.
Making matters worse for Llavore was that her money could be refunded only in 15-20 days—another airline policy. She had brought along her husband and child in the hope of spending a short vacation in the island state after the conference.
Quoting the ground crew, Llavore said that if she wanted to have the credit card payment canceled, she would have to do so when she reached Singapore.
Other passengers who were unable to make the cash payments were forced to cancel their flights.
INQUIRER.net is trying to reach Ms. Arlene P. Alao, whom the ground crew identified as a contact person for Jet Star Asia to comment on the policy and the incident.
Jet Star Asia of the Australian Qantas Group was launched in 2004 in the Asia-Pacific. It is headed by Jayne Hrdlicka, CEO of the Jet Star Group, according to its website jetstar.com.
Aside from the Philippines, Jet Star has flights to the US, Australia, New Zealand, Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia, Japan and Myanmar.
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Tags: Air Transport , Air Travel , Business , Consumer Issues , Credit card , Jet Star Asia , Qantas , Tourism
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