*AirAsia Philippines expects 60K guests traveling during the Undas commemoration

Manila, 31 October 2023 - With more guests taking advantage of the long vacation after the Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE), AirAsia Philippines Asia’s leading Low-Cost Airline, is not letting its guard down especially when it comes to On-Time Performance (OTP) and safety especially as it expects to fly some 60,000 additional guests from 31 October until 5 November. 

The bulk of the passengers will be flying locally to Cebu, Boracay, Panglao, Tacloban, Davao, and Iloilo, while others will be minute travelers to international destinations such as Incheon, Taipei, Bangkok, Osaka, Narita, Hong Kong, and Macao.   

“Other guests opted to exercise their right of suffrage for the Baranggay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE). Guests from Metro Manila also took advantage of the weekend break to visit the grave of their loved ones. With these important things accomplished, what’s left to do is enjoy their vacation and visit their travel bucket list,” AirAsia Philippines Communications and Public Affairs Country Head, First Officer Steve Dailisan shares.  

With the expected number of guests taking over 700 flights until the weekend, AirAsia Philippines is also reminding its guests to strictly follow security protocols in the airports for hassle-free travel.

This includes bomb jokes which AirAsia Philippines takes seriously as it can disrupt not only the involved flight, but also all the succeeding flights carried by the same aircraft and affect other airline operations or worse, divert flights.  

A few days ago, a flight from Narita bound for Manila was disrupted for more than two hours after a passenger joked about a bomb in his luggage which prompted local authorities to perform a mandatory security screening on the aircraft, as well as the baggage and cargo.

Last week a guest bound for Tacloban who checked in late and missed his flight threatened to “blow up” the airline out of frustration. While no flight was disrupted, the guest was brought to the Philippine National Police-Aviation Security Enforcement Unit and banned from flying with the airline. 

“As a matter of strict protocol, all matters of security such as bomb jokes are taken seriously.AirAsia Philippines reminds the public that there's no excuse for cracking a bomb joke on the ground and in flight as it immediately raises the alarm among personnel and can cause discomfort among other guests. Not only does it cause trouble, it may also traumatize first-time travelers,” Dailisan added.

Bomb jokes also carry serious penalties in relation to existing Philippine laws under Presidential Decree 1727 and Republic Act 11479 or the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2000, both punishable by up to 5 years in prison or a fine of PHP40,000. 

With the expected influx of passengers rushing to the airport towards the weekend, AirAsia Philippines is advising its guests to allow extra time to be at the airport or check in their flights via airasia.com or the airasia Superapp.

Guests are also advised to regularly check their phones and email, or visit the airasia Superapp, the AirAsia website (www.airasia.com), and AirAsia social media channels for the latest travel advisories.