Airline workers warned over false info on delayed flights

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by Raoul Esperas for ABS-CBNnews.com

Aviation authorities have warned airline pilots and ground personnel against relaying false information regarding the cause of their delayed flights.

Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) general manager Jose Angel Honrado and Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) deputy director general for operations Rodante Joya jointly issued the warning after personally witnessing ground staff of an airline announce that their flights would be delayed due to air traffic and ramp congestion at the airport.

Joya said he and Honrado were then waiting for their plane for an early morning flight from Davao to Manila.

He said Honrado questioned the ground staff how come the airline was saying ramp congestion was the cause of the delay when it was just 4:30am.

Honrado said airlines should stop using air traffic and ramp traffic as an alibi every time flights are delayed.

According to Joya, had the airline been prompt on its schedule, flight delays could have been avoided or minimized.

“Where on earth will you see that passengers are painstakingly waiting for more than five hours for an hour flight to a domestic destination,” said Joya.

He added that under a CAAP regulation, conveying false information is penalized with an amount ranging from PHP50,000 to PHP500,000 and imprisonment of 1 year to 3 years. The CAAP urged the public to record using their cell phones if any airline will be using such alibi.

This story was re-published with permission from ABS-CBNnews.com.

Photo: John Paul Solis (WikiCommons)