DAVAO CITY (September 7) — The City Council has set a public hearing on the high airfare rates for Davao-Manila-Davao. Airline companies are summoned to attend the hearing on October 8, 2018.
Councilor Al Ryan Alejandre, chairperson of the Commitee on Tourism told NewsLine.ph “My office has been receiving numerous complaints about the expensive fares. This could be disadvantageous to the city’s tourism industry.”
The hearing will be jointly conducted by the tourism and the transportation committee.
Travelers noticed the expensive fares which used to be just about P7,0000 for a two-way ticket.
A group of journalist purchased P18,000 Manila-Davao airfare in May.
Last July, a NewsLine staff bought a Davao-Manila ticket at the airport at P15,000.
In his privilege speech last Tuesday, Alejandre said, “Most Filipino has complained about the high fares of tickets, especially those purchased at the last minute. Some are even calling for regulation because the airline companies are just raising the prices on their own.”
While the city enjoys high visitor traffic, Alejandre said tourists noticed that one of the difficulties that they encounter was the airfares.
In some many instances, Alejandre said he and other travelers want to know why the Davao-Manila airfare is more expensive than the Manila-Hong Kong rate.
“There are a lot of people who are affected by this but some say it is a matter of supply and demand,” he said. “But we should not really take advantage of it — remember this is a public transportation.”
“The rate should be regulated,” Alejandre added, because some airlines are taking advantage of the peak and off-peak time, which he said, affects not just ordinary travelers but also the larger economic and tourism condition of the city.
With the upcoming committee hearing, Alejandre said: “We will hear from them and from there we can plan for the next move.” – NewsLine
