Airlines brace for 2024 holiday travel rush

Airlines are bracing for busier operations this holiday season as passengers book their flights to visit their friends and family and go on a vacation here and abroad.

AirAsia Philippines, in a statement on Tuesday, said that it had sold over 50,000 seats just for passengers traveling this Oct. 30 to Nov. 3, anticipating more bookings in the coming week.

Most of the booked flights were to Boracay, Cebu, Bohol, Tacloban, Puerto Princesa and Iloilo for local destinations. For overseas, the top destinations were Taipei, Incheon, Narita and Bangkok.

“While the season is traditionally observed to commemorate departed loved ones, we’ve seen that some guests visit early, allowing them to use the All Saints’ and All Souls’ Day holidays for leisure travel,” AirAsia Philippines communications and public affairs head Steve Dailisan said.

Dailisan added that “beach destinations remain a favorite for domestic travelers, while countries that offer a mix of shopping, food, and cultural experiences continue to excite our international guests.”

For Christmas and New Year bookings, over half a million seats were already purchased. Bulk or 70 percent were for local destinations such as Boracay, Bohol, Tacloban, Puerto Princesa and Roxas. The remaining were tickets for flights to Taipei, Narita, Incheon, Osaka and Bangkok.

Meanwhile, Cebu Pacific has estimated nearly 1 million passengers to fly via their services during All Saints’ and All Souls’ Day.

Popular destinations for the upcoming holidays are Cebu, Iloilo, Davao, Boracay and Hong Kong, according to the Gokongwei-led airline’s bookings.

“At the same time, Cebu Pacific sees improved performance for this year’s Christmas and New Year holidays, supported by increased capacity from the recently added routes,” it added.

The low-cost airline will launch this month the Manila-Chiang Mai route—the only direct flight to the popular northern Thai city from the country. It also recently started flights from Manila to Don Mueang in Bangkok and routes from Cebu to Don Mueang, Osaka, Masbate and San Vicente.

Last week, Cebu Pacific announced that it had acquired Zobel family’s boutique airline AirSwift Transport Inc. for P1.75 billion. This will enable the low-cost carrier to operate direct flights to El Nido, Palawan following the integration of their operations.