BIZ BUZZ: PAL, Cebu Pacific cut China flights

Philippine Airlines (PAL) and Cebu Pacific are scaling back their operations in China.

Cebu Pacific announced the indefinite suspension of its Manila-Beijing flights by March 30.

The budget airline did not provide a specific reason for doing so in its latest advisory.

However, the Gokongwei-led carrier previously flagged concerns over the travel demand to Beijing.

It has not been operating the route since the pandemic. But it has resumed flights to Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Xiamen.

Meanwhile, PAL said its “decision to reduce flights to China aligns with a broader trend, as the Chinese market has been slower to recover compared to other regions following the pandemic.”

It has kept its route to Shanghai, JinJiang and Xiamen.

China, prior to the pandemic, was the country’s top source of tourist arrivals.

But more Aussie flights

PAL, however, is building a stronger connection to the land down under.

The flag carrier will start offering daily flights from Manila to Brisbane by Oct. 27, further expanding its Australian network amid the growing air travel demand.

The launch of new route will give the flag carrier the biggest network of flights from the Philippines to Australia, the Lucio Tan-led airline said in a statement on Monday.

“We are poised to intensify efforts to promote tourism between the Philippines and Australia, as we invite more travelers to discover the wonders of our beautiful country,” PAL president and chief operating officer Stanley Ng said.

Currently, PAL operates daily flights to Sydney, five weekly flights to Melbourne and three weekly flights to Perth.

In total, the airline will have 22 weekly flights to Australia by this month. —Tyrone Jasper C. Piad

Credit card complaints rising

The country’s credit card industry is now paying more attention to customer service amid a rise in consumer complaints that urgently need to be tackled.

According to industry data from the 16-member Credit Card Association of the Philippines (CCAP), credit card-related complaints filed by consumers rose by 45 percent quarter-on-quarter in the three months ending in June. This accounted for 23.65 percent of total consumer complaints received in the second quarter of the year, CCAP figures showed.

Broken down, the industry group said the top three credit card-related complaints were account management; interest rate, fees and charges; and unauthorized online transactions.

Of the three, the share of account management concerns to total consumer complaints went up to 55.5 percent, significantly contributing to the overall rise in customer grievances.

Account management includes complaints from customers encountering difficulties in accessing their accounts or having difficulties with card applications, activation and cancellation processes.

And at CCAP, members are working on “improvements” meant to enhance customer satisfaction and provide greater clarity in credit card management.

“Most consumer complaints are related to credit card management and customer service, which underscore the need for the industry to pay closer attention to consumer feedback,” said Alex Ilagan, executive director of CCAP.

“An increasing number of consumers are engaging with their credit card issuers to seek better support in managing their accounts, reflecting a growing awareness of credit management,” Ilagan added.—Ian Nicolas P. Cigaral