The Philippine Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) has launched its first 24/7 public assistance hotline as part of a drive to champion the Air Passenger Bill of Rights (APBR).
Public Assistance Hotline 16-566 will be providing frontline transaction services, particularly to answer queries on the provisions of APBR; provide simple solutions to air passengers’ concerns; receive complaints arising from any violations of the APBR; and refer related queries to concerned airlines for immediate resolution.
The project, which had a soft launch last February 20 and a formal one on April 11, seeks to protect passengers’ rights by bringing their concerns to the attention of appropriate agencies and generating public feedback for the continuous improvement of air transportation services.
APBR, embodied in Joint Department of Transportation and Communications-Department of Trade and Industry Administrative Order No. 01 issued in 2012, aims to protect air travelers and set guidelines for several airline practices, including overbooking, rebooking, ticket refunds, cancelled and delayed flights, lost luggage, and misleading advertisements on fares.
Last year, CAB set up 25 passenger rights assistance desks, one at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and the rest in 24 provincial airports. They are manned by 26 passenger rights assistance officers tasked to assist, handle, and address passengers’ concerns, and monitor airline operations at airports.
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