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By Darwin G. Amojelar Reporter
CEBU Pacific has raised the ante
in an ongoing price war with rivals, after it announced on Wednesday
its most aggressive marketing move to date by offering hundreds of
thousands of “free” seats for its domestic and international
routes.
The Gokongwei-owned budget
airline’s move comes amid expectations of tighter competition in
the air travel market, as carriers try to mitigate the rising cost
of jet fuel, which is the second biggest expense next to labor.
International prices of oil
continue to rise to fresh records, hitting an intra-day high of
$126.98 a barrel last night in New York.
In a statement, Cebu Pacific said
it will offer more than 500,000 domestic and international seats for
flights made from June 9 to December 31 this year.
The airline allocated more than
100,000 seats for its international routes, including Bangkok,
Guangzhou, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Kaohsiung, Kota
Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur, Macau, Taipei, Shanghai, Singapore and
Xiamen. More than 400,000 seats have been allocated the carrier’s
domestic routes.
Candice Iyog, Cebu Pacific
vice president for marketing and product, said passengers will only
pay the taxes and fuel and insurance surcharges, which are
non-refundable.
“This is our biggest seat sale
to date and is another milestone set by Cebu Pacific in Philippine
aviation history. We believe this offering will further stimulate
domestic and international travel amid rising fuel costs,” Iyog
said.
The promotional seat sale
will run from May 15 to 18, 2008, or until the allocated seats are
sold out.
The airline has been
offering low fares and the newest aircraft to the public. Last week,
it took delivery of its 18th brand-new Airbus air-craft. The
carrier also has two turbo-prop ATR 72 aircraft, which it uses for
short-haul travel, including the Manila-Caticlan route.
Cebu Pacific earlier said it
would push through with its refleeting program despite its decision
to suspend indefinitely its plan to sell shares for the first time
to the public. Proceeds of the initial public offering (IPO) had
been earmarked for its capital expenditures.
The airline operates
flights to 21 domestic destinations. Its 14 international
destinations will soon increase to 16 with the addition of Kaohsiung
and Kota Kinabalu in the coming months.
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