“EconoLight” fares as we all know is Philippine Airlines' attempt to compete head-on with the Zero or Low or whatever fares that Cebu Pacific has pioneered via internet bookings. Sadly, “EconoLight” does not only fail but even puts its reputation in a bad light.
“EconoLight” looks like a product of old (no, make that aged) and backward thinking folks who probably have not heard about market research and market behaviours. Thus, I can boldly predict that this facility will fizzle any time soon or they’ll be forced to change it into something else.
Hey, you might be surprised to find that at times, your “Econolight” from PAL is way cheaper than Cebu Pacific’s “GO Fare” even with “GO Lite”. But that is talking about money matters – only. And for those of you who think your flight isn't all about the money, then you might want to consider the rest of this article. A first hand experience!
When I heard about this “EconoLight” thing – which is not really that widespread a news – I booked myself for my upcoming destinations, if only for me to experience it first hand. It happened to be a MNL-ILO-MNL flight for only P1,592.00 all in. At the time of booking, not only did I want to avail of a cheaper “EconoLight”, but I was bent to experience once again flying with Philippine Airlines on domestic routes.
First up, anxiety consumed me for better part of one midnight as the confirmation (or whatever) email I expected after making the online booking did not come. Okay, am used to Cebu Pacific’s quick and immediate automated response in this field hehe. But it did come the next day. I even thought that this is approved manually by a person and not a machine. That’s just a hunch since if everything is automated, then their ISD must be in need of technology!
The terms and conditions (if you read it) say everything that you need to expect – sadly, I know many passengers do not read this. Just the same, even if you are a read-the-fine-print type, PAL cannot yet shrug their shoulders and lift their chins high up to the clouds.
Protest Number 1 – the reminders on the top of the email. It said “The credit card used in purchasing the ticket(s) must be presented at the ticket collection point or upon check-in” and “If the credit card owner is not part of the traveling party, the credit card owner shall be responsible in ensuring that the passenger(s) must present at the ticket collection point or upon check-in the following: 1. Clear photocopy of the front of the credit card used; and 2. Clear photocopy of a separate valid PHOTO ID of the credit card owner”. This rule sucks! It not only sucks, its dangerous for the credit card holder.
Why? Here’s why… by having the check-in agents physically look at your credit card, you as the card holder physically presenting it, is already jeopardizing the otherwise secure status of your card. I won’t elaborate on on that, but folks you all be aware that a mere glance at the back of the credit card by a check-in agent (and the baggage loader beside her) is already enough reason for your card to be compromised.
Why else? You the card owner, photocopying your card and giving copies to your relative/s or employee/s whom you purchased the ticket for, IS NOTHING DIFFERENT THAN YOU GIVING YOUR CREDIT CARD TO THE CHECK-IN AGENT AND THE WHOLE AIRLINE AND THEIR EXTERNAL EMPLOYEES (baggage loaders). Imagine, you are also giving away a copy of your ID (probably a company or SSS ID) with all other pertinent details. Let’s not elaborate on that lest other innocent folks learn more on how to do those bad things. But my goodness, this rule is tantamount to giving away your soul!
Instead of the airline preventing credit card fraud (as it claims on the email confirmation) they are actually paving the way for their employees to perpetuate or gain access to a new venue of committing fraud.
Protest Number 2 – inflexibility of the above rule. As I was checking-in for my early morning flight to Iloilo, the counter beside me had a young passenger probably in her late teens to early twenties all in tears calling probably a parent or relative via her cellular phone since she did not have the required photo copies. At 3AM, isn’t it a ghastly sight? In fact, isn’t it a traumatic experience? Golly, even I was irked fumbling to get the card I used for my booking. What if by chance I left it at home in my other wallet? I too would have encountered the same traumatic experience at an unholy hour of the day. Gosh!
Of course PAL may have a lot of reasons to defend its side on the above. Especially on my protest number 2, they will probably readily say “that’s why we are reminding all passengers via the electronic ticket”. But what’s the whole point? Are they the sergeant-at-arms for the credit card industry of the world? If so, what are they in business for, to ensure convenience of their passengers or convenience of credit card companies?
They, you and I can start collecting statistics as to how many passengers are unnecessarily inconvenienced by this "extra" rule versus how many passengers have PAL caught a ticket booked with a stolen card number.
Imagine this: you got a new house-helper from the province and would like to buy her a ticket coming to Manila and probably back, so you book her using your card, and you bother yourself with trying to pass to your maid that electronic confirmation, photo copies of your credit card plus your ID. I know there are other similar inconvenient situations in a set-up like that. But go imagine!
Here’s the next entry on your booking confirmation:
“The passenger(s) shall be denied boarding for failure to comply with the foregoing requirement.” Thus, the girl I saw crying and calling on her hand phone.
Here is my bottom line on the above topic (protest numbers 1 and 2), if you are in the business of flying passengers on a plane, then it is not your business of being an anti-fraud agent for the credit card industry. So concentrate on the former and don’t inconvenience your passengers by occupying yourself with the latter. In fact, I have seen businesses fail for not knowing or going beyond the boundaries of the reason/s they were in business for. Wasn’t/Isn’t PAL? Well, your guess is as good as theirs hehehe!
We the consumers (credit card holders) have a responsibility and that is primarily to ensure our credit cards are not compromised. Meaning (for all of us) we have to keep guard at all times, so that PAL doesn’t go beyond what it is in business for. Meaning (for PAL), if the transaction went through, then it is the very own look out of the card holder. Remember this: none of us credit card holders requested PAL to be the guardians of our cards. Remember this PAL folks, thanks for your concern, but if it incoveniences the many of us, NO THANKS! Why?! Do you at your ticket offices ask a buyer where his cash came from? It could have been stolen from the passenger's relatives, right? Why are you not as concerned?
Protest Number 3 – “For EconoLight fares, the following specific fare conditions apply:” In my personal view and that of some friends, this is the clincher that makes the “EconoLight” fare worst than anything else. It seems to promote, discrimination and social segmentation a.k.a caste system! Gosh, and in this century? It probably is high time to revamp the pencil-pushers over at Roxas Boulevard! The list of “specific fare conditions” are clearly the product of aged colonial-thinking-government-employee brains hahaha! Here goes the most glaring of them all:
Item 5. “Seat assignment will be at the rear of the aircraft”. On my Iloilo (and back) flight, I was even happy since I am a rear-seat lover (I know the statistics, if you know what I mean). But this “condition” of the “EconoLight” fare raised my eyebrows to the high heavens just the same. When I conferred with friends about this “condition”, the unanimous response was… WHY?
On my Iloilo flight, I was supposed to be seated at 27C (2nd to last row) but an old lady was already there. Before I could say anything, the woman at 27B (obviously her daughter) apologetically requested if we can switch (old woman was originally 27D) so they can be together. I smiled and said “no problem” and sat at 27D. I just thought, it’s still an aisle seat, so no sweat! Oh hey, this was a new A320-200 with softer seats than the older same planes of PAL and definitely better than those of Cebu Pacific’s faux-leather seats! However, almost at the end of the boarding process, a steward came to me asking if I can switch seats with an old lady who was seated at an emergency exit area. For a second I was reluctant, but seeing that the steward was courteous enough and realizing that an exit seat has more leg room, I agreed and followed him to the seat (I think that was 10F or 9F). He even told me that he’d get my backpack from the bin for me on arrival. When we got there, the oldie was busy conferring w/ her seatmates (probably family). I heard another passenger say to her, “yun yung sa dulo, yun pang-mura ang bayad” (that’s a seat at the rear… the ones for cheap fares). I heard all that though I was busy tinkering on my new phone (how to switch to “flight mode”). Then the steward, red-faced with shame looked at me saying “sorry sir, wag nalang daw e” (a.k.a. “disregard”)! And thus I said, “no problem” and faced back to return to my 27D. But I realized something and stopped tinkering with my Samsung Omnia (I-900) then faced the steward and said “hey, its not a passenger choice, its your responsibility to follow CAB regulations. If she does not want my seat, go get anyone from these males (pointing at other passengers from rows 12 to 15)”. Then I returned to 27D. (Just an aside, during flight, I craned to see if the old woman was still at the exit seat. She was! I was tempted to take a photo of her so I can report PAL to the authorities, but for some reason, I dropped the idea. Probably I was apprehensive it might create a commotion in the plane... or... probably I just love PAL that deep).
Hey on my return flight (I was too early for my 8:15PM flight) I was already at the check-in counters 5PM but couldn’t check-in yet since they were busy with PR144 – a flight that leaves for Manila after 5PM, I think. So, I stood around observing things. I caught a lady asking why she was seated at the back. The male check-in agent obviously irritated, in a voice heard by everyone announced “ma’am kasi “EconoLight” fare lang ang binayaran mo, sa likod talaga ang naka pre-assign na seats. Pero sila (pointing at other passengers), mahal ang binayaran nila aabot ng four thousand kesa yung five hundred plus mo". Oh, I do not wish to translate that anymore. It’ll be good for us Filipinos if our foreign friends do not understand this dialog. I felt too hurt for that lady.
My time came. At about 1745H, the staff started accepting passengers for check-in on PR146. I was first in line but a bald old-man went straight to the check-in counter so he was ahead of me. Okay, fine I thought – since he looked like he knew everyone in the Iloilo airport. I was called after him. When the girl gave me my boarding pass, the seat was 27E. I looked at my sequence number and it said 003 – that means I was the 3rd passenger to be checked in. That further means, the bald old man ahead of me was sequence number 2 and they have probably pre-checked-in somebody else – a favor that they give to friends, family and VIPs.
I asked the girl to give me an aisle seat. Her response was similar to what I heard before… “sir, naka-pre-seat na kasi kayo dahil EconoLight fare ang binayaran nyo, so I can’t change your seat anymore, sa likod talaga ang seats nyo". I retorted with “I know all about EconoLight you don’t have to explain that, my point is I am sequence number 3, therefore there is still an available aisle seat for EconoLight passengers so you don’t have to give me 27E. There must be a 27C, 27D, 28C or 28D. And I know how to change the seat number, if you don’t, just retrieve my record and… (I told her the entries to do in her system)". After I said all those, she gave me a new boarding pass with seat number 27C. No offenses there, our conversation was light and lively.
Item 7. “Meals - a. Domestic flights - water upon request; b. International flights - peanuts and unlimited non-alcoholic beverages (i.e Soda, Juice, Water, Coffee & Tea). So you thought this is just fine, right? I also did! But hear this:
During distribution of snacks and when the crew got to my area, I was looking at them just observing really. My brain was actually musing why PAL stewardesses these days are not anymore tall than the usual in olden days. I was surprised to hear the stewardess say “I’m sorry sir, we do not serve snacks to “EconoLight” passengers. I smiled and readily answered, “yes, I know, and I did not ask for any, right?” Then she moved out to the aft galley. But that short a conversation called the attention of most passengers from rows 26 down to 24 – all of 18 passengers to be exact. Then came a question from a little boy over at 28A “mama bakit hindi tayo binigyan” (why weren’t we given any). The mom at 28B replied “kasi mura ang binayaran natin, anak” (because we paid a low fare, my child). My heart sank down to 27,000 feet below us and I wanted to storm the galley and pay any amount so I could grab a damn pack of crackers and give to the boy. But I controlled myself. Oh well, my emotions.
Item 8. “No headsets will be provided”. As I am more for the domestic flights my initial reaction was just “as if you provide any hehehe”. But for international flights, I’d advise “EconoLight” passengers to start singing their hearts out loudly. That would be a nice one hehe!
Item 9. “Infant and children traveling with adults holding ECONOLIGHT tickets are not entitled to Bassinets/Milk requests”. I generally have no comments on this except that I have my final analyses below:
Final word. So, “Econolight” fares are not promo fares. With this, PAL has obviously launched a shameful and entirely different class of service that is tantamount to saying “okay, you buy this cheap fare and that entitles us or anyone else to publicly ridicule or shame you. Thus, for just a little amount of money than the normal economy fare, you allow yourself to be treated as someone who belongs to a lower echelon in the air-flying society that you deserve everything less than anyone else in the aircraft cabin.
In sum, PAL has miserably failed to attack the high success of Cebu Pacific’s GO Fares. It even went off-tangent, in fact! They did not compete but they just made an entirely new class of service that puts them in a bad light.
So what have we discovered here? It comes out that when you avail of an EconoLight fare, you are subjecting yourself to be treated in a different way, and sadly, roughly. With that kind of fare, you are really saying “okay, trample upon me” or “I avail of this low fare in exchange of my dignity”.
THIS is what PAL missed: in Cebu Pacific, the GO Fares (a few seats per flight) are offered on a first-come-first-served basis. Meaning, those seats are promotional for you to book early and get them low-priced tickets. BUT after that, you are as good a passenger as those who bought their tickets yesterday for P4,100 or more. PERIOD - AND NO OTHER DAMNED SHAMEFUL CONDITIONS!
Perhaps, the people at PAL's Marketing department, in an effort not to be tagged as copying Cebu Pacific's gimmick (which obviously they are anyway) had to resort to what their lowly minds can achieve - the 13 "specific fare conditions". What's wrong with copying the good (of Cebu Pacific) anyway?! Okay, let's stop there.
So, how much worth is your dignity anyway?
Look at these bookings I tried on a Manila-Iloilo-Manila flight for 17th and 24th February 2009 (a far future date so I am assured availability of an EconoLight fare):
EconoLight:
Economy Fiesta:
Business Restricted:
Business Unrestricted:
Cebu Pacific’s GO Fare:
So, you see the fare differences. From EconoLight to Fiesta its P1,201.00 roundtrip or P600.50 difference one-way. And, its a P440.00 difference roundtrip between PAL's EconoLight and Cebu Pacific's GO Fares or P220.00 difference one-way. Now reflect on all of the issues above. If you think your dignity is that cheap, then EconoLight Fares are for you.
Have a nice flight!
“EconoLight” looks like a product of old (no, make that aged) and backward thinking folks who probably have not heard about market research and market behaviours. Thus, I can boldly predict that this facility will fizzle any time soon or they’ll be forced to change it into something else.
Hey, you might be surprised to find that at times, your “Econolight” from PAL is way cheaper than Cebu Pacific’s “GO Fare” even with “GO Lite”. But that is talking about money matters – only. And for those of you who think your flight isn't all about the money, then you might want to consider the rest of this article. A first hand experience!
When I heard about this “EconoLight” thing – which is not really that widespread a news – I booked myself for my upcoming destinations, if only for me to experience it first hand. It happened to be a MNL-ILO-MNL flight for only P1,592.00 all in. At the time of booking, not only did I want to avail of a cheaper “EconoLight”, but I was bent to experience once again flying with Philippine Airlines on domestic routes.
First up, anxiety consumed me for better part of one midnight as the confirmation (or whatever) email I expected after making the online booking did not come. Okay, am used to Cebu Pacific’s quick and immediate automated response in this field hehe. But it did come the next day. I even thought that this is approved manually by a person and not a machine. That’s just a hunch since if everything is automated, then their ISD must be in need of technology!
The terms and conditions (if you read it) say everything that you need to expect – sadly, I know many passengers do not read this. Just the same, even if you are a read-the-fine-print type, PAL cannot yet shrug their shoulders and lift their chins high up to the clouds.
Protest Number 1 – the reminders on the top of the email. It said “The credit card used in purchasing the ticket(s) must be presented at the ticket collection point or upon check-in” and “If the credit card owner is not part of the traveling party, the credit card owner shall be responsible in ensuring that the passenger(s) must present at the ticket collection point or upon check-in the following: 1. Clear photocopy of the front of the credit card used; and 2. Clear photocopy of a separate valid PHOTO ID of the credit card owner”. This rule sucks! It not only sucks, its dangerous for the credit card holder.
Why? Here’s why… by having the check-in agents physically look at your credit card, you as the card holder physically presenting it, is already jeopardizing the otherwise secure status of your card. I won’t elaborate on on that, but folks you all be aware that a mere glance at the back of the credit card by a check-in agent (and the baggage loader beside her) is already enough reason for your card to be compromised.
Why else? You the card owner, photocopying your card and giving copies to your relative/s or employee/s whom you purchased the ticket for, IS NOTHING DIFFERENT THAN YOU GIVING YOUR CREDIT CARD TO THE CHECK-IN AGENT AND THE WHOLE AIRLINE AND THEIR EXTERNAL EMPLOYEES (baggage loaders). Imagine, you are also giving away a copy of your ID (probably a company or SSS ID) with all other pertinent details. Let’s not elaborate on that lest other innocent folks learn more on how to do those bad things. But my goodness, this rule is tantamount to giving away your soul!
Instead of the airline preventing credit card fraud (as it claims on the email confirmation) they are actually paving the way for their employees to perpetuate or gain access to a new venue of committing fraud.
Protest Number 2 – inflexibility of the above rule. As I was checking-in for my early morning flight to Iloilo, the counter beside me had a young passenger probably in her late teens to early twenties all in tears calling probably a parent or relative via her cellular phone since she did not have the required photo copies. At 3AM, isn’t it a ghastly sight? In fact, isn’t it a traumatic experience? Golly, even I was irked fumbling to get the card I used for my booking. What if by chance I left it at home in my other wallet? I too would have encountered the same traumatic experience at an unholy hour of the day. Gosh!
Of course PAL may have a lot of reasons to defend its side on the above. Especially on my protest number 2, they will probably readily say “that’s why we are reminding all passengers via the electronic ticket”. But what’s the whole point? Are they the sergeant-at-arms for the credit card industry of the world? If so, what are they in business for, to ensure convenience of their passengers or convenience of credit card companies?
They, you and I can start collecting statistics as to how many passengers are unnecessarily inconvenienced by this "extra" rule versus how many passengers have PAL caught a ticket booked with a stolen card number.
Imagine this: you got a new house-helper from the province and would like to buy her a ticket coming to Manila and probably back, so you book her using your card, and you bother yourself with trying to pass to your maid that electronic confirmation, photo copies of your credit card plus your ID. I know there are other similar inconvenient situations in a set-up like that. But go imagine!
Here’s the next entry on your booking confirmation:
“The passenger(s) shall be denied boarding for failure to comply with the foregoing requirement.” Thus, the girl I saw crying and calling on her hand phone.
Here is my bottom line on the above topic (protest numbers 1 and 2), if you are in the business of flying passengers on a plane, then it is not your business of being an anti-fraud agent for the credit card industry. So concentrate on the former and don’t inconvenience your passengers by occupying yourself with the latter. In fact, I have seen businesses fail for not knowing or going beyond the boundaries of the reason/s they were in business for. Wasn’t/Isn’t PAL? Well, your guess is as good as theirs hehehe!
We the consumers (credit card holders) have a responsibility and that is primarily to ensure our credit cards are not compromised. Meaning (for all of us) we have to keep guard at all times, so that PAL doesn’t go beyond what it is in business for. Meaning (for PAL), if the transaction went through, then it is the very own look out of the card holder. Remember this: none of us credit card holders requested PAL to be the guardians of our cards. Remember this PAL folks, thanks for your concern, but if it incoveniences the many of us, NO THANKS! Why?! Do you at your ticket offices ask a buyer where his cash came from? It could have been stolen from the passenger's relatives, right? Why are you not as concerned?
Protest Number 3 – “For EconoLight fares, the following specific fare conditions apply:” In my personal view and that of some friends, this is the clincher that makes the “EconoLight” fare worst than anything else. It seems to promote, discrimination and social segmentation a.k.a caste system! Gosh, and in this century? It probably is high time to revamp the pencil-pushers over at Roxas Boulevard! The list of “specific fare conditions” are clearly the product of aged colonial-thinking-government-employee brains hahaha! Here goes the most glaring of them all:
Item 5. “Seat assignment will be at the rear of the aircraft”. On my Iloilo (and back) flight, I was even happy since I am a rear-seat lover (I know the statistics, if you know what I mean). But this “condition” of the “EconoLight” fare raised my eyebrows to the high heavens just the same. When I conferred with friends about this “condition”, the unanimous response was… WHY?
On my Iloilo flight, I was supposed to be seated at 27C (2nd to last row) but an old lady was already there. Before I could say anything, the woman at 27B (obviously her daughter) apologetically requested if we can switch (old woman was originally 27D) so they can be together. I smiled and said “no problem” and sat at 27D. I just thought, it’s still an aisle seat, so no sweat! Oh hey, this was a new A320-200 with softer seats than the older same planes of PAL and definitely better than those of Cebu Pacific’s faux-leather seats! However, almost at the end of the boarding process, a steward came to me asking if I can switch seats with an old lady who was seated at an emergency exit area. For a second I was reluctant, but seeing that the steward was courteous enough and realizing that an exit seat has more leg room, I agreed and followed him to the seat (I think that was 10F or 9F). He even told me that he’d get my backpack from the bin for me on arrival. When we got there, the oldie was busy conferring w/ her seatmates (probably family). I heard another passenger say to her, “yun yung sa dulo, yun pang-mura ang bayad” (that’s a seat at the rear… the ones for cheap fares). I heard all that though I was busy tinkering on my new phone (how to switch to “flight mode”). Then the steward, red-faced with shame looked at me saying “sorry sir, wag nalang daw e” (a.k.a. “disregard”)! And thus I said, “no problem” and faced back to return to my 27D. But I realized something and stopped tinkering with my Samsung Omnia (I-900) then faced the steward and said “hey, its not a passenger choice, its your responsibility to follow CAB regulations. If she does not want my seat, go get anyone from these males (pointing at other passengers from rows 12 to 15)”. Then I returned to 27D. (Just an aside, during flight, I craned to see if the old woman was still at the exit seat. She was! I was tempted to take a photo of her so I can report PAL to the authorities, but for some reason, I dropped the idea. Probably I was apprehensive it might create a commotion in the plane... or... probably I just love PAL that deep).
Hey on my return flight (I was too early for my 8:15PM flight) I was already at the check-in counters 5PM but couldn’t check-in yet since they were busy with PR144 – a flight that leaves for Manila after 5PM, I think. So, I stood around observing things. I caught a lady asking why she was seated at the back. The male check-in agent obviously irritated, in a voice heard by everyone announced “ma’am kasi “EconoLight” fare lang ang binayaran mo, sa likod talaga ang naka pre-assign na seats. Pero sila (pointing at other passengers), mahal ang binayaran nila aabot ng four thousand kesa yung five hundred plus mo". Oh, I do not wish to translate that anymore. It’ll be good for us Filipinos if our foreign friends do not understand this dialog. I felt too hurt for that lady.
My time came. At about 1745H, the staff started accepting passengers for check-in on PR146. I was first in line but a bald old-man went straight to the check-in counter so he was ahead of me. Okay, fine I thought – since he looked like he knew everyone in the Iloilo airport. I was called after him. When the girl gave me my boarding pass, the seat was 27E. I looked at my sequence number and it said 003 – that means I was the 3rd passenger to be checked in. That further means, the bald old man ahead of me was sequence number 2 and they have probably pre-checked-in somebody else – a favor that they give to friends, family and VIPs.
I asked the girl to give me an aisle seat. Her response was similar to what I heard before… “sir, naka-pre-seat na kasi kayo dahil EconoLight fare ang binayaran nyo, so I can’t change your seat anymore, sa likod talaga ang seats nyo". I retorted with “I know all about EconoLight you don’t have to explain that, my point is I am sequence number 3, therefore there is still an available aisle seat for EconoLight passengers so you don’t have to give me 27E. There must be a 27C, 27D, 28C or 28D. And I know how to change the seat number, if you don’t, just retrieve my record and… (I told her the entries to do in her system)". After I said all those, she gave me a new boarding pass with seat number 27C. No offenses there, our conversation was light and lively.
Item 7. “Meals - a. Domestic flights - water upon request; b. International flights - peanuts and unlimited non-alcoholic beverages (i.e Soda, Juice, Water, Coffee & Tea). So you thought this is just fine, right? I also did! But hear this:
During distribution of snacks and when the crew got to my area, I was looking at them just observing really. My brain was actually musing why PAL stewardesses these days are not anymore tall than the usual in olden days. I was surprised to hear the stewardess say “I’m sorry sir, we do not serve snacks to “EconoLight” passengers. I smiled and readily answered, “yes, I know, and I did not ask for any, right?” Then she moved out to the aft galley. But that short a conversation called the attention of most passengers from rows 26 down to 24 – all of 18 passengers to be exact. Then came a question from a little boy over at 28A “mama bakit hindi tayo binigyan” (why weren’t we given any). The mom at 28B replied “kasi mura ang binayaran natin, anak” (because we paid a low fare, my child). My heart sank down to 27,000 feet below us and I wanted to storm the galley and pay any amount so I could grab a damn pack of crackers and give to the boy. But I controlled myself. Oh well, my emotions.
Item 8. “No headsets will be provided”. As I am more for the domestic flights my initial reaction was just “as if you provide any hehehe”. But for international flights, I’d advise “EconoLight” passengers to start singing their hearts out loudly. That would be a nice one hehe!
Item 9. “Infant and children traveling with adults holding ECONOLIGHT tickets are not entitled to Bassinets/Milk requests”. I generally have no comments on this except that I have my final analyses below:
Final word. So, “Econolight” fares are not promo fares. With this, PAL has obviously launched a shameful and entirely different class of service that is tantamount to saying “okay, you buy this cheap fare and that entitles us or anyone else to publicly ridicule or shame you. Thus, for just a little amount of money than the normal economy fare, you allow yourself to be treated as someone who belongs to a lower echelon in the air-flying society that you deserve everything less than anyone else in the aircraft cabin.
In sum, PAL has miserably failed to attack the high success of Cebu Pacific’s GO Fares. It even went off-tangent, in fact! They did not compete but they just made an entirely new class of service that puts them in a bad light.
So what have we discovered here? It comes out that when you avail of an EconoLight fare, you are subjecting yourself to be treated in a different way, and sadly, roughly. With that kind of fare, you are really saying “okay, trample upon me” or “I avail of this low fare in exchange of my dignity”.
THIS is what PAL missed: in Cebu Pacific, the GO Fares (a few seats per flight) are offered on a first-come-first-served basis. Meaning, those seats are promotional for you to book early and get them low-priced tickets. BUT after that, you are as good a passenger as those who bought their tickets yesterday for P4,100 or more. PERIOD - AND NO OTHER DAMNED SHAMEFUL CONDITIONS!
Perhaps, the people at PAL's Marketing department, in an effort not to be tagged as copying Cebu Pacific's gimmick (which obviously they are anyway) had to resort to what their lowly minds can achieve - the 13 "specific fare conditions". What's wrong with copying the good (of Cebu Pacific) anyway?! Okay, let's stop there.
So, how much worth is your dignity anyway?
Look at these bookings I tried on a Manila-Iloilo-Manila flight for 17th and 24th February 2009 (a far future date so I am assured availability of an EconoLight fare):
EconoLight:
Economy Fiesta:
Business Restricted:
Business Unrestricted:
Cebu Pacific’s GO Fare:
So, you see the fare differences. From EconoLight to Fiesta its P1,201.00 roundtrip or P600.50 difference one-way. And, its a P440.00 difference roundtrip between PAL's EconoLight and Cebu Pacific's GO Fares or P220.00 difference one-way. Now reflect on all of the issues above. If you think your dignity is that cheap, then EconoLight Fares are for you.
Have a nice flight!
6 Comments
Very true...hope someone from PAL management reads this
ReplyDeletewhatever, if the plane crashes, they would all wish they are seated at the rear part of the plane! then who's the last to laugh. . . not that i am hoping it to happen. . . hehehe!
ReplyDeletewow! what a shame PAL...
ReplyDeletethat just sucks..big time.
ReplyDeletewhat a pity PAL!!
Travelled to Iloilo last holy week 3Adults and a Child.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'd say econolight is quite good. I noticed nothing different with their service compared to Economy/Fiesta class except being seated near the wing section. We were even made first to board since we are traveling with a child.
I would try Econolight this coming holiday season on December to Gensan naman.
I am a PAL flyer because I HATE CebuPac so much for all the headaches it brought me. But your blog is an eye opener for me. I really hope PAL will hire people who knows how to use their BRAIN. Good luck to us.
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