Services that you should be receiving from Airfare Companies

Regardless of the type of fare, both promo fares and the normal airfare services being given is in general the same. Let us take a tour of the different services in general to know our rights and for us to know the extent of service we should be receiving to avoid hassles and possible confrontations with airline personnel. Let us go deepest in the delayed baggage policies section as this is the major reason for the said Claudine and Cebu Pacific crew incident.

Ticketing Services

All airfare companies should have hotlines to entertain clients for ticketing. There should be several branches of offices where people can book and pay for their tickets. For convenience, there are usually websites too for booking, reservations, and even payment. Depending on airline policies, cancellations and refunds will be allowed within the allowed time frame.

Baggage Allowed

Before we discuss the items allowed in baggage, let us take a look at prohibited items first. Generally speaking, items that are not properly packed will not be allowed, also items that will pose as dangers to the plane such as flammable items or explosives are extremely strictly prohibited. Items which are prohibited by laws such as drugs, unlicensed weapons such as sharp objects, firearms and ammunition’s are obviously not allowed. Live and dead animals, human or animal remains are of course not allowed too. But perishable items such as fish, meat, fruits are allowed but only if properly packed in a Hand Baggage.

Upon inspection and approval by the airline company, most items will be allowed. But of course there will always be limitations. Each airline company has their own sets of rules but in general, the allowable wait of baggage will be around 10-15 kilos. Hand carry is more or less 7 kilos per piece. Maximum allowable baggage size is around 62 inches of total length width and height, while for hand carry is roughly 45 inches.

Insurance

Most if not all airfare companies should be able to provide insurance for all areas of the whole travel experience. Some basic services or coverage should include trip cancellations and terminations, medical expense reimbursement, child protection, flight diversion, delayed or loss baggage, loss of personal documents or cash, flight delay, hijacking and among others, all with their own respective monetary limits of coverage. This is to make sure that passengers can have the option of absolute protection with reasonable rates.

On boarding/Departure/Arrival

In the Philippines, the NAIA terminals shall be available for us to check in ourselves together with our luggage in preparation to board the flight. If applicable, lounges that offer food and relaxation shall be made available while we wait. Baggage will then be allowed to be checked in along with us. Upon boarding, we should be welcomed and be directed to our assigned seats. During the travel, meals may or may not be served depending on the circumstances. During the flight, events like turbulence’s may happen and it is the very responsibility of the pilots to ensure that the plane and its passengers will all be safe, either by making a diversion or making a stop over at a different location. Upon arrival, baggage shall be returned to the passengers, and some airline companies may offer terminal to terminal transportation services and hotel transportation as well.

Delayed Flights

Due to uncontrollable events, not all scheduled flights are guaranteed. There will always be chances that the day and time of these flights might change due to certain factors. Once on board flight diversions or rerouting may be done if necessary due to safety or whatever reasons. In the event of a flight disruption, cancellation or delay, airline companies should be able to try its best, but not necessarily commit to place the passengers in the same or similar seats. Refunds may be given if the passengers paid for reservations and did not get the seat they wanted.

Excess and Delayed Baggage

For excess baggage in kilo, a passenger should pay a certain fee of around 150 PHP per kilo for domestic flights, and international flights requires around 400 PHP per kilo of excess. Again, each airline company has its own policies and fees.

Now, this is the highlight of the article, about delayed baggage. Airfare companies should have the option to carry our checked baggage at a much later flight due to certain safety reasons or circumstances. To site a specific example, in Cebu Pacific’s website Policy Clause 13.1.1 (f) states that:

“Whenever possible, Checked Baggage will be carried on the same aircraft as the Passenger. The Airline may decide for safety, security or operational reasons to carry it on another flight. If a Checked Baggage is carried on a subsequent flight, the Airline will deliver it to the Passenger unless applicable law requires the Passenger to be present for clearance by customs authorities.”

Also on Clause 16.1.1, it states that:

“In case of a lost or delayed Checked Baggage, the Passenger must advise the Airline right after his flight and before leaving the airport premises”

As seen, from the 2 clauses above, it is really the responsibility of both the airfare company and the passengers to take note of the baggage. Delayed baggage are inevitable and the airline company will not be held liable, and the passenger should wait for the baggage, and when they came in damaged state or late, he or she should notify airline personnel.

To wrap things up, despite all types of fares, airfare companies should be giving all the services. Whether it is the normal or promo rate, we all deserve to be given the absolute best of service. About the Claudine Cebu Pacific incident, the airfare company is not legally liable for the delay as their clauses clearly state that they have no fault or responsibility for the delay or misinforming about the delayed baggage. Ranting and making scenes will only make things worse so it will be wise to just inform airline personnel about whatever issues.

A good suggestion to avoid this incident is to ensure that airfare companies notify or announce to passengers about delayed baggage. A new policy to ensure this is done may give all passengers peace of mind so they will always know the location of their baggage and the possible time of their arrival. The Santiago’s claim that there are medicines in their baggage that they need desperately, well, it is high time that passengers consider getting medical flight insurance and also insurance for delayed baggage! To answer the question, yes, Cebu Pacific still delivered the right service, but a slight service if keeping passengers informed about delayed baggage will most certainly help.

This is a guest post from Nicole So. If you want your articles to be published in this travel blog please check the guidelines here.

AUTHOR BIO:

Nicole So is a freelance writer, regular runner and a former backpacker. Her hobbies are writing, photography and traveling. Follow her escapades in google+.

]]> http://letstravelphilippines.com/2012/05/22/airfare-companies-do-they-really-give-the-right-services/feed/ 0 http://letstravelphilippines.com/2012/05/14/why-philippines-is-the-most-relaxing-destination-on-earth/ http://letstravelphilippines.com/2012/05/14/why-philippines-is-the-most-relaxing-destination-on-earth/#comments Mon, 14 May 2012 18:41:43 +0000 adminwil http://letstravelphilippines.com/?p=2052 Read more »]]> With the hustle and bustle of life these days, when you go away on holiday you want to relax in comfort and forget the stress of everyday life. The Philippines is fast becoming one of the best places to have a relaxing holiday in paradise.

Facts about the Philippines

The Philippines is a large collection of 7,107 tropical islands situated in the South China Seas. This group of islands is the third biggest country to speak English in the world and is rapidly emerging as a popular holiday destination. There are many different islands and therefore many different types of holiday available in the Philippines. You can choose from canoeing holidays on small tropical beach resorts or larger city breaks in the capital, Manila.

Where to spend your holiday in the Philippines?

The island of Boracay is probably the most popular destination in the Philippines. Boracay is a tropical paradise island with plenty of golden sandy beaches and many beach resorts and spas to relax in. The island has hills and tropical wildlife to explore along with plenty of opportunities to take part in water sports. Cebu and Bohol are home to some of the Philippines’ best beaches and visitors like to relax in some of the luxurious and exclusive resorts. The beaches are also great for those looking for canoeing holidays with many secluded lagoons only accessible by canoe or small boat.

The capital, Manila is also a popular tourist destination. With several sights to see, you could choose to spend a couple of days relaxing in the city before moving on to your beach resort. There are many different combinations of holiday to be had in the Philippines. One of these is the multi-centre holiday package, where your stay at either one or two beach resorts is intertwined with a stay in the capital.

Relaxing in the Philippines

Holidaying in the Philippines will offer you a completely different holiday experience to that of walking holidays in Spain, for example. However, if the relaxing nature of the luxury beach resorts and spas is becoming all too much, there are also adventures to be had whilst staying there. You can go wreck diving in Palawan, watch Tansier monkeys in Bohol and Panglao or walk through some of the capital’s Spanish architecture. If you want to walk in seclusion, the four kilometre long, white sand beach in Boracay can offer you the best location in the world to walk.

Accommodation in the Philippines

There are many different styles of resort in the Philippines and accommodation varies extensively from island to island and resort to resort. In some luxury resorts you can stay in individual cabins or villas privately located in extensive gardens in the property. In other resorts there is luxury hotel accommodation with beautiful gardens and pools to relax in. Some resorts offer various accommodation with private plunge pools and outdoor showers to cool off in, traditional style wooden huts or typical Spanish style villas and apartments.

In conclusion, wherever you choose to stay in the Philippines you will be able to relax in style and comfort from the moment you arrive. With an abundance of luxury accommodation, water sports and activities available the destination is set to rise in popularity over the next few years.

This is a guest post from Owen Hyde. If you want your articles to be published in this travel blog please check the guidelines here.

AUTHOR BIO

Henry Benson writes regularly on walking holidays in Spain for a range of travel websites and blogs. Henry also has made several trips to the Philippines researching the Spanish architecture and history of the capital.

Basic tips for Traveling:

Maintain your financial budget and make your vacation plan ready in advance. Choose any travel agency according to you budget, plan and affordable deal by using Internet. Get your ticket advance or make your online booking far in advance. Ask for discount without be afraid because Travel agencies are providing discount on their deals. Make your best strategies to save your cash and find the best deal. Be flexible; take advantage of last minute deals. Keep maps and travel book with you if it is needed otherwise you can get help of free visitor guide and free visitor information from travel and tourism office of your destination. Don’t travel with drugs or expensive things or jewelries or unnecessary credit cards and excessive amount of cash if it is possible. Keep your first aid kit or regular medication kit close to you. Always try to avoid unnecessary luggage.

Choose online travel agency:

Today you can choose any travel agency using internet. There are many online travel agencies available with their own websites. Still there are lots of travel agencies with cheap travel deals to be found online.

Online travel agencies are providing large list of trips and packages, fairs with discount prices and services like online hotel reservation, online booking for an airplane etc. They have long list of cheap and expensive hotels with affordable rates, cheap flights, travel deals and discounts.  They are also offering quality policies, best customers reviews, guidelines, term and conditions, and security of paying and online free coupons like promo codes and Online deals.

Before you choose any agencies you have to make your plan according to your financial budget ready. There are no travel agents or middle man required in online travel agency so you can easily save your cash.  You are going for vacation by using airlines. You should have little bit knowledge about airlines and their services. You can buy cheap travel air tickets if you understand how airline companies price their tickets. Air tickets can be expensive if you are not aware or you are not informed about reason of prices. You should make the booking in advance.

Now you don’t have to worry about cheap and affordable travel. Visit Expedia online travel company. Expedia is one of the largest online travel companies in the world. You can get the wide list of hotels and cheap flights at affordable prices. It is provided best customer services, easy flight searching capabilities, traveling services and Expedia discount codes to save your cash and get discount on tickets and services.

This is a guest post from Owen Hyde. If you want your articles to be published in this travel blog please check the guidelines here.

Author Bio:

Hi, I am Owen Hyde. I like traveling and shopping. I love moving to a new places and shop online for my favorite products. At present, working as Guest Author.  I am casual blogger, guest blogging as a hobby for a few years. I am passionate about writing that’s why I started blogging seriously and professionally.

Animal lovers unite, the Philippines is home to hundreds of species of monkeys, birds, butterflies, and friends. Whether you want to get up close in a zoo, or enjoy the thrill of tracking them down in the wild, you’re sure to snap some great photos for your album. The HostelBookers guide to travelling in the Philippines will fill you in on everything else, but here’s the lowdown on where to find the rarest and most interesting creatures on the islands.

Zoo

The 19-hectare Avilon Montalban Zoological Park is the largest in the Philippines. Over 3000 animals and 600 species call the facility in the picturesque valley of Barrio San Isidro, Rodriguez, home. You’re encouraged to feed the arapaimas (tropical fish), exotic water fowl and giant tortoises and visit the white tigers, jaguars, sun bears, black-eared marmosets and Philippine serpent eagles in their enclosures.

If you’re after a wildlife sanctuary, check out Calauit Island on the north-western coast of Palawan. There’s a game reserve there, too, where you can see many animals of the Philippines. Nearby Ursula Island has a bird sanctuary homing thousands of birds.

Rainforest

The tropical rainforests of Mindanao, Bohol and Palawan are the most popular for excursions. There’s a huge range of biodiversity as, unlike much of the Philippines, deforestation hasn’t ruined their jungles. Animal sightings are not guaranteed here, they’ll hide at a strange noise, but on the plus side when you do see them they’re in their natural habitat.

25% of Philippine wildlife is in Palawan. Here, you’ll awake to a symphony of tropical birds at dawn and on emerging from your beach shack say good morning to the monkeys, parrots, cobra king snakes, anteaters, turtles, butterflies as big as your hand, and another 300 other species. It’s the most rustic of all of the major islands and the sand and surf is magnificent.

Danjugan Island is covered in rainforest and has five lagoons colonised by coral and reef fish species. The 43-hectare island is an important bird nesting and feeding site for at least 55 resident and migrant species. Turtle nesting beaches are common. Small beach caves are home to at least six bat species – get up early and join a morning guided forest trek to see the critters waking up.

The Tree Top Adventure Park in Subic Bay allows you to view the wildlife from above via a canopy walk and a pretty darn scary superman zip wire.

Underwater

The Philippines are surrounded by protected reefs, making it a great place to slap your snorkel on and enjoy the underwater world. The more adventurous can make use of the scuba diving centres and explore the coral reef, wrecks and colourful marine life abundant in the area.

Check out the undersea playground of Tubbataha Reef Marine Park. It’s a World Heritage Site, the country’s best dive spot and home to the native, friendly Tubbataha shark.

The largest island in the Philippines, Luzon, has many unique species of plants and animals. Swimming with whale sharks and dolphins, and whale-watching excursions are also popular.

Safari

You’ve never been on a safari like Zoobic. All there is between you and a hungry, angry, pouncing tiger is a few metal bars of a cage in a jeepney. Built on jungle habitat the huge enclosure guarantees you’ll get to see the huge cats. Buy some live bait (chickens) and sit back and scream as the tiger teaser lashes them around on the end of a rope, provoking the beasts to aggressively rip them apart while bounding all over the car. The petting zoo and serpentarium may seem a bit of a comedown after the rush.

The Great Barrier Reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Northeast Australia. It stretches for approximately 2500km, and there are approximately 900 islands as part of the Great Barrier Reef! This makes it one of the most spectacular natural wonders located anywhere in the world! As the name shows it is a reef, a coral reef to be precise. This makes it one of the largest living organisms in the world. The Great Barrier Reef is not only a giant living organism; it houses millions of other sea creatures as well. As mentioned before there are nearly 900 islands, most of them are uninhabitable, where as others have resorts built on them, which is one of the best ways to enjoy the sights of this natural wonder. Some of the islands are covered by tropical forests.

As far as traveling to this magnificent area, the nearest airport is located at Cairns. From here there are plenty of taxis available to take you to the sea. At sea, there are boats available for hire to take a close look at the reefs. The mainland resorts are located on the coast near Cairns. Once you reach this place there are two different ways you can enjoy the reefs. That would be scuba diving and taking a ride on a glass bottom boat. Scuba diving is by far the most popular pastime at the Great Barrier Reef. After all, what better way is there to and enjoy this natural wonder.

Reaching the Great Barrier Reef from the Philippines is easy. There are many direct flights from Philippines to Australia. The flight time between Melbourne and Manila is approximately eight hours. From Melbourne, there are many connecting flights available to Cairns. Finding cheap flights is usually not a problem, which makes your next vacation abroad a realistic option.

Here are some interesting facts on Great Barrier Reef

Infographic produced by Paradise Bay Whitsunday Resort

1.Check the latest travel advice for your destination and subscribe to receive free e-mail notification each time the travel advice for your destination is updated.

2.Take out appropriate travel insurance to cover hospital treatment, medical evacuation and any activities, including adventure sports, in which you plan to participate.

3.Before travelling overseas register your travel and contact details online or at the local Australian embassy, high commission or consulate once you arrive, so we can contact you in an emergency.

4.Obey the law. Consular assistance cannot override local laws, even where local laws appear harsh or unjust by Australian standards.

5.Check to see if you require visas for the country or countries you are visiting or transiting. Be aware that a visa does not guarantee entry.

6.Make copies of your passport details, insurance policy, travellers cheques, visas and credit card numbers. Carry one copy in a separate place to the originals and leave a copy with someone at home.

7.Check with health professionals for information on recommended vaccinations or other precautions and find out about overseas laws on travelling with medicines.

8.Ensure your passport has at least six months’ validity from your planned date of return to Australia. Some countries will refuse entry on arrival and some airlines will not allow passengers to board flights if their passport does not meet this requirement. Before travelling, you should contact the Embassy or High Commission of each country you intend to visit to confirm the entry requirements.

9.Leave a copy of your travel itinerary with someone at home and keep in regular contact with friends and relatives while overseas.

10.Before departing Australia check whether you are regarded as a national of the country you intend to visit. Research whether holding dual nationality has any implications for your travel. Adopted from: smartraveller.gov.au

NOTE: This is my opinion as to what I believe will be helpful for every person who wanted to have a great time on traveling around the beautiful place of the world!

TOP5 Things to consider about vacation….

Plan your vacation place. Make it sure that the place you’ll going to visit with will simply give you the peacefulness you want ’cause if not you will just waisting your money, time and effort. Be subjective if possible.

Look for a cheap and affordable vacation home. Since, you consider to have a great and ample vacation you have also to consider looking for an affordable vacation home which you think is suitable for you nor for you family and loved-ones.

Try vacationing with your family and loved-ones. Absolutely! Simply because this is the only time you can be together without any barriers nor interruptions from work. This really helps to have a strong relationship with them.

Prepare everything you need. Definitely! such like your passport, plane ticket reservation, clothes you will bring, and some other material things which you think is indeed a demand for you to avoid spending much of your money.

Enjoy your vacation. What should I say? Well, enjoy it up to the last day of your stay ’cause vacation is also an investment! Not an investment for property nor any things but an investment for yourself to be relax, breath and face the realities of life.

Have a safe travel nor vacation everyone!…