ComplaintsforPhilippine Airlines

• Initial Complaint

  07/10/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I booked a flight to Manila on March 5 2020 for Nov 6 2020 - Nov 19 2020. I requested to cancel and get a refund on August 31, 2020, but never received anything back. Ticket number:**************** Confirmation number: ******

  Business response

  09/01/2021

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2021/08/01) */ Dear Sir/Madam: Based on records, ***********************'s ticket refund request has in fact been approved by our Refunds skeletal team. As the purchase was made via credit card transaction, PAL's approval to refund the tickets will be forwarded for queueing to our acquiring bank. The next step in the process would be for the acquiring bank to validate the refund with the bank that issued the credit card used in purchasing the ticket. Please note that the actual posting of the refunded amount will depend on the credit card account's cut-off date. We asked our Treasury Department to expedite processing of the approved refund as queued with our acquiring bank and request from the latter a copy of a documentation of proof of refund. ********* may present the said certificate/document to the issuing bank to facilitate a faster credit back of said amount. We will forward said documentation as soon as made available to our office. On behalf of Philippine Airlines, Inc. (PAL), we would like to extend or sincerest apologies for the inconvenience reported by *********. As you know, the pandemic greatly impacted the aviation industry on a global scale. This, coupled with the subsequent voluminous number of refund requests following the onset of the pandemic, as well as the significant reduction of PAL's workforce resulted to unique operational and economic challenges for the company. While we are not offering this as an excuse, we would like to assure our valued passengers however, that the delay in the refund is simply due to the Company's current dire financial conditions, and not to any intent to renege on our obligations. PAL intends to meet its obligations despite these current limitations. Thank you for bearing with us.

• Initial Complaint

  07/09/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  .March 1, 2020 - Booked a flight ***-MNL(July 4, 2020), MNL-***(July 14, 2020) for**************************************** .July 30, 2020 - Flight got cancelled & PAL acknowledged refund. Refund ref.# ********** .references: Ticket # ********************************************************* I called PAL numerous times asking when we will get the refund and they always gave me their standard COVID excuse and acknowledged that our refund is under process. Follow up calls and emails are fruitless. I was told the same excuse. It will be almost a year now since they acknowledged my refund and up to now, nobody from PAL knows when will I get my CAN$ ******** back. I am hoping that through BBB, Philippine Airlines can give me my money back. Thank you very much and I fervently hope that with your help, this refund can be resolved Respectfully yours, **********************************************************************

  Business response

  09/21/2021

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2021/08/01) */ Dear Sir/Madam: Based on records, Ms. **** ******** ticket refund request has in fact been approved by our Refunds skeletal team. As the purchase was made via credit card transaction, PAL's approval to refund the tickets will be forwarded for queueing to our acquiring bank. The next step in the process would be for the acquiring bank to validate the refund with the bank that issued the credit card used in purchasing the ticket. Please note that the actual posting of the refunded amount will depend on the credit card account's cut-off date. We asked our Treasury Department to expedite processing of the approved refund as queued with our acquiring bank and request from the latter a copy of a documentation of proof of refund. Ms. ****** may present the said certificate/document to the issuing bank to facilitate a faster credit back of said amount. We will forward said documentation as soon as made available to our office. On behalf of Philippine Airlines, Inc. (PAL), we would like to extend or sincerest apologies for the inconvenience reported by Ms. ******. As you know, the pandemic greatly impacted the aviation industry on a global scale. This, coupled with the subsequent voluminous number of refund requests following the onset of the pandemic, as well as the significant reduction of PAL's workforce resulted to unique operational and economic challenges for the company. While we are not offering this as an excuse, we would like to assure our valued passengers however, that the delay in the refund is simply due to the Company's current dire financial conditions, and not to any intent to renege on our obligations. PAL intends to meet its obligations despite these current limitations. Thank you for bearing with us. Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2021/08/18) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) On my July 2020 followed up call to PAL, I was informed by PAL that it would take 5 billing- cycles before it will get refunded, and they said It should get refunded by around Dec. 2020. I made a follow up call almost every month after Dec. 2020, and their response is their standard PAL phrase and the same thing " PAL's approval to refund the tickets will be forwarded for queueing to our acquiring bank". When are you going to forward it to the acquiring bank? PAL said and I quote "We asked our Treasury Department to expedite processing of the approved refund as queued with our acquiring bank and request from the latter a copy of a documentation of proof of refund", they always mentioned this but I can not understand what do they mean by their word EXPEDITE. I bought that tickets for me and my husband last March 2020, It is August 2021 now. So now I wonder if your EXPEDITE means anything or just your standard phrase that don't mean anything. I have friends who bought their ticket on a travel agencies, and they got their refund long time ago. Is that mean that it is better to buy a ticket in a travel agencies where you can get a refund rather than on PAL website? I hope somebody can give me a credible answer and not just this standard PAL phrase thing that don't mean a thing. I want to know when will I get my refund. I am tired of following this up and getting the same response every time. I was force to bring this out and sought the help of BBB because I felt helpless and frustrated talking to this PAL people, who can not give you a straight answer and just run you through a never ending loop. I really do appreciate the help from BBB and I do hope and wish that I can find settlement with PAL through their help. Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2021/09/02) */ Dear Sir/Madam, We truly apologize for this unprecedented situation with our passengers vis-a-vis their refund concerns. Since last year, due to the Company's dire financial conditions as impacted by the pandemic, we had to let go of a significant number of employees, such that PAL's back end team is operating on a skeletal workforce handling voluminous refunds requests. This is simply to share, and not give an excuse. Despite the Company's current economic difficulties, we are slowly meeting all of our refund obligations. Our Treasury reported following this case with our acquiring bank. Thank you.

• Initial Complaint

  07/07/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Unresolved

  More info

  I refunded two round trip tickets to the Philippines last October 2020. I received an email that stated I had to wait for 150 business days to process the reimbursement of my money, so patiently waited by April of 2021. I phoned the airline and told me to wait by the end of April, so I patiently waited again because I thought processing got affected by the pandemic. I phoned back last May 04 2021, and the agent told me they couldn't do anything about it and suggested me to to file a follow up my refund request on "myPAL Request Hub", so i did. now its July 07 2021, and I still have no idea when Im going to receive my money. I know the pandemic delays mostly all the businesses right now, but waiting for 9 months is unacceptable. I am hoping this will get resolved. my refund ticket number is : *************************************************

  Business response

  07/21/2021

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2021/07/21) */ Dear Sir/Madam: Based on records, *****************'s ticket refund request has in fact been approved by our Refunds skeletal team. As the purchase was made via credit card transaction, PAL's approval to refund the tickets will be forwarded for queueing to our acquiring bank. The next step in the process would be for the acquiring bank to process the approved net refund amount with the issuing bank, or the bank that issued the credit card used in purchasing the ticket. Please note that the actual posting of the refunded amount will depend on the credit card account's cut-off date. We asked our Treasury Department to expedite processing of the approved refund as queued with our acquiring bank and request from the latter a copy of a documentation of proof of refund. ********** may present the said certificate/document to the issuing bank to facilitate a faster credit back of said amount. We will forward said documentation as soon as made available to our office. On behalf of Philippine Airlines, Inc. (PAL), we would like to extend or sincerest apologies for the inconvenience reported by **********. As you know, the pandemic greatly impacted the aviation industry on a global scale. This, coupled with the subsequent voluminous number of refund requests following the onset of the pandemic, as well as the significant reduction of PAL's workforce resulted to unique operational and economic challenges for the company. While we are not offering this as an excuse, we would like to assure our valued passengers however, that the delay in the refund is simply due to the Company's current dire financial conditions, and not to any intent to renege on our obligations. PAL intends to meet its obligations despite these current limitations. Thank you for bearing with us. Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2021/08/05) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) This didn't answer nor gave me an assurance regarding on my complaint! It's been 10 months now since I requested the refund and the answer that I've been getting is " your request is been processing " . I understand that the pandemic affects the majority for the businesses, but waiting for 10 months ( and counting) is unacceptable, nobody has contacted me since I made the request that is why I made this complaint. I am very disappointed in this company and I hope nobody will experience this. Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2021/08/22) */ Dear Sir/Madam, As you will agree, the current Covid-19 pandemic has a devastating impact on the entire travel industry and Philippine Airlines, Inc. (PAL) is no exception. In fact, since the first implementation of ECQ last year, PAL was forced to halt its commercial flights resulting to unprecedented revenue losses. PAL management was then hoping that the situation will be better for 2021, but unfortunately, travel restrictions continued to be imposed which culminated to the re-imposition of ECQ this year. This only aggravated PAL's dire financial condition. Because of the travel restrictions imposed that the Philippine government and other jurisdictions continue to impose, PAL was constrained to cancel thousands of flights and we are operating only about 20% of our operations pre-Covid. And for the first time in PAL's operations, we were faced with hundreds of thousands of refund applications. By sheer number alone, it seemed to be such an insurmountable task especially so that we have been working on skeletal manpower since last year. To date, PAL continues to process refund applications. As we have repeatedly manifested before the BBB we recognize our legal obligation to our passengers which includes their right to a refund for flight cancellations due to force majeure. Accordingly, we are assuring our passengers that their concerns will be properly addressed. Please be assured that our skeletal team continues to monitor this case. As soon as a documentation of proof of refund if made available to the Legal Department we are sure to forward the same in this forum. Thank you. Consumer Response /* (3000, 16, 2021/11/27) */ It's been over a year and I still haven't received the refund. I think I've given them more than enough time to resolve my issues. If anybody can read this, I need help on what else can I do!

• Initial Complaint

  07/06/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Made a refund request since May 2020 7560php They told us we get a refund after 3 months. Its been more than a year! They dont try to resolve it, they're trying to drag it for as long as it takes. *************

  Business response

  08/11/2021

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2021/07/22) */ Dear Sir/Madam, Please find attached PAL's Answer to subject complaint. PAL LEGAL AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩