Airlines see early holiday booking surge

By Ashley Erika O. Jose, Reporter

PHILIPPINE CARRIERS are gearing up for a surge in flight bookings as the holiday season approaches, driven by early travel planning and cost-saving measures by passengers.

“This increase is attributed to guests planning ahead and securing their travel early to save more and avoid any last-minute hassles,” AirAsia Philippines said in a statement on Tuesday.

Philippines AirAsia, Inc. (AirAsia Philippines) said it sees an increase in bookings for both domestic and international flights.

The low-cost carrier said it had logged more than 50,000 seats sold for the upcoming All Souls’ Day and All Saints’ Day, falling within the travel period of Oct. 30 to Nov. 3.

AirAsia said these numbers are also anticipated to further increase in the coming weeks.

For Christmas and New Year’s Day, AirAsia Philippines reported over half-a-million bookings, totaling 528,031 passengers. Of these, 367,455 are for domestic travel, while 160,576 are for international destinations.

“To accommodate the influx of holiday travelers, we have also increased our manpower at NAIA Terminals 2 and 3. We will always be committed to fulfilling our brand promise of reaching guests safely and on time,” said AirAsia Philippines Communications and Public Affairs Head Steve F. Dailisan.

To date, AirAsia Philippines said it has flown a total of 5.49 million passengers, about 68.5% of its eight million passenger volume target for 2024.

Meanwhile, budget carrier Cebu Pacific, operated by Cebu Air, Inc., said it is anticipating one million passengers for the upcoming All Souls’ Day and All Saints’ Day alone.

“With the addition of new routes and enhanced capacity, we expect a significant increase in passenger numbers this year,” Cebu Pacific said.

The company is also projecting growth in travel demand for the upcoming holidays, driven by its increased capacity from the newly added routes.

Cebu Pacific said earlier that the company is looking at exploring fresh destinations for Filipino travelers for both international and domestic routes.

In October, Cebu Pacific finalized its P1.4-trillion aircraft order with Airbus SE, consisting of 102 A321 new engine option (NEO) and 50 A320neo family.

For the year, the company has initially set a target of 24 million passengers, significantly higher than its 2023 passenger volume.

In the second quarter alone, Cebu Pacific carried a total of six million passengers, its highest quarterly passenger count in its history, the airline said.

The airline currently serves 35 domestic and 26 international destinations across Asia, Australia, and the Middle East.

Philippine Airlines did not respond to BusinessWorld’s request for comment by the deadline.