Airport Encounter

Last Wednesday night while browsing on Facebook, I saw this link shared by a friend. 

https://www.facebook.com/notes/roxanne-lu/airline-bullying/10151033526310561

Albeit long, I decided to read the note because the title – Airline Bullying - piqued my interest.

I fly for about 6 times at the minimum to and from my hometown every year. But no, I’m far from being a jet-setter. In fact I’m a sucker of promo fares. Back in October 2010, I only spent P78.00 for a one-way airfare from Manila to Bacolod. Yes you read it right, seventy eight pesos only. The cab fare from Makati to NAIA 3 is even more expensive.

I don’t exactly remember when these promo fares started. It goes as cheap as zero as base fare. So basically, you’re flying for free! Except that you have to pay for the fuel, taxes and surcharges, terminal fees as well as baggage allowance. Indeed, almost everyone can now travel by air. Gone are the days when flying are only for the rich and famous.

Despite flying on a promo, I am fortunate for not having to experience such things as airline bullying or being bumped off from my flight. Or did I? I just simply did not allow it to happen.

I remember in April 2009, Holy Thursday, a friend and I had an early morning flight from Manila to Cagayan de Oro. I felt a little guilty because I woke up late but we still managed to be at the airport an hour before our 6:30am flight. We proceeded to the check in counter but lo and behold, the staff told us that it was already closed. It is a common knowledge that the check in counters closes 45 minutes before the flight. We were there an hour before. Why was it closed?

I kept calm and I patiently asked for an explanation. The airline staff in her annoyed tone answered back “Eh kasi overbooked po yung flight niyo. Karapatan ng airline na mag overbook. Kahit naman papasukin namin kayo sa eroplano wala din kayo mauupuan. Imomove na lang namin kayo sa next flight. Saka may libre naman kayong isang roundtrip domestic ticket eh.”

Ano daw?

I almost lost my temper. The way that she delivered her reply pissed me off. It was very sarcastic and unprofessional. I don’t like to think that it was because I looked like a cheapskate with my I-just-got-out-of-bed-look, shorts, strappy hiking sandals, and big backpack.

I know that some airlines especially budget ones tend to overbook. I do not like the practice and I’m definitely not tolerating it because as far as I was concerned, no airline rule was violated. We were there just in time, and there was no sign that the counter was already closed.

I told the staff: “Miss, I specifically chose that flight because we are following a schedule. We cannot afford to be delayed because everything else will be ruined. If you can tell me what our fault is/are, then by all means, bump us off on this flight. Apparently, you cannot because we both know there is none. And if indeed we are to blame here, why are you offering to move us on the 10am flight free of charge? FYI, I can afford to buy myself a roundtrip ticket to any local destination if I want to. Our schedule is far more important than your cheap freebie. No thanks. Call your supervisor.”

Catch is I delivered that in Filipino (Tagalog). As in malutong na tagalog. Hahaha.

I was thinking of two other friends waiting for us in CDO’s airport. I arranged for a contact who will pick us up at 8am for our white water rafting activity. From CDO, we were also scheduled to go to Bukidnon and Davao so I just cannot waste an hour or two.

Anyway, the crew was astounded I guess because she never said anything after that. She went to some guy whom I supposed was the supervisor. He looked our way but didn’t stand up. I concluded he did not want to engage in a conversation with a furious passenger.

She went back on the check in counter and said something on the crew beside her. She seemed busy with something and it was as if she was leaving her counter. She did leave.

But before she did, I told her “Anong oras na sa inyo? Wag mo kong sasabihan mamaya na boarding na at wala na kami magagawa. Bilisan mo at gawan mo ng paraan yan!”

It turned out she went to the boarding gate and offered a roundtrip ticket to any domestic destination for those two people who are willing to give out their seats and be moved to the next flight.

In the end, we were able to fly on that flight. We skipped the line on the final x-ray check up and we had to run to the gate. The plane was about to leave and why it was not surprising; we were the last ones to board.

Whew.

Lessons learned?

1.)    Be at the airport as early as possible if you’ve not availed the web check-in feature which was launched recently.

2.)    Know your rights as a passenger. Read all the fine prints in your ticket.

To the author of the article whose link I posted above, I salute her for maintaining grace and composure while dealing with such a temper-challenging incident. Good job Ms. Roxanne and I certainly hope it will never happen again. May it serve as lesson; at the same time precaution to passengers. May it also reach our airport/airline/aviation authorities to prevent similar events to happen in the future.



P.S.

Had I not been aggressive, I would have missed this. :p

White Water Rafting, Cagayan de Oro - April 2009

Touchdown at Saigon

When Cebu Pacific had their promo last year, I asked mom if she wanted to go to Vietnam since it is relatively inexpensive there than in any other neighboring Asian countries.  Of course she said yes. Lol.

I admit, I was hesitant at first since some friends were asking, “Why Vietnam?” I don’t know anything about it except for a hazy background on its war with America some 20 years or so ago. The only thing that excites me on going there is to shop for authentic (hopefully) but way cheaper The North Face bags since their factory is located there.

Since this was just a short vacay, I didn’t prepare for it as much as I did on our Hongkong-Macau trip in 2010. I didn’t spend too much time back reading on various online forums. It was a good thing that a friend and colleague went there in February so I just ‘interviewed’ her instead. I’m a DIY fanatic so I never considered getting a travel agency to arrange any of our trips for us. It is always best to be in control of your time while traveling. I hate to be rushed (especially in taking pictures. Lol)

This will be my first attempt to blog about my trip and my ultimate goal is to help others in a way who, like me, wants to travel the DIY style. I’ll try to be as detailed as possible, as much as my memory permits, so I’m doing separate entries for the budget/expenses, food, hotel, shopping, and tours.

As start up, here are some tips and info for first time travelers (abroad):

1. Visa is not required for Filipino passport holders in Vietnam and we are allowed to stay for a maximum of 26 days. At least that’s what the stamp on my passport says. Please also check your passports and make sure you have at least 6 months left before it expires.
2. Hotel reservation is not necessary; however, Immigration Officers might ask you about it so it is best if you’ve booked ahead, especially if you’re taking the 5J flight which is at 11pm. It will be inconvenient to tug your luggage along the streets while looking for a place to stay. Avoid the hassle, it’s very easy to reserve online.
3. Upon arrival at the airport, pay the travel taxes of Php 1,620.00 per person. I am not sure about the child’s rate, perhaps it’s discounted. In NAIA 3, it is located at the right endmost side. Just show your ticket and your passport.
4. Proceed to check-in, unless if you’ve already availed web check in feature of Cebu Pacific where you can print your boarding pass online. I cannot give feedback on this yet since I haven’t tried it personally.
5. Pay the terminal fee. It amounts to P550.00 as of posting time. It used to be P750.00 the first time I went out of the country two years ago. Still expensive, in my opinion. Hehe.
6. Before you line up for the Immigration, fill up the Embarkation Card. It is easy, it only asks for some personal information such as name, address, occupation, etc. If you are not hiding anything then going thru the Immigration will be a breeze. If you’re a government employee, make sure you have a travel authority/clearance as it is required.
7. After your passport has been stamped, proceed to the boarding gate. Happy Trip! :D

Barely 2 hours and a half later, you will be arriving at Tan Son Nhat International Airport. The weather is pretty much similar to ours but the time zone is not. Vietnam is 1 hour behind. So instead of 1:30am, you’ll touchdown at around 12:30am, Vietnam time. Their airport looks like our own NAIA 3. Here are some photos:

 

Just beside the exit is a Foreign Exchange stall at the left. From where I stood at the escalator, I saw a lady holding a cardboard with a sign: I USD = 21,500 VND. I was surprised because I checked on the rates before I left and it’s only 20,800 at high.

I checked on the other Forex stall beside it and their rate was 20,600 VND for I USD, I think. So I went back to the lady with the cardboard and asked with slow English: “1 USD = 21,500 VND?”

She just said “How much?” Then she handed me a piece of paper listing various currencies and their corresponding conversion rates. I was wondering why in the paper it said that 1 USD = 20,900 VND. I gave it back to her and told her: “No, you said it’s 21,500 VND per 1 USD.”

In the end she just said, “Ok, Ok! How much?” So I exchanged 200 USD amounting to 4,300,000 VND. Oh yeah, I’m a millionare! In Dong though, Booo! Haha.

hello eyebags! :p

 

By the way I counted it twice just to make sure. Lol. Lesson is, check many times and make sure they’re giving you the promised rate. Hehe.

I arranged for an airport pick up from the hotel so there was a driver waiting for us upon arrival. The car used was an old Kia model. I really mean old. We did not use the aircon. I was disappointed at first but it was cheap so I didn’t complain. The air outside was cool anyway. Lol. We traveled for around 30 minutes from the airport to Bui Vien St. on the backpacker’s district.

The area was packed by tourists. Despite Vietnam being one of the largest Christian Community in Asia, there wasn’t a trace of Holy Week Celebration there.

Upon reaching Luan Vu Hotel, Tao, the receptionist was telling me something. I didn’t quite understand because her English accent was not as clear. She then escorted us next door, and only then that I realized we’ll be spending the night there and not in Luan Vu.

This is where we slept on our first night, at Nhat Po Hotel. For a $21 rate, it wasn’t bad for a twin room. It even has a TV, a thermos, and a personal refrigerator which I didn’t bother switching on. The bed is a little hard though and the A/C is so-so. For some reason, I also cannot connect to their Wi-Fi. The bathroom is spotless but it was really small. 

 

Mom and I were a bit tired so we decided not to go out and just sleep. I also arranged a half day Cu Chi Tunnel tour the following day at 8am so we must take a rest. I’ll be talking about it on another entry.