NATIONAL
Advocates Philippines
'Absurd And Criminal!': DOTr To Sue AirAsia Move For Sky-High Ticket Prices Amid Tacloban Crisis
Photo credit: DOTr
Here’s one for the books: a pair of plane tickets from Tacloban to Manila costing almost ₱80,000?
Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon isn’t having it—and neither is President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is now set to file an economic sabotage case against AirAsia Move, the Malaysian-based ticketing app that allegedly charged outrageous prices during an already difficult situation in Leyte.
What exactly happened? According to Leyte 4th District Representative Richard Gomez, he was floored when he saw that a one-way flight for him and his wife, Ormoc City Mayor Lucy Torres-Gomez, cost ₱77,704—almost ₱40,000 per ticket—just to fly to Manila from Tacloban. That’s more than triple the average fare.
“Clearly, this is just absurd. This is actually criminal. Criminal na ‘tong ginagawa nitong AirAsia Move na ito,” Sec. Dizon declared during a press briefing on Monday.
To make things worse, this happened amid a transport disruption in Tacloban due to the partial closure of the San Juanico Bridge—making the timing of the sky-high fares even more questionable.
Sec. Dizon wasn’t just talking tough. He’s already ordered the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group to take down the AirAsia Move app immediately, on top of the cease and desist order already issued by the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB).
And it doesn’t stop there. The DOTr, CAB, and even the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) will be launching a full investigation, not just into AirAsia Move, but other online platforms as well.
Sec. Dizon stressed that this kind of profiteering goes directly against the marching orders of President Marcos: Keep air travel affordable for all Filipinos.
“Pagka ulit-ulit ng Pangulo natin, we should never allow our people to be abused. Hindi pwedeng abusuhin ang ating mga kababayan,” he emphasized.
To help curb future abuse, Dizon also instructed the CAB to publish correct pricing for domestic flights and advised travelers to book directly through airlines, not third-party apps.
“We will not allow this, lalo na sa nangyayari ngayon sa Tacloban. May krisis na nga, tapos sasamantalahin pa ng ganitong klaseng platform ang ating mga kababayan? Hindi puwede ’yan.”
With the DOTr taking a hardline stance, all eyes are now on how AirAsia Move will respond—and whether this crackdown will lead to cleaner skies for Filipino travelers.
Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon isn’t having it—and neither is President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is now set to file an economic sabotage case against AirAsia Move, the Malaysian-based ticketing app that allegedly charged outrageous prices during an already difficult situation in Leyte.
What exactly happened? According to Leyte 4th District Representative Richard Gomez, he was floored when he saw that a one-way flight for him and his wife, Ormoc City Mayor Lucy Torres-Gomez, cost ₱77,704—almost ₱40,000 per ticket—just to fly to Manila from Tacloban. That’s more than triple the average fare.
“Clearly, this is just absurd. This is actually criminal. Criminal na ‘tong ginagawa nitong AirAsia Move na ito,” Sec. Dizon declared during a press briefing on Monday.
To make things worse, this happened amid a transport disruption in Tacloban due to the partial closure of the San Juanico Bridge—making the timing of the sky-high fares even more questionable.
Sec. Dizon wasn’t just talking tough. He’s already ordered the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group to take down the AirAsia Move app immediately, on top of the cease and desist order already issued by the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB).
And it doesn’t stop there. The DOTr, CAB, and even the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) will be launching a full investigation, not just into AirAsia Move, but other online platforms as well.
Sec. Dizon stressed that this kind of profiteering goes directly against the marching orders of President Marcos: Keep air travel affordable for all Filipinos.
“Pagka ulit-ulit ng Pangulo natin, we should never allow our people to be abused. Hindi pwedeng abusuhin ang ating mga kababayan,” he emphasized.
To help curb future abuse, Dizon also instructed the CAB to publish correct pricing for domestic flights and advised travelers to book directly through airlines, not third-party apps.
“We will not allow this, lalo na sa nangyayari ngayon sa Tacloban. May krisis na nga, tapos sasamantalahin pa ng ganitong klaseng platform ang ating mga kababayan? Hindi puwede ’yan.”
With the DOTr taking a hardline stance, all eyes are now on how AirAsia Move will respond—and whether this crackdown will lead to cleaner skies for Filipino travelers.
Jun 3, 2025
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