MANILA – The latest Cebu Pacific seat sale has had travelers in a tizzy, with local and international fares so low they seem too good to be true, even for an airline known for its bargain tickets.
Known as the pioneer of piso fare, Cebu Pacific is notorious for its low rates (and punny ads), making it a favorite among Filipino travelers, service complaints and punctuality notwithstanding.
With their widely welcomed removal of fuel surcharge, rates were expected to go even lower, but consumers still didn’t expect the prices that were offered at a special seat sale from Jan. 27 to 28, which offered 100,000 seats at a base fare of P1.
The sale was part of the airlines’ campaign to celebrate its 100 millionth passenger milestone.
With local roundtrip tickets going for as low as around P400 and international roundtrip tickets for as low as around P600, netizens booked their tickets in disbelief with a side of skepticism – with some reasoning a possible website glitch, others looking for hidden costs.
But apparently, there is truth in advertising. In a phone interview with adobo magazine, Cebu Pacific vice-president for Marketing Candice Iyog confirmed that the low fares are in fact real, with no hidden costs.
“Yes, it’s true, in fact, people have been able to book flights to Sydney, for example, for P4000,” Cebu Pacific Marketing Candice Iyog told adobo.
“It’s for real,” she confirmed.
The airline recently celebrated its 100 millionth passenger by awarding the lucky traveler, Yelen Bontuyan, with 100 free flights and P100,000 during a flight from Cebu to Manila last January 8. The other passengers onboard also received free roundtrip tickets to Cebu Pacific destinations. The airline marked the milestone on social media with the hashtags #100MJuans and #Juanofakindstories.
