Foreign airlines hard put to take up slack for PAL

By Paolo Montecillo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 23:21:00 08/21/2010

THE GOVERNMENT may have a hard time finding foreign airlines to fly routes that may be left vacant in the event that Philippine Airlines (PAL) is paralyzed by a labor strike, an official of the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) said.

“We’ve been talking to other carriers about the possibility of a strike at PAL, and if they can pick up the slack,” CAB Deputy Executive Director Porvenir Porciuncula said in a recent interview.

He said the government was ready to grant special permits to Middle Eastern, North American and Asian carriers that serve routes similar to many of PAL’s international flights.

“Some airlines say they can take up part of PAL’s operations, but most say their resources are already overstretched just servicing their own routes,” he said.

Foreign carriers, in particular, also do not relish the fact that their services will be tapped on such short notice in case PAL’s workers go on strike.

“What we’re asking from them is very temporary but a lot of them are not so willing to commit,” Porciuncula said.

European airlines and airports had been hit by a wave of strikes earlier this year. Various American airlines are also currently involved in contentious contract negotiations with their pilots and flight attendants.

Porciuncula said it might be easier to get local airlines to take PAL’s place. “Most of PAL’s domestic routes are also being served by other (domestic) airlines,” he said. However, the adjustments that would be needed in their flight plans to take in the sudden surge of volume may take some time, he added.

“If the strike happens soon, local carriers won’t be able to handle it,” he said, stressing the need for PAL management and the company’s workers to resolve their issues to avoid the inconvenience to the riding public.

He said many airlines said they are still contacting their head offices regarding the government’s proposal.

Reallocating PAL flights and the adoption of an “open skies” or liberalized air rights regime are among the options the government is looking at in the event that discussions between PAL and its workers fail.

PAL president Jaime Bautista said he welcomed government moves toward the liberalization of the country’s air industry “to secondary points” like Clark, Cebu and Davao, easing the congestion at Manila’s airports.

“PAL is not against open skies,” Bautista said, but he still argued that whatever air rights the Philippines gives to foreign carriers should be reciprocated by other countries.

Philippine flag carriers have also been blacklisted in some airports due to the country’s failure to upgrade safety standards.