Fraudulent Use of Tickets

Cebu Pacific Air warns about Fraudulent Use of Tickets and Presentation of Falsified Documents! Crazy things happen in the Philippines. We cite the article published on Cebu Pacific Air’s website.

CEB Advisory

Fraudulent Use of Tickets and Presentation of Falsified Documents

​Cebu Pacific (CEB) recently intercepted passengers who attempted to use tickets booked in the name of other persons. These passengers presented fake identification cards which were allegedly provided by unauthorized travel agencies who sold them confirmed Cebu Pacific itineraries with bookings under different names.

CEB has demanded travel agencies involved to cease and desist from engaging in these unlawful acts as soon as possible. CEB has also reported to the Philippine National Police (PNP) passengers who presented fake IDs in an attempt to use tickets booked in the name of other guests.

CEB reminds the travelling public that passengers and travel agencies who engage in these fraudulent transactions may be charged with civil and criminal actions under existing laws, and may face imprisonment of up to 20 years.

Guests are encouraged to book flights only via the official Cebu Pacific website, Cebu Pacific Mobile App, reservation hotlines, and to transact with legitimate sales agents.

Passengers may also check CEB’s latest seat sales and promos by signing up for CEB’s newest lifestyle rewards program, GetGo, or by following CEB’s official Twitter (@CebuPacificAir) and Facebook pages.

CEB’s authorized payment channels and payment procedures can also be found here: http://bit.ly/CEBPaymentChannels.

 [Editor’s comment:] How does it come that somebody uses a ticket of an other person or with an other person’s name? Why do travel agencies produce fake identification cards?
There seem to be two reasons.

1. About 12 to 18 times per year Cebu Pacific Air (CEB) launches promo offers. These offers are limited in time and in number of seats per flight. Some not very clean travel agencies might buy whole bunches of these cheap tickets and resell them at price somewhere between the year around price and the promo offer. The difference is their earning. To resell these tickets they need to provide the customer with a fake ID in the name of the fictive person on the ticket. This is really a crime, but 20 years of prison?
2. Cebu Pacific Air (CEB) applies severe restrictions in name changes and in refunds. If you have to cancel a flight, you get no refund. A part of the money spent for the ticket is eaten up by the cancellation fee. The other part goes to your travel fund, to be used within 90 days. These rules are not applicable for promo tariffs. Cancellation or  Change fee is applicable per sector per guest.  Cancellation or  Change will apply to all guests in the booking. If I book a flight for my whole family and one kid cannot come with us, I either cancel the whole family or I loose my kid’s fare because of “no show”. These not customer friendly policies may provoke creative but illegal actions by some passengers. You may find the original travel conditions here and here.

The Low Cost flying business is a hard business with hard rules for the airlines and for the customers. If there is the slightest chance that you have to modify anything in your trip plan, it is strongly recommended to fly with a Legacy Carrier. The tickets will be more expensive, but you will have your freedom to change many things.

[GARD]