Four (04) AirAsia destinations in the Philippines have scrapped the use of a negative RT-PCR test and mandatory quarantine for fully vaccinated guests arriving from Metro Manila.
Passengers coming from Manila entering Bacolod, Iloilo, Tacloban, and Cagayan de Oro City will no longer be asked to present a negative RT-PCR test as an entry requirement. The only requirement for these passengers now will be for them to upload a digital copy of their vaccination cards using the S-PASS. Cebu Province meanwhile, regardless of vaccine status, has completely scrapped the testing requirements in lieu of a medical certificate taken 24 hours prior to departure date which confirms that guests do not manifest any COVID-19 symptoms.
Meanwhile, other destinations like Bohol, Caticlan (Boracay), Davao, General Santos City, Puerto Princesa, and Zamboanga will continue to require negative RT-PCR tests taken at least 72 hours prior to departure.
“The easing of restrictions has always been a welcome development for AirAsia. While we strongly push for more relaxed travel requirements, we continuously advise our guests to be extra cautious and be responsible travelers as we all live and adapt to the new normal in air travel,” according to AirAsia Philippines Spokesperson Steve Dailisan.
The OCTA Research group recently reported that the COVID-19 infection rate in the NCR continues to drop to 0.58% with a positivity rate of 10% which translates to a seven-day average of 1,681 cases per day.
AirAsia Philippines has welcomed this positive development with the additional frequency of flights that are guaranteed with a NO CANCELLATION policy, meaning, guests can be assured that their flight will depart on schedule, except for any unforeseen factors outside the airline’s control.
Starting 18 October 2021, AirAsia Philippines will fly daily from Manila to Boracay, Cebu and Tacloban. Meanwhile, the airline will continue to fly to Iloilo (4x weekly), Davao, Bohol and Zamboanga (3x weekly), Puerto Princesa, Bacolod and General Santos City (2x weekly) on schedule.
“Filipinos are known to be family-centric. With All Souls’ Day and All Saints’ Day nearing, we expect more people to fly and visit their loved ones in the provinces especially since the occasion falls on a long weekend,” added by Dailisan.
Since the relaxing of travel restrictions last month, AirAsia Philippines’ load factor continues to increase. AirAsia PH’s average load factor was up to 73% during the first half of October. Top destinations include Bacolod, Bohol, Cebu and Boracay.
Seats sold for the period between 16 August to 14 October for Boracay were recorded significantly higher than in previous months, at a whopping 173% higher than in the period July to mid-August, which was followed by Bohol at 137% and Cebu at 68% stronger.
AirAsia was recently awarded the Best Low-Cost Airline in the world for the 12th consecutive year by international airport and airline review and ranking site Skytrax. AirAsia Group is also among the top airlines worldwide to achieve the top 7/7 rating for being Covid-19 safe by the aviation experts at Airlineratings.com.
To ensure safety for its guests and employees, and as part of its robust Covid-19 mitigation plan, AirAsia has made check-in via the airasia Super App mandatory for all guests. All guests are encouraged to download and make full use of the airasia Super App, the only all-in-one app that guests need for their journey – from flights to hotel bookings and more.
Over recent times the airline has implemented numerous contactless procedures including during check-in, boarding, inflight, and baggage collection. Furthermore, 100% of AirAsia Philippines’ flight crew and ground staff are already fully vaccinated against COVID-19 so guests can be assured of the highest safety and hygiene standards at all times.
