Flying the friendly skies

There's nothing like flying with PAL to rid one of any holiday cheer.

Last 24 December 2008, PAL decided that its old system, where at least 2 counters were assigned to each destination, was not working. So, right smack during the Christmas rush, PAL personnel decided to implement a new system: 1 line, 3 flights (leaving one after another), 3 working counters, 6 empty counters. End result: 70 fuming passengers, and counting. It was chaos. I was in line an hour and a half before my flight and waited an hour while PAL personnel ran around calling for Zamboanga passengers (and thereafter, Iloilo passengers) who were still in line and whose flights were already boarding.

When I got to the ticket counter, I was asked to present my credit card which I had used to purchase my ticket, to "prevent credit card fraud." PAL was, apparently, protecting me from myself. Because really, which crook would go to all lengths to get my credit card information and then book a flight for me? If I knew nothing about the ticket, why would I show up at the airport on the date of the flight? Wouldn't it be more reasonable to ask for this requirement if the passenger is not the person who purchased the ticket? Or is that asking too much?