23/04/2025
Grabe na talaga sa NAIA 😭 Wala na silang pinipili !
Be Aware:
HAYYY TRAVEL NIGHTMARE WITH CEBU PACIFIC – FLIGHT 5J279 (April 15, 2025) 🙄💔
What was supposed to be a beautiful, long-awaited family vacation to Bali, Indonesia turned into a heartbreaking, stressful, and honestly infuriating ordeal—all thanks to the way Cebu Pacific mishandled our situation.
Let me tell you what happened, because until now, I still can’t believe it…
When we arrived at the airport, we went straight to pay our travel tax. It went smoothly and there were no issues whatsoever with our passports.
Then we headed to Check-in Counter A19 and handed over all our passports. The ground staff checked them one by one—but when she got to my 78 years old elderly father’s passport, she paused and asked if we had seen the small tear on it before. We were completely confused—we had never noticed it. It was a tiny tear, barely noticeable, likely just from normal wear and tear due to frequent traveling—nothing that ever raised a red flag in the past.
She took photos of the passport and told us to wait, saying she would send it to immigration in Bali to confirm if it would still be accepted. We waited… and waited… almost 30 minutes passed, and still nothing. When we asked what the problem was, her responses to us where heightened. One being:
“Kung bigyan ko kayo ng boarding pass at mawalan ako ng trabaho, ano papakain ko sa mga anak ko? 14 days akong suspended.”
That hit hard. It felt like emotional manipulation. It was unprofessional and incredibly stressful, especially since this involved a senior citizen. We were stuck—trying to stay calm, trying not to cause delays, but deeply frustrated.
She told us to wait until 2:00 AM. Since it was taking too much time, my aunt went to the senior citizen check-in counter—and guess what? My dad was issued a boarding pass within minutes. Finally, some relief. We proceeded to immigration, and the immigration staff then confirmed the tear was normal wear and tear and that the passport was valid.
At Gate 102, we waited to board. But there was no announcement that the gate had changed to Gate 111. We only found out last-minute and ran to the new gate. When we got there, the ground staff at the boarding gate blocked us, saying my father couldn’t board because we didn’t return to Counter A19. It wasn’t even the same staff from earlier—it was the team at the boarding gate, but it was clear they had been tipped off, probably by the staff at A19, because they even asked, “Bakit hindi na kayo bumalik sa A19?” As if we were expected to go back, even though my dad had already been issued a valid boarding pass by another Cebu Pacific counter. It didn’t make sense—and it felt like they were just looking for a reason to block him from boarding.
They refused to let him through, even though he had cleared immigration and was officially checked in.
💔 In the end, Dad didn't get to board the plane. It was heartbreaking to leave my dad behind. I had booked beautiful hotels and planned special activities—for him to relax and enjoy. And just like that, he was left behind. He had to go through immigration again just to go home, utterly disheartened.
But wait—it gets worse.
At immigration when my dad had to go back, the officers were shocked. They confirmed again the passport was fine and just showed normal wear. They even called a Cebu Pacific supervisor, who agreed—and radioed the boarding gate to wait, saying a senior citizen was on the way to board and that my father's passport was ok and valid for takeoff.
But the boarding gate staff still refused to wait and said the plane was already leaving. Just like that—my father was left behind.
It was such a painful moment 😭. I can’t describe the helplessness and anger we all felt.
This wasn’t just about a passport. This was about poor coordination, lack of compassion, and power-tripping staff who refused to listen—even when their own supervisor gave the go-ahead.
And honestly… some thoughts have been haunting me since:
What if the flight was actually overbooked, and my father was just the one they chose not to board?
Or worse… what if that tear wasn’t even there to begin with? What if someone handling the documents caused it?
Please, next time you travel—NEVER leave your passport unattended. Always take photos and show them clearly that there’s nothing wrong with your passport. You never know what excuse they’ll pull just to deny you boarding.
This whole ordeal caused emotional stress, unnecessary expenses, and ruined what was supposed to be a special family trip. We are calling for accountability. Cebu Pacific needs to do better.
If you’re traveling with seniors or kids, please be careful. Even when immigration clears you, Cebu Pacific staff might still make your trip a nightmare—because of poor training or worse, personal ego.
Do better, Cebu Pacific.
