Cebu Pacific Special Child Discrimination

January 6, 2010
GMA News’ 24 Oras reported that a mother by the name Mylene Alcantara claimed to have been maltreated by the local airline firm Cebu Pacific for discriminating her special child. Cebu Pacific Personnel that time, tried to explain to Mylene Alcantara that certain company policy allows only two special children to be on board on [...]

Cebu Pacific Special Child Discrimination (more...)

  • carlo

    such a lame policy! these kids are people too

  • syrus

    @carlo: yeah… i think that policy stinks…

  • Joseph

    they dont care for their passengers. our baggage was lost and they dont even care to contact us up to now since our november 25 flight. can u imagine that? gop to their lost and found baggage they can easily trace the owners of the bags and they dont do anything at all. nagaantay na nakawin nila yung mga laman.

  • Mai Ong

    We are a frequent flyer using cebupac airlines. But after hearing this news, it got me so sad because i myself have a special needs child with Autism, (fortunately haven't been discriminated by the said airline…yet).

    I am not sure what the condition of Ms.Alcanatara's child is. But I hope this could pave way for the other people, and airlines staff/personnel to be aware that there are many families with special kids and that they deserved to be treated humans too.

    True, they may cause some disturbance and inconvenience to other people and passengers,it could really be irritating especially if we don't know a thing about having some disorder or abnormality and being different having special needs, but isn't it just right for us neurotypical/normal people to at least try to understand them better? be more compassionate, and forgiving?

    I hope the world will not be very discriminating and cruel.

    I salute Ms.Alcantara for this fight. We parents of special needs children, can only exert so much effort for the entire country or world for this awareness.

  • jutz

    As always… Well, Cebu Pacific is very much known for its promo fares, but infamous to its delayed flights. Imagine the delay of 5 hours. Were it not for the OFW who furiously gone wild because of their senseless delay, they would not had offered us a 1piece pathetic Chickenjoy for lunch. I can stand the delay, but to debase and demean an innocent child is something else. If I were the father of the child, i just can't imagine what I would do to them. The lawsuit will surely prosper. In fact, they can invoke the child abuse law not only to claim damages, but for appropriate justiciable remedies.

  • airline dude

    can we please not jump into conclusions without hearing all of the facts. the only reason why there is such a policy is for safety, and safety only… of the passengers that is. this policy exists for the exact same reason that only 2 unaccompanied minors are allowed onboard any given flight. during an emergency situation, which the airline works so hard to eliminate but always plans for, it would already be a difficult task to safely evacuate able bodied passengers, let alone, those with special needs/disabilities. i don't believe any of us would like to hear of news about a handicapped person becoming a casualty of an incident that would otherwise not be deadly, had the cabin crew not been overwhelmed with too much work during that critical time. remember, they have special needs and need special attention and since cabin crews are limited in number, the airlines have to limit the number of those said passengers so they can always be taken care of properly and sufficiently. just like there's a required number of cabin crew for the number of passengers (technically, seats on board), same goes for passengers with special needs. but since an airline does not know in advance how many handicapped passengers are going to be on a given flight, they have to put a limit according to the number of cabin crew assigned to that said flight. this is also necessary even during a normal, non eventful flight as the airline wants to ensure that all the passengers are cared for. it obviously becomes even more critical during an emergency situation.

    i understand what transpired can be humiliating for passengers but we have to remember that flying on an airplane isn't exactly a "normal, everyday" activity. we allow the authorities to do invasive procedures that we would normally deem intrusive and humiliating (i.e. searches and scans) because we understand that this is for our own safety. i hope this sheds some light on the situation and will help us appreciate those who work hard to help us get to where we need to be. as for delays, that is a whole other topic but trust me, most of the blame should rest on the aviation governing body.

  • fumingmad

    fuck that policy! if they cannot handle two kids with special needs, then it is clear that they lack expertise in providing quality service. how many children with special needs fly everyday? what if the situation calls for the flight of more than one child? how can cebu pacific face this? also, if it is the safety that was the primary issue, wouldn't it be better had the flight staff explained it thoroughly and with empathy to Ms. Alcantara rather than just forcing them to get off the plane? insensitive bastards, that's what they are…

    • Archie

      Indeed!

      Mga bastardong bastos sila…

  • http://sugod.com/webwiki/index.php?title=Cebu_Pacific_Airlines charles palma

    Well, haven't heard of that policy before. But i think its reasonable to have that rule implemented.

    Before boarding Cebu Pacific, has anyone read the rules regarding Civil Aviation?

  • Omar cordova

    If they cannot handle 2 children with special needs, I wonder if they can handle an emergency inside the plane.

    By the way guys, you get what you pay for in terms of quality….

  • Archie

    airline dude,

    wag mo na ipagtanggol. Kung totoo mang hindi kasalanan ng airline but ng crew or ng employee, kasalanan pa rin ng company yan.

    For so long, they have been tolerating, if not instructing their employees to treat passengers/customers rudely, in the name of PROFIT!

    Hell, who cares about 1, 10, or 100 complaints, thousands and thousands pa rin naman nagogoyo natin sa "mura" fares natin.

    Mukhang pera kasi.

    I was so loyal sa airline na yan until they blew my top by humiliating me and unjustifiably denying me to board my flight (with several lies as reasons, one after another) two years ago.

    That's it. Since then, never did I, my family, close friends, fly with that cheap airline. Yeah, it won't hurt them, but sooner or later, people will realize.

    Hindi mababaon ang kabastusan nila if they do not correct their practices.

    Palagi lang standard dahilan nila is Budget Airline kasi..

    $#!+!!! Does not give them the right na mambastos ng customers!

    And hell, their fares are even higher than PAL.

  • bhey

    sa inasal ng mga crew ng cebu pacific, di kaya mas mukha silang may diprensya?! ewan ko kung gawain ng normal na tao ang ginawa nila.

  • betsy

    Civil aviation?? For security reasons?? do you also consider the discrimination they done?? does the crew knew how to deal with special children?? And does the airline know to understand them??

    They don't understand them and care. klaro they operate for business and profit only…

  • art

    "It’s very sad to hear news like the one above, and I don’t know what to say and think about anymore. I can only hope and pray that the issue will resolve peacefully sooner than later before this becomes something bigger…"

    I'm quoting your statement and I am sorry to learn that you cannot make a stand. The fact that CP is apologizing means that they know that they were wrong. They know that their flight crew made a wrong decision. This "safety procedures" reason is just an escape goat.

    Maybe CP should change their ad:

    "Cebu Pacific Airlines.. It's time everyone flies …using another airline."

    Or maybe… "Cebu Pacific… mapapamura ka sa mura!"

  • myrna

    To airline dude. I hope you know what your talking about. Much more, I hope this similar situation will not happen to you and to your family. It doesn't mean that once they're on board, the crews have to baby sit them. The accompanying family members are already prepared and trained how to handle the needs of their children especially if its a long flight. These chidren deserve to enjoy life and we fortunate people should not deprived them of that. They did not choose these condition.

    I have also observed that this airline are so focus on keeping their records to be ahead or on time with their flight schedules to the point that they don't care with regards to the convenience they give to their passengers. To make their boarding fast they usually let passengers seated at the back rows (usually from row 16 and beyond) to go down the stairs and and go up again at the rear end of the plane while the ones seated in the front rows will go through the tube and directly to the plane. Kawawa naman yung may mabigat na dala at may mga bata na kailangan pa maglakad sa labas. Pareho lang naman ang bayad ng lahat but very inconvenient para sa mga passengers seated sa likod.

  • Clarissa

    I think this policy is okay. I think there was a problem with how the airline staff transcended the message to Ms. Alcantara since she was humiliated. And what they should have done was to assign Ms. Alcantara and her child to another plane instead of just denying them entry. That's like ridiculous since these are customers too.

    I'm a Child Development and Education major. My minor is Special Education–the field wherein the needs of Ms. Alcantara's child are being taken care of. It's not a simple and easy job when these children get their "sumpongs". If it is, then parents of these children should not have been recommended to go to seminars and trainings discussing how to give proper care to their kids. There are no specific pills that can pacify these children. If you've ever heard of pills like Ritalin, I would have to remind you guys that Ritalin's pacifying effects are not really applicable to all children.

    Cebu Pacific is a profiting company. So they really have to take care of this kind of things. One special kid is already very hard to handle–even experts find one hard to handle already. What if there are two? And come on guys, I hope you will stop being hypocritical. There are many people who have a distorted view on special children. It's inevitable that some passengers will raise their eyebrows if they experience the kids' sumpongs. Some can really be too noisy and rowdy. And these kids can have bizarre reactions to other kids' behaviors so yeah. I think they are avoiding this to happen because it can really disturb other people. If you are in a plane with 2 noisy kids who are uncontrollable, won't you get annoyed? You cannot say "the parents will handle it" or "the parents know their kids are already behaved"–unfortunately, this is hard to determine in the case of special kids.

    I believe that to avoid this kind of situation, Cebu Pacific should do a better job in allocating their passengers. Alamin nila kung may special child ba o wala para hindi na lang nagkakaroon ng conflicts. Since their customer care is more than horrible naman. They should also train their staff to be more courteous–this is so obvious in all instances. Mura nga ang flight pero walang customer courtesy.

  • in fairness

    dapat ang ginawa ng cebu pacific and the rest of the airline is me regulations sila na mandatory i de declare ng next of kin na sasama sa pasahero na me special disability – UPON BUYING THE TICKET AND BEFORE BOARDING THE PLANE. para sa ganun aware ang crew kung ano ang medical condition at special needs ng pasahero.

    my question is: did the mother informed the ticket counter upon check in about her sons condition?

    di naman manghuhula ang mga cabin crew kung me mapapansin silang unusual behavior dun sa pasahero. ang mali lang nila eh sinabi nilang mentally ill. [na hindi naman]

    but then again, the crew are not competent to medically diagnose a passenger. otherwise dehins sila cabin crew at mga duktor sila

    i dont think discrimination ang nangyari kasi they were allowed to board…tsaka going to my first question: did the mother informed the ground crew upon checking in na me special needs anak nya?

    in case na sinabi nung nanay before boarding pa lang na me special needs yung anak nya…at least me panahon pa silang mag consult sa isang medical specialist para naman maging aware yung flight crew about the situation AND the crew can address it properly

    i dont see this unpleasant situation caused by reasons such as,dahil cheap ang pamasahe, dahil me policy safety sila , or di courteous ang mga attendant.

    kung alam ng flight crew prior to boarding yung sitwasyon ng magina…would they act in such a manner?

    and going back on that million dollar question:

    DID THE MOTHER INFORMED THE GROUND STAFF UPON CHECKING IN NA ME KASAMA SYANG ME SPECIAL NEEDS?

    its the parents responsibility to inform the airline as such-Prior to boarding or even upon buying the ticket.

  • kaye

    I think its the MANNER of telling the parents (of the children with special needs) that is wrong / uncalled for.

    They should review / revise their policies and consult experts for that. They should undergo trainings also on how to deal and to handle children with disabilities / special needs. In the same way that they should add specifics on the details of the passengers who will purchase their tickets to prevent such incidents.

    I feel for the parents of those children. They did not deserve such treatment!

  • Naida

    ang mga crew ng CebuPacific ay talagang very poor sa customer service.They are very unprofessional kung mag treat ng customer.I wonder if they finish college and have trainings.