Cebu Pacific lets go over 150 newly-hired flight attendants due to flight cancellations

Budget carrier Cebu Pacific is laying off more than a hundred newly-hired flight attendants as the restricted air travel due to the threat of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) hits the air transportation sector.

Cebu Pacific said the decision was “painful” but a “necessary action to take to cope with the impact of COVID-19.”

This as the enhanced community quarantine in the entire Luzon will mean reduced flights and operations in the coming months.

“We will have less requirement for flying staff,” Cebu Pacific said.

“Given this situation, it is a difficult decision but we are letting go of our newly-hired cabin crew because less flights mean less time and opportunity for them to gain inflight experience,” the airline said.

The cabin crews’ last day as Cebu Pacific employees will be on March 19, 2020.

Asked how many personnel will be affected, Cebu Pacific Charo Logarta told GMA News Online that it is “over 150.”

Cebu Pacific, however, assured that affected employees are treated fairly and have been given packages which are more than what the law requires.

“We also assured them that if the business picks up hopefully in the very near future, they will be prioritized in the hiring,” it said.

Under the guidelines for the enhanced community quarantine, outbound passengers intending to depart the Philippines from any international airport shall be allowed to travel for 72 hours from the effectivity of the directive.

Meanwhile, inbound passengers shall be allowed entry, subject to quarantine procedures if coming from countries with existing travel restrictions.

“Over the past several days, we have seen a rapid escalation of developments surrounding the spread of the COVID-19,” Cebu Pacific said.

It said since the situation started progressing last January, the aviation industry—including Cebu Pacific—has been hurting from the impact of the disease.

“We have had to cancel flights to key international markets, and more recently, majority of our domestic operations due to community quarantines and air travel restrictions,” it said.

“We considerably reduced capacity on other routes we are still able to fly due to the drop in passenger volume. Some passengers booked for flights that have not been affected by any restrictions since late January 2020 have opted to forego travel due to uncertainties,” it added.

Cebu Pacific also noted that it implemented austerity measures such as delaying non-critical projects and programs, a hiring freeze, deferment of some training programs, cancellation of non-essential activities, restricting overtime, and pay cuts by our executives.

“Over the past several weeks, we have continually apprised our flying crew and the rest of the staff regarding our situation. Many have gone beyond the call of duty to find ways to help better manage costs. We thank them for their understanding and support through this extremely difficult period,” Cebu Pacific said.—AOL, GMA News