The Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Monday said it plans to file an economic sabotage case against Malaysia-based online booking platform AirAsia Move for allegedly charging “unacceptable” airfares for flights to Tacloban City.
Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon said the DOTr, in coordination with the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) and the DOTr-Aviation Group, is preparing the charges against AirAsia Move.
In response, AirAsia Move (MOVE) issued a statement affirming its full cooperation with the government in upholding transparent and fair pricing practices and consumer protection. MOVE clarified that it does not manually set or manipulate airfares in relation to the fare discrepancy issue.
“As an Online Travel Agency (OTA), MOVE displays flight inventory and pricing data as provided by its authorized upstream suppliers, including third-party aggregators and Global Distribution Systems (GDS),” the company said.
MOVE explained that the discrepancies in fare displays—particularly for certain routes, including domestic flights operated by Philippine Airlines—were caused by temporary data synchronization issues with its third-party pricing partners. The company emphasized that the technical issue also affected other platforms in the industry, such as Agoda, Kiwi.com, and Traveloka.
MOVE said it took immediate action upon identifying the problem, contacting the third-party pricing provider for resolution and enhancing safeguards to prevent future incidents. The company also said it remains fully compliant with all regulatory requirements for OTAs operating in the Philippines.
On May 26, the CAB issued a cease and desist order against MOVE, prohibiting it from offering, promoting, or selling tickets for other Philippine carriers at prices that exceed the agency’s approved fare structures.
The DOTr’s move follows a complaint from Leyte Representative Richard Gomez and Ormoc City Mayor Lucy Torres-Gomez, who reportedly paid over P77,000 for a one-way flight from Tacloban to Manila for two passengers via the MOVE platform.
According to Dizon, the same flight could have been booked directly with Philippine Airlines for only around P12,000 per person.
“This is just absurd and really bordering—well, not bordering, this is actually criminal. What AirAsia Move is doing is criminal,” Dizon said.
“They are doing this at a time when there is an ongoing transportation crisis in Tacloban. So this is really a criminal act on the part of AirAsia Move,” he added.
The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) had earlier urged airport authorities to look into the reported increases in passenger and cargo fares in Eastern Visayas, particularly by airlines servicing Tacloban City, Ormoc City and the municipality of Catarman in Northern Samar.
The OCD addressed its appeal to the Department of Transportation (DOTr), the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB), and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP).
In a letter to Dizon, OCD administrator Ariel Nepomuceno raised concerns that recent restrictions on the San Juanico Bridge may have contributed to the air fare hikes.
He underscored the need for immediate action to maintain the smooth flow of passengers and commerce, avoid further inconvenience to residents, and support the stability of the region’s economy and markets.
“We respectfully appeal to the CAB and the CAAP to immediately look into this matter and implement appropriate legal measures to thwart or regulate these purported air fare and cargo fare increases,” Nepomuceno said.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline “AirAsia Move app at risk of facing economic sabotage case.”
