In a report posted on Korea Times, two Philippines airlines that fly to Korea are mentioned as unsafe. These are Air Asia Zest and Cebu Pacific ~ both budget carriers. Cebu Pacific started chartered flights to Korea more than half a decade ago and it is a favorite budget carrier by Filipino and Korean travelers alike. I have not taken a Cebu Pacific flight since they don’t have a direct flight to Clark, which is the nearest airport to my city.
Air Asia Zest started operations in Korea since last year and they offer one of the cheapest tickets to and from Korea. They fly to Incheon (Seoul) and Busan. Likewise, I have not tried this carrier.
AirAsia Zest and Cebu Pacific Air from the Philippines are among the least safe airlines that fly to and from Korea, government data showed Sunday.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) released safety-related information of 70 carriers from 32 countries that operate in Korea Sunday.
“We are considering legislation that limits airlines (identified as unsafe by international authorities) from starting new operations in Korea. If those already flying to and from Korea do not improve their safety in two years, the legislation may ban their flights,†the ministry said.
Read the full text.
The two airlines will need to improve their safety standards, or else a lot of Filipinos may be disappointed if they get banned by the MOLIT in Korea. Cebu Pacific’s incredibly low rates and “Piso Fare” specials has been making it possible for Filipinos to visit Korea on a budget. It is the same for Koreans who visit the Philippines.
Ay dami ko naririnig na horror stories with cebupac flying to korea…pero my family ised cebupac when they came here for jacob’s dol janchi ok nman…i guess lucky day for my family
Mga ate ko rin, Cebu Pac gamit nila nung nagpunta sila rito. Wala naman untoward incident at hindi rin delayed ang flight nila.
least unsafe – double negative means safe
least safe – unsafe
Oh thanks! Didn’t realize it 😀
Hi Ms. Betchay! I’m a Cabalen from San Fernando and I’ve been following your blogs and FB page. I enjoy reading your posts since they are very informative. My husband works there but decided to end his contract. Before he goes back to PI he wanted me and our son to visit SK by the end of this month. I’m very anxious as this will be my first time to go abroad and with my son pa. We will be flying in AirAsia Zest hoping for a safe travel. Lalo po ako na-tetense kasi and dami pinapadala for Pinoy friends working there. Is it alright to bring boxes of over-the-counter medicines in my check-in luggage? What would be the worst case scenario if customs would detect those meds? Will they just confiscate the items or they wouldn’t allow us to enter Korea? Anyway, I pray that everything goes well as I have been preparing a lot for this tour..