Heads up our 1Pisofare readers! YOU CAN REFUND THE TERMINAL FEE of tickets for both promo and regular fare, if your flight is scheduled to depart FROM Manila, Cebu, and Caticlan airports and you were not able to take the flight.
Yes you can, even if it is you who cancelled your flight or you were a “No Show” at the airport.
Cebu Pacific, Philippine Airlines, Air Asia, and other airlines offering routes from select Philippine airports will refund the paid terminal fee that is already included in the cost of ticket at purchased time.
The Philippine airports domestic terminal fee is P200 for Manila/Caticlan and P300 from Cebu. The international airport terminal fee is P550 for Manila and P200 for Caticlan.
How to check if you already paid terminal fee?
If you want to know if you already paid for the terminal fee or not, you can contact the hotline number of Cebu Pacific or Philippine Airlines or Air Asia, and others to verify with a customer service rep. Or you can simply get the copy of your ticket itinerary or eTicket and look for any charges for PH Passenger Service Charge and PH PSC Value Added Tax. The total amount represents the terminal fee you already paid.
Check these online bookings:
The first is a ticket good for two persons flying out of NAIA to Taipei, each person’ s terminal fee is P550. That is why the total amount for refund is P1,100. See the highlighted in green.
The first ticket was paid using BDO credit card, this is the REFUND of P1,100 as reflected in the Statement of Account on the BDO cc.
The second sample is a confirmed Cebu Pacific ticket flying from Manila to Cebu. The terminal fee is P200, this was refunded in cash, since the ticket was book and paid in cash.
The Present Situation
The airports in Manila NAIA Terminal 1, 2, and 3, Mactan – Cebu International Airport, and Godofredo P. Ramos Airport in Caticlan requires passengers to PAY FOR THE TERMINAL FEE during booking time. Meaning, the terminal fee is automatically collected and is part of the total ticket price that passengers like you pay for flights exiting these airports.
All other airports in the Philippines does not charge the terminal fees (TF) automatically with airfare purchase; you will only pay the TF when you get to the airport.
So what flights already include terminal fee in the ticket and thus can be refunded by the airlines? These are the specific flights:
All Domestic Flights exiting any Manila airports – Refund P200!
All Domestic Flights exiting Caticlan airport – Refund P200!
All Domestic Flights exiting Cebu airport – Refund P300!
All International Flights exiting Manila airports – Refund P550!
All International Flights exiting Caticlan airport – Refund P200!
What does this mean? Even if you are a no show to your flight or you cancelled your ticket, you can refund the terminal fee paid, because you did not use the terminal, so you should not be charged. But since the payment was collected ahead, what you can do now is request for refund.
Passenger have one year to refund the unused terminal fee from ticket flight date. Failure to file a request for refund in Cebu Pacific, Philippine Airlines, etc. within the allotted time will forfeit the payment.
PHILIPPINE TRAVEL TAX
There is a Philippine Travel Tax in the amount of P1,620 for Filipinos flying out of the country. Some airlines like Cebu Pacific gives options to passengers booking international flights in their website to already pay the Philippine Travel Tax together with the airfare.
*In case you already paid the Philippine Travel Tax at the time of ticketing book, call the airline hotline to request for refund if for whatever reason you will not push on with your flight abroad.
NO TERMINAL FEE FOR OFWS
Overseas Filipino Workers are exempted from paying terminal fee. There are dedicated Refund Counter in the Manila NAIA airports for fee refund request.
During booking in Cebu Pacific there is box there stating, “I am exempted from paying Terminal Fee (PH Passenger Service Charge)” check this if you are an OFW.
OFWs who availed of the Terminal Fee exemption needs to present any of the following documents at the Airport Bag Drop counters:
- Present original copy of the Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC) issued by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) or Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA)
- Present original copy of OEC Balik Manggagawa certificate
- iDOLE OFW ID
- Exemption Certificate (MEC) issued by the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA)
How to Request for Terminal Fee Refund?
Do not waste hard-earned money. If you were not able to take your flight and your flight will leave from airports in Cebu, Manila, Caticlan, make sure to file for refund on the terminal fee.
- Go to any ticketing branch of the airline in your city or the one located in the airport. Bring a copy of your ticket itinerary and valid ID(s). At least 2 IDs to be sure.
- Call the hotline numbers.
Our 1Pisofare team usually just call Cebu Pacific at (02) 702 0888 to file for refund since we usually pay for promo tickets using credit card or via paypal. The refund will be credited back to the credit card used or the paypal account after 1 to 2 weeks.
However, if you paid in cash, your refund will also be given in cash on the spot but only the Cebu Pacific ticketing branch can process your refund (you can’t process via hotline for payments made in cash like in LBC, 7 Eleven, bank over the counter, etc.)
Refunding terminal fee in Air Asia is different. You have to sign a form online from their website.
For Philippine Airlines refund, you can call them at (02) 855 8888 or email them at onlinebooking_refunds@philippineairlines.com for those who booked their PAL tickets online. For other domestic refunds request you can also email them at refunds_domestic@pal.com.ph.
For those visiting ticketing branches, download a copy of your eTicket and print this for refund processing.
Follow 1Pisofare Piso Fare and Airlines Promos to get useful Travel and Booking Guides like this.
Start requesting for refund on unused terminal fees now!
Jill says
Does this apply to all airlines, like Tiger Airways? And do airlines charge you with refund fee? Thanks.
Sarah says
One year from flight date or from the date of booking? Thanks.
1PisoFare says
Hi Sarah, it’s one year from FLIGHT DATE.
Ian martinez says
Cebu Pacific told me it is 1 year from the purchase date, but this is illogical
1PisoFare says
Hi Ian, that is true, the rule was changed. We were not able to refund 2 more Cebu Pacific tickets in 2017 because their counting became 1 year from purchase date, not the flight date.