The Philippine government has ordered a suspension of ticket sales via AirAsia Move, the digital booking platform affiliated with Capital A Berhad and Philippines AirAsia, following allegations of excessive and illegal airfare pricing.
The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB), under the Department of Transportation (DOTr), issued a cease-and-desist order after multiple reports indicated that the platform charged fares significantly above regulatory ceilings. The move comes amid ongoing transport disruptions in Tacloban City, where the temporary closure of a critical bridge has affected road accessibility.
Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon, speaking at a press briefing on Monday, confirmed that enforcement agencies have been instructed to take down the AirAsia Move website and initiate legal proceedings.
“We will enforce the full weight of the law on online platforms that exploit consumers,” Dizon stated. “We intend to pursue criminal economic sabotage charges against the operators.”
Government data revealed that over the weekend, AirAsia Move listed a one-way ticket from Manila to Tacloban City via Philippine Airlines at PHP 77,000 (approximately USD 1,380 or MYR 5,874)—more than three times the price available directly from the airline’s official website.
AirAsia Move attributed the incident to “temporary data synchronisation issues with flight pricing partners” and stated that it had immediately raised the matter with its third-party pricing provider. The platform also confirmed it had taken prompt corrective action.
Despite the company’s response, regulators remain firm that such pricing breaches represent a serious violation of national fare policies.
“What AirAsia Move is doing is criminal,” Dizon said. “This level of pricing is simply unacceptable.”
-Bloomberg
