MANILA - Cebu Pacific on Thursday said it has integrated e-wallet payments for flight bookings since passengers are expected to continue demanding contactless channels even after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Starting June 16, those booking for flights can now use GrabPay, PayMaya and GCash for payments since credit card penetration remains low in the country, Cebu Pacific vice president for Marketing and Customer Experience Candice Iyog told reporters.

It has used the COVID-19 pandemic downtime to accelerate its digital transformation, Iyog said.

"With the pandemic, there is an increase in the usage of e-wallets. So now with the launch of new web, IOS and Android booking channels, you can now book and pay for flights using GrabPay, GCash and Paymaya," Iyog said.

Cebu Pacific, among the global airlines hit by the pandemic, is slowly increasing its network which is now operating in 32 domestic destinations.

Iyog said starting June 21, the airline would offer flights to Boracay 5x daily as well as daily flights to Bohol.

Aside from permanently removing rebooking fees, the carrier also now offers more flexible options such as the new Ceb Flexi product for P499 which enables users to voluntarily change or cancel flights and store the value in a travel fund.

Iyog said the airline also offers the lowest RT-PCR tests with its partners for only P2,500. Passengers just need to set an appointment through its website, she said. Some local governments still require RT-PCR tests for travel.

Despite the recent surge in COVID-19 cases, Cebu Pacific remains optimistic of recovery due to the current vaccine rollout, Iyog said.

"The phase is giving us the hope and optimism that in due time our network will recover to pre-pandemic levels," she said.

However, Cebu Pacific joins other groups in the call to remove the international traveler arrival cap imposed at the height of the surge earlier this year.

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On the vaccination front, the airline said some 25 percent of its line polits and cabin crew have been vaccinated.

It has also helped transport COVID-19 vaccines from China to Manila and to key cities across the country.

• Cebu Pacific signs P16 billion loan with several domestic banks

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