MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Transportation (DOTr) announced on June 2 its decision to shut down the online airline booking platform AirAsia Move due to allegations of exorbitant ticket pricing.

Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon disclosed details during a briefing, responding to concerns raised by Representative Richard Gomez of Leyte regarding suspiciously high fares listed on the platform.

Screenshots presented by Dizon indicated that AirAsia Move was offering Philippine Airlines tickets from Tacloban to Manila for up to PHP 77,720 for two passengers, with economy class options beginning at PHP 49,507.

In stark comparison, directly booking through Philippine Airlines for the same route yielded a fare of no more than PHP 12,600.

The DOTr stated that the price surge coincided with a transportation crisis affecting the regions of Leyte and Samar, related to the closure of the San Juanico Bridge, which may have led to opportunistic fare increases by the booking platform.

While AirAsia Move remained operational as of June 2 morning, reports emerged following the DOTr's announcement that ticket prices for Tacloban were dropping to between PHP 7,000 and PHP 8,000 for travel from June 2 to June 7. However, access to the site was reported to be inconsistent at that time.

Prior to the June 2 announcement, the DOTr had issued a cease and desist order against AirAsia Move on May 26, claiming that the platform was involved in the unauthorized sale of airline tickets at prices surpassing those approved by the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB).

In response to the order, AirAsia Move stated it would comply but contended that, being a foreign-based online travel agency headquartered in Malaysia, it was not subject to the CAB's jurisdiction.

Dizon emphasized the involvement of the Philippine National Police's anti-cybercrime unit in enforcing the shutdown within the Philippines.

Dizon also mentioned that economic sabotage charges would be filed against the platform, clarifying that the focus of the investigation was on passenger overcharging rather than the airlines themselves.

CAB Executive Director Carmelo Arcilla noted that even though AirAsia Move is not directly under CAB jurisdiction, the issue of pricing falls within the board's regulatory framework, as it is responsible for setting fare ceilings for domestic airline services.

Arcilla stated, "For domestic services, we approve fares, because it is required by law.

We set the ceiling, and when that ceiling is violated by an entity, even if they are not defined under our jurisdiction, they come within our enforcement proceedings."