Domestic carriers told to shape up • Poor service underscores need to regulate industry, says Rep. Mendiola

A House legislator has urged domestic carriers to improve their service for inter-island travelers, saying he would not press ahead with a plan for a legislation to regulate their business so long as they implement measures preventing inconvenience to passengers.

“The bottomline is they should provide good service to the people,” said Rota Rep. Alejo M. Mendiola, reacting on the appeal by Pacific Island Aviation and Freedom Air against his proposal requiring them to compensate their stranded passengers.

He said he has received numerous complaints “about (passengers) not being treated well” by the two domestic airlines in the event of delayed or canceled flights.

But airline representatives maintain they have company policies dealing with the situation and there is no need for a legislation to ensure that their customers are not shortchanged.

They have expressed strong opposition against House Bill 11-399, sponsored by Mendiola, seeking to compensate passengers stranded by change in schedule of domestic flights in a recent meeting with legislative leaders.

Aimed at establishing passengers’ rights during air travel within the Northern Marianas, the proposal will affect domestic operations and throw Freedom Air and PIA into deeper troubles at a time when they are barely surviving on the heels of the worst economic crisis on the island.

Mendiola, however, stressed the need to safeguard the rights of passengers, especially tourists whom the CNMI government is trying to entice to visit other islands.

“If they are opposed to my bill, I wish they comply with their policies so that they don’t cause inconvenience to their passengers,” he told in an interview.

Both airlines fly regularly from Saipan to Rota, Tinian and Guam. They are the most common mode of transportation among local residents on Rota and Tinian who go to Saipan for business and other purposes.

Under the proposal, they will be required to offers rewards to their passengers for flights delayed for more than three hours due to events not caused by natural calamities or disasters.

Airlines shall also be required to refund payment to the passengers and make immediate arrangement for transfer to another carrier.

The House committee on Public Utilities, Transportation and Communications has been tasked to review the measure to allow PIA and Freedom Air to submit their recommendation prior to actual voting on the floor.