MANILA - AirAsia Philippines said flights are still available for the holiday season despite the anticipated huge passenger volume for the period.

AirAsia Philippines spokesperson Steve Dailisan said their passenger load factor so far is around 80 percent. This means there are still about 20 percent of seats per flight on average that are still available for purchase even for those last-minute decisions to fly this Christmas.

Dailisan however reminded passengers that due to the high demand for travel this holiday season, fares may be higher than the usual rates.

“Gusto natin makasama mga loved ones natin during this time of the year, meron pa po sila mabobook. Pero yun nga lang habang papalipat ang kanilang expected travel date, asahan nila magkakaroon ng adjustment naman doon sa presyo, sa airfare,” he said.

Dailisan expects around 300,000 passengers from December 16, 2024 to January 6, 2025. The peak days would be beginning December 20 until 23 and after the New Year celebration when passengers return back to Metro Manila.

Though there are still seats available for most flights, he said some flights are already almost fully booked. These destinations are usually where tourists go for the holiday break.

“Mostly leisure destinations yun talagang fully booked para sa amin like Caticlan, yung uuwi sa Panglao sa Tagbilaran, Bohol, maging ang Puerto Princesa… Incheon sa Korea, Narita at Osaka sa Japan, maging ang Taipei at Hong Kong, eto madalas pinupuntahan dahil doon madalas nag new year sa bansang iyon,” he said.

Because of the influx of passengers, Dailisan urges passengers to be at the airport at least four hours before an international flight and three hours before a domestic flight. This is also due to possible traffic leading to the airport and because there are ongoing construction projects inside the NAIA complex.