AirAsia MOVE denies manipulating airfares as it faces PH shutdown

AirAsia MOVE (MOVE) has issued a public statement following concerns over fare discrepancies affecting certain domestic routes in the Philippines.

The statement seen by A+M reaffirms the airline's full cooperation with government authorities and its commitment to transparent pricing.

The company clarified that as an online travel agency (OTA), it does not manually set or manipulate airfares. Instead, it displays flight inventory and prices as supplied by upstream providers, including global distribution systems (GDS) and third-party aggregators.

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The fare inconsistencies, which impacted bookings for domestic carriers such as Philippine Airlines, were traced back to a temporary data synchronisation issue involving one of MOVE’s pricing partners, the company's CEO Nadia Omer said.

"This technical discrepancy caused by the third-party provider is not isolated to MOVE as it also affected other booking platforms across the industry, including Agoda, Kiwi.com, and Traveloka," explained Omer.

“As a matter of due diligence, upon identifying the issue, MOVE took immediate steps and brought up the matter with the third-party pricing provider for immediate resolution. MOVE also took steps to further enhance safeguards to prevent any future recurrence," she added.

Omer also reiterated MOVE's compliance with all regulatory frameworks applicable to OTAs in the Philippines and said it is actively engaging with the relevant authorities to ensure due process and clarity for affected consumers.

In addition, Omer affirmed that the company would continue to support the Philippines' tourism agenda, adding that since its launch in the country it has seen strong and sustained growth in travel bookings.

"As an ASEAN-focused brand, we have facilitated inbound travel to the Philippines from across the region, contributing to a 28% year-on-year increase in international flight bookings into the country," said Omer.

The clarification from MOVE comes as the Philippines ordered the digital platform to halt its airline ticket sales in the country following complaints that it charged illegally high fares, Bloomberg reported.

Over the weekend, AirAsia MOVE reportedly charged PHP77,000 (RM5,866) for a one-way ticket from Manila to Tacloban via Philippine Airlines — triple the cost listed on the airline’s official site.

At a press conference, transportation secretary Vince Dizon said MOVE had been issued a cease-and-desist order by the Civil Aeronautics Board. The order includes instructions for police to take down the company's website.

The aviation authority alleged that MOVE hiked prices in response to transport disruptions in Tacloban City, where a key bridge closure affected truck access.

Dizon also warned that Philippine authorities would not hesitate to use the full force of the law against online platforms exploiting the public, adding that a case for “criminal economic sabotage” will be filed immediately.

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