NAIA to stop collecting terminal fee from OFWs

Starting March 2017, the P550 terminal fee at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport will no longer be included in the airline tickets of the overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), a ranking airport official said.

Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) General Manager Ed Monreal said this morning (November 28) that OFWs will no longer have to queue to get the refund once the new policy is implemented next year.

“We want to provide hassle-free service to all our OFWs at the NAIA terminals,” Monreal said.

It was former NAIA General Manager Angel Honrado who included the fee, known as the (IPSC) International Passenger Service Charge, in the airline tickets in February 2015.

This led to protests from OFW groups because, under the law, OFWs are not supposed to pay the fee.

Honrado countered that OFWs could get a refund after the immigration counters at the NAIA but many complained that the lines were too long and that they did not get a refund because they would have missed their flight.

Monreal said that his office is finishing the technical details with the international airlines so that they would stop collecting the fee from OFWs.

The airport fee imposed by Honrado was opposed by both the Senate and the House f Representatives, which passed strong resolutions urging him to stop the collection of the fee, but Honrado stood his ground.

Monreal said his office was ready to refund OFWs who can present a copy of their E-ticket, boarding pass and passport.