17 Filipinos stranded at Dubai airport after Philippine Airlines cancels  flights

  DUBAI – A total of 17 Filipinos from Oman and Saudi Arabia remained stranded in Dubai on Monday (November 1) after Philippine Airlines cancelled several flights due to restrictions by local authorities.
Update as of 5pm on November 1: Following the Expatmedia.net report, an official from the Philippine Consulate said staff were contacting Philippine Airlines. Passengers told Expatmedia.net that consulate staff visited them at the airport and also paid for their meals at a restaurant in the vicinity. Staff coordinated with Cebu Pacific for an alternative flight. Update as of 7pm on November 2: The group was able to fly home to the Philippines on a Cebu Pacific flight. Read full details here
Owen N, a Filipino from Oman, told Expatmedia.net that their group was on transit at Dubai Airport Terminal 1 when their flight PR0659 to Cebu in the Philippines was cancelled. They have been stranded at the airport since 11am on October 31. Nine Filipinos in the group arrived in Dubai from Oman that day, while the remaining stranded passengers arrived in the emirate from Jeddah and Dammam in Saudi Arabia. They are unable to leave the Dubai airport since they do not have entry visas. “An airline representative just told us to rebook our tickets and wait for the next flight. We are exhausted from the long wait. We have slept in the airport since arriving here,” Owen told Expatmedia.net. On October 31, Philippine Airlines cancelled its Manila-Dubai-Cebu flights. The Philippine carrier also cancelled Manila-Dubai-Manila flights for November 1 and 2, citing restrictions by local authorities. Owen said his group was not alerted on time about the flight cancellation, leaving them stranded and unprepared in Dubai. “My travel agency said they only received an email alert about the flight cancellation at 5pm on October 31. We arrived in Dubai from Oman at 11am on October 31,” he said. Owen said the stranded Filipinos are very distraught about their unexpected delay in Dubai. “We are running out of money to pay for our meals here. The food is expensive at the airport. Some of us have to get a PCR test, too,” he said. "We have three elderly people stranded here. They're exhausted and haven't been able to sleep properly," Owen told Expatmedia.net, "We hope authorities can help us. We just want to go home to our families who are waiting for us." Philippine Airlines has cancelled flights between Manila and Dubai on November 1 and 2, citing restrictions by local authorities. On October 31, Philippine Airlines also cancelled its Manila-Dubai-Cebu flights. “We urgently appeal to the Philippine and Dubai authorities to work towards resolving the situation so that we may again be able to operate our planned schedule of flights to and from Dubai and make use of all our seats onboard each flight, for the best interests of our passengers,” according to Philippine Airlines in a statement. The Philippine carrier said it has notified affected passengers, and are “assessing other alternatives, such as using alternate gateways, so that we can transport the affected passengers in the coming days”. According to Philippine Airlines, affected passengers can opt to rebook their flight, convert their ticket to a travel voucher or refund their ticket without facing penalties. PIA/Expat Media
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