Cebu Pacific said Friday said it will be implementing the Test Before Boarding or TBB to passengers at the airport just before their flight.
The Gokongwei-led airline said only passengers with negative antigen test results would be allowed to board.
Together with the local government of General Santos, and in coordination with the Philippine Airport Diagnostic Laboratory, Cebu Pacific is set to pilot TBB on Dec. 3, 2020. for a two-week trial.
All its passengers flying from Manila to General Santos from Dec. 3 to 14 will be required to undergo TBB free-of-charge during the pilot run.
This is in compliance with the executive order of General Santos. Passengers no longer need to take any other test before their flight.
“We welcome this development through Cebu Pacific, because it opens up more people to the idea of traveling again. We believe this will be a breakthrough initiative as it will allow our residents to feel more secure and not be wary of arriving passengers from Manila,” Mayor Ronnel Rivera of General Santos City said.
Candice Iyog, vice president for Marketing and Customer Experience of Cebu pacific, said “Safety has always been our topmost priority and in this current environment, health is part of safety.”
“We look forward to the results of this pilot so we can pave the way for a more confident restart of non-essential travel and a standardization of requirements across all Philippine destinations. We would also like to laud General Santos City for piloting TBB with us.”
Passengers must fill out an electronic passenger information form (E-PIF) through ePIF for the Antigen test and pre-register via http://tapat.gensantos.gov.h/tapatsystem/registration/#details at least 24 hours before their flight. They must also secure a travel authority to be allowed entry into the city and check in online before going to the airport as part of Contactless Flight procedures.
At the airport, guests must proceed to the testing facility located on Level 3 of the NAIA Terminal 3 five hours before departure to give ample time for testing procedures.
Once called for their turn, swab samples will be collected with the results to be released within 30 minutes.
After completing the test, DOH-accredited PADL will provide passengers with a certificate showing the results of their Antigen test. They can then proceed straight to the gate or bag drop counters until an hour before the scheduled time of departure at 1:05 p.m.