Philippines Cracks Down on AirAsia Malaysia: Website Shut for Excessive Pricing Practices

The Philippine government has thrown a wrench in AirAsia’s online ticket sales by ordering the airline’s platform, AirAsia Move, to cease operations due to exorbitant pricing practices.

Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon announced on June 2 that the Civil Aeronautics Board had issued a cease-and-desist order while teams collaborated with law enforcement to shut down the site.

The aviation authority, tasked with regulating airfare caps in the Philippines, revealed that the company jacked up its prices following transport disruptions in Tacloban City, triggered by the closure of a vital bridge for truck access. “We will throw the full weight of the law on these unscrupulous online platforms that exploit our citizens,” Dizon declared with resolve.

Plans are underway to swiftly file charges of “criminal economic sabotage” against the Malaysian-owned platform, Capital A Berhad. Over the preceding weekend, AirAsia Move controversially priced a one-way ticket from Manila to Tacloban City via Philippine Airlines at an astonishing PHP77,000 (US$1,382)—three times higher than the fare listed by the national carrier, as reported by the Transportation Ministry. “Clearly, this is just absurd,” Dizon asserted at a recent briefing, labeling AirAsia Move’s actions as nothing short of criminal.