The home screen of the AirAsia Move mobile application. Department of Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon on Monday (June 2, 2025) ordered the shutdown and the filing of criminal cases against the Malaysian-based online booking platform over excessive charges for plane tickets of local carriers. (Screencapture of AirAsia Move app)
Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Vince Dizon has directed the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) to shut down online booking platform AirAsia Move and pursue criminal charges against the company for allegedly selling overpriced plane tickets amid the ongoing transport crisis in Eastern Visayas.
In a press conference held Monday at the DOTr office in San Juan City, Secretary Dizon revealed that Leyte 4th District Representative Richard Gomez and his wife, Ormoc City Mayor Lucy Torres-Gomez, were charged nearly P77,704 for two one-way Philippine Airlines (PAL) tickets from Tacloban to Manila when booked through AirAsia Move—roughly P40,000 per person.
According to Dizon, the tickets were priced at nearly triple the amount listed on PAL’s official website.
“This is clearly absurd—and criminal. I have instructed the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group to take down the AirAsia Move website immediately to prevent further scams. I’m certain the Gomezes are not the only victims,” Dizon stated.
He further announced that the CAB and the DOTr’s aviation division have been ordered to file a criminal case for economic sabotage against AirAsia Move, noting that the overpricing took place during a time of crisis caused by the partial closure of the San Juanico Bridge to heavy vehicles, buses, and trucks.
“There is a clear transport disruption in the region. These opportunistic actions are exploiting that situation,” he said.
Dizon also instructed the CAB to expand its investigation to other online travel platforms that may be charging excessive fares—not only in Tacloban but across other key destinations as well.
“We will enforce the full extent of the law on these unscrupulous platforms preying on our people,” he emphasized.
He thanked Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Administrator Ariel Nepomuceno for alerting the DOTr about the issue. Nepomuceno had sent a formal request to Dizon urging the DOTr, CAB, and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) to investigate sharp increases in airfares for both passengers and cargo bound for Eastern Visayas, specifically targeting routes to Tacloban, Catarman, and Ormoc.
On May 26, the CAB issued a cease and desist order (CDO) against AirAsia Move, citing violations of fare regulations by selling tickets at prices beyond the limits set by the agency.
“You are hereby ordered to cease and desist from offering, promoting, or selling tickets of other Philippine carriers at prices that exceed the approved fare structures established by the CAB,” the order read.
In response, AirAsia Move stated that it had already taken steps to comply with the CDO. However, the platform argued that the CAB’s authority under Republic Act No. 776 applies to air carriers, not foreign-based travel agencies. It also maintained that “any regulatory action must be based on explicit legal authority.”
AirAsia Move is operated by Move Travel Sdn. Bhd., a Malaysia-based online travel agency.