A sweeping majority of AirAsia Philippines guests polled in a recent survey said they are now more confident to travel knowing that the ground staff and flight crew they are interacting with before and during their flights are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
“We are very pleased that our efforts of inoculating the whole AirAsia Philippines organization have gained the confidence among guests to travel again,” AirAsia Philippines Spokesperson Steve Dailisan said.
The survey, conducted on July 23, 24, 27, and 28, had for respondents 1,600 guests flying out of Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 to destinations like Bohol, Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, and Davao.
Some 91.4 percent of the respondents said having a fully-vaccinated crew adds to their confidence in taking flights.
Dailisan said the survey results on the number of inoculated guests was also very encouraging.
“Everyone is keen on taking the shot. Soon, we expect to mount a fully vaccinated flight composed of crew and guests who have been fully vaccinated,” he said.
Some 729 guests or 45.5 percent of the respondents said they have already been vaccinated, with more than half fully-vaccinated (traveling two weeks after receiving their second dose). The rest of the respondents said they have yet to receive their anti-COVID jab, while 0.3 percent of the passengers are minors, thus not eligible yet for inoculation.
As of August 4, at least 70 percent of the 1,500 Filipino Allstars have received their COVID-19 shots. And amid the threat of the more transmissible Delta variant, AirAsia Philippines is proactively campaigning to inoculate its entire workforce within the year.
Meanwhile, 78.5 percent of the guests surveyed said vaccination cards should be considered in lieu of testing requirements such as RT-PCR and antigen tests.
“AirAsia is in the process of developing an app similar to the vaccine passport that would help the government in promoting fast, efficient, and contactless requirement portals. The app will also eliminate the proliferation of fake RT-PCR results and vaccination cards,” Dailisan said.
At present, an RT-PCR with AirAsia’s partner diagnostic laboratory costs between P2,500 to P3,500, yielding results within 24 to 72 hours. Government-subsidized RT-PCR test through the Tourism Promotions Board, on the other hand, costs P750.