Travelers trying to reach Philippine Airlines (PAL) should brace for slower service after the carrier shut one of its customer support sites following Monday’s powerful earthquake in southern Mindanao.
In a customer advisory issued under its “PAL Cares” banner, the flag carrier said the temporary closure had stretched wait times across several of its support channels. The airline asked passengers whose trips fall outside the next 48 hours, and whose concerns are not urgent, to hold off on contacting support so staff can prioritize those with immediate travel needs. “We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to restore normal operations,” the advisory read.
PAL identified the affected facility as its contact center in Davao, which it said was evacuated as a precaution to protect partner employees after the quake and a tsunami warning hit parts of Mindanao.
The disruption stems from a magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck off the southern coast of Mindanao early Monday, June 8. According to the United States Geological Survey, the quake hit shortly before 7:40 a.m. local time at a depth of roughly 35 kilometers, with its epicenter near Maasim in Sarangani province. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) recorded more than an hour of aftershocks and issued a tsunami warning for coastal areas, while agencies in Indonesia and Japan flagged possible waves of their own.
Images from General Santos City showed a building housing a fast-food restaurant reduced to rubble, with footage shared by the Philippine Red Cross and verified by international outlets including CNN and Al Jazeera. The Office of Civil Defense said reports of casualties and infrastructure damage were still being validated through the morning; the Philippine Daily Inquirer later reported two confirmed deaths in South Cotabato. The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines temporarily suspended operations at General Santos Airport and confirmed several flight cancellations tied to the quake.
For those who still need help, PAL pointed passengers to its self-service tools rather than its phone lines. Voluntary rebooking, refunds, seat selection and itinerary changes can be handled through Manage Booking at philippineairlines.com/us/en/manage-booking.html, online check-in at philippineairlines.com/check-in, and other requests through the airline’s online form at pal.my.site.com/s/submit-a-request.
