Civil Aeronautics Board (Philippines)
Also known as: CAB · Board of Air Transportation (earlier name)
Definition
The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) is the quasi-judicial agency of the Philippine government attached to the Department of Transportation that regulates the economic side of civil aviation. It licenses air carriers, approves routes and fares, accredits air freight forwarders and sales agents, and hears passenger complaints such as refunds, overbooking, and delayed compensation, while the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) separately handles safety and technical regulation.
Identities (Wikipedia/Wikidata/DBpedia)
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Aeronautics_Board_(Philippines)
- Wikidata: Q5124387
- DBpedia: N/A
Also Known As
- CAB
- Board of Air Transportation (earlier name)
Examples and Analogies
Where CAAP functions like the safety inspector that certifies an airline is fit to fly, CAB works like the franchise regulator that decides who may fly which route and at what published fare, comparable to how a land transportation authority grants bus franchises and approves route patterns.
Usage Scenarios
Travelers file complaints with CAB for denied boarding, cancelled flights without refund, or misleading seat sale advertisements. Airlines apply to CAB for route authorities, tariff publications, and exemption permits, and foreign carriers secure their cabotage-limited operations through its approvals. The board also accredits cargo and ticketing agencies serving the public.
Strategies
Airlines engage CAB through formal tariff filings and route applications, often coordinating with the Department of Transportation on air service agreements. Consumers strengthen claims by keeping booking records, boarding passes, and correspondence, and by filing within the board’s prescribed periods.
Security and Safety Measures
As a quasi-judicial body, CAB issues resolutions enforceable against regulated entities, imposes fines and penalties for violations of the Civil Aeronautics Act, and coordinates with CAAP and the Department of Justice on enforcement against unlicensed aviation services.
Historical Context
The board traces its origins to the Civil Aeronautics Act of 1952 (Republic Act No. 776), which created the Civil Aeronautics Administration and the Civil Aeronautics Board to spur postwar air transport. Over the decades it oversaw liberalization of the domestic market in the 1990s and the entry of budget carriers that reshaped Philippine travel.
Challenges and Controversies
CAB faces persistent backlogs in consumer complaints during mass cancellations, debates over the fairness of seat-sale restrictions and no-refund policies, and questions about competition in a market dominated by two large carriers. Balancing consumer protection with the commercial viability of airlines remains its central tension.
Related Topic
Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines