Philippine Airlines responds

Philippine Airlines responds

We are greatly concerned about the alleged incident on
Philippine Airlines flight PR 535 from Manila to Jakarta last
Aug. 18 as narrated in a letter of complaint by Mr. Ramsey R.
Omar from Bogor, West Java (Sept. 9, 1996 : Hit by wine bottle).

In the letter, Mr. Omar related his unfortunate experience on
said flight, saying he was accidentally hit on the head by a wine
bottle which fell from the overhead luggage compartment as
another passenger attempted to retrieve a briefcase.

We wish Mr. Omar had communicated with us directly not only
for the opportunity to convey our sincerest apologies in a more
appropriate manner, but also to learn more about the incident.

An initial inquiry conducted shortly after the published
complaint was brought to our attention proved futile particularly
since there was no mention of the incident in the post flight
report submitted by the purser on duty, Ms. Sylvia Tito. When
questioned, Ms. Tito said that she was not informed of any such
incident at any time during or after flight.

While we were relieved to hear that Mr. Omar managed to emerge
from the experience with only a minor head injury, we are not
inclined to allow any such incident to pass without ensuring that
some remedial action is taken to prevent a possible recurrence.
In particular, we are intent on addressing any possible oversight
on the part of our cabin crew or any of our personnel.

May we point out that a caution to passengers regarding the
opening of the overhead compartment and the stowage and retrieval
of luggage therein, is an integral part of the standard inflight
announcement.

Furthermore, our inflight personnel are equipped with the
necessary first aid skills, a major part of their training course
conducted by Red Cross representatives specifically commissioned
by Philippine Airlines for the purpose.

ARNUL PAN

Manager Indonesia

Philippine Airlines

Jakarta