another incident at the airport from our "national boxer", I think a lose to barrera would put his attitude back to their right places...
Whatever Pacquiao wants ...
By Nikko Dizon
Inquirer
Last updated 04:29am (Mla time) 08/10/2007
MANILA, Philippines -- Did boxing champ Manny Pacquiao think he is just taking a bus or was he simply a superstitious prima donna who always has to have his way?
In yet another incident with Philippine Airlines, Pacquiao’s grating attitude nearly delayed PAL Flight PR 102 bound for Los Angeles, California, on Aug. 7, airport sources told the Philippine Daily Inquirer Thursday.
The sources said that Pacquiao could not make up his mind whether or not to board the flight that was scheduled to take off at 10:30 p.m.
It was nearly 10 p.m. and most of the passengers had already boarded the plane when Pacquiao and his party decided not to take the flight, prompting airline ground personnel to start offloading their luggage, the sources narrated.
But in less than 10 minutes, the sources said, Pacquiao changed his mind and decided he wanted to proceed to the United States where he would be training for his October grudge match against Mexican fighter Marco Antonio Barrera.
Another problem, though, was that Pacquiao wanted his corner man, Restituto Fernandez, to be on the flight with him. But Fernandez was on standby in the economy section.
Pacquiao reportedly called up PAL president Jaime Bautista.
It was a move that reportedly irked not a few people at the airport because Pacquiao’s call to the airline bigwig implied his “backing” by the powers-that-be at PAL, the sources said. Superstitious
“It got some of the people thinking that maybe Pacquiao was superstitious, wanting his corner man to travel with him,” the sources said.
Ultimately, Fernandez managed to get a seat, after Rex “Wakee” Salud, the boxer’s business associate and confidante who was traveling with him in first class, gave up his seat.
Bautista told the Inquirer it was one of Pacquiao’s friends who phoned him and not the boxer himself. “The news that I received was that he (Pacquiao) wanted his trainer to be with him.”
PAL did not give Pacquiao special treatment, Bautista said. He explained that the airline simply allowed Salud to swap his seat since he was a booked passenger on the flight and a business class ticket was purchased for Fernandez, an upgrade from his economy ticket.
Asked if an ordinary passenger could do the same half an hour before takeoff, Bautista said that the airline would allow it as long as the passenger, like Salud, was already booked, and a ticket would be purchased. No last-minute switching
But the Inquirer sources insisted that no airline allows a “switching” of passengers, especially at the last minute.
Told that Pacquiao seemed to have been involved in some incidents with PAL, Bautista said he did recall one incident but it was a “minor one.”
Pacquiao had once earned the ire of airport and airline employees when he almost delayed a flight to Hong Kong after arriving at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport late and appeared not to be rushing to catch the flight.
does he really feel that all filipinos owes him a favor? why don;t he just chartered a plane for all his trips, para hinde na siya makaistorbo sa ibang pasahero....