Claim: Airlines in the Philippines are offering free round-trip tickets on local and international flights for those who fill up a registration form provided in social media posts circulating online.
Why we fact-checked this: Several posts bearing the false claim have been circulating on Facebook, with the most popular one garnering 1.2 million views, 18,900 reactions, and 4,600 shares. The page repeatedly spreading the claim, "TNC Nationwide" has 439,000 followers.
"Alok ng ilang mga airlines sa bansa ang libreng sakay, two-way...Ang dapat gawin: mag-register online para makakuha ng slot sa libreng sakay," says a male news anchor in the post's video. He does not name any of the airlines that are part of the supposed promotion.
(Airlines in the country are offering free two-way trips. To claim these trips, register online to get a slot for the free trips.)
Viewers are then directed to use the registration links in the post's caption and comment section.
The facts: The official communication channels of the Philippines' mainline airlines -- Philippine Airlines (PAL), Cebu Pacific, AirAsia, and Royal Air Philippines -- have not made any announcements about completely free flights that can be claimed through a registration form.
Many of these airlines, like PAL and Cebu Pacific, have warned against fake websites in the past. Both say genuine announcements about promotions and bookings can only be found on the airlines' official website and social media accounts, unlike the circulating posts whose page names and registration links do not even mention the airlines involved in the supposed promo.
Free flights from airlines are typically redeemed through a miles, points, or a card system and other similar promotions that require users to buy flight tickets from the airline before they can get a free ticket.
Phishing risk: Scanning tools show that the supposed registration links lead to unrelated shopping platforms and unofficial blog sites that expose users to phishing risks.
Link scanner urlscan.io shows that the links lead to a blog site posing as a government update website. Official websites of the Philippine government use a gov.ph domain, unlike the links contained in the fake post.
Filling out unofficial forms may pose risks to users' personal and financial information. (READ: Phishing 101: How to spot and avoid phishing)
Fake news report: The supposed news report in the false post is also 99% likely to be AI-generated, according to AI detection tool SightEngine.
Debunked: Rappler already fact-checked a claim of PAL offering six months of free flights back in 2024.
"Please be reminded that official announcements on promos are posted on our corporate website www.philippineairlines.com and our official PAL Facebook Page," PAL spokesperson Cielo Villaluna said.
In 2014, an impostor Cebu Pacific Facebook page also duped thousands into a fake promo promising to give free flights to 1,000 people. The false claim was also spread in December, amid a Christmas rush of passengers wanting to fly home or to holiday destinations. - Shay Du/Rappler.com