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Walking around in NAIA Terminal 3
I had another opportunity to explore NAIA’s Terminal 3 last weekend. The following photos were taken while walking around to kill time while I waited for the arrival of a friend I was fetching at the airport. I arrived early at the terminal assuming it would be difficult to get a parking slot and that the flight would be arriving on time. I ended up eating dinner and having a nice stroll around the terminal building.
Check-in counters for ANA and Zest Air
Shops at the third level of the air terminal (2nd level of the departure area) – there’s also a Mini Stop and 7-Eleven at the terminal.
Most of the shops appear to be outlets for popular brands like Nike, Adidas, Oakley, Delsey, etc.
Queues before the Cebu Pacific counters for domestic flights.
There are many restaurants including the recognizable ones like Shakey’s Pizza, Pancake House, Kenny Rogers, Yellow Cab Pizza and Jollibee.
Screens showing flights scheduled for departure and arrival via NAIA Terminal 3.
Spacious halls of the arrival area of Terminal 3 – surprisingly, the area was not crowded at the time (it was around 6:30 PM when the photo was taken)
Information counters for visitors
Tourist information counter of the Department of Tourism
Newly opened Burger King at the ground level / arrival area of Terminal 3
This way leads to the unopened area of the terminal, which includes space for more shops and the multi-level parking building. On the left side across Burger King are ATMs and counters of banks for currency exchange.
Arrival information just before the exit from baggage claim and customs
Well-wishers view of passengers coming from the baggage claim area for domestic arrivals
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Changi’s Budget Terminal
Singapore has the best airport in the world, a distinction it has maintained despite challenges from similar world-class airports like the ones in Hongkong and Incheon. It currently has 3 huge terminals for mainly full service airlines including the very impressive Terminal 3. Singapore also has a Budget Terminal, which I have observed as serving only 2 airlines, both budget – Tiger Airways and Cebu Pacific. The Budget Terminal has most of the amenities of the three other main terminals and is also excellently maintained with its sparkling clean floors and toilets. In fact, when one arrives at the airport for an early flight, you will notice that there are people (mostly caucasians) lying on the floor somewhere taking a nap while waiting for their counters to open. I guess it beats renting a room at a hotel considering you can burn time at the airport with all its facilities available, 24 hours. Following are a few photos I was able to take while waiting for the airline counter for my flight to open and also while waiting for my boarding call.
A McDonald’s outlet at the Budget Terminal
Queues at the Tiger Airways check-in counters
Airport staff pushing carts toward the gates
Passengers queued before the Departure gate prior to the immigration counters
Tiger Airways is one of the more successful budget airlines in the region, a distinction in shares with AirAsia and Cebu Pacific
You see a lot of passengers with large boxes or luggage including what are obviously electronics (giant LED or LCD TVs are quite the bargain in Singapore).
Corridor to the gate
Wheelchair for passengers requiring it and sign stating priority for boarding (PWDs, pregnant women, those with small children)
The waiting area at the end of the linear budget terminal
Seats at the waiting area – view from the end of the corridor
I have learned from friends and acquaintances that there are plans to scrap the Budget Terminal. In its place, a Terminal 4 will be built and all budget airlines will be served by the collective of four terminals at Changi. There has been mention of a 5th terminal but I guess that will be further in the future. One can’t be certain though since air traffic at Changi is still steadily increasing along with the travelers handled by the airport. Singapore knows it has to maintain its advantage as a hub connecting Asian destinations with the rest of the world and Changi is at the forefront of the city-state’s efforts to also maintain its leverage and status as a global center for business in the region.
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NAIA T3 Departures
This is one of the peak periods for air travel in the Philippines so the airports are pretty full with people departing and arriving from different places here and abroad. It was early morning yesterday and as I approached at the airport, I could see lots of vehicles driving off from the departure level of the terminal including taxis that have ferried passengers mainly for morning flights. It was about 4:30 AM when I arrived so the terminal was not as busy as it would be a few hours later.
I had some time to burn yesterday as I waited for the arrival of my wife at NAIA’s Terminal 3. And so I decided to take a walk around the terminal to check out the restaurants and coffee shops on the 3rd level. It turned out my favorite place was still closed and I didn’t think pizza, burgers or fried chicken would be a good idea at the time. I ended up walking around the terminal to get some exercise early in the morning and taking a few photos here and there of the queues at the check-in counters.
Cebu Pacific handles a lot of flights nowadays as the top airline in the Philippines though it is a budget airline. At 4:30 AM, there were a lot of people lined up in front of their counters assigned to domestic flights. There were a lot more outside the cordoned off area and also outside the airport queued before the first security check for the terminal.
There were even more people on the other side as Ceb Pac handled quite a number of flights to favorite destinations such as Caticlan (gateway to Boracay), Tagbilaran (gateway to Panglao) and Puerto Princesa (Palawan). Of course, there were the frequent flights to hubs like Cebu, Davao and Iloilo.
AirPhil Express (formerly Air Philippines) also operates out of Terminal 3 but has less flights compared to CebPac. Its mother company, Philippine Airlines (PAL), is a full service airline with domestic and international flights to and from Terminal 2, which is also called the Centennial Terminal after being opened during the Philippines’ Independence Centennial in 1998. PAL Express, another one of PAL’s budget spin-offs, used to operate out of T3 but ceased operations in 2010 and was integrated into AirPhil Express.
The queues for CebPac’s international flights were still short. I think they have few flights during the late night to early morning periods. These counters, however, will be busy later in the day considering the frequencies of service to destinations like Singapore, Hongkong and Bangkok. CebPac also flies to Korea, China and Japan and has recently opened direct flights to Cambodia (Siem Reap) and Vietnam (Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh).
I was not able to take a photo of the counters assigned to All Nippon Airways (ANA). I guess there might be no people there yet as ANA operates only two flights daily between Manila and Narita (from where it connects with a lot of flights to many other destinations including major cities in the US and Europe). Terminal 3 will be busier in the coming months and years as international flights increase and the Philippines tries to have its status upgraded in order for airlines such as CebPac to expand operations. Already in the sights of the airline are destinations in the Middle East, Australia and the US where there is a demand for a low cost Philippine carrier even counting only Filipinos living abroad. And with the country pitching its tourist destinations abroad, T3 will be expected to handle much of the traffic in this gateway in Manila.
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Pet peeve – still on deplaning at NAIA T3
I was waiting for the boarding call for my flight and took the photo below of passengers deplaning via the stairs at the aft door and the air bridge. These were loaded unto the waiting buses, which ferried them to the terminal building.
For all those buses with their drivers, fuel and emissions, wouldn’t it have been more cost efficient to just operate the airbridge and let the passengers use this facility rather than have them take the stairs (and without assistance for the elderly and those with babies or small children)? From an environmental perspective, wouldn’t use of the air bridge make more sense in terms of reducing carbon footprints as well as fuel consumption?
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Early morning at NAIA Terminal 2
Taking the 5:30 AM flight to Roxas City, we had to be at the airport at least an hour before the ETD. We decided to come earlier in order to be able to get good seats. We were taking Philippine Airlines and the airline didn’t have an online check-in facility (!) so we decided to be there 90 minutes prior to the ETD. That meant leaving our homes around 3:00 PM to make it to the airport by 4:00 AM despite the fact that traffic is usually free flowing at those hours.
Check-in: There were few passengers at the airport despite the many early morning flights. Perhaps the fact that Terminal 2 has separate wings for domestic and international passengers also partly explain this, aside from the fact that fewer people are taking PAL. We noticed during check-in that the ground staff seemed slower than before. The staff in red uniform are supposed to be relatively new as PAL decided to outsource many of its services to cut costs.
Departure lounge: The departure area is not at all crowded and you can choose wherever you want to sit while waiting for your flight to be called. Even the cafes were not crowded and we easily got a table where we could drink our coffee while waiting for the boarding call.
Boarding gates: The gates at NAIA’s Terminal 2 look like this with a counter in front of the gate. Only staff are supposed to be behind the counter considering security implications and issues. This wasn’t the case when I was at the same airport for a US flight last year. The ground staff who were apparently newbies along with the security people paid no attention to one foreigner charging his phone behind the counter and talking it up with staff about what’s on their computer screen!
Concessionaires: There are many concessionaires inside the departure area of T2 and fortunately they open early for passengers wanting to have a quick bite or drink before their flights. Some passengers may also have to purchase last minute pasalubong and among the popular items are cakes and pastries from either Goldilocks or Red Ribbon. Terminal 3 is much better though as there are many restaurants and shops in the terminal where passengers and well-wishers can have their meals.
Neat and clean: Terminal 2 is not as big and neat as Terminal 3, which serves the Cebu Pacific, AirPhil Express, PAL Express and ANA flights (T2 only serves PAL). Nevertheless, I think the facilities are much better than Terminal 1 and that includes the toilets. It would seem to me that the floors are good enough for one to sit or even lie on while waiting for your boarding call. I wouldn’t recommend it though.
The Centennial Terminal, as T2 is also called, is supposed to remain as PAL’s terminal even after Terminal 3 would have been fully operational. One plan called for all international flights to be serviced from T3 while all domestic flights, except those of PAL, will be at T1. Hopefully, these re-assignment of services will be done after T1 is renovated. So far, I haven’t got news about the proposed renovation including whether this will push through at all. Manila definitely needs good airport terminals if only to make a good first impression on visitors. Airports, after all, are gateways and provide visitors with a preview of what a country can offer.
Another look at Roxas Airport
I was back in Roxas City a week ago for a quick meeting to discuss a proposed central public transport terminal for the city. We flew into Roxas City via Philippine Airlines, arriving just before 6:30 AM. I took some photos as we deplaned and while exiting through the arrival area of the airport. Following are recent photos taken at the airport.
Airport terminal as it appears to the traveler as one emerges from the plane to descent the stairs to the tarmac.Conspicuous under the airport’s name is the information that the terminal is 2.80m above mean sea level. This is probably related to disaster mitigation and management for info for people flying in to provide support.
Baggage handling from the aircraft – baggage is handled with care unlike how it’s shown in some video circulating around the internet. The cone is one of several that are supposed to mark the restricted areas around the aircraft where passengers may not pass through.
The arrival area is small like those of most domestic terminals and is just enough to handle the few daily flights that service Roxas City.
The arrival area cannot fit all the passengers and the porters who typically assist those with luggage or baggage. In fact, much of the area is eaten up by the conveyor system. Note, too, the dart board on the wall on the upper right of the photo. Staff on break probably play darts to while away their time.
Porters in purple shirts gather outside the arrival area as passengers file out of the terminal. Airport staff will signal to the porters once the first bag is on the conveyor following a simple system to avoid overcrowding at the arrival area.
The departure wing that includes the check-in counters for the airlines may be accessed through a secure gate. The security personnel are courteous and efficient.
People waiting for relatives, friends or clients at one of the sheds constructed for well-wishers or those fetching passengers. The parking areas are designated for taxis and rental cars.
After our meeting with city officials, we were back again at the airport to catch the afternoon flight back to Manila. This time, we took Cebu Pacific as it fit our schedule so we could be back in Manila by late afternoon.
Check-in counter for Cebu Pacific – the staff accepted our boarding passes and seem to be surprised we had already checked-in online.
After checking-in, passengers pay the 30 Peso terminal fee at a nearby counter.
After passing through the final security check, one can wait for boarding at the pre-departure area where seats were apparently marked by the airline who provided them. These are the older fiberglass seats that are common in many domestic terminals.
The newer metallic seats seem more comfortable. We checked-in early so there were few passengers in the area when I took the photos. Notice the gleaming floor? They replaced the old dark tiles with these that made the area brighter and more neat-looking.
Final security barrier/check as seen from inside the pre-departure area.
Another look at the metallic seats, this time with passengers waiting for our return aircraft to arrive.
Concessionaire in the terminal – this is the last place where one can buy pasalubong. I was disappointed, though, to see that the products being sold were from Guimaras rather than from Roxas or Capiz.
Stairs for boarding the aircraft – to expedite the boarding process, a second set of stairs is provided for rear entrance. Passengers are sorted before boarding for those who are to use the front and aft doors.
There are plans to upgrade Roxas Airport. It currently has a relatively short runway that allows for A320 or A319 aircraft operations, but landings and take-offs must be quite precise as they practically use up the entire length of the runway. It also has to improve the capacity of both its departure and arrival areas given the tendency for overcrowding even though it seems the terminal only handles one aircraft at a time, unlike other busier airports such as Iloilo and Bacolod. And oh, the toilets are clean and well-maintained. In fact, the Secretary of Transportation who is from the city and bears its name (the former president was his grandfather) uses the toilets himself so if its good enough for him, its probably good enough for most other people using the airport toilets.
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Deplaning…it’s more fun in the Philippines
I was thinking about things that are more fun in the Philippines when I suddenly remembered I was able to take a couple of photos of fellow passengers descending from our aircraft via stairs, walking along the tarmac, and then ascending the stairs to the air bridge/tube. This, because there was no tube operator available for our plane at NAIA Terminal 3. I could still remember various remarks from passengers ranging from the unkind to those that come across as jokes to those made in jest including the by-line “It’s more fun in the Philippines!” that was adopted by the Department of Tourism as their slogan.
Passengers deplaning from the Cebu Pacific A320 aircraft – the plane was already docked for it to be served by the air bridge but it tool about 20 minutes before the flight attendant informed passengers that the aircraft had to be re-positioned to allow for the stairs to be brought alongside the aircraft. It was also announced that the reason for this was because there was no operator available for the air bridge.
Passengers ascending the stairs to the air bridge – after walking the distance from the plane, passengers were instructed to climb to the air bridge, which connected to the corridor leading to the immigration area. This was at 2:30 PM in the afternoon when passengers are exposed to the scorching heat and elderly passengers had to negotiate two stairs with minimal assistance from ground personnel. For domestic flights, I remember that passengers could proceed to the baggage claim area that was practically at the same level as the tarmac since they didn’t require processing through immigration.
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Another look at NAIA T3 – arrival
Arriving at NAIA, aircraft may proceed to one of 4 terminals operating at the complex – Terminal 1 (international), Terminal 2 (international and domestic flight operated by PAL), Terminal 3 (Cebu Pacific, PAL Express and Air Phil Express and ANA of Japan). Despite the fact that the airport is fully equipped for servicing aircraft, most equipment apparently are not being used for various reasons including preserving such equipment for when the terminal will be in full operation. In certain cases such as the immigration and customs booths on the area designated for domestic operations, the equipment/furniture are not required at all. One common observation for most passengers using T3 is the non-use of the tube or air bridges by Cebu Pacific, which requires passengers to board and alight using the stairs and, in many cases, still require the same to climb back to the air bridge to walk to the arrival area!
A common experience for domestic and international passengers is to board or deplane without the benefit of using the tube or airbridge of Terminal 3. This was apparently to shorten boarding and alighting time for faster turnarounds for Ceb PAc. I was to learn later that there also aren’t enough airbridge operators at the terminal.
An inutile airbridge at Terminal 3. It seems these are not used by airlines for one reason or another – a definite disbenefit to passengers.
It’s a long walk from the tarmac to the baggage claim area. For passengers on international flights, they would have to go through immigration first after the long walk.
Long hallways without the benefit of moving walkways are always an inconvenience to passengers, some of whom would probably require assistance. Of course, there are passengers who opt to cheat with their carry on allowance so one can say they should blame themselves when burdened with more than what is allowed for carry ons.
Immigration booths on the domestic wing of T3 are unoccupied and probably should be reconsidered in case the airport will continue to be used for both domestic and international operations.
Past the immigration area, passengers would descend via stairs or escalator to the baggage claim area.
Passengers waiting around the carousel – there was a time when one had to pay for the use of carts. Fortunately, that was scrapped during the last decade.
Notice to passengers picking up their baggage from the carousel. T3 personnel do not check the baggage tags when passengers exit the area. The same is true for T1. Only in T2 (Centennial Terminal) do staff strictly check baggage tags, minimizing the chances of one’s luggage being taken (mistakenly or otherwise) by other people.
First bags out unto the carousel
Spacious area for baggage claim – there are actually several carousels but airlines use only 1 or 2 carousels despite so many flights being handled by T3.
Since T3 was originally conceptualized as an international terminal, the wing used for domestic operations still have an area for customs operations. Like the immigration booths, these are unmanned and passengers just breeze through to exit the arrival/baggage claim area.
View for passengers exiting from the baggage claim and/or customs – one can easily see people waiting for arrivals, some with signs bearing names of persons they are meeting.
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Another look at NAIA T3 – departure
With the recent withdrawal of charges by PIATCO, the full operations of NAIA’s Terminal 3 should be underway. Until now, the operations of the terminal has been at best limited despite the increasing number of flights being handled by the terminal with the continuing growth of Cebu Pacific and the addition of Japan’s All Nippon Airways (ANA) to the few airlines that have made Terminal 3 their home in the Manila. With plans for the much maligned Terminal 1 to be renovated and the impasse on what to do at Clark, it is expected that more international flights will be handled at T3. Following are photos of the Terminal 3 North Wing departure area from a recent trip. The North Wing handles the domestic flights while the South is for international operations.
Departure area along the linear Terminal 3’s North Wing
There are already many passengers taking the early morning flights. This photo was taken at around 4AM and shows shops to the right along the corridor and the seats lined up along the left. The walkalator or conveyor was not functioning just like at the other wing (I am unsure of the reasons but this was probably to reduce operations and maintenance costs.).
Our gate was at the end of the wing and there were few people when I arrived at the area. Other passengers can be seen napping across several seats as they wait for their flights to be called.
I guess its clear from the photos that Terminal 3 is clean and orderly though many facilities like the moving walkways are not currently operational and there is still the issue regarding the non-operation of the multi-storey car park for the terminal. Hopefully, such issues are eventually resolved and the full operation of the airport for international flights is indeed something to look forward to.
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Revisiting the Bacolod-Silay Airport
I was able to finally use the Bacolod/Silay Airport located in Silay City, Negros Occidental. The last time I was in Bacolod was in 2000 and the airport was still located in Bacolod City and just a few minutes from City Hall and the Provincial Capitol site.
The old airport had many issues pertaining to limitations of the old site. Primary among these was that the old airport could not be expanded to be able to handle more passengers and larger aircraft. One end of the old runway faces the sea while the other faced the city. At one time, a hotel was even constructed at the latter end and along the flight path of aircraft taking off or landing from that end. The old airport had to cease operation and there was a controversy as to the approval of the building construction against the land use regulations for a aerodrome. For airports, there are imaginary surfaces projecting from the runway that defines the area that should be clear from obstructions. The hotel had to give way by removing several floors to comply with the airport requirements.
Arriving at the airport, passengers deplaned via the front and rear doors of the aircraft and unto the tarmac where people moved towards the arrival area of the airport.
The arrival area was located at the ground level of the terminal.
Baggage claim carousel at the arrival area of Bacolod-Silay Airport.
Flight departure information board above the check-in counters at the airport.
Queuing at the check-in counters at the airport – the security check may be seen to the right of the photo. Each airline serving the airport is assigned counter spaces. Shown in the photo are the counters for Cebu Pacific.
Terminal fee counter and escalator and stairs to the departure level. Domestic flight passengers are charged PhP 200 each to cover airport maintenance and security
Escalator and stairs for access to the departure level. Persons with disabilities and others who may have difficulty using these facilities may use the elevator located to the right of the escalator (visible in the photo).
The arrival concourse is visible from the departure level corridor prior to the final security check for the lounge. At the far end are two giant masks – Bacolod celebrates an annual Masskara Festival
The airport’s departure lounge is significantly smaller than Iloilo’s. Note that there are only 2 gates for Bacolod-Silay compared to 3 for Iloilo.
There are concessionaires inside the departure lounge but the better ones appear to be outside the lounge including one operated by Merci’s. There is a Bongbong’s pasalubong center at the entrance to the airport complex.
Cebu Pacific flights do not use the air bridge assigned to their gate (cost reduction?) and instead required passengers to board or alight from the aircraft using their fabricated stairs. This approach reduces the aircraft boarding and alighting times for the airline, thereby reducing delays to flights.
Meanwhile, Philippine Airlines utilizes the airbridge from the terminal gate as shown in the photo.
PAL A320 preparing to be towed away from the air bridge in preparation for taxiing towards the runway.
Passengers walking at the tarmac to board the aircraft from two staircases at the front and rear doors.
I still have reservations with regards to how Cebu Pacific and airports such as Bacolod/Silay are treating passengers. It seems inappropriate to inconvenience passengers considering the availability of facilities at the airport even if there are attempts to justify this practice via reasons of faster enplaning and deplaning (loading or unloading of passengers). Perhaps the cost considerations are really significant enough to justify such operations. A similar practice is being employed anyway at other airports that do not have the air bridges such as Changi’s (Singapore) modern Budget Terminal.
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