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Another look at the refurbished Mactan International Airport Terminal 1 – Part 2
In this part of the series, I am sharing photos of the various shops and eating options at the MCIA Terminal 1.
A familiar store at airports is Islands Souvenirs. I think I have an Island Souvenir shirt for most of the cities I’ve traveled to in the country. It is a go-to store for souvenir items, especially shirts.
There are many kiosks along the corridors leading to the gates. Some sell souvenir items. Others gadgets and accessories. There are even a couple marketing real estate in Cebu.
A look inside the Islands Souvenirs shop shows many items to choose from including shirts, bags, caps, mugs and magnets.
I think this store was what used to be a Cocoa Tree store at the terminal. It still sells pretty much the same products (mainly chocolates).
There is a nice food court at Terminal 1. You have many choices for eating or drinking. And I noticed the prices are also not as expensive as perceived of Philippine airport food and drinks.
The food court is spacious and people can just stay here for refreshments while waiting for their flights to board.
Aside from Filipino food, there’s Italian and Japanese themed stalls at the food court.
I think my favorite there is The Bakery, which offers sandwiches, pastries and various breads. They also have pasta for those wanting a heavier meal before their flights.
There’s a WHSmith store at Terminal 1. The photo also shows massage chairs and a local souvenir shop, District Fiesta.
District Fiesta offers local products including handicrafts like bags, purses, decors, etc.
More in Part 3, coming soon!
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Another look at the refurbished Mactan Cebu International Airport Terminal 1 – Part 1
We were recently in Cebu City and I just had to take some new photos; this time to feature Terminal 1 of Mactan Cebu International Airport. Here are some photos taken at the departure area.
Entrance towards the check-in counters. There is no security machine here and but there is a routine check of travel documents of passengers. There are weighing scales for luggage so passengers can check if they are over their limits and still have an opportunity (and the space) to reconfigure.
PAL’s check-in counters at MCIA Terminal 1
PAL also now has online check-in machines at the airport. Previously, only Cebu Pacific had these machines. There is only one though unlike Ceb Pac’s multiple machines.
Check-in counters for Air Asia Philippines
Travel tax counter at the terminal
A view of the terminal lobby from the corridor leading to our gate at the other end of Terminal 1.
Final security check before the pre-departure areas. MCIA now uses modern scanners for screening both bags and passengers. Shoes and belts are among the items they require you to remove from yourself. They also ask you to remove notebook computers to place them on your tray that goes through the machines. You may not remove your watch from your wrist.
More photos in Part 2 coming soon!
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Changes in NAIA Terminal 2
We recently traveled via NAIA’s Terminal 2. T2 used to be for Philippine Airlines (PAL) only but recently Air Asia’s domestic flights have been reassigned to use T2 as well. Another airline, Royal Air, also now uses T2 for its domestic flights. Meanwhile, PAL’s international flights now use Terminal 1. Only recently did I notice that PAL now has the north wing of T2 for its domestic flights while Air Asia and Royal Air use the south wing. Previously, PAL’s international flights were on the north wing and domestic flights were at the south wing. Gone are immigration counters though customs equipment and still at the north wing arrival area near the baggage claim carousels.
The Terminal 2 North Wing was previously for PAL international flights only.
The north wing does not serve all of PAL’s domestic flights so it does not appear to be congested. Only flights to the major domestic destinations go through here such as those between Manila and Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, Bacolod or Cagayan De Oro. I seem to have heard a boarding call for PAL’s Caticlan bound flights at T2, too.
The Duty Free Shops are still here but charge tax for those not qualified for duty free purchases.
There’s a Cafe France at the north wing. There are no other familiar brand cafe choices there.
Antigen self test vending machine at the terminal
At the south end of the North Wing is the smoking area and a connection to the South Wing pre-departure lounge. There is also a long desk for those who want to work while waiting for their flights.
I was not able to go to the South Wing and it would be interesting to see what is there and how the area is laid out (is there something different now that Air Asia and Royal Air uses the terminal?) I hope to get that chance soon so I can also take some photos that I can share here.
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Article share: on aviation security
I found this article on Israel’s national airline, El Al, being the “most secure airline” in the world. That is, the airline has the capability to evade threats like missiles launched against it (i.e., to shoot a plane down). Here is the link to the article on Medium:
I am not aware of other airlines having similar capabilities. Two examples that I know involved passenger airliners being shot down by missile include the ill-fated Korean Airlines Flight KAL 007 during the height of the Cold War 1983 and the Malaysian Airlines MH17 shot down over Ukraine in 2014. Both could have benefitted from the retrofits/upgrades El Al installed on their planes.
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Back at Laguindingan Airport – departure
This is a very late post as I traveled to Cagayan de Oro months ago. I’m posting it here for reference.
The main driveway at the terminal is reserved for VIPs’. I thought this practice in many airports in the country though claimed to be security-related is a waste of space and gives the impression that passengers are not the priority in these terminals.
Another look at the airport’s spacious but underutilized driveways.
Check-in baggage terminal at the airport – you can now get your luggage tags for items you’re checking-in and tag your bags or boxes yourself. This is supposed to reduce the transaction times at the check-in counters but I wonder if someone’s measuring or evaluating the process.
Check-in counters for Cebu Pacific – they have 4 counters.
Air Asia only had two counters at the airport. Meanwhile PAL had the more spacious area among the three airlines.
The design is similar to Iloilo’s and Bacolod-Silay’s where passengers ascend to the departure level after checking in. There are a couple of shops under the stairs and escalator for last minute pasalubong purchases.
PAL had the most check-in counters at 5. They had a separate counter for Mabuhay Class passengers that they also use for senior citizens and persons with disabilities.
A look back at the check-in lobby
Here’s what it looks like as we ascend to the departure level.
After the final security check and entering the pre-departure lounge, you can proceed to the food court where you have a choice between Seattle’s Best Coffee and Kenny Rogers.
Shops offer refreshments, snacks and pasalubong items.
The passenger lounge appears to be spacious but can become crowded when there are flight delays.
View of the various vehicles used in providing support services to the aircraft at the apron.
The view of our aircraft as we approach the stairs to the aft of the plane. Passengers seated from the middle to the rear of the plane are instructed to board the plane from the rear. Those seated from the front rows to the middle are instructed to board via the bridge or tube shown in the photo.
Passengers boarding
I will be posting more photos of airports soon as I am traveling to Cebu and Kuala Lumpur in the next few weeks. It will be my first time to travel to KL (can you believe that) though it’s not my first time to Malaysia so that trip is something I look forward to and one that will definitely yield a lot of photos.
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On weird weather’s impact on air travel
With the wet season comes a lot of thunderstorms and there have been increasing occurrences of lighting alerts around Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) that led to the grounding of many planes. That resulted in long delays and surely an inconvenience to a lot of passengers. It looks like ‘weird’ weather or extreme weather events are here to stay and may even become worse as we continue to grapple with climate change and warmer weather. I am sharing a recent article about this here:
Hoover, A. (July 13, 2023) “Weird weather is making air travel even worse,” Wired, https://www.wired.com/story/weird-weather-is-making-air-travel-even-worse/?bxid=5bd6761b3f92a41245dde413&cndid=37243643&esrc=AUTO_OTHER&source=Email_0_EDT_WIR_NEWSLETTER_0_DAILY_ZZ&utm_brand=wired&utm_campaign=aud-dev&utm_content=WIR_Daily_071323&utm_mailing=WIR_Daily_071323&utm_medium=email&utm_source=nl&utm_term=P4 [Last accessed: 7/14/2023]
Quoting from the article:
“But there are more complicated, invisible effects of a warming world too. Hotter air is trapped near the ground, and cooler air above. Shifts in temperature gradients affect the wind shear, or the changes in speed and direction between air near the ground and at higher elevations. These eddies create clear air turbulence, which occurs in the absence of clouds. Light turbulence can cause sudden changes in altitude that feel like bumps, but severe turbulence can cause structural stress to the aircraft.
Turbulence isn’t just unpleasant. It’s the cause of more than one third of injuries aboard air carriers, according to the US National Transportation Safety Board, and in rare instances can even lead to death.
Changing wind patterns may also alter flight lengths. If, for example, there are stronger eastward winds, flights from the US to Europe will speed up, but flights in the other direction may take longer. Transatlantic flights may even need to reroute and refuel.
Research from Paul Williams, a professor of atmospheric science at the University of Reading in the UK, found that jet stream changes could increase the amount of time flights are in the sky each day, leading to more fuel burning, higher costs, and more CO2 emissions. Jet streams are high-altitude air currents that drive weather systems. As the Arctic warms, the North Atlantic Jet Stream is changing, leading to more odd weather.
But heat alone can also lead to delays and cancellations, like when a 119-degree day in Phoenix grounded planes in 2017. That’s because high temperatures decrease air density. When the air is less dense, planes need more time and distance to fight gravity as they take off—so they may need a longer runway to become airborne. Not all airports can accommodate these sudden changes.”
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Another look at NAIA Terminal 1 arrivals
I have not been to NAIA Terminal 1 since before the pandemic. Last May, I had the opportunity to go there to fetch the wife who was arriving from US. That meant an opportunity to take photos of the arrival areas including the well-wishers area and concourse at the main terminal building.
Kiosks are open basically at all times the terminal is operational or open. These usually sell or serve snacks or light meals including sandwiches and pansit (noodles). While I was not able to check the prices, items were usually priced significantly higher than if you purchased them elsewhere in similar stores.
The well-wishers area is the same building with two levels. The ground level is open and the second level is air-conditioned.
A single level building hosting stores selling food and drinks stands between the waiting area and the open parking lot.
Stairs lead to the second level of the building for those who are waiting for arriving passengers (e.g., fetchers including relatives and friends).
There used to be a Jollibee branch at the second level. I assume its closure was mainly due to the pandemic as it had a steady stream of customers before.
There were few people at the second level. Either it was still very early or that there were fewer sundo these days. The parking lot is full of cars so I guess people just chose to stay near or in their vehicles or at the first level of the building.
Another look at the kiosks behind the well-wishers area
The driveway is still chaotic with drivers not following security and security often turning a blind eye to drivers taking their sweet time at the driveway.
A foreign currency exchange stall at the arrival concourse
Here’s an example of a vehicle parked or standing along the concourse instead of at the designated slots marked along the middle of the driveway.
A view of the main Terminal 1 building from the waiting building. At the bottom of the photo is the arrival concourse along the driveway. At the top is the main driveway of T1, which is used by VIPs.
The other end of the second floor used to have a Kopi Rotti branch that became an ordinary . I guess it also became a casualty of the pandemic.
Arriving passengers may cross from the terminal building to the well-wishers area before proceeding to the parking area.
Crossing to the arrival concourse, here is the perspective of arriving passengers after descending from the terminal. There’s a duty free shop here for last minute purchases.
Another view of the concourse
It seems that little has changed at the arrival and waiting areas of NAIA Terminal 1. Everything appears to be back to pre-pandemic conditions. Security is very lax and there is no indication that the grand plans drawn up for the renovation of the terminal will push through in the near future.
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On delayed flights and being compensated
The last two times we traveled to Zamboanga City, we experienced significant delays to our flights. Last May, traveled twice to Zamboanga City. The first time, our flight to the city was delayed by a couple of hours. That led to a very late arrival and us having lunch at 3PM! Even though the airline could argue that they had nothing to do with the delay, the fact is that the reason (i.e., the standard “late turnaround of aircraft”) is very much due to their operations. Therefore, they should be accountable or made accountable for the inconvenience and discomfort.
While there was no issue for our return flight then, the situation was reversed the second time we traveled to Zamboanga. Our outbound flight from Manila was not delayed but our return flight was. This time though, the airline promptly distributed snacks in the form of water, crackers and biscuits to passengers.
I think that these or perhaps meals could be provided every time there is significant delay whether charged to the airline or to the airport depending on the circumstances. Travelers are paying for a service that are supposed to be delivered in the most efficient manner. Efficiency here should include safety so delays due to aircraft maintenance or technical issues or weather-related should also be covered when compensating passengers. Of course, cancellations would be another matter. Let’s talk about those later.
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NAIA terminal designations for airlines – reshuffle
Airport authorities in Manila announced that airline designations at NAIA’s four terminals would be reshuffled. I took this photo of the announcement on a tarp at the corner of NAIA Road and Ninoy Aquino Avenue as we left NAIA Terminal 1.
While there seems to be no major concern for the international airlines mentioned in the tarp, there will be a major inconvenience for Philippine Airlines passengers. For most its flights including international ones, transfers were easier and more convenient since international and domestic flights shared the same Terminal 2. There was no need to travel from or to another terminal unless the transfer involved another airline. From June 16, 2023, all its international flights will be via Terminal 1 so there will be a need to transit between T1 and T2 for connecting flights. Cebu Pacific will still enjoy this convenience for most of its flights as international and most domestic flights are via Terminal 3.
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Back at Laguindingan Airport – arrival
We were in Cagayan de Oro last April and I took the opportunity to take photos at the airport. The airport, of course, is no longer in Cagayan de Oro (the old one has been closed). It is now in Laguindingan town, which 30 to 60 minutes from CDO depending on the time of day and how aggressive your driver is. Laguindingan retained CDO as its code.
Baggage claim conveyor belt at the arrival area
Passengers claiming their checked-in luggage
Exit from the arrival area – there is a CAAP Assistance Desk here
Driveway and crossing for passengers
The main driveway is currently reserved for VIPs. All other vehicles are required to go to the parking lot across from the terminal.
Passengers need to cross to the parking lot where their fetchers await them or where they can book a vehicle to take them to their destinations.
People waiting for passengers. Most of these are fetching (sundo) relatives, friends or clients arriving at the airport.
Transport services await passengers at the parking area. In other airports, these are located near the arrival exit. They are here probably due to security concerns. One can easily book a vehicle (usually a car or van) from Laguindingan Airport to typical destinations like Cagayan De Oro and Iligan City.
Personnel of various transport service companies call for passengers to attract them to their booths. Others are drivers of rented vehicles, waiting for their clients to appear.
The airport terminal as seen from the parking lot.
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Caught (up) in traffic 