Caught (up) in traffic

There are three other major international airports operating in the Philippines aside from the NAIA. These are the airports in Cebu (Mactan Cebu International Airport), Davao (Francisco Bangoy International Airport) and Clark (Diosdado Macapagal International Airport). There are two others that handle international flights, Laoag (Ilocos Norte) and Subic (Zambales), which mainly cater to chartered flights from Hongkong, Taipei or Macau. Subic, of course, is the former US naval base that also used to be the Asian hub of logistics giant Fedex.

Mactan is the gateway to the central Philippines and is second to Manila in terms of international flights. The number of domestic flights flying in and out of Cebu is comparable to Manila considering that Cebu connects to many destinations in Mindanao (southern Philippines) that does not have flights linking to Manila. Davao is the gateway to the south and handles international flights, mostly via budget airlines, from Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. Clark or DMIA is the former US airbase and has already overtaken Davao in terms of the number of international flights handled. It is always mentioned as a possible replacement for NAIA as the primary international airport for the country, with discussions comparing NAIA-DMIA to Haneda-Narita. Of course, DMIA will require a much larger terminal to be able to handle the number of passengers who are expected to use the airport should it become the main gateway. And, there should be a good transport system linking the National Capital Region with Clark, which also should be like the transport systems making Narita accessible (e.g., Narita Express trains, limousine bus services, etc.).

The pre-departure area of the airport is also spacious and should be sufficient for the projected demand for the airport. The area is squeaky clean, well-lighted and the staff are respectful and efficient.

Check-in counters of the various local airlines are sufficient in number. All local airlines operate from Davao, which is the top destination in the southern Philippine island of Mindanao. Davao is actually the largest city in the Philippines in terms of land area.

Up the stairs – the escalators are functioning and the so are the other facilities in the terminal. The comfort rooms are clean and larger than many other airports including NAIA T1 and T2.

The spacious pre-departure area is sufficient for the number passengers typically handled by the airport particularly for domestic operations (There aren’t so many international flights.). Nevertheless, the area could use more benches considering the number of waiting passengers. The well-wishers’ area outside the terminal doesn’t have much furniture. Perhaps this is to discourage loitering or tambays in the airport terminal’s premises? These are understandably among the security concerns that the airport officials addressed with memories of the Davao airport (the old one) bombing a number of years ago.

There are many concessionaires inside the airport but some of them appear more like tiangge or informal. There is a booth where people can purchase vacuum-packed seafoods that can be taken as carry-on (if not purchased in large quantities). All the other shops sell pasalubong with the typical food items and crafts Davao is known for. That includes fruits like suha (pomelo) and mangosteen. There is, of course, durian being sold and you can even buy them vacuum-packed so you can take them in the plane. Fresh durian is not allowed as carry-on for obvious reasons – the scent.

There are a couple of coffee shops inside the airport but they don’t seem to be as attractive as the ones in Bacolod, Cebu or Iloilo. Nevertheless, they are good enough for hungry stomachs or thirsty throats. I am not including photos taken at one coffee shop as they show some colleagues joking around.

Departure area – the guy in the white barong is a distinguished gentleman from Mindanao who seem to prefer the spacious departure area from the VIP lounge usually reserved for people of his stature (good form sir!). Conferring with his staff, his being comfortable here seems to indicate that the area is good enough for everyone else including those who might think they deserve better.

The airbridge is extendable and should be able to handle wide-bodied aircraft like the A330’s that PAL usually deploys to Davao. The city generates much air traffic passengers considering it is a major tourist and business destination in the country.

The scenes above of Davao’s international airport gives us hope that we can actually have decent terminal facilities. The floors of the terminal are so clean that I’m sure anyone blogging about this would agree they are worthy of “sleeping on.” The same goes with the Bacolod-Silay airport that I wrote about in the previous post and other airports that have been upgraded if not recently constructed or relocated. It’s not too late for NAIA’s terminals but the government should really pour some resources into it and perhaps take the cue from people who have offered their services pro bono in order to address the state of the terminals, especially T1. But then again, I would like to see the government finally make a firm stand, a commitment, regarding the futures of NAIA and DMIA. Alin ba talaga ang gusto nating maging premier gateway? And note that DMIA is indeed strategic and has enough space for expansion but will require a larger, modern passenger terminal to handle traffic that is currently flying in and out of NAIA, and more in the future.

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After writing a lot about highways and streets and railways (particularly on the PNR, its history and a few what if’s) I think its high time that I also write something about other modes of transport. Much has been abuzz about the state of our main international airport, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. Terminal 1 is already too crowded and with toilets already quite notorious for their being dirty and stinky. Terminal 2, despite being used only by one airline – Philippine Airlines, is also becoming too crowded already being unable to handle both domestic and international flights during the peak periods. It is also being dragged into the mess that PAL is currently wading through. Terminal 3 is predominantly being used by Cebu Pacific, already the country’s largest airline despite being a budget outfit. It is supposed to handle international flights for NAIA and yet because of the still unresolved issues surrounding its construction, most international flights are still serviced by Terminal 1. Perhaps the largest and the most friendly for passengers and well-wishers, it has a serious parking problem (covered parking anyone?) and many of its features are not operational (e.g., moving walkways, air bridges, baggage handling, etc.).

But rather than feature the older, less attractive airports for my first post on these facilities, I will start with what we should have more of. There are already several airports that have been constructed/ transferred and/or upgraded in the past few years around the country that are worth mentioning. Among these is the New Bacolod-Silay Airport that is located in Silay City, north-northeast of Bacolod City. The following photos were taken by colleagues at the Institute of Civil Engineering and the National Center for Transportation Studies of UP Diliman back in 2008 when the airport just began operations. It is a very significant upgrade from the old Bacolod Airport that was already too crowded and could not handle both passengers and aircraft projected for Bacolod and Negros Occidental.

The airport terminal as viewed from the parking area – parking is spacious and sufficient for many years to come given the current and projected passenger demand. The airport is the second (after Iloilo) “airport of international standard” completed during the previous dispensation.

Pre-departure area – provides a spacious area for passengers checking-in for their flights. The high ceiling definitely helps in providing a feeling of space.

Another view of the airline check-in area – Bacolod is served by PAL, Ceb Pac, Air Philippines and Zest Air. Passenger demand requires frequent trips that allow for flexible scheduling of travel.

Escalator to the departure lounge – departing passengers are handled on the ground floor but have to transfer to the upper floor for the departure area. They board the plane through the air bridges that provide the connection between the terminal and the planes. Arriving passengers also use the air bridges but descend to the ground level for departure procedures including baggage claims.

The departure lounge at the airport is spacious and clean. The comfort rooms, my colleagues say from more recent trips, are still sparkling clean and well-maintained.

Concessionaires include this coffee shop for passengers wanting a cup of their preferred beverages or perhaps a serving or slice of a cake to satisfy the proverbial sweet tooth.

Another concessionaire in the airport gives passengers an alternative to other shops offering snacks or full meals. The prices, I am told, are pretty reasonable considering they operate in the airport. Often, items sold in airports are criticized for being expensive (presyong turista), something that needs to be addressed, too, in the interest of travelers.

Pasalubong center at the airport – Filipinos and travelers from other countries like to buy gifts or souvenirs to take home with them to give family and friends a taste of what they experienced in their trips. In Japan, this is called omiyage and is usually something that one can buy only from the place that you went to. There are many such items all around the country and for Bacolod/Negros Occidental, these include piaya, barquillos and napoleones.

Air bridge – provides access to and from the terminal building to the plane on the tarmac. This is level with the aircraft’s doors and eliminates the need for ladders often employed in other airports (usually domestic).

View from the departing plane – this is perhaps what the traveler will see first when his/her plane taxis towards to the terminal. It will also be what one would see as the plane taxis away to prepare for departure.

They say first impressions last and from the looks of the airport once you arrive in a certain place, you can already make some conclusions as to what the place might be in general terms. My colleagues are very impressed with Bacolod and its airport makes a statement to this effect. It is a very nice place to visit. It is clean and modern. Perhaps such simple observations or perceptions are what we should strive for in the case of NAIA’s terminals. It doesn’t really require so much to impress people. And clean toilets, and honest, efficient and reliable staff probably doesn’t require billions of pesos to realize.