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Changi Jewel and transit
The trip to Sri Lanka afforded me some hours at Singapore’s Changi Airport. En route to Colombo, we made sure to go around the complex and check out one of the attractions of the top airport in the world. Changi’s Jewel is very impressive and can make you forgot you were actually inside an airport terminal. Here are some photos taken as we trekked to the Jewel via Terminal 2 and 3.
Visitors have the option of walking by themselves or using the moving walkway whenever these were available.
The automated guideway transit (AGT) system of Changi allow you to transfer from one terminal to another with the exception of Terminal 4.
I took this photo of the guideway and the AGT as reference for my lectures
Another view of the corridor connecting Terminal 3 to the Jewel
Directional sign to the Jewel
Changi’s air traffic control tower
The main attraction is this gigantic waterfall located at a man-made complex that’s designed to imitate conditions at a rainforest.
Changi AGT slow down for passengers to have a good close view of the Jewel
All the water used is recycled and one can get mesmerised by the vortex where all the water falls and seem to be sucked into.
Here’s another look at the Jewel and the airport AGT
There is a mall with shops, restaurants and cafes around the Jewel.
Another photo of the AGT guideway above the road system at Changi
Taxis queued along airport roads
More guideways
A look back at the way from the Jewel
More photos of Changi soon!
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NAIA Terminal 3 departure 2019
My recent travel to Sri Lanka allowed me to take photos at 3 airports – NAIA, Changi and Bandaranaike. For NAIA, I used Terminal 3. For Changi, I had the opportunity to take photos at Terminals 2, 3 and 4. And Bandaranaike was my new airport for 2019. Here are photos I took at the departure area of NAIA Terminal 3. There were a few new items here from my last overseas trip using this terminal (I traveled onboard Emirates last year to and from Europe).
Directional signs greet you as you clear immigration
Shops at Terminal 3
Long corridor leading to the boarding gates is lined with shops at either side
Local cafe at the departure area
Chocolates for sale
I was very happy to see that the best of Philippine chocolates are being sold at the duty free shop. These include Malagos (the Davao brand, which I think is the top quality chocolate in the country), Auro (also from Davao and with high quality comparable to Malagos), and Theo & Philo (another good quality chocolate). At the bottom of the shelf are high quality liquor.
Close-up of the selection of Auto chocolates.
At the other side of the shelf are boxes of chocolate-covered dried fruit. For me, the chocolate-covered mangoes are the top picks.
Souvenir shop specialising in local delicacies from different regions of the country.
It was the first time I saw this cafe at the T3 departure area
There are also the familiar and reliable restaurants like Kenny Rogers’
Starbucks for those who prefer their drinks and food. Don’t get me wrong. I also patronise their drinks and food and they are a sure thing compared to other brands you are not familiar with.
Bo’s Coffee might be preferable to many Filipinos. This is another brand that originated in Davao.
We were amused by this somewhat novel product – portable bidet
This is the second airport where I’ve seen WHSmith. The other is Mactan Cebu International Airport.
Another local cafe at the terminal
Children’s play area and infant feeding section at the terminal
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Another look at the Francisco Bangoy (Davao) International Airport – Departure Part 2
This is the last part of the feature on the Davao International Airport. Here are the last batch of photos I took of the airport departure areas.
Spacious departure level containing the airline check-in counters
Passengers wait for their check-in times and counter for travel tax payments
Passengers with their luggage filing into the terminal
View of the airline check-in counters from the escalator
Another view of the airline check-in counters and the departure area. This photo also shows the shops at the second level.
View of the terminal entrance from the escalator
Another view of the ground floor area showing the airline counters and the escalators and stairs to the departure level lounges
After clearing the final security check, passengers pass through this corridor towards the departure lounge and boarding gates
Passengers waiting for their boarding calls.
Coming up soon are photos of Changi (Singapore) and Bandaranaike (Sri Lanka) airports. I haven’t been to Singapore in 7 years and it was my first time to go to Sri Lanka so I made sure to take a lot of photos at those airports.
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Another look at the Francisco Bangoy (Davao) International Airport – Departure Part 1
To continue on the series on Davao’s international airport, here are a few photos on the airport upon our departure last week.
Taxi stand at the airport There are two lanes here along which taxis are queued to pick-up passengers. The other two lanes to the right in the photo are for dropping-off passengers.
Passengers walking towards the terminal. Those with lots of luggage may avail of the porter services. The porter assists you until the check-in process.
Driveway for private vehicles and VIPs
Typical scene right after the first security check at the airport
I will be completing this series with another post on this airport soon. Meanwhile, I am preparing for a trip to Sri Lanka via Singapore. That means more photos of airports. I have not been to Singapore in a while. The last one was in 2012 when Changi still had a budget terminal (terminal for low-cost carriers like Cebu Pacific and Tiger Airways) and I have not been to Sri Lanka at all. And so I am looking forward to there travels and will be sharing the experiences through photos and some narratives in future posts.
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Another look at the Francisco Bangoy (Davao) International Airport – Arrival Part 2
This is a continuation of the post on the Davao International Airport. I made sure to take photos upon our arrival as I haven’t been to Davao in a while. So here’s a second set of photos on the airport.
Upon exiting the terminal, one is greeted by a spacious are with covered walkway towards the taxi stand and the parking area.
A view of the sidewalk and path to the departure wing of the terminal. Note the signs indicating the airline offices nearby.
Crossing to the taxi stands and pick-up areas
A look back to the terminal building
Driveway for private vehicles picking-up or dropping-off passengers at the terminal
Taxi stands at the terminal. These are taxis picking-up passengers.
Queue at the taxi stand
The taxis on the other lanes are those dropping-off passengers at the terminal. There are two lanes each for taxis dropping-off or picking-up passengers.
Passengers are given by airport security personnel a small sheet of paper where the information on the taxis are written. These are for future reference or use in case there is an issue or concern such as things left on the taxis.
Taxi bearing a sticker of Hirna, a popular taxi hailing app in Davao. This homegrown company gives good competition to the industry leader Grab. I thought that we probably need more of these than Grab Cars.
I have always admired taxi operations in Davao. My experience there since my first time to visit the city is that it was easy to get a taxi and their drivers generally follow rules and regulations. The system in Davao seems to be effective in encouraging drivers to be honest and obedient to traffic rules and regulations.
More on the Davao International Airport soon!
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Another look at the Francisco Bangoy (Davao) International Airport – Arrival Part 1
I have not been to Davao for some time now. I think the last time was over 6 years ago at a time when there was still no inkling of its mayor becoming the Philippine President. In fact, that was the time he was Vice Mayor to his daughter who was mayor the last time I was in the city. And so I was curious how it was in the city where certainly the popularity of the First Family should be at the highest in the land. Note that aside from the President, the first daughter is again Mayor, a son is Vice Mayor and another son is Congressman. But no worries for the DDS among my readers, I will not talk about politics in this post. I will just be sharing photos of the airport and some commentaries here and there.
View of the airport terminal as we deplaned
A look back at the Airbus 330 jet that brought us to Davao
Passengers walking towards the baggage claim area, which is on the ground floor of the terminal
Passengers using either the escalator or the stairs to the baggage claim area
Passengers walking towards the baggage claim area pass by an area where sometimes quarantine is performed and people step on a mat that’s treated vs. foot and mouth disease (FMD).
Porters line up to welcome arriving passengers and offer their assistance
Information desk at the arrival area
Baggage carousels – there were only two for domestic flights
We arrived in time for the last days of the city’s Kadayawan Festival
Passengers surround the carousel to await their checked-in luggage
There is a screen informing passengers that their baggage are being unloaded. I thought it would have been helpful if Philippine airports provide more details like how its done in other countries. In the latter, they usually announce when the first and last bags are on the carousel for specific flights.
Policemen performing musical numbers at the airport terminal is a pleasing sight and sound and is certainly an effective P.R. initiative for the PNP and the city.
Another look at the still crowded carousel area. It took a while for our luggage to come out.
Hotel desk at the terminal for those inquiring about accommodations or perhaps their airport transfer services.
Another Kadayawan photo op feature at the terminal
Another look at the hotels’ desk at the terminal just before the exit
I took a lot of photos at the airport so I will be sharing these in several posts. More photos soon!
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MyBus at the Mactan Cebu Airport
Arriving at the Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA), we moved towards the transport terminal where a rental van was picking us up. We were a big group and had luggage for a week’s stay so we arranged for the van, which we rented until the evening so we can go to dinner without hassle. As we walked towards the terminal, I saw a man waving a board with MyBus on it. He was calling out to passengers who might want to take this bus to Cebu City (MCIA is in Lapu-Lapu City). I wasn’t able to take a photo of the man but was able to take few as we waited for our van.
MyBus turning along the MCIA terminal driveway after picking up passengers
MyBus turning towards the terminal exit. There were a good number of passengers on the bus so that’s a good thing. That means they already have established some ridership between the airport and Cebu City.
Another photo of the bus as it waited for a car to clear its path. MCIA has very good road transport terminal facilities, which I thought was excellent when compared to those in other airports in the country.
Perhaps I would try MyBus next time I am traveling to Cebu and with less luggage? The bus as shown in the photo is configured for city operations and not for long distance travel (i.e., with luggage compartments on belly of the bus) like the limousine buses I took in Japan.
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Another look at the Mactan Cebu airport taxi stands
This is the last of three posts about our recent arrival at Mactan Cebu International Airport. Following are more photos; this time from exiting the terminal building to the transport stand and driveway.
Arriving passengers exiting the Terminal 1 building and heading to the driveway for transport
Directional signs for various road transport options at MCIA. These include metered taxi, white taxi (airport taxi) and bus
The driveway also includes bays for private vehicles. These are mixed with rideshare vehicles such as those with Grab.
Metered taxi stand – there used to be a Grab booth here but I couldn’t find them in the area so either they might have set up somewhere in the airport or perhaps it is assumed that people can manage with their apps on their smartphones.
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Mactan Cebu airport arrival – Part 2
This is a continuation of the feature on arriving at the Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA). In the previous post, I shared photos of our arrival at the new Terminal 2 and our walk from T2 to the domestic Terminal 1.
Passengers continue to the corridor on the Terminal 1 side
Take-off run for a commercial flight
Cramped corridor for arriving passengers heading to the baggage claim area
Bridgeway or tube at T1
We emerged from the corridor to the T1 building and a sign showing us the way to the baggage claim area
Descending the stairs or escalator to the arrival level and the baggage claim area
Visitors are greeted with posters showing Cebu’s attractions as well as ads for residential and resort developments. Also shown in the photo are information boards on arriving flights.
Baggage claim area for domestic flights – notice the passengers with their carts or trolleys crowding along the conveyor system.
Another look at the baggage claim area and a less crowded conveyor
More photo of the arrival including the taxi stand soon…
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Mactan Cebu airport arrival – Part 1
We were treated to a somewhat pleasant surprise upon arriving in Cebu’s Mactan International Airport a couple of weeks ago. The surprise was that our plane taxied to and berthed at the new Terminal 2, which was for international flights.
A view of the MCIA Terminal 2 from our taxiing aircraft
A closer look at MCIA T2 as our plane turned towards the apron
Passengers deplaning via the T2 tube
A view of MCIA T2 from the airbridge
View of the tarmac and one of the airbridges as we walked along the corridor lined along the terminal’s departure level that connected to another corridor for the old Terminal 1.
Corridor along Terminal 2 connecting to Terminal 1
A snapshot of the tarmac
The interior design elements of MCIA Terminal 2 evoke a local, Asian flavour
Spacious corridor towards Terminal 1
A look at an aircraft berthed at MICA T2
Bridge connecting Terminals 1 and 2 with a view of the air traffic control tower
Passengers walking to T1
Interphase of T2 with T1 at this point of the bridgeway
More on MCIA soon!
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Caught (up) in traffic 