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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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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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Motorela – Paratransit in Cagayan de Oro
Our recent trip to Cagayan de Oro reacquainted us with their paratransit. While they looked like tricycles at first glance, they are actually 4-wheeled. Instead of a motorcycle with side car (with one wheel), this is a motorcycle fitted with a body that has two wheels (total 4). These are called motorela, which look like the Thai tuktuk.
These can seat 9 passengers including the driver. The design though appears to put a lot of stress on the motorcycle due to the weight of the attachment plus the weights of passengers. Typical motorcycles are not built for these loads.
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New ramps for enplaning/deplaning
We were able to use the ramps I mentioned in a previous post. In a recent trip to Cagayan De Oro, we deplaned from the forward door of the aircraft where the ramp was engaged. Here are the photos showing a closer look at different sections of the ramp.
The first ramp upon exiting the aircraft
The second ramp section with passengers basically facing the plane
Final (lower) ramp sections
A look back to the ramps before we walked to the passenger terminal building
I wonder how many of these have been made and deployed at airports around the country…
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Another look at Laguindingan Airport
A quick trip to Cagayan De Oro allowed me to take a few more photos of the airport at Laguindingan. Here are more photos of the airport including the runway and the major buildings.
A look at the length of Laguindingan’s runway as our plane turned towards the terminal
From L-R: hangar, cargo terminal, passenger terminal and control tower
A closer look at (L-R) the cargo terminal, passenger terminal and control tower
The passenger terminal and control tower
Laguindingan’s cargo terminal
Air Asia plane at the passenger terminal
The Air Asia plane did not use the bridge for embarking/disembarking passengers
Bridge access to the terminal
An arriving passenger’s view of transport service providers upon exiting the airport terminal
Air traffic control tower.
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Laguindingan Airport – departure
I almost forgot to post this item on Laguindingan Airport. It somehow got lost among the many drafts I had already started but remained unfinished. Here is the departure part of the feature on Laguindingan Airport, which is now the major gateway to Northern Mindanao. The layout and design of the airport reminded me of Iloilo’s International Airport what with the spur road, parking lot and driveways that are somewhat similar between the two airports.
Approaching the airport
Parking lot across from the terminal building
Driveway at the departure area – taxis and other PUVs use this driveway
Driveway for private vehicles
Check-in counters
Cebu Pacific counters
Philippine Airlines counters
View of the airline check-in area as we ascend to the departure level via escalator
Pre-departure area
Pre-departure area
Pre-departure area
Shops at the terminal’s pre-departure area
Charging station at the pre-departure area
Not shown in the photos are other shops and restaurants in the pre-departure area including the Seattle’s Best Coffee and Kenny Rogers Roasters. There are also good souvenir items for sale at the many concessionaires at the pre-departure area. Among those to be considered for some last minute shopping are food and beverage items like peanuts, pastries and coffee. There’s also a shop selling meat products, which I highly recommend. They have hams and bacon for sale, which they package well so it survives the trip all the way to your home.
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Laguindingan Airport – arrival
A few years ago, Cagayan De Oro’s airport was closed in favour of a new airport located in another town, Lagundingan. My first time to visit Laguindingan Airport was when it was still under construction almost a decade ago. Afterwards, I had not had the chance to visit Cagayan De Oro again to use either the old or new airports. A recent trip to CDO provided an opportunity to finally see the airport and take some photos I could share here. The following photos were taken last July 2018.
A view of the airport terminal as our plane taxied towards it after landing at the airport
A view of the terminal as our plane berthed to unload passengers
Deplaning passengers pass through the airbridge to the terminal building
Ads for hotels and transport greet arriving passengers
Passengers file into the baggage claim area
The baggage claim area only has a couple of racetracks so I assume one is generally for Cebu Pacific and another for PAL. It also means the airport is not equipped (at least for baggage claims) to handle more than 2 flights arriving within minutes of the others.
The baggage claim area can get very crowded. These are just fellow passengers from an A320 plane.
Another photo of the crowded area around one carousel in the baggage claim area
Meanwhile, the area around the other carousel/racetrack is clear of people
Here is what the baggage claim area looks like when passengers have exited
Tourism booths at the airport’s arrival area – one obviously is promoting whitewater rafting, which is quite popular for tourists visiting CDO.
Tourism booth of the Province of Misamis Oriental
Assistance desk of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), which is generally in-charge of airport operations in the country. This agency headed by an Assistant Secretary-level official is under the DOTr.
Automatic teller machine (ATM) and a glimpse of the concessionaires at the departure level of the airport terminal
Passengers exiting the terminal
Arriving passengers are greeted by many booths with people offering transportation services between the airport and various destinations including CDO and Iligan City.
Here’s a view of the terminal building as we walked towards our vehicle.
The airport’s control tower
A view of our plane as we drove away from the airport to head for Cagayan De Oro City, which was more than an hour’s travel from the terminal.
More photos on Laguindingan Airport in the next post!
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Caught (up) in traffic 