With the recent popularity of my post on the Tagbilaran-Panglao Airport, I was encouraged to write this second part about the airport. Following are photos taken during our departure from Panglao. I took photos from the driveway, the check-in area and the pre-departure area and lounges. I hope this helps my readers including and especially travelers and tourists.

Curbside at the new airport – the area is very spacious and should be able to handle the steadily increasing number of passengers and well-wishers at the airport.

Passengers alight from their vehicles near the Philippine Airlines office at the terminal.

Air Asia ticket office near the terminal curbside

Spacious check-in area – I was just discussing the requirements and standards for check-in counters and frontage to my students this last semester.

Check-in counters for PAL

The check-in counters for Cebu Pacific were crowded when we arrived at the terminal.

Stickers on the floor mark where passengers are supposed to position themselves to comply with health protocols (i.e., social distance).

CebPac has their self check-out portals at the airport for those who have not done their online check-in and to facilitate and expedite check-in procedures.

There’s a separate section for international departures. The airport used to service international flight (before the pandemic). I assume this is where immigration (i.e., passport and visa control) and customs would have been located for International travel.

After checking-in, travelers are greeted by very spacious lounges

This is the ground floor. Visible is the elevator and escalators to the second level pre-departure area for domestic flights. I assume this is a mirror image of the international departures wing.

Unfortunately, there are only two kiosks at the terminal when we were there. One is this stall that sells snacks, sandwiches, instant noodles, and soft drinks and water. There are no souvenir shops or stores for last minute pasalubong shopping.

A view of the tarmac from the lounge

The elevator to the second level lounges and boarding gates.

Stairs and escalators to the second level

One of the boarding gates at the second level

The second level pre-departure area

A look at the ground floor

The other kiosk is by The Bellevue Resort. Their coffee is good but they ran out of food at the time we were there. We thought this was not good considering there were other flights scheduled for the rest of the day and passengers will end up with very limited or no options for meals before their flights.

Another look at the boarding gate and kiosk at the ground level

Another look at the other kiosk at the pre-departure area that sells snacks, light meals and drinks.

Passengers walk towards the tube connecting to aircraft

Bridge connecting the terminal to the aircraft

A PAL plan taking off 

The airport control tower

Baggage being transport for loading unto the aircraft

A family walks to board the awaiting aircraft bound for Manila.

A view of an Air Asia plane that had just arrived and with its passengers just starting to deplane.

This airport is probably one of the better airports in the country now. There is a new airport in Bicol (replacing the old Legazpi Airport) that just started operations recently, which I have yet to visit but is likely better than Panglao in terms of shops and stores. Facilities-wise, this is a modern gateway that should serve the projected number of passengers for Bohol for the next so many years including the expected international operations for the terminal. We are still in the midst of the pandemic but the number of travelers is steadily increasing. And so I wonder how the airport will be once the ‘old normal’ number of visitors return.

They definitely need more shops and stores than the current two kiosks at the airport. They also would need to improve on the ventilation and air-conditioning (it was quite humid inside the airport when we were there – the aircon was not functioning). As a tourist, I am already looking forward to the next trip to Panglao. Hopefully, the airport will be even better on that next trip.

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