Home » Posts tagged 'terminals'
Tag Archives: terminals
Closed shops at NAIA Terminal 2
Recently, I wrote about the closed shops at NAIA Terminal 3. While there are still shops at the terminal, the pre-departure area was devoid of non-food shops or stalls. The same is true for NAIA Terminal 2. Here are some photos I took a few days ago en route to Davao.
The north wing practically had no no-food shops. That left side in the photo used to have several souvenir shops and even a Duty Free Philippines shop.
The same was true for the south wing where only the food stalls remain.
Other food stalls at the south wing. There are two Cafe France stalls at the terminal pre-departure area, one at each wing. And most people seem to line up there and a couple other stalls as they offer the more substantial meals. Others offer basically merienda or snacks.
North wing food stalls
Will there be more shops later at the terminals? Maybe, perhaps. But as I mentioned in the previous post and as many have commented, it depends on the cost. Will it be expensive and therefore unattractive to potential concessionaires? Or will the airport operator come up with an attractive contract for shops to return to the terminals? Airports in Bicol, Cebu and Davao, for example, have nice shops that serve the needs of travelers. NAIA being the principal gateway to the country should have nothing less.
–
Eats and shops at the Bicol International Airport
This is a continuation of the feature on the Bicol International Airport. I am sharing the following photos below so my readers can be guided about what’s available to eat and/or drink at the terminal.
Souvenir store at the entrance to the departure lounge
Turning to the pre-departure area – there’s WHSmith
The terminal has a spacious lounge surrounded by shops
Among the options for the hungry are Eat’s a Date and the familiar Bigg’s, which is a chain that originated in Bicol. I think they are the Bicol equivalent of Bo’s Coffee.
Some are familiar (Dunkin, Potato Corner and Sandwich Guy) while others are probably Bicol-based (LeSans, Daily Bites)
There are many local products for sale as souvenirs or for personal consumption.
There are handicrafts and shirts at the terminal. I highly recommend the shirt store for the quality and variety of designs. I believe there are better shirts here in general compared to the tourist areas like Cagsawa.
One shop sells local delicacies especially those with pili nut and chili – two items associated to Bicol.
Locally made chocolates are available at the airport. I’ve seen Mayon Gold at the NAIA terminals and can say that their pili nut crunch chocolate is good. I have another blog where I write about chocolates so I will not write about the taste here.
The chocolates come in individual bars for the different variants. They also have box sets or samplers.
More on the airport soon!
–
What’s new in Panglao Airport? -Part 1
We were in Panglao, Bohol last April and I was disappointed to see there were no shops after entering the pre departure area. Also, there were only 2 kiosks inside. One selling the usual siomai, hotdog and noodles kind of food and the other operated by a popular hotel/resort.
I am glad that this time, there are more shops and eating options after the final security check.
More on these new shops and stalls in the next post.
–
Antipolo to any point of the Philippines
I wrote several times in the past about every road leading to Antipolo. Recently, a new route opened between Antipolo and Iloilo. This is interesting for me since my father’s hometown, which I also consider mine, is Cabatuan, Iloilo. We usually flew to the province though we also rode on inter-island ferries when I was a child. I have memories riding on the ships operated by the now defunct Negros Navigation and Sulpicio Lines. I had never used the SuperFerry ships that now connect the major islands of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
Buses at the public transport terminal at Robinsons Antipolo include those regularly dispatched to Cubao and Quiapo. There are many provincial and RORO buses including those bound for the Bicol Region and Eastern Visayas (i.e., Samar and Leyte). The latter are operated by several bus companies including RRCG whose buses are shown in the photo.
RRCG bus bound for Iloilo via Batangas, Mindoro, Aklan (Caticlan), and Antique. The fare to Iloilo City is 2,700 pesos. It’s 2,400 pesos until Caticlan.
New sign for the route connecting Antipolo City and Iloilo City. Caticlan in the province of Aklan is along the way. I estimate the travel time to be roughly a day considering the bus will still go to Marikina’s transport terminal across from SM City Marikina. From there, the bus will proceed to Batangas Port via C5, SLEX and STAR Tollway. The bus will queue to be loaded unto a RORO ferry bound for Mindoro. It will travel by land to cross Mindoro Island before being transported via ferry from Mindoro to Caticlan.
One bus company provides services to destinations in the Bicol Region. Both air-conditioned and ordinary (non-aircon) buses are available.
–
Another look at the Mactan Cebu International Airport Terminal 1 – Part 3
This is the conclusion to the series on MCIA Terminal 1. Here I am sharing more photos of the shops and also include photos of what used to be the old terminal 1 boarding gates areas that have now been completely renovated.
Electronics shop at the MCIA Terminal 1
There’s a sports bar at Terminal 1
There’s a Kultura shop at the Terminal 1. Kultura is SM’s
Liquors and wines store at the terminal – I was not able to inquire if these can be duty free considering the people including foreign tourists who may avail of this.
Passengers seated along a row of restaurants at the old Terminal 1 domestic wing. This area used to be crowded with so many chairs that they tried to fit in the area.
Familiar brands Dunkin’ Donuts and Bo’s Coffee are there. There are also vending machines for drinks for the more straightforward purchases.
The pre-departure area of the old T1 domestic wing now appears more spacious.
Corridor to the old T1 domestic wing now full of shops
More on airports soon!
–
Pasig to Lucena vans
I was surprised to see a sign at the transport terminal of SM East Ortigas announcing van services between the mall and Lucena City (SM City Lucena terminal). This seems to be a very convenient service and it is via a route I consider to be quite scenic. This is the one via the “backdoor” of Rizal through the towns of Teresa, Morong, Tanay, Pililla in Rizal, Laguna province (Famy, Paete, Lumban, Pagsanjan, etc.) and Quezon province (Luisiana, Lucban, Tayabas).
Modern jitneys (actually more like mini-buses)
Close-up of sign showing the transport service between SM East Ortigas and SM Lucena in Quezon Province.
–
Zamboanga City Integrated Bus Terminal
I open the year by sharing photos of the Zamboanga City Bus Terminal. It is a ‘central’ terminal as most most buses terminate here and cannot proceed to the city center. At the terminal, passengers may transfer between buses, jeepneys and vans.
View of the terminal from the national highway. There are driveways leading to and from the terminal from the highway and one can appreciate the expanse between the facility and the main access road.
There are covered walks connecting the terminal to the national road.
Provincial buses and long-distance vans at the terminal
Provincial bus arriving at the terminal
Jeepneys at the terminal
Motorcycles parked along a shaded area. The lamp’s vintage design seems to be a good accent to the terminal.
Close-up showing the spacious parking area shared by cars, jeepneys, motorcycles and even tricycles
Another look at the covered walkways leading to the national highway. Not all public transport go to the terminal because of the fees and the distance for the diversion from the highway.
Jeepneys waiting to be filled with passengers prior to departure
A look at the front of the terminal shows a wide driveway and the connection of the covered walkway to the main entrance
Another look at the integrated terminal from the highway
We will be evaluating the terminal soon as part of a study we are doing for the city. More photos and some assessments about its features soon!
–
Mactan Cebu International Airport – newly opened lobby area at Terminal 1
Arriving in Cebu, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the airport’s Terminal 1 has a new lobby that is now open to the public. Here are photos taken during our recent trip to Cebu last month.
View of the newly opened lobby from the baggage claim area
Passengers and well-wishers (mostly people waiting to fetch arriving passengers) at the MCIA’s new lobby
This is the arrival level and one can use the escalators or the stairs to get to the departure level
Escalators at the MCIA’s new lobby
The corridor to the transport terminal is unfinished but the path is spacious enough as shown in the photo.
This is the area closer to the older exit from the arrival area of Terminal 1, which is actually closer to the transport terminal.
A preview of a much more spacious area where a driveway used to be
I made sure to take more photos of the lobby upon our departure from Cebu. Here are those photos:
Workers walking along the newly completed pathways at the ground transport interphase for the departure area of the airport’s Terminal 1.
A familiar scene: passengers saying their farewells to relatives at the airport terminal
Carts neatly placed for use by travellers
Information signs and columns are sleek and modern. These show the way to the check-in counters.
A very spacious departure level lobby
View towards the escalators to the arrival area, which is one level down from the departure area
Shakey’s seem to be one of the first to establish a branch at the newly refurbished Terminal 1.
Corridor to the terminal’s domestic flight check-in counters
Newly installed information board showing scheduled departures and their status
More about Cebu’s airport soon!
–
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.
–
Public transport terminal at the Sta. Lucia East Grand Mall
Sta. Lucia’s East Grand Mall reconfigured its transport terminal and made it somewhat more formal than it was before. Previously more like a informal terminal with jeepneys parked along their driveways, the mall relocated its terminal to be closer to the Line 2 Station currently under construction just across from the Robinsons Metro East Mall and Sta. Lucia’s main access road from Marcos Highway.
Jeepney station for eastbound PUJs including those bound for Cainta, Taytay, Angono and Binangonan via Felix Avenue (formerly Imelda Avenue) and Cainta Junction
There is space for 4 to 5 jeepneys depending on how they are parked. There are also seats for waiting passengers and the area is fully occupied during the peak hours in the afternoon and evening when there is higher demand and jeepneys are not able to come back as fast to pick-up passengers.
This is a welcome development as passengers have a better place to get a ride. The terminal is more secure and protected from the environment (i.e., it is practically covered as shown in the photos). Then, of course, there is the proximity from the Line 2 Station making transfers between rail and road transport more efficient. The walk between the station and the terminal is not a difficult one as there should be adequate space along the Sta. Lucia mall driveway that has an improved pedestrian sidewalk, too.
I will post more photos of this terminal soon!
–
Caught (up) in traffic 