MANILA NONY AQUINO AIRPORT review : 23 June 2009 by Francisco Pinyata

Customer Rating : 3/5

Having gone through NAIA terminal 1 three times since my last review about a year ago, I have noticed some minor changes with the whole airport experience there, most of them positive. First, upon arrival, the lines were visibly shorter on all 3 trips through there, once between 1pm-2pm and twice between 7pm-8pm. I do not know what changes they've made, but on average the time spent on queues went down by half. Secondly, the time it took for me to get my luggage from the time I stepped out of the aircraft also went down drastically. I was out of the airport with my bags about 20-30 minutes after getting out of the plane, which is a huge leap of improvement from previous experiences there. Departing from NAIA 1 has become easier as well. Before, you couldn't get inside the terminal if you do not have a hard copy of your e- ticket. During one of my trips out of there, I told the security guard by the entrance that I only had the reference number for my flight. The security officer told me that the reference number was enough and that they have been granting ticketless passengers terminal access for some time. The number of security checks inside the airport have gone down from 3 checks to 2 - once before checking in and then again after immigrations. The terminal fee (which some of the other comments below have been incorrectly referring to as "airport tax") is still 750 pesos or about 15 US dollars. The duty free shop is still a no-no, with overpriced merchandise that you'd better off buy onboard your flight. The smoking area is still one of the biggest setbacks, with a non-existent ventilation system and a floor area no bigger than my bedroom. The good news is that you could go upstairs to the restaurant-cafe and puff away there without buying anything. But, their coffee is not that bad so I'd recommend that. I'd also suggest you try the ham and cheese sandwich. On of the saddest parts of this airport is the boarding gate, and not because of the fact that your vacation is over at that point. It's those cold, steel seats painted white. And there never is enough of them. And it's not just insufficient by a couple of seats - it's more like nearly half of the passengers waiting for their flight are standing up. A must-fix for the airport operators. But, all things considered, a one star improvement from previous experiences there.

MANILA NONY AQUINO AIRPORT review : 22 May 2009 by N Sutherland

Customer Rating : 3/5

Been through NAIA-3, half a dozen times now and it's getting steadily better. Looks like about 3 Airlines using the terminal, but unfortunately Cebu Pacific are all crammed up at one end and the International Departure Check-Ins are already getting a bit crowded and the snake-like queues have started... (Not as bad as when they were in T1 but since Cebu Pacific seem to be the majority of the business there I'd have though they'd be given more space). Still no Flight Information Screens anywhere in the terminal, and the incomprehensible sound system is not going to help you to get to the gate in time. The Ticket Desks seem to have lengthy slow- moving queues also. Seating is adequate throughout the terminal. The upstairs eating areas have expanded a little and there's more choice now but it all still looks a bit temporary and given the amount of business they seem to be doing I'd have thought they could produce something a bit better. No Internet and no WiFi that I could see. Immigration is still quite slow and Airside still lacks many facilities. Security isn't very efficient but neither is it crowed and unlike the other terminals there's plenty space. Duty Free is very poor both in selection and price. Although there are signs for an Airline (Pay?) Lounge I certainly never found it. Arrivals and Baggage are quick and slick. I've started using the Yellow Cabs instead of the Whites - I think you get a better deal. I certainly prefer NAIA-3 to any of the other MNL terminals just for the lack of crowding and access to a clean toilet here and there.

MANILA NONY AQUINO AIRPORT review : 16 May 2009 : by E Laurel

Customer Rating : 2/5

Arriving at Ninoy Aquino Intl Airport: For several years I have been flying into this airport, I have not noticed any improvements. The same decor - except for Christmas decorations during Christmas holidays. The same plants displayed in the lobby, some of the pots are broken. The overall cosmetic is bad. Now, look at the maintenance. The floors look clean and shiny. When passengers arrive at an airport, they usually look for the restrooms. The restrooms are small and no toilet paper. I think there were a total of 2 stalls before we reach Immigration. The immigration line is chaotic. No one is ushering the passengers where to line up so anything goes. It is good there are free luggage carts now so the passengers who are not requesting porters do not have to be bothered by them (they are all over). Well, it is understandable, these people make money from foreigners. But some of them can be irritating. If you have a "Balikbayan" box and you have been waiting for it to show on the carousel, do not panic. Some porters now remove the Balikbayan boxes without making any announcements - and move them to one corner where they are all packed so you will really need a porter. Once you get out of the airport, there are no signs showing you where to go for taxi, etc. There are a lot of hasslers hassling you to try their hotels, etc. Flying out of Manila: If you want to go to their restaurant outside the check-in area, the food is inexpensive and good. You find the restrooms and they are so filty - no toilet papers. Avoid the restrooms if you can. You get in line for xray scanning. After x-ray, look for your airline counter where you will encounter a couple of security checkers asking you the question, "did you pack your own bag, etc....". Then you get in line again. After checking in, you go to Immigration where they check your passport and you pay the departure tax - I think about 25US dollars. After Immigration, you proceed to the gate. There are usually airline staff who direct you to the gates so that was helpful. You get to the first security screening. You remove your shoes, etc. Then you get to another security screening. You do the same thing. Then, at the gate area, another security screening where you leave your belongings to the security screener and you can only get it after you are already inside the gate area. Security screening is stringent. Airport staff and airline employees are courteous, friendly and polite. Airport facilities are terrible. If you are a frequent flier, buy a lounge membership. This airport needs to be redone, renovated. They need to put more restrooms for inbound and outbound passengers.

MANILA NONY AQUINO AIRPORT review : 13 May 2009 : by R Silverio

Customer Rating : 1/5

Terminal 2 is small yet efficient. However, there is nothing much to do while waiting for the flight. The wifi is not working. There are limited food choices. The place is not even conducive for reading, working or sleeping because of the noise created by the frequent and repetitive announcements. There are only two cramped and dirty toilets each for men and women at the boarding area of international section.

MANILA NONY AQUINO AIRPORT review : 11 May 2009 : by John Philipps

Customer Rating : 1/5

The PAL Terminal at MNL is an exercise in pointless red tape to use as an exit point from Manila. The process includes the following steps. First, show a printout of your itinerary to the security guard, for without it, you will not gain entrance to the terminal. For those of you with e-tickets, walk a quarter of a mile to the PR office and have one printed out for you. Second, line up and push all your belongings through a large x-ray machine, although it is not apparent that anyone is actually monitoring the bags going through. Third, line up and collect your boarding pass at the counter. Fourth, walk to a separate counter and pay US$15.75 or PHP750 airport tax in cash, not included in your ticket price. Fifth, have the PR monitors stop you and force you to check any carry-ons that they arbitrarily deem to be "too large" or "too heavy", even though you brought the exact same bags into the airport earlier in the week. Sixth, show your airport tax receipt to another PR employee. Seventh, process through immigration. Eighth, process through another security check, including another bag scan, personal grope, shoe carnival up to an including flip-flops, and liquid confiscation. You are now in the sterile area and can wait to board your PR flight while vowing to never fly PR internationally from MNL again. The level of inefficiency is astounding, and drives anyone with a need to make a repeat visit to MNL to use CX or JL or some other airline to avoid this terminal.

MANILA NONY AQUINO AIRPORT review : 1 May 2009 : by Pedro Cadelina

Customer Rating : 3/5

These comments apply mostly to Terminal 2. T2 is exclusive to PAL and as such is handy for transfers if flying to another destination other than Manila. The terminal is very nice inside and out. Once inside though, the process is not as nice. Everything is built from plywood and painted giving the interior a cheap feel. Security is throughout including at the entrance, prior to the gate area, and at the gate if you fly international. Food is available but not too many selections. Delifrance and a place that serves Singapore pulled coffee are good. Lots of noise from constant paging and alert sounds from announcements and security machines. The Philippines love noise pollution. Restrooms are clean and attendants are not invasive. The planners of the Manila airport have made the unfortunate decision to build new modern terminals but not connect any of them together. A ideal situation would be to have T3 as the international terminal for all airlines and T2 as the domestic thus vacating the original T1 and domestic terminals. This will not happen as T2 and T3 are across the runway from each other.

MANILA NONY AQUINO AIRPORT review : 6 April 2009 : by Jon Beltran

Customer Rating : 1/5

If you fly into Terminal 1, which most, non-Philippine Airline international flights use, be prepared for a shock. Upon arrival, the first impression of a nation or country, that a visiting international traveler receives, is usually the airport. Unfortunately, the first impression one gets when arriving into Manila’s Ninoy International Airport, Terminal 1 is quite antiquated, shabby and run-down. By the gate area: Sections are cordoned off (for one‘s safety, I assume), though there seems to be little or no renovation work being accomplished. The flooring surface is a mismatch of old, late-70’s early 80’s turquoise carpet and the same color carpeted tiles. The ceiling squares are also in need of replacement with yellowish- brown water stains. If one is unfortunate enough to be arriving or departing at the terminal, during or within a couple of hours of a rain storm, lookout for the large leaks flowing into buckets at several locations throughout the terminal. Each traveler must pay a P750.00 (around $15.00) airport fee, charged by the airport officials upon departure. Thousands of passengers pay this fee on a daily basis, amounting to quite a sum. One wonders how those funds are spent when contrasting that sum with the state of the facilities. It is almost as if there was an unspoken conspiracy to castigate travelers who chose to travel on an airline other than PAL to the Philippines. In contrast to Terminal 1, if one takes Philippine Airlines (PAL) into Manila, it is quite a different story. PAL passengers use Terminal 2. This Terminal is a modern, glass and steel structure with lots of light with an open, airy, feel to it. There is also the new large Terminal 3, which like Terminal 2, is modern and clean and completely empty. Except for a domestic low-cost carrier that uses 3 or 4 of the jetways while the other 20 or so sit idly by.

MANILA NONY AQUINO AIRPORT review : 3 March 2009 : by S Bishop

Customer Rating : 4/5

Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 is new and looks very modern, clean, and huge.Sadly it isn't fully operational yet. We flew out of the NAIA T3 to and from Boracay via Cebu Pacific last January and I enjoyed it even though we were running most of the time to avoid missing our flight. Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 is better than Terminal 1. It only serves Philippine Airlines. Getting out of the airport is a breeze. The place is clean. Going through security is a little tough though. After checking in and going through immigration, we went through the usual x-ray and taking off shoes. At the boarding gate, we were again asked to xray our carryons, remove our shoes again, and got frisked again.

MANILA NONY AQUINO AIRPORT review : 13 January 2009 : by C Watson

Customer Rating : 2/5

Arriving was fine - swift, clean, although the metered taxi wouldn't use his meter. However this is the first airport I have departed from where there is no sign saying where the entrance is. Because departures are on the upper floor, which can only be accessed from the ground floor, all the doors say "arrivals" on them. The entrance is through the "Arrivals (with luggage)" door. Check-in area looks nice, nice Cebu Pacific logo on the overhead screens although they can't actually write the destination on the screens it seems so they stick a piece of paper on the screen with the destination written on it. No arrival/departure screens working. I followed the signs to the "Shopping Mall" but it doesn't exist yet. Three empty floors. The guy on security was so interested in the text message he was reading that he asked me why I was still standing by the machine. I told him he hadn't ejected my other bag from it. Glancing at his monitor he said "Oh yeah!" and ejected it. Sorry, P200 of the P750 airport tax is a security fee is it? Admittedly this was the second security check as there is one to enter the airport. There were signs regarding liquids but the guy asked me to please drink my 2L of water at some point before I board the aircraft. Airside were five small shops - one very small duty free with very few Filipino souvenirs, one book stand crammed into a tiny space despite the wide open unused space around the airport, one sushi bar, one pot noodle stand and a coffee shop. The terminal opened in June- something ceremoniously advertised but one wonders when they might actually finish the terminal.

MANILA NONY AQUINO AIRPORT review : 10 December 2008 : by J Levitsky

Customer Rating : 2/5

Having used both Terminals, I would rate MNL very low, especially since neither Terminal appears to be a real improvement over the old terminals.Lounges very poor representation for JL, CX, and PAL at an international terminal. No one can use an e-ticket only, as all passengers are required to produce a paper itinerary. This will result in the unaware international passenger making a lengthy detour to the ticket offices upon departure. Multiple ineffective X-ray checks of passengers and baggage. Shoe carnival at the departure lounge. Disorganized check-in queues for all airlines. Separate airport tax of PHP750 or $20 required to be paid in cash. Air conditioning that ranges from insufficient to Arctic, but does not settle on comfortable. Seedy snack bars and souvenir stores. Inoperable toilets, usually unclean. Very long waits for baggage to arrive at the luggage carousels. Incredible amounts of luggage consisting of paper bags bound with twine. No sense of propriety when it comes to passengers waiting to collect their baggage, just a crazed crowd of people standing as close to the carousel as possible, whether or not their bag is in sight. Terrible traffic patterns for ground transportation to the airport. I recommend that passengers aim to minimize the amount of time they spend actual in the MNL airport by arriving as close to departure as possible, and by not checking any luggage when arriving on MNL-bound flights. I also recommend that departing passengers remember to Print their itinerary and Have PHP750 in cash ready for the airport tax. While not a downright obstacle to travelers like the old Djakarta International or the two Bombay airports, MNL is way below par.

MANILA NONY AQUINO AIRPORT review : 28 November 2008 : by N Sutherland

Customer Rating : 2/5

NAIA-2. Check-In is fine as is the Arrivals Area. Being far less crowded than NAIA-1 Immigration and Security are reasonably quick. Airside however reminds me more of an upmarket Bus Station than an Airport - limited eating facilities, poor Duty Free both in terms of selection and price, totally incomprehensible announcement system and the total lack of Flight Information screens. This, combined with uncomfortable seating, brutal air conditioning, no pay-lounges and a 3-hour delay on a 3-hour flight in the middle of the morning conspire to produce a fairly negative customer experience. It's been a couple of years since I've been through NAIA-2 and hopefully it'll be at least that long again before I have to endure this terminal.

MANILA NONY AQUINO AIRPORT review : 5 November 2008 : by E Mallari

Customer Rating : 3/5

Arrived via Northwest Airlines. Still the same old terminal. Passed through immigration in no time. Avoided the men's room near the baggage carousel, notoriously dirty. Customs check is quick. Used the passenger lounge for hotel car transfer, employees on break watching t.v. in the lounge and occupying the seats meant for arriving passengers. Departed Manila airport on October 26th. Baggage x-rayed as soon as passengers enter the terminal. Only ticketed passengers are allowed inside the terminal. Three hours before my 7:30 a.m. flight Northwest Airlines check-in line already long but organized. After checking-in passengers enter a room and pay the airport departure tax, then go through passport check and then enter the terminal where gift shops and restaurants are located. Walk to the gate area is a little long, passengers have to go through second x-ray check. The gate areas have snack bars and souvenir stores. Used men's room and found that toilet doors were broken, shame on the airport management. This has been a chronic problem in this particular men's room in the pre-departure area. To get in the pre-board waiting area, passengers have to go through the third x-ray check! Boarding was organized, airline employees assisted by uniformed airport personnel. The sooner the international airlines like Northwest move to the newly opened Centennial Terminal, the better.

MANILA NONY AQUINO AIRPORT review : 26 September 2008 : by N Sutherland

Customer Rating : 3/5

NAIA-3 actually looks like a proper airport... kind of. Check-in is very good with a pier-style layout which makes best use of the available space - though the place was a bit dark... I think they're saving electricity. There's a selection of food and drinks places both land-side and airside - all of it seems a bit 'temporary'... 'camping out' rather than here to stay... Airport Tax is still PHP750. Signs are adequate. There's a Smoking Room airside which is a sensible provision. There's no computerised flight information system or video flight screens in the terminal, nor in the Baggage Area. This is not a problem with Cebu Pacific being the only airline using the terminal but will need fixing if/when it fills up. The arrivals area looked very good - 20 minutes from getting off the plane to getting into a taxi, including luggage which is excellent. Without luggage would be less than 10 minutes. My main criticisms of the other terminals has always been the chronic overcrowding. This will only be alleviated if NAIA-3 takes some of the load - it's arrived but it's some way away from the finished article and would struggle to handle say 6 airlines.

MANILA NONY AQUINO AIRPORT review : 27 August 2008 : by Emiel van Daalen

Customer Rating : 3/5

NIAI terminal 3 is finally open. For now only for all Cebu Pacific flights. There's not much in the Terminal yet, in the International part maybe 2 or 3 bars/restaurants. A lot is still under construction inside. The checkin area is nice, just like the spotless restrooms. (just for how long)

MANILA NONY AQUINO AIRPORT review : 27 August 2008 : by Robert Chua

Customer Rating : 3/5

NAIA Terminal 1 is old and not at par with the rest of Asia, however there is something about this old cramped terminal that makes me like it. Maybe it is the fact that you can actually get lounge service even if you are not on a business/first class passenger. Sampaguita lounge is just an elevator away. It is hidden and not many people know that. Theres food and drinks which is not bad for 400 pesos (roughly around $8 us dollars). The relative small size of the airport is also an advantage since you do not have to walk great distances to go to your plane. Major downsides are the long lines from check-in to immigration. One time, it took me 2 hours and a half to get checked in to a MNL-HKG flight via Cathay Pacific. The immigration people had to open a special immigration desk for us so that we can be accommodated right away as the plane was about to leave.

MANILA NONY AQUINO AIRPORT review : 28 June 2008 : by Francisco Pinyata

Customer Rating : 2/5

Stepping into the NAIA terminal is like stepping into a time machine back into the 70s. Everything, except the few LCD flatscreens at the at the check in counters, are in need of a major technical makeover. The walls on the entire structure looked extremely dull and dirty. Very slow immigration and customs officers whom all seem to want to squeeze a buck out of every passenger. There are not enough baggage conveyors so between 1pm to 2pm when my flight arrive together with 5 other flights, there barely was sufficient room for the passengers waiting for their luggage. Before you even get out of the terminal you will be approached by sales people selling you everything from taxi rides to sim cards to bottled water. Departing from this airport is not that much different. Duty free shop is microscopic compared to most other international airports in that part of the world. Not enough seating for passengers waiting for gate boarding announcements. Smoking area is located within a small cafe with very poorly working ventilation system. Your clothes will smell as if it was rubbed against a wet ashtray. Only star this airport will get is for the polite and helpful security and staff (immigration and customs people not included).

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