Cebu Airport

International departure has improved but first X-Ray area is still disorganized with arrogant staff. Signage and directions are notably very poor as you move through. It's sad that you still have to pay a departure tax of P750 which is a shock as NAIA Manila have stopped this extra line of red tape. This slows the whole departure process down big time. This departure tax recipe adds 3 extra checks before you get to immigration. This needs to be done away with ASAP. Again once past immigration which was efficient you have no real signs visible telling you of directions etc.. More thought needs to go into direction signs in terms of position, color and style of font. They need to stand out to guide the passenger. Departure seating is not very inviting at all. Departure involves too many checks and really causes more queues and frustrations from passengers. This airport tax has to go pronto.

It was terrible this morning, Dec 30 at Cebu Airport. The queue of people from the final inspection at the boarding gates reached back up to the initial inspection. This resulted in these very long lines as soon as you alight from your car. It will take you about an hour of queuing before you get to the boarding gates. I would have missed my flight if I hadn't have haggled with some airport personnel to allow me express entry. They should change the airport management and all their innefficient personnel.

Arrival on CX921 and as this was a 747 this tested the international arrival facilities on arrivals. The quarantine station for me was quick as I was one of the first out of the plane but it was going to be along wait for many other passengers. Immigration next and they seemed to be caught out that some of us had gotten to their stations quickly as they were not fully manned up. Again they were at lest efficient and courteous so someone had trained the staff here finally. Used one of the toilets near the carousels and all were very dirty and had not been cleaned for at least a day as the smell was truly awful. So much for the so called new toilets as they did not exist. Customs was a breeze for me as I had no check in baggage but again there is slack of training on manners of customs personnel who just pointed to the arrivals exit. When you get outside the arrivals you ate met by chaos once again of cars parked everywhere people offering you a taxi or car, I thought these people had been banned. Lucky for me and it's a good tip is if you travel light just get yourself to the waterfront parking area to meet your pick as its easy and you put into the gridlocked traffic in minutes. The airport is becoming more efficient but they need to sort out the arrivals area once exiting from customs as it total chaos.

Departing Domestic Terminal has improved allot since January when I last went through here. The same headache at the first X-Ray machine persists with poor staff attitudes towards passengers. At least they had two X-ray machines working which helps the flow. Check area still has no seating unless you are checking in for a Cebu Pacific Flight. More seating near the PAL check-in counters would be a nice touch as there is space. After check in its a real pleasure to see new seating in the departure hall which is more inviting and comfortable to sit in. Its a marked improvement as the passenger flow from check-in to departure hall is also better with only one entrance to head for but its not sign posted properly, certainly when checking in at the top end where PAL and Air Asia check-in desks are. Overall a more pleasing experience but improvements need to continue. Oh one last thing - Food stalls etc.. are still way too expensive and should offer a more attractive selection.

After the last few years of being managed by an Indian company, the airport have seen quite a few improvements and are scheduled for a complete remake. Being quite a small airport its very easy to move around and find your way. The signage is good and there is more than enough seating for everyone. The domestic side is better than the international though, featuring more coffee houses and stores than the international. The big problem with this airport is the pick up by a friend or family. The airport doesent allow cars to go inside the pick-up zone without the passenger for pick up already standing and waiting there, and since there is nowhere to park for free inside the airport you end up going around and around until you can finally be let in. Its a nice and comfy airport but you would not want to stick around for very long.

To all you people complaining about the departure tax at Mactan airport. The reason the tax is charged is because unlike other country airports it is not included in your airplane ticket. Philippine overseas workers are exempt from paying the departure tax, so the only way to do this is not include it in the air ticket and make those travellers not exempt pay at the airport. The departure tax you pay at Mactan is no more than other countries, the difference is you don't see it, it is added in your ticket price.

Used this airport 7 times in the last 3 years. Its a little dingy as a first impression. Its small and not enough seats and the seats available are metal and hard. The carpet needs replacing urgently. There are a couple of overpriced shops for gifts and food but nothing special. The route through from plane to outside is usually very quick and much less stressful than Manila. Departure tax was php550 and it was too much. I believe the amount has now increased substantially. At the end of this form it asks"would you recommend this Airport?" Of course, there is no other!

Cebu Mactan is one of the better airports I have used. The staff are pleasant in all situations that may arise and extremely helpful. I see derogatory comments on here about the cleanliness Cebu airport from English travelers, they should look at their own airports first before commenting, most airports in UK are filthy especially Heathrow. Cebu is one of the most pleasant travel experiences you could wish for after a long haul flight, or of course the beginning of one. I would agree there are a lack of restaurants but this is a comparatively small international airport that is gradually growing.

An excellent experience, with alighting from the aircraft through immigration, collecting my bag and proceeding through customs to a taxi outside taking less than 15 minutes. The only downside is that relatives and friends are made to wait outside in what can be hot and (in the rainy season) humid conditions, rather than the airconditioned terminal. A contract has been awarded for a new international terminal so whether that construction adversely affects the existing terminals remains to be seen. Overall a great experience: if only Melbourne and Sydney in Australia were like this! Consider using Cebu for international arrivals and departures instead of Manila if at all possible with flight schedules.

Once again I arrived at the airport amazingly I love the fact that getting off the plane and picking up my luggage took approximately 10 minutes. Immigration is the same picking up the luggage is the same nothing has changed the sad thing is my partner has to wait outside the airport and isn't allow inside the airport. As I have mentioned before it is excellent to arrive. Now departures is an entirely different matter you have to go through two security checks pay the departure tax which I think is pretty disgusting especially since they have increased it from PHP550 to PHP750 and the Cathay Pacific Lounge is pretty awful with extremely limited food and drinks and very dated. The duty free shops is expensive there is only one souvenir shop with some sort of food (admittedly I have never eaten there) a small smoking bar the washroom facilities are pretty basic too. The departure lounge itself is extremely basic hard uncomfortable seats. I been told it is now in private hands yes I noticed some lick of paints and small constructions going on but not impress at all. I am really looking forward to the new Bohol airport opening soon as I spend most of my time in Bohol.