Manila Airport

Arrived and departed through terminal 2 from Toronto. Security staff appear to be using antiquated equipment to scan baggage. Security zones frequently maintained by ropes and easy to breach. We flew on an international flight and the stewardess at the gate didn't check our ID or even match our ticket to a database. A passenger deplaned our flight before departure because of illness and no one checked for carry on items that might have been left on the flight. Disorganized and understaffed.

Terminals 2 and 3. This airport is definitely not the worst in the world judging from these terminals - I found it no worse really than many I have been to. Everyone was friendly and all spoke English. The tannoy announcements in Term 2 are obtrusive. I appreciate it would be expensive to replace the tannoy with monitors. Instead I believe the system could be improved greatly by abolishing the annoying three "dings" before and after every announcement. I needed to transfer from Terminal 3 to Terminal 2 and from landing to arrival in Terminal 2 this took just over an hour. It seemed quiet when I was there (a weekday afternoon). At busy times I would guess that the transfer system would be unable to cope because it relies on small buses. My bus actually went all round the airport to various buildings before finally dropping me off so it may take much longer than you expect. And don't rely on the driver telling you when you have to get off. You can't enter airside without paying a "terminal fee" of 550PHP. This must be paid in cash (PHP or US dollars only). In Terminal 2 there are a few places you can get food and drink. There is also free wi-fi which worked better than the wi-fi where I had come from (Dubai). It is true that all seat are metal but they are the same seats that you find in many airports.

I just used T1 a couple of weeks ago going to Tokyo and will have to use tomorrow again to travel to Sydney. Renovation was a joke some new carpets and signs is not what this airport needs. By far the worst airport I have ever been to and I have been to a lot. T3 is just two notches better but still worse than any airport in Asia and Latin America. You might imagine how it looks compared to Europe or America. If possible avoid. First timers in Manila get scared and shocked when arriving. Fortunately after driving for some minutes you discover Manila is actually nice and not the war zone this airport leads you to believe it is.

T1. Once again arrived at this awful airport on the morning of the 11th to find it still in full blown renovation which is Lila maze to negotiate for the passengers as nothing was clearly sign posted but as I have been a regular it was not so bad for a first time arrival it would be a nightmare. Immigration was busy and the number of counters had halved! Made it twice as long to get through. Customs was a breeze as there were none on duty when I entered the baggage hall so straight to arrivals and out of the hot stuffy place as there was no air-conditioning working sufficiently to keep the area cool. Avoid this terminal if you can at this time.

Recently used both Terminals 2 and 3 for international flights. Terminal 2 used by Philippine Airlines is horrible. There is only one toilet each for men and women at the departure area. The long queue of passengers are indeed disappointing. Terminal 3 has a lot of facilities that are under repair. Seats are limited so many people are seated on the floor. Terminal 3 is a noisy airport full of unnecessary announcements heard in the entire area. Why would they announce the arrival of a domestic flight in a boarding area for international flight? Why would one airlines boarding procedure announced to the entire international terminal?

I have been through MNL terminals several times in the past 9 years. With all the talk of the improvements they are going to make and all the money they have and do take in it is clear most of the money goes into the pockets of a select few. Few improvements have been made in 9 years. Those that have been made are pathetic and managed with incompetence.

They should do something about T2. Took PR 730 (0935H departure) and the transit area is a zoo. Checking in and clearing immigration wasn't too much of a hassle but the agony begins in the transit area. Too many flights departing within a few minutes of each other in such a small space would make the claustrophobic and agoraphobic go into seizures. Only one set of toilets servicing 12 gates of wide body jets mean snaking queues especially for the ladies' room (singular). The sea of humanity makes the air-conditioning practically non existent. I suggest for PAL to move some flights to T3 the way they did for their domestic ones. T2 just couldn't handle the volume.

Maybe I was lucky but I didn't spend much time going through long lines. My flight from LAX (via Incheon) arrived about 11PM. Only 26 minutes passed between my plane reaching the T1 gate and me leaving the airport to get a taxi. In the middle of the week I used T2 to go to Bacolod for a few days. As far as time it was faster going thru lines than most airports that I have experienced in the U.S. My only major issue with T2 are the very hard metal seats. On departure I arrived at T1 four hours before my flight. It took me 1h 45m minutes from leaving my taxi to getting to the gate. However 45 of those minutes were spent waiting for Korean Air to open their ticket counter. The air conditioning at both T1 and T2 was functioning. Having to go through a minor security check if I wanted to leave the gate area to get something to eat or use the restroom and return was no issue. The biggest problem that I have overall with the airport is the age of the facilities and the lack of eateries and stores. But with the renovations I will give them the benefit of the doubt for now.

I have flown in and out of all 4 terminals in the last 6.5 months and it is one of the worst airports I have even been in. Terminal 1 - Korean and Asiana probably the smoothest terminal to go in and out of although the line to check in can take forever. Terminal 2- the most disappointing as this is PAL's international terminal. The WiFi is horrible the air conditioning barely acceptable and the taxi area getting in and out is crowded. Limited bathrooms in the departure area. Terminal 3 - Cebu Pacific this was bad as well when we departed there was no jetway normal in a lot places but in a thunderstorm not fun. Cebu gave us umbrellas which was nice but water everywhere. On return it took forever to get our baggage. Terminal 4 - all I can say is I've been in bus stations that are better than T4. There is no good way to get between terminals if you need to so I would advise against booking flights on multiple carriers making connection in Manila. The traffic and absolute unorganized chaos that is NAIA makes you want to pull your hair out.

Travelled through T3 twice the past 2 weeks one for an international flight to HKG and another for a domestic flight to LGP. I must say that it is a major upgrade from the other terminals in terms of facilities and passenger flow but still needs some major work. Less queueing to get airside but the waiting lounges are still quite cramped especially for the international flights. I think they forgot that most of these flights involve wide body 777s or A330s and there just isn't enough room. Respectably better eating places than the other terminals but still need more choices. Shopping stalls are wanting. Toilet facilities are still severely lacking but much cleaner than T1 or T2. On arrival less queuing in the immigration area and smooth access through customs. Getting there and I hope they keep moving forward. I'd preferentially book flights out of T3 than any other terminal in MNL.