Manila Airport

Terminal 1. I have just returned to the UK from Manila via Terminal 1 NAIA. I visit the Philippines 2-3 times a year and have done for several years. The last time I used this terminal was May 2014 and I honestly didn't think it could get any worse. How wrong I was! It's almost like the authorities set about doing everything they can to make it bad. On a plus side arriving at this place is not too bad. I always try to time my arrival for a Sunday afternoon which normally means immigration queues for foreigners are not to bad. Baggage reclaim slow as normal. The noise and chaos of the meeting area can be off putting for foreigners who have never been there before and I would suggest if you haven't got transport organised or are being met then walk out to the main road and get a normal passing taxi. Departing is a nightmare. The renovations continue which now means there is virtually no drop off area which causes traffic chaos. There is no clear signs to direct people. Once you have got past the initial security check just to enter the terminal the check in queues stretch from one side of the terminal to another and despite arriving over 4 hours before my flight it still took me 2 hours to check in. Terminal fee still exists so another queue followed then by another queue for immigration and then yet another security check with another queue. All in it took me 3 hours just to get from my taxi to duty free and this was at midnight when the place was quiet! Seating is still an issue as is places to get food or drinks. You can pay 650php to use the lounge upstairs which has a a smoking room constructed from plywood here is sadly probably the best seating in the house where you can enjoy a lukewarm beer and a smoke while listening to the airport announcements telling you that you are in a non-smoking airport! The departure gates are still not big enough and involve yet more queues. I unfortunately cannot avoid this place but if you can then do avoid. The aircon still doesn't work but that's the least of anyone's worries in this place!

I flew using NAIA Terminal 3 with much expectations being the newest terminal but ended up disappointed. In terms of improvements there are more shops more spaces for passengers to wait before checking-in or before immigration. After immigration there were not many seats hence you will find passengers seated on the floor shops are expensive. Airport is still problematic because of too much congestion resulting to significant flight delays. Many facilities are still under renovation such as escalators that have not been working for months. Public transport services is chaotic. Baggage service is chaotic and delayed. My baggage went to a different concourse belt rather than the one announced.

This is the worst airport I have experienced I had to change carriers: 1) Airport fee: Although I paid once already at the airport they asked me again for an airport fee this time as high as 550 php (12 usd). Nothing was mentioned about this substantial amount before. 2) Intra-terminal Transport: Although there should be a shuttle between the terminals it did not work. Official employees advised me to take the taxi. Since the cab drivers want to rip you off mine wanted 800 php in the end although I resisted on using the taxometer. I paid 200 in the end.

Qatar Airways flight 926. Departed Doha via Hamad International Airport. As soon as I got out of out aircraft the airport was hot. Immigration officers were okay. But as we reached the baggage claim area it took us 30 minutes or more to get our stuff back. There's a HUGE difference between Hamad International Airport and NAIA Terminal 1. HIA - it's appearance and design are truly world class but at NAIA you could tell that the Philippine government isn't looking after the airport. I doubt the Philippine government will work on this.

Terminal 3 - Cebu Pacific landed just about on time but then had to wait 20 minutes before they took the plane to an outside area. Got on the bus and then that took us to the furthest ramp possible away from the arrivals zone. Surely with a bus it can go to an arrivals zone close to all the immigration etc areas instead of making everybody walk for 10 gates distance. Crazy!

Arrived T1 at 11am and because airlines had transferred to T3 it was a lot quicker to get through this airport that had no aircon working anywhere! T2 was the same no aircon working here so very poor for all passengers waiting in hot stuffy terminals. No wonder they are rated some of the worst in the world thanks to incompetence by those who run this airport. Renovations at T1 are nothing more than paint and a few signs instead of proper trained efficient staff. So don't expect much improvement here sadly.

I arrived around 12 am in Ninoy Aquino airport. Had to wait 15 minutes in line for customs (they just opened a new line) and had to wait about 20 minutes for my baggage. When I left had to wait about 40 minutes in queue for check-in. But it was a bit hectic since I did know what line I should have waited in. Cleanliness is ok. I did not like that they put the air-conditioning below freezing point in the transfer room. Overall it went smoothly and I expected worse. I'm going back soon so it could be different then.

Went through this airport twice (arrival and departure) in April and May 2014. I flew in through this airport (NAIA-1) in late April from LAX via ICN on Asiana Airlines. I arrived at around 10.45pm. Lines were an unorganized mess! People were just trying to push through to get to immigration (especially the foreign passport line). It took me about 45 minutes to pass through. Once I got in the immigration officer didn't even bother to talk to me or ask me how long my stay was he just took my passport and stamped it. Baggage claim took forever. I had to wait 30-40 minutes to get my luggage. Apparently this terminal doesn't have enough baggage carousels to handle all the traffic! Flying out was a similar experience. Arrived at the airport at 9.30 for a 12.30pm departure. Getting inside the terminal was a big confusing mess. There were several lines that seems to lead nowhere outside the loading zone. Once you get in you go through an unnecessary baggage scanning process that could have been done elsewhere. After check-in you'll have to pay the travel tax terminal fees and go through immigration. All of these were done in different locations! It's really inefficient. Then you go through another security layer. Restaurants inside the terminal were not good. Employees where quite slow to respond and I swear they seem to be ignoring us when we called them. Overall the airport experience is really terrible. The place is old (NAIA-1 not sure about other terminals) and dilapidated no air conditioning and in general the staff feels unprofessional and untrained! If you have a choice avoid!

I departed Manila on August 12 via Terminal 1. The airport is undergoing renovation at this time. The air conditioning is not working so the interior of the terminal ranges from uncomfortably warm to hot. The fact that baggage is scanned at the entrance doors causes crowding and some confusion. I queried one of the immigration inspectors about how long it is expected to take for the air conditioning to be repaired and he advised not until next year. He also advised that the heat has impacted immigration's scanners and that they are out of order most of the time. This means that immigration officers need to enter a person's details manually thus slowing down the process in the heat. The terminal is either shabby or bound up in construction and the check-in area appears dark and crowded. Interestingly the duty free shops appear to be rehabilitated well ahead of passenger service areas. There are few seats on the departure floor although there are some restaurants and lounges one level above. These are not very appealing however. The men's room on the departure floor and after immigration and security has been refurbished but I observed that some of the toilets were out of order. I was given access to an airline lounge which is normally a treat. But the heat made my 1 hour stay uncomfortable. The holding lounge for passengers was likewise hot and crowded obviously not built to accommodate wide-body aircraft. The only relief from the heat was obtained on boarding my aircraft. Alas this remains an airport terminal to avoid if possible.

Terminal 3. I flew to Hong Kong via Cebu Pacific Airlines last week and came back a few days after. Line in immigration was short and fast. Place was clean but could use more restaurants and perhaps more entertainment for waiting passengers. Overall terminal 3 is a huge improvement to the very infamous and old terminal 1. I heard most of the international carriers will be moved to terminal 3.