NAIA Terminal 1 opens main arrival entrance to all passengers

I dont know why people rag on Manila airport. Fair enough once upon a time it was looking like a sad wet dog and few amenities and the bullet fiasco was becoming a huge problem, but I go through Manila a lot and I much prefer Manila International than Davao International.

Cebu International airport for some reason work well also.

Thanks of updates.

@WHITE ASIAN

I dont know why people rag on Manila airport

Agreed. Virtually every time I arrive at Ninoy Aquino International my passage from aircraft door to airport taxi is quick. Probably the fastest in Asia. I recently visited HCMC and Jakarta and although their airports are more modern and spacious the processing procedures via immigration can be tedious (albeit efficient). Got caught off guard at Soekarno-Hatta International where you now have to get customs clearance online (link attached to my Indonesian Forum Post)

https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.p … 11#5996969

Moreover T1 departure hall was revamped a few years back and the ceiling frieze has been restored to its original splendour. There is talk of moving all the non Philippine long haul flights to this terminal which is unfortunate as T3 in my opinion has more facilities and of course has 'Runway Manila' If you are interlining your international flight with Cebu Pacific or Air Asia no need to switch terminals

@WHITE ASIAN
I dont know why people rag on Manila airport
Agreed. Virtually every time I arrive at Ninoy Aquino International my passage from aircraft door to airport taxi is quick. Probably the fastest in Asia. I recently visited HCMC and Jakarta and although their airports are more modern and spacious the processing - @Lotus Eater

NAIA got a bad rap from a travel agency I used once, saying that Manila airport was the worst in Asia. From their viewpoint I suspect they are looking at traffic to and from the airport and NAIA recommending a 4 hour advance check-in for international flights. In our case I have to agree with you that my most recent arrival there was very fast especially now with etravel speeding up immigration. We were through immigration and customs and into the arrivals area very quickly but, if you need to continue with a domestic flight to cebu or some other city, that is where things may slow down. You either take a taxi or the airport bus to get to the domestic terminal; that vehicle travels through regular manila traffic which can be very slow. If you miss your domestic PAL or Cebu Pacific flight you will forfeit the fare so ensure that part is on your official itinerary. The domestic terminal really is crappy including the lounge you can pay to enter. So I agree, NAIA international is OK as long as you have no continuing domestic flights.

@danfinn

The irony is of course that Ninoy Aquino does not receive the level of international passenger traffic that most other Asian airports get. Vietnam for example as a country is efficiency personified but I was in the immigration queue for 1 hour at HCMC International. Interestingly there was no dedicated line for Vietnamese citizens. But then its a communist country so I guess all people are equal.

I doubt that most of the people making these top 10 lists have even been to the airports they are reviewing. Simply cut and paste year to year without any true updates based on real traveler experiences.

@danfinn

NAIA definitely much better than it was 20 years ago!

For me NAIA is not one of the best airports in SE Asia but I only avoided it at first because of the bullet scam a few years ago and much prefer Mactan Cebu. From my experience KL, HCMC, Da Nang and Bangkok are more efficient and have better facilities and a bit further away, Seoul Incheon is  a shinning example of what I like from an airport. That said, I have never had any problems at NAIA on arrival and normally clear immigration and retrieve my suitcase fairly quickly and the staff have always been helpful and courteous.

That said, the two times I have had flight delays and cancellations departing were a joke. On one occasion I arrived to find my flight had been delayed resulting in a schedule change and a night in a hotel in Hong Kong. That was until we boarded the plane taxied out to the runway, waited in line for our turn to pull onto the runway and take off. We  were about 4th in line when the captain announced that a warning light had come on and we had to return to the stand.to get it fixed. We did this and taxied back to the runway for this to happen again and be told the runway was now closed and we all had to get off and return to the terminal.

This was obviously a safety issue and can happen at any airport so no complaints from me there but what followed was a joke. We waited ages for information, our luggage was taken off the aircraft and pilled up in a heap in the middle of the terminal causing an obstruction, had to retrieve the luggage and do security again before waiting ages for a bus to take us to a nearby hotel. Information was slow throughout the whole process and I must have spent about 3 hours at the airport before boarding the bus to the hotel.

The next day, I only found out the buses were leaving the hotel for the airport to get our re-arranged flights when I went for breakfast. No telephone call to the room or anything. I ended up taking a Philippine Airlines flight to Heathrow, spending a night at a hotel there before an early morning flight to my departure point - Manchester.

I would also add that last time I was getting a taxi from NAIA with my girlfriend after a trip to Boracay, I did find that there was a list of taxi fares displayed. Not fully up to date though and toll fees are extra but we were going to Pandi in Bulacan and my girlfriend used the price displayed to bargain when we were quoted the fare. Most of the time in Manila we used GRAB since she had the app.