After much excitement over the NAIA Terminal 3 opening, I was finally able to experience the terminal personally last weekend and yesterday night. Together with Eric and Melo, I flew out of Manila and into Cebu to watch (and shoot!) the Pasigarbo sa Sugbu, a festival of all Cebu festivals (which is different from Sinulog).
Plenty of open check-in counters
Now, I heard of horror stories about the terminal: flights getting delayed because they can’t assign a gate to use because most of it are broken, facilities not working properly, etc. Fortunately, none of these things happened to us. I guess the two weeks that the terminal has been in operation have helped them find solutions on making the most out of the huge airport.
The empty immigration booths
The first thing that would greet you when you enter the airport premises are the seperate lanes for private and public transport. Then, as you enter the cavernous terminal, you’re met with a blast of cold air. It’s too cold inside! Unlike the other airports, well wishers can accompany the passenger inside the terminal. There are food kioks in the outer area (Kopi Roti, Jollibee), so families and friends can spend some more time together before parting. Starting at the check-in counters, passengers are on their own. Well wishers, however, can go up the viewing deck and have a bird’s eye view of the area after the Immigration booths.
Plenty of wide open spaces
The airport was huge. Because not all flights have been moved to the terminal, the only crowded places are the waiting areas near the boarding gates. Beyond the Immigration, there’s a Delifrance, Go Nuts Donuts, and a convenience store, ensuring that you don’t go hungry while you wait for your plane. Smokers can likewise enjoy a stick or two inside the smoking area (which is basically an empty room with a window open and a view of the Makati and Taguig skyline).
Walkalators!
Lavatories are clean and have plenty of stalls. I saw some water fountain in some places, but wasn’t able to check whether they’re already functional. There are also power points around the waiting area, so you can charge your cellphone and camera batteries or plug in your laptop while you catch up on work (not sure if there’s Wi-Fi inside the airport though). And to further empahsize the size of the airport, there’s a walkalator, a standard feature in some of the world’s biggest and busiest airports.
Aquarium?
Each gate has facilities for front and middle loading. Unfortunately, these aren’t being utilized. We had to walk down a flight of stairs and into the tarmac to board the planes. It’s the same for arrivals. Depending on where your plane parked, there’s a pretty long walk from the plane to the terminal entrance. It’s fairly easy to find your way to the exit, as there are signs along the way. On the way out, we passed through the un-manned immigration booths and Customs inspection tables. Beyond that, are the doors that takes you out into Manila.
No lines at the loos
Similar to the old international terminal, passengers are advised to exit on the doors specified for the first letter of their surnames. This is to make it easy for friends and family coming to pick up their loved ones. If you’re taking a cab home, you have three options: take the expensive Airport Taxi, which has a fixed price (super expensive), a “metered” yellow taxi (I hear from Melo that they were charging a flat rate of Php 400. What the heck, right?), or the regular (and true) metered taxi. The first thing you’d see when you step out of the terminal are the airport taxis. Keep walking to the right and you’d see the line of Yellow taxis. I had a bad feeling about these yellow taxis, as I saw a huge concentration of their ilk in the airport parking lot, so I kept on walking, knowing that there should be a line for regular taxis, since I saw an MGE taxi pass by as I stepped out of the airport doors. True enough, there was a line of MGE and EMP taxis at the very end of the terminal, with nobody else lined up, since everybody’s already queued up for the airport or the Yellow taxi. Not only did I have to line up for a cab, the driver didn’t even give me a spiel about adding Php50 to the meter or trying to bargain a price for the ride to Quezon City.
Conveyor belts
All in all, I’m quite happy with my NAIA T3 experience. I can’t comment on the effectivity of the conveyor belts though, since I didn’t check in my bags (which was a boon, because I was able to get out of the airport before the hoard went out and a long queue formed at the taxi stands). I just hope my experience the next time I use the airport would be just as good.
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Posted on August 12, 2008
Filed under Airports, Manila, Philippines, Ways to get there
Tags: Airport, Manila, naia, T3, terminal 3
Visited 16371 times, 42 so far today
glad to know theyve finally opened the terminal 3. anyway, how is the parking and the hatidan/sunduan area…. the loading and unloading area… wide space din ba? jan ang problem ng pinoy diba… iisa lang ang aalis, isang baranggay ang maghahatid… isa lang ang dadating, 3 jeep ang susundo… hahaha….
Looks good! I’m excited to see this as well next week. Finally Walkalators! hehe
I hope they also install free wifi in the area as well much like other international airports.
wow walkalators! parang nasa ibang bansa na rin
hi nina! i didn’t know you were headed here. i knew byahilo was coming. Hope you had a great time, i didn’t get to watch it but my folks said ’twas was really nice.
you’re one lucky fellow and i’m not when it comes to flights. haha
wow!! love the photos! its a relief to know that someone actually had an ok experience at terminal 3
now i cant wait for november to come along!
Ate Gita: I can’t comment about the parking, but there’s a separate lane for taxis and private vehicles. There’s ample space outside and inside for the baranggays lol
Ferdz: Onga, wifi nalang kulang, oks na!
Dyanie: Di ba? Wag mo lang pansinin yung mga empty slots around the waiting areas, and okay na siya
Freeze: Haha, notorious talaga itong si Byahilo. We met up with the Cebu bloggers last Sunday at Ayala Center. Onga, sana mag hold out itong luck na ito, and sana your luck changes too
Fran: I think they were able to find solutions na for the problems they faced when they first opened. Hopefully, everything will be smooth sailing from now on
anong notorious?
oi Grand Fans Day ko ang Cebu Trip; LOOOOOLs
may bad experience ako sa T3. abangan…
Lagi ka namang may bad experience eh. Ako lang ba ang maligaya satin? :P
I want a T3 experience… =)
[...] Travel Blog together with Byahilo.com and Justwandering.org recently covered the 2008 Pasigarbo sa Sugbo Festival last August 9,2008. We enjoyed the 1.5 [...]
Like the review! At least, it’s not scary. And the photos, it’s good you sneaked them in here.
wow. parang airport sa abroad. i’m looking forward to setting foot on this. glad to have met you in cebu, by the way.
Dhonjason: I hope you get your T3 experience soon, and I hope it’d be great too
Obnoxious Queer: Hey X! Wala namang nanita when I was taking photos, but I was quite wary whenever there’s a guard nearby lol
Aileen: Glad to meet you as well! When you do go to Manila, we’ll show you around
oh, there’s an organized bloggers group pala dito? hihi hope you enjoyed your visit here.
were you invited by the Capitol?
Yup, there’s a Cebu Blogger’s Society, Freeze! Medyo nag start palang sila. May meet up uli this Friday, in time for Aileen Apolo’s visit to Cebu. As for the Pasigarbo sa Sugbo, we weren’t invited. We were planning on going to Cebu talaga, then we found out about the festival through a comment in one of my Youtube videos. Kaya we decided to schedule our trip on the festival date
Anggaling! Buti naman at binuksan na nila ang terminal.
Sobrang salamat kabayan sa pagbabahagi ng karanasan mo.
As usual, galing ng mga pictures!
Sana pag-uwi ko diyan ako sa terminal na yan lumabas. Hehe
Salamat ulit!!
Mabuhay ka Nina!
next time, “Suroy Suroy Sugbo” naman
it’s a tour organized by the office of the governor promoting countryside tourism of Cebu. I haven’t been to one, but it’s getting good reviews. (i’ve posted about the tour this weekend.)
http://suroysuroy.cebu.gov.ph/
SamJuan: Maraming salamat kababayan, at mabuhay ka rin! Habang ako’y wala namang masamang karanasan sa bagong paliparang pandaigdig ng Ninoy Aquino, may mga iba na may mga napuna na kailangan pang pagtuonan ng pansin. Ngunit sa tingin ko, kailangan lang maayos at masanay sa systema ng gusali, at maayos ang mga kailangan pang ayusin na mga pasilidad, para ito ay magamit na ng mga lipad mula sa kabilang dako ng mundo.
*nosebleeds*
freeze: aba, interesting yan ah! Will look into that for future trips to Cebu
Ok! pwde na, hndi na nakakahiya para sa mga foreigner na pumapasok ng pinas, gaya ng Terminal 1 and 2!, ang dumi at mga CR nanggigitata..!! pati ang arrival area bkit ganun. Wish ko lang ma maintain ang kaayusan at kalinisan jan.. WISH KO LANG..!!!
Kelan b ang full operation ng T3? sa next 20 years p b?
Di naman 20 years siguro. I think ang dry run is for 6 months
Hay sana Makapagstart na ko jan ng work. Pending pa rin application ko.:)
[...] Continue reading… [...]
hi…just like to ask if anyone of you have tried flying from Cebu (via Cebu Pacific) then transferring to the International Airport for Bangkok via Cebu Pacific also. Do we have to claim our baggage upon arrival in NAIA 3 (domestic) and check-in to International Airport? Or is it just a “transfer” thingy and we don’t need to claim our baggage….instead claim it once you arrived at you international destination like Bangkok?
hayyy naku!! talagang napag iiwanan na tayo ng ibang bansa! buti pa nung panahon ni Marcos lagi tayong ahead among other southeast asian countries.. ngyon may mga improvements nga maanumalya naman!!
gumising na tayo! chance na nating makapag transform on this coming 2010 national election, pag isipan mabuti yung taong iboboto! YUNG HINDI NAMAN MAGNANAKAW!!
[...] Starting July 22, 2008, some of Cebu Pacific’s flights have been transfered to the new Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3. These flights include flights to and from Caticlan, Naga, Tuguegarao, Laoag and San Jose [...]
I am thankful to see taxicabs outside the terminal. But I was very much disappointed upon reaching the line.., Taxicabs was not observing their line on each passenger. They are there just waiting for passengers who will agree with their price. Security officers on that area were useless. It was expected that It was also their duty to let every passengers get a taxi that was on the line and then let it move-out upon getting. But as I noticed, passengers were just flocked on that area, to the extent that sometimes it will drive you mad to taxi drivers, and sometimes to other passengers.
May I suggest to let your guards manage the taxi bay area. If nothing happens.., I suggest to remove your security agency holding in that area. Maybe they are just there receiving “lagay” from taxi drivers.
I have watched Imbestigador last Saturday. GOOD JOB!!! Thank you for an immediate actions to my comment. I think I would rather extend my heartfelt appreciation to the entire crew of Imbestigador. But I hope this wasn’t for just a show or kind of entertainment…
Thank you also for that guy (NAIA spokeperson) for explaining and giving us hint on how to get a taxi. But I am not convinced to say that the terminal have nothing concern about those taxicabs waitng outside…(A sign of poor leadership. Just washing hands..) NO I do not agree… Those taxicabs are still WITHIN YOUR VICINITY. Please consider also other passengers who were not informed… There are still voltures roaming around… Why not enforce TOWING system? I think this will help prevent traffic on that area.
NAKAKATUWANG ISIPIN NA KAPAG PRIVATE VEHICLE ang nakaparada doon ay agad itong sinisita ng mga guards. Kayo mismo ang nagsabi na wala na kayo CONTROL sa lugar na yan. Bakit pinapaalis ng guards ninyo ang private vehicle??? I hope you consider my point… I am afraid BRIBE is creeping in that place.
hi, i heard from a friend of mine that he heard from his friend that heard it from someboby…. i guess you know what it meant (tsismis lang.) .. that there is a “bed’s for rent” inside the Terminal 3, where you can spend the night while waiting for your early morning domestic flight.
I was hoping that this is true. we will be flying back to the Phil this June and will be arriving late at night then transferring to domestic flight early in the morning.
i was hoping anybody can confirm, if yes, how much per night do they charge? thanks.
hay nako mga reklamador kaung lahat buti nga may nasa2kyan kaung plane!!!!!! dami nyong arte s lyf huh!!! panahon n marcos eh di sana chugi kna ngaun nuh! hahahaha anyway may tanung lang me ,,, ok lang bang mag travel ng my sipon at ubo international kc … hope im getiing response as soon as posible
thanks
wow at last gumanda rin for how many years ngayun lang thanks people of the philippines especially ofw’s.
sana panatilihin nating malinis gaya ng ibang airprt sa ibang bansa
wag sana nating dungisan ang pinaghihirapan ng mga kababayan natin
sa ibang bansa salamat po,
I WISH THEY MAKE IT AS THE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT!TERMINAL 2 IS NOTHING FROM TERMINAL 3!!!!WE ALSO WANT THAT IF WE COME HOME(PINAS) TO SEE A CLEAN AND BEAUTIFUL AIRPORT NOT LIKE GOING TO THE TOILET AND HAVING PROBLEM COZ OF ITS SMELL (TERMINAL 2!)
WIR HOFFEN DASS BALD TERMINAL ZWIE WURDE VERBESSERN!
mga kabayan, may tax ba binabayaran pag maguuwi ka ng lcd tv pagdating mo? kung meron magkano kaya/
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