Well, here we go again. It has been a number of years since I’ve really addressed this topic, but I think now is a good time to look at it again.
What I am talking about is tourism and the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
Recently, the Matador Network came out with a new report, “The Seven Most Frustrating Airports around the World.” Once again, as is normal the Philippines ranked near the top of the list. Being on the top of the list is usually a good thing, but not when it means you’re one of the top worst in the world. Unfortunately, this is a recurring theme, NAIA is almost always ranked in this position or even worse. Problem is, a lot of the problems that they get dinged for our recurring year after year, and never fixed. When will it change?
Over the years, the Philippines has openly stated that they wanted to increase the number of tourists in the country. They would always set goals of how many entries into the country they wanted to achieve in the coming years, but they never achieved any of those goals. Funny thing is, it has been many years since I have even seen them striving for these kinds of increases. I don’t remember, but I would say it has been more than five years, perhaps more than that since I have seen them openly promoting goals of increasing tourism here. I have seen many improvements in the Philippines, and I openly talk about those, but tourism is not among those positive changes. In fact, I would almost have to argue that things have only gotten worse.
#3 Most Frustrating Airport
In this latest report the Philippines international Airport, NAIA, ranks as the number three Most frustrating in the world.
The number one most frustrating Airport in the world is Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris. Number two is LaGuardia Airport in New York City. While it must be embarrassing to be on this list at all, I think it is more harmful to the Philippines even though they aren’t ranked as bad as those two airports. The reason is, millions of people will go to France and to the United States even if these airports are ranked poorly. There are not a lot of reasons to bring a mass of foreigners to the Philippines. Most of those who come here have family ties or are looking to establish a family (or just get a girlfriend) with a Filipina. There are some people, although a limited number, who do come here for vacation, beaches, and that sort of thing. But, it would be my view that there would be a lot of people who would forgo a trip to the Philippines based on the fact that the airport is constantly listed as being very poor.
There are a lot of countries in the world with great beaches, and it would not be hard to find such a place that would make travel convenient.
The Philippines Is Probably Worse Than Listed
The Philippines being number three on the list is probably a better ranking than they should have gotten. The reason for this is because so few foreigners travel through the Philippines. The majority of the people who use NAIA are actually Filipinos themselves. Filipinos rarely complain, they prefer to remain silent, even if they are outraged by the conditions.
When foreigners see these poor rankings, they just change their minds and decide not to come. With few foreigners coming through, the number of complaints is probably lower than it should be. Generally, foreigners feel more free about complaining when they feel that it is warranted.
The Competition
The truth is, many airports around Asia are considered some of the best airports in the world. I would point to two particular airports which are always ranking in the top spots of the best airports in the world:
- Changi Airport in Singapore
- Inchron International Airport in South Korea
With the Philippines continually ranking near the bottom, it is hard to compete with their neighbors here. It only makes things worse for the Philippines.
Time for a Big Change
Currently, at NAIA Terminal 2, they are undergoing a renovation. Is that really a wise thing? Yes, when conditions are so poor, it would seem that a renovation would be in order. However, I wonder about that.
With things so bad, I would almost have to say that instead of doing renovations, it is time to start planning and building a completely new airport. One big problem at NAIA is that the terminals are far from each other, transportation between terminals is poor, and the conditions are so bad that the renovation is probably not adequate. If you wanted to strive a world-class airport, it is time to abandon NAIA, choose a new location, and start building something that truly is world-class. In my opinion, nothing short of that will do the trick.
What about the Cost?
The Philippines is a poor country, wouldn’t the cost be too much?
Well, I would argue that airports don’t cost money, they make money.
Firstly, airports bring in a lot of taxes. Every flight that lands or takes off has to pay a tax. There are terminal taxes. The Philippines has a travel tax for all citizens and permanent residents. If you make the airport a pleasant place, more people will travel, and that will lead to the generation of more income for the government. This extra travel could easily help pay the cost of building a new airport.
However, even more than the actual generation of income in the airport, the big moneymaker will be tourism. Right now, Boracay has been shut down, in an effort to revamp the place, clean it up, and make it even more friendly for tourism. So, they are making it better. There are many other places in the Philippines that could be developed is excellent beach areas, and there are other reasons for tourism besides beaches that could be developed. Imagine the increase in tourists that would come to these places if there were better transportation options and more comfortable and inviting airports. The income generated in the country through increased tourism would make the cost of building a new international airport worthwhile.
Step up to the plate Philippines!
I have been living here for more than 18 years, and attracting increased tourism has been talked about ever since then, and probably before (although less in recent years as I have noted). Do something about it, take steps that will actually make it happen. The time is now.
You all know that saying, talk is cheap! I’m moving to the PH from the U.S. later this year as my wife is from the PH. I have a lot of mixed emotions about moving there. The PH is like a nice looking gifted wrapped package on the outside but once you look on the inside it is a total mess that just keeps on going year after year with no improvement at all. Just like the one you just pointed out.
I love living here in the Philippines. There are things that are bad, but there has been a HUGE amount of improvement over the years I have lived here. The airport situation is not one of them, though. LOL
On my recent trip I flew into Cebu City rather than Manila. I previously hadn’t realized Cebu was an option and was trying to fly direct to Davao City.
Cebu airport can be reached from a fairly large number of international airports and the tickets into Cebu are a little cheaper than flying into Manila.
It also turns out that flying in to Cebu City and then going to other places in the Philippines (besides Manila and Luzon island) is cheaper from Cebu. It turns out that flying from Cebu to Davao is shorted and cheaper than flying to Davao from Manila….and the change from International to domestic requires a simple flight of stairs (or escalator) rather than an adventure across the somewhat tumultuous city of Manila. For this was a slightly unexpected and happy discovery.
So all my flying friends, flying into the Philippines can be done very successfully without going through Manila at all.
I strongly recommend and suggest it!
Hi Bryon,
Thanks for sharing your tips.
Happy to. I missed out on Davao this trip. Hopefully next time.
Byron,
Only if you live in the Visayas or Mindanao!
Soon
Flying into Cebu has been 1000 times better experience for me than Manila–I agree they need to start over from scratch –there is no fixing that mess
I have also liked flying into Cebu.
In my 13 visits over a period of 10 years I have not encountered too much of a problem going through NAIA. For me, the biggest hurdle is getting from one terminal to the other so it is a good idea to leave plenty of time if you are catching a connecting flight to your destination. Having to use the crowded city streets which are normally at a near stand still condition can bring on a degree of frustration.
Air conditioning in Terminal 1 has improved over the years and passing through it on arrival has not been too much of a problem for me. I used to use terminal 2 for my domestic flight to Cagayae Oro and found it to be satisfactory. In recent years I have had to use terminal 3. Waiting in the boarding areas you really have to think about it if the air conditioning is working or not.
The CR’s ( rest rooms ) I have used at NAIA have always been at least an OK situation or better with attendants making sure supply levels are kept up and they are reasonably clean. With the amount of use they get you can not always expect perfection.
On my return to the USA flights I have been using the porter service for check in at terminal 1 and have found this to be very helpful. They can get you to your airlines check in area faster than if you do not use them.
The best airport I have ever used is Incheon / Seoul Korea. In the long journey from New York to Manila and back at some point along the way I find I have to ” sit down ” in one of the restrooms and Incheon has been the best and most cleanest for that.
For me, I would not let conditions at NAIA stop me from visiting my most favorite vacation spot in the entire world, Iligan City, Mindanao, Philippines.
Hi Bob, thank you for sharing your experiences. I hear a lot of complaints from travelers, but I am glad that your experience has been more or less OK.
Hi BOb , I agree with everything you say , the airport sucks, plain and simple . Just got back from Palawan , wow what a paradise, I could live there easily , Great limestone cliffe, excellent suba an snorkeling , beautifu mountains , Got to see the gaint clams, wow so good . still searching for g/f so far all I have met were scammers and believe me , they are plenty , It is what it is , best couple years of my life
Hope you enjoyed your trip, Burce! Yeah, the airport needs majore changes!
I agree that a good entry point (i.e. airport) is essential not to deter tourists – but I have been on two international/domestic flights at NAIA and not really found anything a problem (having said that, I have not been through other airports enough to be able to make a comparison).
But if I could put myself into ‘tourist mode’ I think I would be put off from returning by the state of the environment, i.e. rubbish, smells and air pollution. Reducing rubbish on the streets and beaches would not cost much money – it is a shift in the attitude of the people that is required. They seem happy to walk along eating something and then throwing the wrapper on the floor or into the sea – and it seems especially prevalent amongst the young (possibly because they are the ones mostly walking around eating). This could be drummed in through education at school – not once, but every semester – until it becomes thought of as anti-social by their peers to litter the environment.
I note though that there is an attempt to reduce air pollution by phasing out old jeepneys – that is a start. The smells probably requires a lot of work on sewage systems and I would not be able to cost that – just to say that labour here is cheap.
There are many nice places in the Philippine to visit, an overwhelmingly friendly group of people, cheap eating-out and no cold weather (only the heat to deal with!). I hope they manage to increase tourism and so create more jobs and more taxes to help bring people out of poverty. Articles such as yours, Sir Bob, can only but help and I hope some in positions to do something active will read them. Just keep up your good work. 🙂
Given that NAIA consistently ranks at the bottom of all of these surveys, I feel there has to be truth in it. I find it substandard myself, but so many others find it that way and have for years, that has to have a basis in truth.
The environmental things that you mention are, of course, a bad thing too, and push away tourists, but that is another subject. Perhaps that is one that I will talk about soon.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
I totally agree with you there Bob. It would be good if they did decide to revamp the airport and while they are at it clean out the thieving, dishonest taxi drivers. I have never had a problem with Taxi’s overcharging in Cebu or Davao. Many of Manila’s airport taxi drivers are known to be among the worlds most dishonest.
Hi Bob, I’ve flown all around the world (England, Korea, Japan, Philippines, and numerous places in the US), but not much since 1996, until 2014 when I visited the Philippines for the first time since I left Clark AB in 1989. I’ve not been to Paris, but they got New York spot on. Terrible place in my opinion. In 2014 we flew into/out of Terminal 1 and it just had the feeling of “old”. In 2016, after I started my early (55yrs old at the time) retirement, we flew into Terminal 1. We started building our home in the province and left for the states after 9 months here, but this time we flew out of the new Terminal 3. WOW, what a difference. Easy to get in, easy through the lines, and very clean (although I can’t say anything about the restrooms as I didn’t use any). Coming back two months later with my 13A visa though Terminal 3, immigrations and customs were a breeeze. I have to say though, that the cleanest airport I’ve recently been in is Narita in Japan.
Hi OB. Thanks for sharing your experience.
I remember when they first opened terminal 3, that was a bit of a fiasco, but it did improve.
In recent years, they’ve done a lot of work to make NAIA clean and modern. It’s a nice looking facility, and flying in and out these days is a less annoying process than it was years ago. But the great expenditure of cash in recent years was, in my opinion, misdirected. I like the pleasant new cafes and shops and the more efficient security screening, but the most pressing problem – passenger throughput – wasn’t addressed. Both ends of the flight – the check-in and Immigration – are not fun. To be fair, immigration processing is tiring in most airports. But better signage and a couple more agents would help. (Maybe a separate line for those arrogant people who think the world owes them a living?)
There are a lot of departing flights each day, so the only way to improve the check-in processing is to enlarge the facility.
When we flew out of NAIA a few weeks ago, I noticed that it was now possible to go up to the second floor coffee shops without having first received a boarding pass. But, for some unknown reason, the escalators went up, but not down. Once you are on the second level, there is no way to get back down to the check-in area. Another continuing irritation: Once you are at the gate, you can’t go to the bathroom without going through a security checkpoint. This was a common complaint years ago, before the renovations. I would have thought someone would have thought to fix this.
But when tourists consider the Philippines as a vacation destination, I doubt they give much thought to the on-line reviews of the airport.
The reason that there are online reviews is that tourists look at them. LOL
If someone wants to see the Eiffel Tower, they are not going to be discouraged by a bunch of negative reviews of DeGaulle airport. People write reviews because they a) had a bad experience, or b) because they want to feel relevant. A worthwhile review is one that cites specific problems to be aware of, not one’s personal experience on one particular trip. The tendency is for dissatisfied travelers to vent, while happy travelers are less likely to post a review. We have to take reviews with a large grain of salt.
I spoke about this exact point in the article.
Bob, I am surprised that the Airport in Manila is listed 3rd. after Paris and New York. What surprises me is that I have flown into Hong Kong and LAX and find both those much worse than Manila for so many reasons and 1 of the Airports in Chicago also worse than here and that is just mentioning the majors not talking about some of the smaller airports around the US that are nightmares to find your way, let alone get your luggage or find something to eat. I just find it curious is all.
Hi Luke. LAX and Chicago are consistently listed at the bottom of such surveys as well.
Bob,
They have done some renovations in Terminal 1 over the last couple of years and I’ve noticed the difference. Apparently it was not enough to elevate it. It’s much easier getting to and from the airport and around the different terminals as they have built an expressway connecting all the terminals. I have heard rumors in the past about building a new airport near Cavite City, Cavite.
I think it is time to start fresh, but that is just my view. 🙂
The location of NAIA is ideal, central city. The interconnection between terminals must be improved to 24 hour free bus connection.
Philippine international tourism must be improved by worldwide wholesalers offering seamless air, transfer, hotel and tour packages at reasonable prices, similar to options for nearby Japan, China, Thailand, Singapore, India. Until that is done most of the Philippines will not be experienced by the curious American or European traveler, unless they have a Filipino/a friend.
At the same time too many foreign tourists could compete with local tourists creating overpricing of hotels and destinations.
The only reason I say to move the airport is because that is the only way to start from scratch.
I have to agree with Singapore airport rating. It is almost a destination by itself with all the shopping and entertainment that they have.
I personally have not found Manila to be that bad and the improvements have been a help. I did find the signs apologizing for the air conditioning renovation humorous since they are the same signs that I noticed in 2015. I think if they need fixed, I can get a repairman there in less than 3 years.
I found the restrooms to be acceptable if not quite the standard in Singapore or Hong Kong.
I don’t know the rating criteria, but from my experience, it is acceptable and wonder if it is possible that they are using old rating criteria since Manila is likely not a high traffic airport for those doing the rating.
Your experience is certainly very recent, LeRoy.
I think the rating is just personal choices. The survey that I mentioned is very recent, not years old.
We try and avoid NAIA not because of the airport but to avoid Manila. We will use Clark when we can. The main problem with NAIA is that the runway is not able to take the larger modern jets so a move will become more necessary with time. The problem with moving is the vested interests with the chinoy owners. They will do anything to avoid losing their cash cow.
Regrettably NAIA is just another example of woeful government administration.
You strike this malaise at all levels: the Boracay fiasco, the lack of public transport (ww2 style jeeps, really?), pathetic enforcement of laws, poor roads, woefully inadequate traffic management, the behind-the-times banking system, regular brown-outs, struggling military, poor effluent/water/mains gas reticulation, millions of OFW’s, lack of industry development, endemic corruption etc.
Aside from the burden of massive over-population, the Philippines seems unable to organise and coordinate. Filipinos just want to do their own thing. Just take a drive anytime to see this on display.
I arrived at NAIA on Jan 31, departed May 28. The improvements since my first arrival in 1985 is vast. If one views the use of an airport by the total time spent doing that activity compared to other activity (time traveling in cities/towns, time traveling in rural areas via land transport modes; time on piers/shipping terminals; time on ships/ferries), I feel the impact of time in an airport is not a key component of tourists visits to the RP. It is recommended you arrive at an airport 2 hours prior to your flights. There is nothing in my latest 2-2 hour experiences at NAIA that I considered bad (Including the initial departing processing of ACR-I at Immigration). Just a normal wait for a flight as I had at Kona, Narita. I agree that there are many more other improvements that can be made in the Philippines to attract tourists and have them return.
Thank you. Your opinion is well thought out.
Filipinos don’t give a crap enough to fix this airport more than they give a crap about other things in their country, They’re used to low standards cause they were raised in such an environment. That’s also why they don’t complain much. It is sad but it’s reality for them.