Lessons from NAIA-1

Published by the Visayan Daily Star Publications, Inc.

NINFA R. LEONARDIA Editor-in-Chief & President

CARLA P. GOMEZ Editor CHERYL CRUZ Desk Editor PATRICK PANGILINAN Busines Editor NIDA A. BUENAFE Sports Editor RENE GENOVE Bureau Chief, Dumaguete MAJA P. DELY Advertising Coordinator

CARLOS ANTONIO L. LEONARDIA Administrative Officer

Last year, when a travel website named the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 as the world’s worst airport, government officials were quick to downplay the claims and at the same time defensively declare that they were on top of the problem and that they were doing their best to rehabilitate and improve the facility.

Well, a year has passed, and despite the well publicized efforts of the Philippine government to make NAIA-1 a better airport, the Sleeping in Airports website still ranks it as the worst airport in Asia for the year. The website says travelers “continue to complain about the long and numerous queues that begin outside the terminal. Once inside, there will be no time for naps and certainly no place for quiet rest and enjoyment as you’ll be busy going through various queues for the next few hours as you proceed to your gate.” It also listed down other complaints listed by travelers such as poor transit facilities, long lines, bribery, crowding, insufficient seating, delays receiving bags on conveyor belts, poor quality restaurants and taxi scams. It recommended that travelers use NAIA terminals 2 and 3 “when possible”.

We know that the age and current state of NAIA-1 makes it a challenge to rehabilitate and improve. In fact, the best solution might be to tear that monstrosity down and rebuild from the ground up. However, until that happens, government officials will have to accept the daunting challenge and find creative ways to make the airport experience at NAIA-1 as comfortable, safe and hassle-free as they can. Those efforts will probably aren’t being noticed and that airport will most likely still be among the worst in the world for the foreseeable future, but it doesn’t mean that we should just give up on it.

The people responsible for the management of the newer airports in the country should also take heed of the lessons from NAIA-1 before it’s too late. Proper maintenance and tiny but constant improvements to ensure that the traveling experience is always top notch, whether that particular airport is of international standards or not, will go a long way. For our Bacolod-Silay Airport, the MassKara season is usually a test of its ability to handle large volumes of passengers. Hopefully the airport management there is not just aiming for a passing mark, but has been preparing to face that yearly test. More importantly, we are hoping that they have the audacity to imagine their facility as the top airport in the country when it comes to traveler experience.*