MANILA, Philippines - A travel website has named Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 (NAIA-1) as the worst airport in Asia for this year.
“With its collapsing ceilings, overcrowding, rampant bribery, and taxi drivers scamming travelers on fares, its easy to understand why ‘disappointed’ and ‘unbelievable’ are just a few of the words travelers use to describe Manila’s Terminal 1,” the website Sleeping in Airports said when it released the results of its 16th annual survey on the best and worst airports for sleeping in or long transits.
Last year, the same website named NAIA-1 as the world’s worst airport. For this year, however, the website, in breaking down the list by region, stated that “as much as we would like to declare a ‘worst airport in the world’ there were just too many to choose from.”
The website acknowledged that while the government was rehabilitating NAIA-1, starting last January, “judging by the thousands of people who sent us their feedback and voted in the polls… these improvements can’t be finished fast enough.”
Sleeping in Airports said 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.”
The website said while NAIA-1 does have a VIP lounge and a day room for transiting passengers, the terminal “is not for sleeping.” It recommended that the overnight sleeper awaiting early morning flights should go to NAIA Terminals 2 and 3, “where there is armrest-free seating (landside).” NAIA-3, it noted, “is very clean and modern, but it is not operating to full capacity.”
The website advised travelers that if they are transiting to another terminal, “the shuttle bus departs when there are enough people on the bus to make the journey worthwhile.” For travelers in a hurry, Sleeping in Airports warned those taking taxis to look out for meters rigged with “a gadget called a batingting that speeds up the meter and increases your fare.” The website said NAIA-1 authorities cracked down on the practice in March.
The website stated that what is “more disconcerting” is the number of reports it received from travelers about “officers asking for cash payments to expedite normal procedures. Shame!”
Sleeping in Airports 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.”
According to an ABS-CBN report, presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said the government continues to undertake renovation and engineering works to improve the facilities at NAIA-1.
“We are always cognizant of the concerns of travelers and certainly we‘ll take this to (heart),” he said.
The website also included among Asia’s worst airports, by rank: Mumbai, India; Islamabad, Pakistan; Singapore’s low cost carrier terminal; Kolkata, India; Jakarta, Indonesia; Hanoi, Vietnam; Chennai in Madras, India; Kuala Lumpur low cost carrier terminal in Malaysia; and Bali, Indonesia.
Sleeping in Airports named Changi airport in Singapore as the best airport in Asia for 2012, followed by Seoul Incheon, South Korea; Hong Kong; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Bangkok, Thailand; New Delhi, India; Narita in Tokyo, Japan; Taoyuan in Taipei, Taiwan; Kansai in Osaka, Japan; and Hyderabad, southern India. - By Rudy Santos (Philstar News Service, www.philstar.com)
0 comments:
Post a Comment