Site Search:
 
TEFL International Supports Dave's ESL Cafe
TEFL Courses, TESOL Course, English Teaching Jobs - TEFL International
Korean Job Discussion Forums Forum Index Korean Job Discussion Forums
"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Teachers from Around the World!"
 
 FAQFAQ   SearchSearch   MemberlistMemberlist   UsergroupsUsergroups   RegisterRegister 
 ProfileProfile   Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages   Log inLog in 

NAIA (Philippines): the worst in Asia....no surprise

 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Korean Job Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Travel Forum
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
Zackback



Joined: 05 Nov 2010
Location: Kyungbuk

PostPosted: Tue Oct 16, 2012 4:15 pm    Post subject: NAIA (Philippines): the worst in Asia....no surprise Reply with quote

Anyone ever been through there man the place is awful. I can't believe with all the tourists coming there they are greeted with this slime pit.


http://www.philstar.com/nation/article.aspx?publicationSubCategoryId=65&articleId=860255

NAIA-1 Asia's worst airport for 2012
By Rudy Santos The Philippine Star Updated October 17, 2012 12:00 AM

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.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
lemak



Joined: 02 Jan 2011

PostPosted: Thu Oct 18, 2012 5:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Is it referring to international airports?
NAIA is a dump to be sure, but would be a massive stretch to call it the worst in Asia.
There's far worse, even in the Philippines.
When I was there Jaffna in Sri Lanka was basically just a shipping crate for check in formalities and then passengers would stand around outside in the tropical sun for a couple of hours waiting for a flight that may or may not arrive.
Zia International Airport in Dhaka is puke of the highest order.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
PatrickGHBusan



Joined: 24 Jun 2008
Location: Busan (1997-2008) Canada 2008 -

PostPosted: Thu Oct 18, 2012 6:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Incheon airport is fantastic. I am partial to Narita as well. HK is very good too.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
bucheon bum



Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: DC area

PostPosted: Thu Oct 18, 2012 12:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

lemak wrote:
Is it referring to international airports?
NAIA is a dump to be sure, but would be a massive stretch to call it the worst in Asia.
There's far worse, even in the Philippines.
When I was there Jaffna in Sri Lanka was basically just a shipping crate for check in formalities and then passengers would stand around outside in the tropical sun for a couple of hours waiting for a flight that may or may not arrive.
Zia International Airport in Dhaka is puke of the highest order.


Yeah, Zia is definitely worse than NAIA. I'd say that's the worst one I've been to in Asia.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
alwaysbeclosing100



Joined: 07 Feb 2009

PostPosted: Thu Oct 18, 2012 8:08 pm    Post subject: re Reply with quote

I would vote for Medan on Sumatra. The airport there is a total hole.

Jaffna will likely improve as the tourists return. It was only a year ago you could travel to that city at all. Before that it took a military flight and special permission which was extremely rare. Jaffna was a war zone for the last 30 years.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
lemak



Joined: 02 Jan 2011

PostPosted: Fri Oct 19, 2012 7:22 pm    Post subject: Re: re Reply with quote

alwaysbeclosing100 wrote:
I would vote for Medan on Sumatra. The airport there is a total hole.


Medan airport IS crap, but still don't think it's the worst in Asia. It has a terrible safety record and is more or less downtown, so they were in the process of moving it and building newer facilities outside the city. I think the new one should open this year or next. You know when the Indonesian aviation industry decides something is dangerous that it *really* must be horrid haha. Like the Philippines Indonesia is riddled with shite airports also. Pontianak, Ngurah Rai, Balikpapan...even the older terminals in Jakarta. Some of the worst airport toilets I've ever seen.

Quote:
Jaffna will likely improve as the tourists return. It was only a year ago you could travel to that city at all. Before that it took a military flight and special permission which was extremely rare. Jaffna was a war zone for the last 30 years.


Jaffna wasn't closed continuously during those 30 years though. Depended on the progress of various peace talks that were on at the time. I, for example went there in 2003. Traveled up there by land which was awful as the LTTE controlled various sections of the Elephant Pass at that time, meaning every time you crossed between the government held areas and the Tamil zones you'd have to more or less undergo the regular border crossing procedure, makeshift immigration, crazy security checks...the army wanted to make sure you weren't smuggling in weapons, flashlights, binoculars etc for the Tigers.

I flew back. The military flights were run by a charter company called Lion Air (different to the Indonesian airline of the same name). The planes would fly from an army base up in Jaffna and then land down on some Sri Lankan airbase down in Colombo.

The way it worked was they would find out how many soldiers or how much equipment was going to be on the flight the next day and then sell the remaining tickets to the public at 50 bucks a seat. Was kind of risky 'cause the Tamil Tigers would sometimes sit just off the beach at the end of the runway and fire RPGs at the departing planes.

Anyhow for what it's worth it was a great destination with a massive amount of tourist potential. The beaches up north make the ones down south look like crap, which says something because the southern beaches are stunning. And near deserted. Not sure on the progress of the place infrastructure-wise right now though. In those days there was nothing, generator only electricity, a couple of pricey restaurants catering toward the UN and HALO trust de-mining teams. A couple of very basic hotels with natural air-con created by 50 cal. machine gun bullets. Every single building in town had holes in it.

Very nice people and place though.

(Sorry about the long off topic ramble by the way.)
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
lemak



Joined: 02 Jan 2011

PostPosted: Fri Oct 19, 2012 7:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Here's the wikipedia page for the new Medan Airport by the way...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuala_Namu_International_Airport
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
young_clinton



Joined: 09 Sep 2009

PostPosted: Sat Oct 20, 2012 5:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Laughing Keep the lovely information about the Indonesian airports coming. Anybody who has taken AirAsia to the Old Kuala Lumpur Airport is in for another treat. I can see why Malaysia built another one.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Zackback



Joined: 05 Nov 2010
Location: Kyungbuk

PostPosted: Sat Dec 15, 2012 2:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Woman hit by kiosk ceiling at NAIA

MANILA, Philippines - A 60-year-old woman was hurt when a kiosk ceiling collapsed and hit her on the head while she was at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 (NAIA-2) departure area yesterday morning.

Dr. Ma. Angelica Corpuz, the physician on duty, said Nieves Jacinto Favis was rushed to the Philippine Airlines clinic for first aid treatment before she was brought to the St. Luke’s Medical Center in Taguig City.

NAIA-2 manager Cecilio Bobilia said Favis went to a bakeshop kiosk while she was waiting for her 10 a.m. flight to Hong Kong. A bakeshop worker was cleaning the kiosk’s aluminum ceiling when it collapsed and fell on Favis, who suffered a laceration nearly one and a half inches long on her head.

Corpuz said Favis is in stable condition and her flight was rebooked.

http://www.philstar.com/metro/2012/12/16/886453/woman-hit-kiosk-ceiling-naia
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
young_clinton



Joined: 09 Sep 2009

PostPosted: Sun Dec 16, 2012 7:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

lemak wrote:

When I was there Jaffna in Sri Lanka was basically just a shipping crate for check in formalities and then passengers would stand around outside in the tropical sun for a couple of hours waiting for a flight that may or may not arrive.
Zia International Airport in Dhaka is puke of the highest order.


Does it get any better than this? Laughing
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Korean Job Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Travel Forum All times are GMT - 8 Hours
Page 1 of 1

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum


This page is maintained by the one and only Dave Sperling.
Contact Dave's ESL Cafe
Copyright © 2013 Dave Sperling. All Rights Reserved.

Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group

TEFL International Supports Dave's ESL Cafe
TEFL Courses, TESOL Course, English Teaching Jobs - TEFL International