Originally Posted by
BUXPWR
Yes, it will. I'll take all the tips you have.
I was able to pick a seat on the upper deck and that seems like a good idea as recommended. A friend also told me people from the lower deck cannot come up so it has a much more quiet and peaceful "club like" feeling.
People traveling in J in the lower deck can go visit the upper deck. It's Y pax who can't cross the magic barrier.
MNL airport is, let's say, "outdated." Right after you clear customs, you'll be thrown outside to hail a cab or to get picked up by friends/relatives. And yes, I mean outside with no air conditioning. To say the least, there'll be a roof covering your head. But it will be hot, even at night! If you use a cab, I highly recommend using the cabs affiliated with the airport.
When you depart, in order to enter the airport, you'll need to show a copy of your e-ticket receipt or trip itinerary. Computer images and smart phone images are fine. Right after you enter the airport, all of your baggage, both carry-on and checked, will be screened immediately, and you'll have to walk through a metal detector.
After you check in your bags, before you enter the immigration area, you may get harassed by carry-on trolls, asking to weigh your bags. Say "I'm in business class," and they'll leave you alone. They seem to target Filipinos more than anyone else. After that the first booth you'll pass through is to pay the PHP550 departure tax. With modern technology, the airport still can't integrate the airport facility fee collection process with the airline ticketing system and continues to pay people dedicated to collecting the airport facility fees. Really dumb. As of last December, credit cards are accepted. IIRC, before clearing immigration you'll have to fill out a form to hand to the immigration officer. Finally, you'll have to clear another security checkpoint. The things that can slow you down here are the departure tax collections and immigration. Security is no big deal.
Please show up at least 3 hours before departure, even if you're in business class! Yes, you will have more than enough time to enjoy the lounge. However, things can be slow in the Philippines. So you should factor in the slowness issues to be safe, safe enough to have ample time to enjoy the lounge.
Also, be prepared for a pat-down and manual search of your carry-on bags at the gate. That's actually mandated by the airline and/or US government. It's been like that since 1989.