tentseller

Even with the curtains up and you are chilling before the 0650h NW flight out it was dark enough outside that you would not notice any difference.

work2fly

No restroom inside the CX lounge. There is a small computer room with three terminals at the back of the F section.

whughes3

I have certainly done this on numerous occasions when there have been several incoming flights at more or less the same time. Even when things are very busy it doesn't usually take a lot longer.

tentseller

My experience are late night arrival from US/NRT/ICH. All these flights plus the maid special from middle east seem to all arrive between 2200 and 0000h.

I flew in from HKG a few time with CX and it was 2-3minutes as it was the only flight arriving at that time.

KIXman

As you proceed from the plane to the immigration area there will be a temperature check


There is a duty free kiosk before immigration for that last minute gift you forgot to buy


Immigration. There was no line here but that was because there were no other flights arriving at the same time, and also I was one of the first to disembark the plane.


Baggage claim area
It is very clean and reminds me of Singapore's Changi airport in design.


Customs declaration desk
Give the customs declaration form to the staff for them to sign. They may ask you questions like what's in your bag, when was the last time you were in the country etc.


After getting back the signed customs declaration form, head towards the exit where you will meet staff collecting the forms. As you head outside the customs area, you can find the area where people fetching their friends/family/guests can wait.


Waiting area outside customs. There are some food kiosks, currency exchange booths and some seats for waiting people.


Outside the terminal building, the pillars are marked "Bay 1", "Bay 2" etc. so you can tell people who come to meet you where you are.


If you want to take public transportation there is an airport taxi stand to the right of the terminal building exit; sorry I didn't check the details, or where hotel taxis would be found.

KIXman

The usual car security check at the entrance to the airport.


Unlike Terminal 1 or 2, you do not have to show your boarding pass and passport to enter. I guess that is because domestic flight checkin is also done in the same floor. However, there is a metal check / baggage x-ray and patdown at the entrance.


This can make for long lines at the entrance so don't forget to come early!
(good thing there are more creature comforts inside if you get in fast)


Departure floor. The airport is quite modern in design and well laid out. This floor reminded me of Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport in atmosphere.


There is a good variety of shops on the level above the departure floor, including clothes, luggage, several restaurants (ramen, pizza, dimsum, set meals, etc), a 7-11 and a spa.


There is a check of your boarding pass and passport before entering the area where you pay the PHP550 terminal fee. They will also check your temperature here


Passport area is immediately after the airport tax payment booth


Security check is a metal detector, baggage x-ray and patdown. They will confiscate folding umbrellas here as I found out when I went through.


There are also a number of food and drink stores airside. There is a bookstore as well as a souvenir shop, plus a duty free corner.


Gate area. It is brighty lit from the daylight outside, with nice cushioned seats at the gates, which are laid out in a manner that makes access to the inside seats difficult though. The toilets were also clean.


Before you board the plane there will be a final boarding pass and passport check.

KIXman

ANA "lounge"
The "Sweet Ideas Cafe" is designated as a lounge for ANA C class and *G passengers and is also accessible by other passengers if you pay for the food.


It has a small selection of drinks and food; sorry I forgot to ask if the alcohol was free...


It also has free wifi which you can access if you get a password from the staff. For some reason they reset the unit several times while I was there.


Marlborough Smoking Lounge
There is a smoking lounge near gate 111. I'm not a smoker so I didn't ask if it was free to access or if there is internet. It looked like the drinks weren't free though.

tentseller

Just an additional note that sometimes the security person at entrance would not read a ticket or OLCI confirmation. I usually need to ask to see supervisor.

It is such a hassel that I carry the printed itinerary for NAIA.

henkybaby

Just arrived in the CX lounge after what can only be described as a surprisingly quick process. The lines where long-ish but the people working them were exceptionally quick and efficient. From curb to lounge in around 30 minutes. Admittedly it wasn't a very busy travel day but if the TSA went through the process as efficiently, friendly and good humored as these guys than the process at US airports would be a lot nicer.

Same on the inbound by the way. Open doors to taxi in around 30 minutes.

In both cases I was flying economy and I had the same experience (also economy) last year. I don't find it the best airport in the world but certainly not deserving the reputation it has.

whughes3

I was rather bemused to note an article in the "Philippine Inquirer" today:
Well, that's comforting to know!

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquire...-clean-toilets

Mabuk dan gila

That will be welcome. I hope it applies to the restrooms outside security as well since they are the major problem. Since the Philippines are hot and humid and my trips through MNL airport don't end in Manila Metro and thus usually involve buses, jeepneys and "trikes" to get to and from the airport, I routinely change my cloths in the restroom stall outside security, to/from cargo shorts and a t-shirt for getting to/from the airport, to khakis and a nice golf shirt for "flight clothes".

This is not a task that should be undertaken by the faint of heart or inexperienced traveler. Since the toilets are frequently missing the seat, this must be accomplished standing. A task that is greatly complicated because the floors are generally sopping wet with a mixture of urine and dirty mop water. Since touching the floor is obviously out of the question and you cant sit down because there is no toilet seat, yet, must remove your pants to change them, I have developed the method of standing on one foot at a time on top of my shoes while I take off one pant leg at a time and lifting my leg high so as to avoid the pant leg from touching the floor. Additional complications include the fact the the coat hooks are generally long since broken so I extend the handle of my carry-on to hang my clothes on while I am changing. And since the stall door latch is generally broken I also use my carry-on to barricade the door.

I will be completing this clothes change procedure again in about a month as normal. On arrival in the restroom outside of customs in terminal one this time (possibly the worst) and on departure in the restroom in the check-in area in terminal one. (cleaner but presenting additional challenges). I'll report back if there are any notable improvements. I did notice they installed some toilet seats and coat hooks upstairs outside departures at terminal two around December although the bowls are still mostly lacking toilet seats and coat hooks downstairs outside arrivals. I have no idea what the ladies do but for their own sake, I hope they can hold it until they make it past the toilets outside security.

Braniff

Thanks KIXman, this brings back horrible memories from going there frequently a while back !!! However, terminal 3 - which I've never been to - appears to have potential but ...

cmdsea

I will be transferring from SQ to HA in Manila next week with a 3Hr 15min layover and then from HA back to SQ 3 weeks later with a 1Hr 35min layover.

Firstly as both airlines are located in T1 and Im transferring international to international as a transit passenger I am assuming I dont need to exit airside to transfer luggage etc or need to pay the PHP750 departure tax.. Have read that signage/crowds/queues are all an issue at this airport so anyone with direct experience of transit desks etc feedback would be gratefully received..!

Also does anyone know if Singapore AIrlines or Hawaiian have their own lounges or do they use shared lounges. In particular feedback on the lounge used by Hawaiian would be appreciated. The transit for SQ is probably too short to allow any lounge time in any case..!

whughes3

HA uses the "Miascor" lounge, which is near gate 9 on the right-hand pier as you face outwards. It is shared with a few other airlines, and is also one of the lounges that Diners Club gets you into, which I occasionally take advantage of. It is reasonably large and has good facilities (well, by MNL standards anyway!). More about it here...
http://www.dinersclubinternational.c...=city&x=21&y=7

SQ has a dedicated lounge near gate 2 on the other pier; it is also quite reasonable.

cmdsea

Good info. Thanks..