Philippines
 

Is anyone here a regular traveller to Manila for business or leisure? I'd like to hear stories and get feedback on how to make the most of the NAIA experience. To be frank, I dread travelling in and out of MNL. I especially hate walking out of the airport and having to deal with the hawkers and hustlers who will watch you carry your bag for a hundred yards and THEN run over and try to load it in a waiting cab or car, expecting a nice payment. I've experienced this in other places, mostly in developing countries, but it seems to be more of an epidemic in Manila. Any comments on this?

What usually works for me is to keep a firm grip on my bags and don't make eye contact. I travel light - one smaller checked bag and my laptop bag. Doesn't work so well if you actually need porters.

In situations like this, it's often better to pay for car service. If it's a hotel service or a respectable agency, the driver will run interference.

I travel to NAIA about once a month on average. I have to say that I never have a problem on arrival with people wanting to take my luggage (and yes I am obviously foreign!). Have you been recently? For a couple of years now there has been only one stand for cabs outside the terminal, and then further on there is the "Extension" area where private car pickups happen. I have never had a problem in either place - getting to the airport cab office is just a few yards across one roadway to the office and then to the cab: very straightforward, very few people around. If you're being picked up by private car then it's a bit more chaotic as far too many cars try to find and pick up lots of people, but again I have never been hassled.

All this releates to Terminal 1 - I only fly in and out on CX, so I can't comment on other terminals.

I'm glad you said that, because I was thinking the same thing. When we lived in Manila last year, we flew PR a lot, and had the same experience in Terminal 2, where the taxi system is also very straightforward. And we, too, are obviously foreign, both blond-haired and blue-eyed.

I can name a number of places where arrivals are much more chaotic than MNL!

One other piece of advice if you want to save a few pesos--and sometimes save some time. I've had to wait quite a while waiting for them to process payment and get the vehicle.

Walk up to the departures level and grab a metered taxi that is dropping someone off. I've taken the arrivals level and it is a set amount (I think it was 440 to Makati). A metered cab is about 100 pesos--just make sure the driver turns on the meter.

Again your experience is obviously somewhat dated. Payment has been to the driver now for at least a 15 months (although occasionally, for reasons I haven't been able to fathom, the cab stops at an office on the way out of the airport for payment to be made there - I suspect it may be if the driver is going off shirt after that run), and in that period I have never not seen a long line of cabs waiting.

My information isn't too dated. Although I usually have a driver pick me up now, the last time I used this service was about 6 months ago. I did pay the driver but he had to stop in the parking lot on the way out to pay someone. It took them a while to get change and the receipt. Previous to that I paid them at the stand and that took a while also.

I only went up to departures once to get a metered taxi but I know of others who do that on a regular basis. It does save about 350 pesos or more which might be only $7 but can go a long way over there.

(Shall I remind those who are not familiar with the cost of living in the phillippines that the average daily wage (for a college grad) is usually not too far from 350php )....so yes..it should go quite far

That is true. My brother-in-law pays his employees between 150-180 pesos per day.

Waiting like Vultures
 

Have transportation waiting for you at the airport before you arrive. Most hotels [Marriott] can provide you with a service, with or without a fee. Call ahead - it makes the world a difference.

I have been to MNL many times and have never had an issue with this.