New Iloilo Airport Experience 1of2

I 'experienced' this new airport two times each (arrive, transit, depart) in a matter of 3 days, and I must say now, part of me likes it and another version of me does not!

Well, if looks were to be my basis, its beautiful. That is, if compared to the old airport at Manduriao, abaaw ah, this new airport is clearly more 'fantastically fantastic'!

However, it's not in Iloilo City anymore. This airport sits (more than 20kms from the city), between the towns of Sta. Barbara and Cabatuan. Thus, going to or coming from it, is quite a ‘travel’ in itself. Meaning "extra time" and "extra expense" for us travelers - kay layo-layo gid!

But what else can you and I do? It's already there. Let us live with it (hipos na lang kag enjoy), until authorities decide to make another one, who knows where heheh!

Anyway, happy I was able to experience this airport, at almost 2 years after inauguration by that little woman!

Saturday Arrival
I flew into this airport via PAL's early morning flight, in no less than a new airbus. Landing at 6:08AM on a wonderful cool morning, we were luckily assigned a gate with an aerobridge (air tube) for disembarkation - there are only 3, and there are usually lots of morning flights.

Curiously though, from the aerobridge we went up the inclining rampway to the departure area waiting lounge (3rd level). And before hitting the glass doors, we were asked to veer left, then down to 2nd floor which was/is the arrival hallway. Then the usual escalator or stairs to ground level where the baggage conveyor belts are.

We got confused with this early morning arrival maze where everyone was still groggy sleepy hehehe! Was it a "maze" or a "mess"? Ambot ah! Well that woke me up!

Maybe me ginagawa somewhere, thus the detour? Or maybe the first person to get out of our plane made a wrong turn and we all followed? Probably. But, if we must find someone to blame why the up&down maze, airline ground staff are supposed to be there, guiding passengers on that whole arrival route. No PAL people.

Not even airport staff or janitors. Diin sila man?!

If anything, I took that opportunity to look around - the structure, the design, materials used, etc., - nagtour na!

Oist, it feels and looks like arriving at NAIA 3, or Davao Airport. Orderly actually, kung hindi nga lang sana kami umakyat to departure level, only to come down again!

Anyway, yes, baggage carts are free too.

In Transit
Yes, I was in transit! I flew to this airport to connect to my 9AM flight to Cebu on Cebu Pacific. I asked about the process upon seeing staff at baggage claim area.

Without any hint of regret, that staff told me: I have to do full arrival procedures, go out of the airport, walk to departure wing, enter like other departing passengers, check-in to my connecting flight. That's the ancient way!

I was hoping, since this is a new airport, that they would also have upgraded their procedures like other aiports of the world do. Wala jologs pa rin! Well, parang NAIA 3.

Now you know. If you were wondering why I had to do this MNL-ILO-CEB connecting flights, that is/was one reason -among many- to experience transit procedures.

Then what? Then I now can tell the many who consult me (I'm sure some of them are reading this); then I can also tell you my dear fellow roamers about it - like I am doing now. Safety, security, comfort and convenience include how passengers pass (transit) via Iloilo airport.

Seasoned air travelers would consider that weird, even barbaric or cruel - since although not a 'law', separate and fast procedures for transit passengers is already standard. I hoped this "new" airport would be "updated".

So, except for NAIA 1 & 2 (international kasi), only Cebu has clear & separate transit process - where you don't need to exit the terminal, to join your connecting flight.

Anyway... so okay, I ‘arrived’.

Outside the airport
Now. Since even if I was only a transit passenger I also had to get out of the airport’s arrival lobby just to be able to reach the departure lobby… you guessed it! I instead went walking around the vicinity of this new airport for a cursory look - since I was already there. Happy tuloy!

By the way, I noticed that people waiting to meet their arriving passengers were crowding by that fence-like barricade just in front of the arrival lobby. This is at the foyer (part of building’s simple elegant design) that would have been a portion of the curbside passenger loading area for 'just arrived' people to board their vehicles, then exit the airport to Iloilo etc.

Hmm, a remnant of the olden ways still prevails even at this new airport. Why? Because as we all know, the ideal setup is like at NAIA 2 & 3, where well-wishers, drivers and the likes, enter the building to a spacious lobby with seats, to await for their arriving passengers.

Oh, remember the Davao Airport’s arrival area prior to 2003? Iloilo is very much like that. Though we already know that well-wishers in Davao now wait further out at make-shift tents by the parking area, right?! That, after some vile evil souls bombed the original ‘waiting’ barricade sometime ago. Do you still remember that?

We'll never know, well-wishers in Iloilo could also be asked to move further out into the spacious parking area if and when… ah simba ko! Why in the first place don’t they just build airports with big arrival lobbies like NAIA 3 since the Filipino Culture requires it so, di ba?

Alternate eating place/s outside
Anyway, this was morning and I thought I’d pop into some sar-sari store or turo-turo for a sip of batchoy. Ack! None! Yes none anymore. The whole vicinity of the airport and its parking areas are devoid of vendors.

Which is good I think, so the place won't become like a palengke as in the old one (Manduriao). But bad for the pocket hehehe. We now are forced to eat at the expensive shops inside the terminal. That's still fine, if only for this "new airport" to be of "international caliber"!

But all was not lost for the dear tummy and tongue salivating for batchoy hehe. Just before entering the departure lobby, there is a separate structure by the side of the road. Its all-glass walls are labeled “BAYANI Café and Resto”! Yeheheey!

Not only that. Over at the edge of the parking lot (near Bayani) is another building named “PANAY ISLANDS PARKING SPECIALIST, INC.” Iisipin mo, just the office in charge of parking space operations, right? You think!

Listen to this… under those big bold letterings of the ‘Panay Islands Parking Specialist, Inc.’ in smaller fonts it declares 'Coffee Shop & Snack Bar'. Double yeheeey!

Ah, but I went to Bayani as it is nearer the guard who checks documents when entering the departure lobby. So I could judge when to enter - when it's not crowded.

Even if I did not adore their batchoy so much, this airconditioned and clean café, (bago kasi!) is fitted with speakers where you can hear all flight or airport-related official announcements coming from the air terminal.

There's also a digital display (TV) of flight departures, arrivals and statuses so diners are constantly updated.

Aw, everything in this ‘resto’ is much more expensive than downtown prices (airport na eh) but cheaper than inside the main airport terminal. Still a "saves" option!

By the way, behind this café, and under the same roof are the public comfort rooms of the parking area. Also (still) clean, probably because it was still early morning or probably because the airport is new. Or probably too, it is going to remain that way, forever. Who knows!

One more info: outside these eateries I mentioned, you may, therefore you can smoke hahaha! Yeah, outdoors!

Check-in
After the batchoy breakfast, I decided I better go inside the terminal building as outside was rather windy cold. It was only 6:44AM. I surely did not expect to be checked-in yet since the departure time of my flight to Cebu was 9:05AM. That meant a wait of 21minutes until 7:05AM, since check-in counters open only at 2 hours before departure time. FYI I planned this - bum around (for 21mins)- to observe the passenger check-in area/s!

Look-and-see I did. And the first thing I observed was: this place seems to be too small than what is needed. Parang sa Davao check-in counters. I mean the space in front of the check-in counters is too limited. At peak of an Airbus flight check-in, lines would snake out long.

I felt like this airport (like DVO again) was made without considering how fast the city (and province) is growing. Not just tourism but also the economy, population, etc.

Needless to say, I didn't have to roam much, because this check-in area is too small, I could see everything by just standing at anywhere hehehe! Standing around?

Yes tambay, wala pang 7:05AM eh! I stood beside the escalator directly in front of the Cebu Pacific counters. It was already manned, but not yet open for check-in on my flight to Cebu. By purpose, I acted as if I was constantly glancing at my wrist-watch (na wala naman) and their check-in counters, purposely looking at every staff direct in the eyes. They got the message hehehe!

One of them eventually called me (he said: excuse me sir) to ask what flight I was waiting for. So I said: Cebu. He checked me in, even if it was not yet 7:05AM, and w/o yet opening the tape that enclosed the area. O ha?

"Charm" ang tawag ko dyan (or pa-kalolooy effect)! So, up to the pre-departure area I went hehe! Up? Yes, up! The pre-departure area or waiting lounges are at the 3rd level of this passenger terminal. So from check-in counters at ground level we ride 2 flights of escalators going there. The 1st segment brings you to arrival area level plus airline offices, while the next segment finally lands you at departure operations level (3rd floor na'to).

Pasalubong and coffee shops abound at this level (3F pre-departure area), before you approach the counter to pay your P30 terminal fee. Again, it's still like being at DVO airport. This time, more temptation to spend hehe!

My favorite piaya was smiling at me! Arghh!

But still full from my batchoy breakfast, I proceeded to pay my terminal fee (inisnab muna ang BongBongs!) and went to the x-ray machine (final security check). Next I walked around looking at the gate waiting areas, before finally going to Gate 3, my flight's assigned gate.

A "Memorable Wait"!
What a wait! There are flat screen TVs at this gate's waiting lounge. And thankfully, the one in front of me was on CNN, not some re-runs of violent saksakan and barilan old movies, nor boring soap opera kadramahan.

And... CNN was in the midst of a live coverage of an aircraft that went a diving into the Hudson River just moments ago. Haha, I could see my fellow passengers cringing, squirming, or making a sign of the cross, as we silently watched that live coverage - with wide eyes.

US Air Flight US1549 1/15/2009 their time, 16th to us.

Tawa-tawa lang ako as I tell you now. But earlier, as I watched, kinilabututan din ako. Kahit sino naman yata!

Imagine, you anxiously sit to wait for your flight to be boarded, and you are watching a live coverage of an airplane floating on a river, passengers being plucked out of the icy cold water. Wouldn’t you cringe, at least?!

Whatta news to watch "at this time" hehehe! A woman seated near me said "at least they landed on water". The naughty wicked me replied "at least there is water there, kasi this new airport and runway, is far from a big river or the sea". Natulala lahat, tumahimik ang kapaligiran. Da!

Hahaha, they started talking about "why this new airport was built in this area"! Questions started surfacing. Duu!

Anyway, at about 8:41AM, we were called for boarding. So I told my self: oy sinulog, here I come - again hehehe!

Tara let's go there first. Part 2 of this, coming soon!

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