PASAY CITY, 26 September 2023 – Passengers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) are now experiencing the positive impacts of the changes brought about by the Manila International Airport Authority's (MIAA) Schedule and Terminal Assignment Rationalization (STAR) program.
This initiative, which began in December 2022 and involved terminal reassignments for select airlines, aimed to optimize the capacity of the four NAIA terminals. As a result of the changes that concluded in July of this year, NAIA Terminal 2 has been exclusively designated for domestic flights, alongside NAIA Terminal 4, which serves only turboprop aircraft. International flights are now processed exclusively at NAIA Terminals 1 and 3.
“In-implement natin ang STAR program para gumanda ang ating terminal capacity, lumuwag ang mga airports dahil iba-iba ‘yung mga peak hours ng ating terminals. So, by doing this realignment, inayos natin ang schedule para wala tayong mga artificial congestion, meaning mas maayos ating operations across our four terminals,” said MIAA Officer-in-Charge Bryan Co.
Passengers did confirm the ease and comfort they had experienced as a consequence of the adjustments, such as in NAIA Terminal 1, where the list of foreign destinations served now includes all of Philippine Airlines’ (PAL) international flights.
An Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) traveling to Riyadh via PAL flight 654 commented, “Sa Terminal 2 noon, crowded na crowded, kahit dito rin naman po sa Terminal 1. Ngayon, kitang-kita po ang pagkakaiba na maaliwalas po, malinis. Lumuwag po siya, gumanda, saka hindi ka ba mag-aantay na ‘yung pag may kailangan ka nakapila ka. Ngayon, ang bilis na. Maganda po ‘yung kaalwanan sa isang OFW.”
“Since nag-start ‘yung STAR program, mas napadali buhay namin. Hindi na siya masyadong hassle for us. Mas decongested ngayon. Like ngayon, mas maikli ‘yung pila kapag nagche-check-in. Ngayon, kahit sa Immigration, mas madali ‘yung process,” added a passenger who also flew to Riyadh on the same flight.
The shorter queuing time is a byproduct of the relocation of Customs, Immigration, and Quarantine (CIQ) personnel required for international flights from NAIA Terminal 2 to NAIA Terminals 1 and 3. As a result of removing CIQ infrastructure such as counters and x-ray machines, MIAA can now boost the capacity of NAIA Terminal 2 from 7.5M to 10M passengers per year while catering exclusively to PAL, AirAsia, and Royal Air’s domestic flights.
A senior citizen who was waiting to board her PAL flight PR 2671 to Calbayog shared, “Mas naging accessible, easier to find, and less traffic because of the Skyway (and NAIA Expressway) coming here. Napaka-spacious ng Terminal 2. Mas naging advantageous sa mga senior ones na kamukha ko.”
A passenger who took the AirAsia flight Z2 430 to Puerto Princesa added, “Actually po ‘yung pila talaga is wala talagang pila kaya mabilis lang rin kami nakarating doon na ipa-check-in po ‘yung baggage namin, kaya ‘yung time namin is mas mahaba pa.”
Meanwhile, at NAIA Terminal 3, the largest of the four terminals and home to international airlines and Cebu Pacific's domestic operations, passengers enjoy a wider selection of food and retail stores, as well as more time for duty-free shopping.
A passenger who took Cebu Pacific flight 5J 014 to Dubai commented, “May pagbabago talaga this time na nag-travel ako. Walang problema po. Maganda din ‘yung banyo, ‘yung mga shops. Nag-tour nga ako kanina kasi para ngang six years na hindi ako nakauwi, so maganda din ‘yung mag-ikot-ikot diyan. Wala po akong na-experience na hassle.”
Another passenger on the same flight noticed a marked improvement in queuing compared to her experience in 2019: “Ang aga kong pumunta dito kasi sabi nga po nila napakahaba ng pila, so natakot ako. Pero nung nandito na ko, na-shock ako. Okay naman pala, smooth naman pala. That was good. Nag-improve naman itong terminal na ‘to. Thumbs up ako ngayon.”
With NAIA Terminal 4 now serving purely turboprop flights for Cebgo, AirSWIFT Airlines Philippines, and Sunlight Air, domestic passengers also experienced more streamlined departure and arrival procedures.
A passenger who booked Cebgo flight DG 6619 to Naga shared, “The last time I traveled to Davao using the old airport, there were a lot of people. Now, it took me around two to three minutes, and I'm here. It's so fast. It's probably been around six years since the last time I used the domestic airport. It's improved by about 50% much better, and there are a lot of stores. I haven't experienced any trouble coming in. I'd probably rate it at 10.”
Another passenger who boarded Cebgo flight DG 6047 to Busuanga added, “Doon (sa Terminal 3) ako nasanay sa paglapag ng domestic flights, pero mas convenient sa amin kasi mas mabilis ‘yung pick-up ng mga sasakayan. Diretso na agad pagkalabas. Sa shuttle bus din, very convenient siya for us, travelers, na paglapag ng eroplano, diretso na agad dito.”
While the STAR program has concluded, Co stated that similar terminal reassignments may occur later on as MIAA continues to enhance terminal operations and improve the passenger experience at the country’s main gateway.
“We want to normalize the situation and for the airlines to adapt to their new terminals, aayusin muna natin. But this does not preclude changes in the future, like 2024 onwards,” Co said. “With any change, alam naman natin na meron tayong adjusting period, and of course, we appreciate the patience and cooperation of our riding public sa pagsuporta nitong STAR program at alam naman po natin na ikabubuti natin ito sa long-term.”
##
Watch the video on MIAA’s YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/P3DhAY9jPyU