Sushmita Negrita

Philippine Airport System: Redundant, Inefficient, Cumbersome and Useless

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We are staunch advocates of local tourism. We strongly believe responsible eco-tourism is a good driver of sustainable economic development. If there is anything we Filipinos can be proud of, it is the unparalleled physical beauty of our country, and the inner beauty of our people.

But those of us who travel extensively know how cumbersome, inefficient and opportunistic our travel systems are, particularly our airports and seaports.

We invite your attention to the tedious process of checking in and out of our airports—the first and last stop of all local and international travelers. The objective of a good airport is to make travel procedures as seamless and efficient as possible. Instead, ours have become perfect examples of bureaucracy, inefficiency, and what airport systems should NOT be.

Check Point Mentality

1. There are security guards who pretend to conduct a cursory check on the entering cars.

2. In the entry doors of the airport, there is another guard who checks the ticket and ID. At this point begins unnecessary waiting lines.

3. There is an X-ray at the main door. While there are often a number of X-ray machines, only one or two are open, thus creating another extended queue and further delay.

4. At the Naia-3, yet another guard checks the ticket and ID before the check-in counter.

5. After checking in, we proceed to another line to pay an exorbitant amount of P200 as “terminal fee.”

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