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[QUOTE=Dg8787;1867017]You have gotten good advice from WR and WC.
Lately many flight are delayed a few hours due to NAIA being backed up. I would suggest that you fly into Manila the night before to make sure you are there and not stress over a delayed flight and missing the one home. Get a room for the night and then fly out Leisurely the next day.[/QUOTE]To add further to the good advice provided, I'd also book a hotel within reasonable distance to the airport. Traffic can be a nighmare.
GE.
Thanks for all the great advice gentlemen! I guess I will be flying back to Manila on the Sunday as I have missed flights before due to 3rd world business / scheduling practises.
I am staying in Pasay when I first get there so I guess I will stay there when I return. Hopefully Manila is not as bad as I have been reading, though as I have posted $7000 php is pretty expensive for a roommate. That kind of pricing can get you amazing quality in latin America.
From the US State Dept, today (they update this every few months):
[I]The Department of State warns U.S. citizens to avoid all non-essential travel to the Sulu Archipelago and through the southern Sulu Sea, and to exercise extreme caution when traveling to the island of Mindanao, due to continued terrorist threats, insurgent activities and kidnappings.This Travel Warning replaces the Travel Warning dated October 21, 2015.
U.S. citizens should continue to defer non-essential travel to the Sulu Archipelago, due to the high threat of kidnapping of international travelers, increased threat of maritime kidnappings against small boats in the vicinity of the Sulu Archipelago, and violence linked to insurgency and terrorism there.
U.S. citizens should defer non-essential travel through the southern Sulu Sea region from the southern tip of Palawan, along the coast of Sabah, Malaysia and the islands of the Sulu Archipelago, up to Zamboanga City, Mindanao. Terrorist and insurgent groups based in the Sulu Archipelago continue to target foreigners for kidnapping in the Eastern Sabah province of Malaysia and in the southern Sulu Sea area.
U.S. citizens should also continue to exercise extreme caution if traveling to certain regions and cities of the island of Mindanao. Separatist and terrorist groups continue to carry out attacks and kidnappings against civilians, foreigners, political leaders, and Philippine security forces in Mindanao. Since January 2015, at least 15 separate kidnappings have been reported across Mindanao. In western Mindanao, terrorist, insurgent, and criminal gangs regularly conduct kidnappings for ransom, including the kidnapping of a foreigner in Dipolog City in early October 2015 by unknown assailants. In central Mindanao, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) remains active in the Cotabato City area, and in the Maguindanao, North Cotabato, and Sultan Kudarat provinces, where the government maintains a state of emergency and a greater police presence. While there have been no recent reported terrorist threats or incidents within the Davao City or Surigao city limits, eastern Mindanao is not free from threats. In September 2015, assailants belonging to the Abu Sayyaf Group kidnapped four individuals, including three foreigners, from the popular resort island of Samal, a 15 minute boat ride from Davao City. There have been no reports of U.S. citizens in Mindanao targeted specifically for their nationality; however, general threats to U.S. citizens and other foreigners throughout Mindanao remain a concern.
Although U.S. government officials in the Philippines travel to Mindanao for official business without incident, the Embassy has imposed strict restrictions on all but the most essential travel to the area, and Embassy employees must receive special authorization from Embassy security officials to travel to any location in Mindanao or the Sulu Archipelago.
[/I]
Thanks WC, I got the same warning this morning. Seems like the thrust of the message never changes much, though the word choices may vary slightly. The fact is that Davao and General Santos and CDO remain safe, and I don't think anyone should have any qualms about going to any of these. The points about Sulu and Zamboanga are well taken, but would normally be off limits to foreigners in any case as there's so little of interest in either place. Cotabato and all of North and South Cotabato should be avoided as well, but then I'm not sure why any tourist would want to go there. Davao-based tourists are still apparently going to resorts on Samal, so I'm guessing that the recent kidnappings weren't much of a deterrent.
GE.
All right, I am going to fly into Manila from Cebu Sunday night for my Monday morning. 11:45 am flight back home.
I guess that means I am leaving around 8 - 8:30 am to go to the airport.
Hotel I am staying at initially is 5 km from the airport. I can get one about 1. 5 km from the airport.
Am I too nit picky or should I leave earlier / stay closer?
[QUOTE=BeersTerry;1869396]All right, I am going to fly into Manila from Cebu Sunday night for my Monday morning. 11:45 am flight back home.
I guess that means I am leaving around 8 - 8:30 am to go to the airport.
Hotel I am staying at initially is 5 km from the airport. I can get one about 1. 5 km from the airport.
Am I too nit picky or should I leave earlier / stay closer?[/QUOTE]Once again, plan to arrive at the Int'l terminal at NAIA by 8:45 (3 hours before flight time). You may have to wait in a long line outside the airport, just to get inside (initial luggage security screening and x-ray machine). Have your passport and itinerary in hand. Once inside the airport (good luck finding television screens with flight info / departure times), find your airline, and queue up in long line to check in and get a boarding pass. Then pass thru long-line secondary security checkpoint (remove belt, men and women in different queues). No kidding, from arrival at the airport to getting thru the secondary security check can often be 90 minutes. After that, head to your gate. Boarding starts 30 minutes prior to scheduled departure.
1. 5 km from the airport is much smarter. I'd leave by 8 am to be there by 8:45. I am being very cautious / conservative in my estimates. Its very possible you can shortcut on the time here and be fine. But better safe than sorry. If you are staying at the farther hotel, leave by 7:30. Manila traffic is never "good", and just when you least expect it (and can least afford the time), you get the troppik-cluster-f*ck.
[QUOTE=BeersTerry;1869396]All right, I am going to fly into Manila from Cebu Sunday night for my Monday morning. 11:45 am flight back home.I guess that means I am leaving around 8 - 8:30 am to go to the airport.r?[/QUOTE]Are you on a good airline? Not flying coach? Can you check in on-line? Do you have frequent flyer status? Otherwise, you better plan to join the 3-hour early crowd.
Thanks WestCoast1, your guidance is invaluable.
Hope I can return the favor should you want to venture into Latin America, me I am good with Cuba, more havana than the rest, VJ is much better with Medellin while I am okay With Peirera, Armenia, Manizales and Cali.
The best advice for pretty much anything and everything in the Philippines:
Never be in a hurry. Read that line twice, this time, slowly.
Arguably not always practical. Certainly not innate to most not of Filipino decent or fully acclimatized to the culture.
But believe me it is the key to less stress, lower blood pressure and a million other ailments.
It's the only advice I give to friends who first time visitors.
Eva Air now has a Taipei- Cebu flights daily. It arrive around 10 am and very perfect time to save a day during the trip. Eva do have several connections from North America.
International arrival: After some remodeling customs is a breeze to pass. However, before the customs they do have a Health Check Desk and it causes a long line. But it also goes fast.
[QUOTE=WestCoast1;1869458]Once again, plan to arrive at the Int'l terminal at NAIA by 8:45 (3 hours before flight time). You may have to wait in a long line outside the airport, just to get inside (initial luggage security screening and x-ray machine). Have your passport and itinerary in hand. Once inside the airport (good luck finding television screens with flight info / departure times), find your airline, and queue up in long line to check in and get a boarding pass. Then pass thru long-line secondary security checkpoint (remove belt, men and women in different queues). No kidding, from arrival at the airport to getting thru the secondary security check can often be 90 minutes. After that, head to your gate. Boarding starts 30 minutes prior to scheduled departure.
1. 5 km from the airport is much smarter. I'd leave by 8 am to be there by 8:45. I am being very cautious / conservative in my estimates. Its very possible you can shortcut on the time here and be fine. But better safe than sorry. If you are staying at the farther hotel, leave by 7:30. Manila traffic is never "good", and just when you least expect it (and can least afford the time), you get the troppik-cluster-f*ck.[/QUOTE]NAIA is, admittedly, va nightmare and has a well-earned reputation as the world's worst airport. However, if, as pointed out by others, you can check in for your flight in line, and then print out a boarding pass, you might be able to go directly to Immigration, thus bypassing long, slow moving check-in lines.
GE.
[QUOTE=GoodEnough;1871378]NAIA is, admittedly, va nightmare and has a well-earned reputation as the world's worst airport. However, if, as pointed out by others, you can check in for your flight in line, and then print out a boarding pass, you might be able to go directly to Immigration, thus bypassing long, slow moving check-in lines.
GE.[/QUOTE]Is there a quick way to check luggage (assuming online checking / boarding pass)? Also, boarding pass or not, he will have to wait in the line outside to get thru the initial luggage screening.
[QUOTE=WestCoast1;1871442]Is there a quick way to check luggage (assuming online checking / boarding pass)? Also, boarding pass or not, he will have to wait in the line outside to get thru the initial luggage screening.[/QUOTE]Correct.
There is no way to bypass the initial baggage screening as you enter any of the terminals.
However, I have just used PAL (Sunday and Tuesday) with on-line check-in and pre-printed boarding passes and if you have carry-on only you go straight through to the departure areas. Note that I said "boarding passes" because you need to print out 2 passes; one for the gate check to keep and the other for the plane and your records
If you need to check-in a bag then you go to a "bag-drop" line which bypasses the long meandering lines to get to the check-in counter.
I don't know about Cebu Pacific at Terminal 3 as I try to bypass that terminal altogether. Wherever possible I use PAL's Terminal 2 (for international travel too) because the aircon is much cooler and conditions less cramped.
[QUOTE=RedKilt;1871464]Correct.
I don't know about Cebu Pacific at Terminal 3 as I try to bypass that terminal altogether. Wherever possible I use PAL's Terminal 2 (for international travel too) because the aircon is much cooler and conditions less cramped.[/QUOTE]They also accept the mobile phone records. You can show the pass to the guard your ID and matching e-record, they let you in.
[QUOTE=RedKilt;1871464]Correct.
There is no way to bypass the initial baggage screening as you enter any of the terminals.
However, I have just used PAL (Sunday and Tuesday) with on-line check-in and pre-printed boarding passes and if you have carry-on only you go straight through to the departure areas. Note that I said "boarding passes" because you need to print out 2 passes; one for the gate check to keep and the other for the plane and your records
If you need to check-in a bag then you go to a "bag-drop" line which bypasses the long meandering lines to get to the check-in counter.
I don't know about Cebu Pacific at Terminal 3 as I try to bypass that terminal altogether. Wherever possible I use PAL's Terminal 2 (for international travel too) because the aircon is much cooler and conditions less cramped.[/QUOTE]I have used Terminal 3 a couple of times in the last year and it wasn't that bad. The aircon could be better indeed but the lines for baggage screening and immigration were not that long.
But maybe I was just lucky. I did see long lines for the initial baggage screening at one of the entrances, I believe it was for domestic flights (Cebu Pacific).
I always check in on line and print out my boarding pass (or my hotel reception prints it out for me) so I can bypass the long lines at the check-in counter.
However I've never heard before that you need to print out 2 boarding passes. I've always printed out just one and no one at the gate check ever wanted to keep that one. And anyway sometimes I got a new boarding pass at the baggage drop of counter. Just one.