With respect GE, you are comparing honeydew melons with watermelons. PAL aspires to be a 5 star airline (stop sniggering at the back) so one would expect customer service to be at least on a par with local standards. CP operates on a low-cost model, so anything that can be outsourced, such as customer service and ground handling, will be. A better comparative would be Ryanair in Europe, Spirit in US, Jetstar in Australia or AirAsia in much of SE Asia.
On my visits, T1 at NAIA is not a deal-breaker, but a major plus. My usual flight from Kuala Lumpur arrives at 1405,when T1 is virtually empty, and my best time is 25 minutes from arriving at the gate to getting into a cab. Post-renovation, T1 is vastly improved, but to my mind sums up the Philippine mentality with regard to planning and execution of any major project (I'm not talking about drug dealers). There is NO departure information except PA announcements once past the check-in area. On my last trip, I went to the advertised gate about 30 minutes before closing to find that it was still occupied by passengers for the previous Malaysian flight to KL. This was announced by staff shouting up the stairs which were the width of a moving staircase, which, being used by both the charge of the late brigade for the delayed flight and intending passengers for the scheduled flight, created even more havoc. There was no notice posted at the entrance to the gate. There is now an advertised smoking room at the rear of one of the shops overlooking the tarmac. Entrance is through the shop and guess what, you need to make a purchase to use the room. ! The old smoking room upstairs still exists, alongside the café/ resto. Still partitioned off by what seems to be recycled plywood with the wooden framework exposed. I must be unlucky as my lighter is usually confiscated at security, but at least 50% of the passengers in the smoking room are always happy to offer me a light. In fact, one fellow Brit gave me his spare lighter. Go figure.
WR's referenced article does offer hope, if not optimism. How long will it take for MIAA to go through the tender process for the turnoffs (3000 php in LA café) and be reviewed by DPWH and the funds disgorged and construction completed? Installing an ILS on runway 13/31 sounds good, but is it? It will shift takeoffs to the main runway and probably reduce movements on it to allow a safety margin for long landings on 13/31. Has anybody seen a landing on 13/31 recently? But to my mind the biggest problem is the distance between the apron for T4 and the centreline of the runway. I know ICAO has a minimum separation between runways to allow simultaneous operation, so I can't imagine it is much less for a runway and 'solid' buildings. I doubt the separation is sufficient.
Rambling over.
