Finally got to see NAIA Terminal 3 when my friend Karen arrived with her family this weekend from the United States via Delta Airlines. Yes, Delta is one of the airlines that has moved its operations to NAIA 3.
Since both Karen and I didn’t know what to expect, I had to personally pick her up at the airport (long story).
Luckily our friend Lia volunteered to come with me at 10 PM. This is where we got dropped off (at Bay 1)
We took the nearest entrance and put our bags pass through the X-ray machine. A lady guard barked at me not to take pictures. Obviously that didn’t stop me.
The first thing I saw were the sad concessionaires with not much customers. This was past 10 PM anyway.
You just can’t avoid carinderia settings in NAIA, can you?
Or the sad convenience store
So much water
I wonder who chooses the concessionaires and what does it take to get a space here?
Why don’t they have a Jollibee or McDonald’s which everyone can appreciate? Or a Family Mart instead of the sad convenience store?
At least there is one brand I recognised but it’s the saddest Burger King I’ve seen
It was just so dark and cheap-looking (sorry!)
Actually I’m not sorry. The entire arrival floor was dark and somber-looking. I looked up and saw the light.
I saw white lights everywhere, which actually makes everyone and everything look grey
You can actually mix white light with yellow lights. Because lighting is so important. It can change the way you feel about a place and how everyone looks.
NAIA Terminal 3 has so much space, which is a good thing, with a high ceiling and space everywhere.
I’m happy that all Filipinos who want to pick up their loved ones can be accommodated inside, unlike NAIA 1 where the waiting area looks like a zoo.
Good thing there are signs
and a convenient Arrivals board, which you didn’t see at NAIA 1
I decided to check out the toilet next to still-unoccupied spaces
The cardboard sign looks ngarag (read: worn out)
The restroom looks so creepy—creepier than Narita’s. Nothing makes my skin crawl as much as small bathroom tiles.
It reminded me of a Peque Gallaga movie set
Eek.
This looks so temporary (read: cheap)
Here’s the really scary part
But thank God no bad smell. And there was toilet paper!! I wonder who designed the restroom. My guess: contractor?
No thought was put into it. I find it sayang for all the money they spent on the airport and the restrooms already looks old and creepy.
Still they are much better than NAIA 1 toilets.
Finally, with all that space, nobody bothered to think about seats. These were the only seats in the house.
Seriously, there must be 24 seats here
So what do people do while waiting for arrivals? They put their drinks down and have a picnic
They lie down and charge their phone
They sit down and charge their iPad
They doze off
They look kawawa
Seriously it makes you wonder if these people are there to pick up people or just use the aircon? It looks uncivilised.
I proceeded to the viewing gallery to wait for Karen. (This sign needs a graphic artist)
I waited with the people behind the glass
At 11 PM (one hour later) Karen arrived with her sisters and brother-in-law
L-R: Karen Salgado, Marty Wilcher, Susan and Carlos Patino
They were hungry but I we left quickly because I didn’t want them to see the food choices. Luckily our car arrived shortly and Karen and her sisters were impressed by the new airport.
Next time I’ll review the Departure area—but not so soon because I’m still scared to fly.
