AT least 1.2 million passengers are expected to fly in and out of the country this coming ‘Undas’ season.
In line with this, the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) under whose jurisdiction falls the operations of the premier NAIA terminals, and the local airlines, have all expressed readiness for the expected influx of air passengers in connection with the observance of ‘Undas’ or All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day.
MIAA general manager Bryan Co said that the number of expected air passengers that would be using the NAIA Terminals is expected to hit a minimum of 1.2 million, for the period from October 27 up to the time when ‘Undas’ is over.
GM Co assures that everything is already in place as he, accompanied by officials from Cebu Pacific, personally made the rounds at the NAIA Terminal 3 to polish all the plans that have been put in place and will just have to be implemented come the said period.
Aside from all requirements for a hassle-free operation being met, GM Co also ordered the cancellation of leaves of all personnel necessary to ensure that there would be enough manpower to take care of passengers and their needs.
Airlines companies were also tasked by GM Co to be ready in case of flight delays or cancellations, with special emphasis on the immediate provision of food to all affected passengers.
Michael Madamba of CEB assured the airport manager that the airline already struck a deal with all food sellers inside the airport to ensure that the passengers who may be affected by delays or cancellations will be able to get food quickly, just by having the bar code of their boarding pass scanned.
Once an announcement has been made that a certain flight has been delayed or canceled, the distribution of food will be automatic. Aside from this, there will also be an assigned ground crew who will look for and give information to the affected passengers regarding the status of their flights, apart from helping them hasten the processes of check-in of luggage especially those with hand-carry only and getting boarding passes as well.
On the part of Philippine Airlines (PAL), travel reminders were issued for those leaving or arriving in time for the ‘Undas’ and the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections.
In a statement, PAL spokesperson Ma. Cielo Villaluna said that firstly, passengers should know their terminal assignments. In Manila, PAL international flights operate in and out at the NAIA Terminal 1 while PAL domestic flights operate at the NAIA Terminal 2.
For domestic travel, passengers need to be at the airport two hours before the flight, and three hours for international travel. It would also be good to check in online 24 hours before the flight and inquire about baggage allowance on the ticket.
Villaluna also said that for outbound international travel, one should know the travel requirements of his destination. When traveling within the Philippines, there is a need to fill out the E-travel as a requirement from the IATF.
PAL also opened a pay lounge at the NAIA terminal 2 for domestic passengers so that those traveling Economy Class and non-PAL elite and non-Premiere elite may experience the PAL domestic Mabuhay lounge by using the pay lounge. This is apart from the domestic Mabuhay Lounge for business class/ elite/ premiere lite passengers.
AirAsia Philippines also announced preparations for the ‘Undas’.
“We know how important this annual commemoration is to most Filipinos and AirAsia is more than ready to accommodate the greater influx of travelers during these times. We have enough manpower to meet increased operational requirements and augmented Customer Happiness helpdesks at the NAIA Terminal 2. Our guests can count on our very reliable Allstars team which observes the highest standards of safety in flight and on the ground. In fact, our On-Time-Performance over the past weeks registered a high of 97%.,” said AirAsia Philippines Communications and Public Affairs Country Head First Officer Steve Dailisan.
“Additionally, to ensure the continued safety and swift travel of our guests, the airline continues to coordinate and align its efforts with our regulatory partners at the Department of Transportation (DOTr), the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA), and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP),” Dailisan added.
For seamless travel, Dailisan said they put 20 check-in counters at the NAIA 2 and guests may check in via self-check-in kiosks or Airasia Superapp.
Promo fares were also launched like the PISO SALE from October 16 to 25 for domestic and international travel from March 4, 2024, to March 19, 2025.
The airline will also be putting up a ticketing office at the NAIA Terminal 3 to better serve its passengers.
Let us all hope and pray though that all these efforts will not be put to naught by unscrupulous personnel from the Office for Transport Security (OTS) what with the recent dollar-swallowing incident that victimized an outbound Chinese passenger.
For those who do not know, the OTS is not under the MIAA. It is a separate national government agency operating within the airports.
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