Philippines Airport Terminal ‘World’s Worst,’ Jakarta Airport 6th Worst in Asia: Survey

Jakarta Globe – AFP, October 18, 2013

Passengers rest on a bench at the airport in Manila on April 27.
(Reuters Photo/Cheryl Ravelo)

The Philippines’ main Manila airport terminal has been named the World’s worst for the second year in a row in a survey by an online travel website.

Officials on Friday brushed off the survey results, insisting conditions were being improved.

“The Guide to Sleeping in Airports,” a popular travel site, said Manila’s crowded Terminal 1 was the worse in the world, based on a traveler survey that assessed comfort, convenience, cleanliness and customer service.

Reviews for Manila’s Terminal 1 posted on the site mentioned “dilapidated facilities,” dishonest airport workers — particularly taxi drivers — long waiting times and rude officials.

“These are old issues,” Manila airport Terminal 1 manager Dante Basanta told AFP, adding that the problems were already being addressed by the government.

He conceded that the Manila airport, with a capacity of about 6.5 million passengers annually, was overstretched, handling 8.1 million travellers last year.

Indonesian airports did not occupy any positions on the list, but Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta airport was ranked the sixth worst in Asia, behind Manila, Calcutta, Islamabad, Chennai and Mumbai, respectively.

The terminal at the Italian airport of Bergamo was named the second-worst in the world. According to the site, “people [there were] loafing around without T-shirt or without shoes as if they were in their homes and no one gives a hoot.”

The third-worst was Calcutta, just edging out Islamabad, ahead of Paris Beauvais.

The best rated airports were Singapore Changi, Seoul Incheon, Amsterdam Schiphol, Hong Kong and Helsinki Vantaa.

Manila’s Terminal 1, the oldest of its four passenger terminals, was built 32 years ago. The government has launched a 2.5-billion-peso ($58 million) renovation programme for the terminal.

It is also attempting to reduce congestion by moving at least three million passengers a year to a newer terminal.

Agence France-Presse