A rough transit security line, invisible lounge signage, a shaky elevator, and Wi-Fi that won't work with laptops — Manila Airport's transit experience falls apart fast.
PAL… is not your pal.
"I wish I had the confidence that Philippine Airlines has, having little QR codes all over the lounge, asking guests for feedback"
@Ben
Another rookie mistake.
You assume someone is actually monitoring the feedbacks.
I’m guessing since you didn’t mention the food and drinks, it’s nothing to write home about?
I'll beat Ben to this.
Those should come in as a separate review.
This is just a delayed quick summary trip updates.
Stay tuned.
Welcome to the Philippines 😂
NAIA is horrible, but also customer service is virtually non-existent here.
Well no.... it's actually exactly the opposite of what you're saying... you can criticize the dated infrastructure, the long lines, or the tight layouts all day long - fine - but there’s a reason the global CX and BPO market relies on the Philippines for over 40% of the entire world's customer support, 1.9 million people and $40 billion in service exports. That doesn't happen in a country with "non-existent" service; it happens because Filipinos consistently rank among the highest globally for customer satisfaction, empathy, and service delivery metrics. Try again.
Darryl, but BPOs are not here because the Philippines is the apex of customer service. They are here because Filipinos speak superior English to Indians, and Filipino accents are overwhelmingly preferred by westerners over Indian accents, and because Filipinos are trained via their education system to not think creatively and thus they thrive in a repetitive SOP-driven environment.
Either you're Filipino, I'm guessing this is most likely, or you've never been to the Philippines.
I love the country btw. I've lived here for years now. But any local who has been abroad will tell you how awful customer service is here. Any transaction entails standing in line with representatives/cashiers who move at a glacial pace, any more complex transaction like getting internet or a SIM entails massive red tape and queues.
The only way you can live here is to learn to laugh it off.
Look, I'm not going to pretend that transiting through Manila Terminal 1 is akin to spending an afternoon at Singapore Changi, because clearly it has its friction points. But calling the ground experience "laughably bad" over a single busy transit security queue and some loud boarding announcements is a bit dramatic, no?
The review is basically judging an entire flag carrier's hub operation by one transit during peak hour. It conveniently glosses over the fact that airport infrastructure and security checkpoints are under the control of the Manila airport authority rather than the airline itself. Expecting a carrier to magically rebuild T1’s terminal layout or tear down staircase walls on the spot is completely unrealistic.
And this is where I think the PAL bashing gets a little gregarious. PAL has been operating out of a severely constrained hub for decades and still manages to connect millions of international passengers across a massive global network. You dont have to love every single boarding announcement to acknowledge that ground staff making sure passengers actually catch their flights to Melbourne isn't a crime.
There’s also the matter of the Mabuhay Lounge itself. Sure, the laptop Wi-Fi quirk is frustrating, but it's a dedicated space providing hot food, seating, and full departure coordination in a terminal that is notoriously capacity-constrained. At least the feedback o the gate area was positive?
PAL isnt perfect. No airline operating out of MNL is. But there is a massive difference between pointing out that Terminal 1 needs modernization and framing the carrier's whole ground product as a failure because an elevator felt old or a sign wasn't big enough. Maybe the fair conclusion is simply that Manila Airport needs infrastructure upgrades. Thats a much more reasonable take than blaming the airline for things well outside its control.
This is the second time you have used the word gregarious (which means talkative) incorrectly. Please discontinue use of the word until further notice
Jim, I meant to write egregious, not gregarious.... autocorrect got the better of me there. Now that aside, the core argument still stands, which is of course taking a single under four hohr sector or peak-hour ground transit and turning the drama up to 11 to slam an entire carrier's reputation remains unfair !
Heard you the first time.
What I wanted to learn from Ben was the comfort and availability of gate seating. As in the U. S., gates are often better than standing in line for a lounge availability.
"basically judging an entire flag carrier's hub operation by one transit"
First impressions matter.
And Ben actually did it before, he even said it. So does many other passengers.HE
I'm not sure any of what you said matters. When a consumer picks an airline, or when someone reads a review of an airline, what they care about is the experience of flying said airline (and for many that need to connect, the experience of connecting at the hub). Regardless of what excuse one finds for PAL (legitimate or not), the fact of the matter is the overall experience is poor and most absolutely should avoid it if they can.
Yes, that’s exactly right. Judging the carrier by the transit experiences it provides. It’s abysmal. The WiFi isn’t a quirk. It’s an error within the airline’s control. The announcements are obnoxious and within their control. The signage is within the airline’s control. I’d say the carrier provides a gregarious ground experience!
While I think that this comment seems to invite a little bit too much lenience towards the airline, I can't recall having seen many blog posts here lambasting any US-based carriers for offering connections via airports which require international transit passengers to cross passport control and, in many occasions, even obtain visas so that they're allowed to take a connecting flight.
You should cover the other terrible MNL situation, where they forced CX to close their MNL lounge because of the airport operators. Completely downgraded the experience.
Same with the SQ Silver Kris lounge and TK contracted with the PAGGS Lounge instead of at least the First Meridian 😒
Feels like a TK problem. The FML lounge is far better than the SQ lounge was, presumably they just need to stump up the cash for it.
Love the people who are some of the nicest in Asia, but as you pointed out, the country barely functions. I pray the situation improves for the people there one day.
Just think, if you took advantage of the status match, those lounge complaints could have been submitted by a Mahubay elite member!
Philippine airlines has some pretty attractive one stop fares getting to/from SE to E Asia. I’ve considered but never done one these reviews make me think I’ve been making the right choice
Awful city, awful airport and awful airline. It’s sad as the Philippines is a beautiful country and Philippino are really nice people
Cebu airport is a dream. Airside transit. Modern. Kind staff. Very quick immigration.
Aerotel and waterfront hotels.
Many shops and places to eat. A hair salon
When I transited airside at CEB, from international to domestic, we were held in limbo for a fair amount of time (45-60 minutes, maybe?) while they did something with our hold luggage. Some kind of security thing. Maybe not the airport's fault, but it was hardly ideal.
Ben,
Just be glad that PAL international flights now use Terminal 1. Previously PAL used Terminal 2, which was infinitely worse than Terminal 1.
You're probably going to be banned. Like Egypt. Hope there's no hidden camera video of you in the lounge.
Newest Oneworld airline soon enough or all too soon. Starlux where are you??
@Lucky, this is helpful and disheartening at the same time. I have a similar trip planned early next year, JFK-MNL...as I was looking forward to trying their A350-1000, and lounge. If the experience is that bad, I think I'll reassess.
"Shit Hole airline & Country"according to Trump. People are Great,I work with them all the time. you have to be careful though!
MNL Airport First Meridian Lounge in terminal 3 is pretty nice, very good decor and amenities (golf simulator, cafe + bakery, showers) and view. Didn't sample the F&B b/c we came to the airport after dinner for a late-night flight, but offerings looked good, comparable to Delta's U.S. lounges.
First Meridian Lounge was available to us as OW Sapphires flying JAL in Aug. 2026. Hopefully OW flyers will keep access to the lounge once PAL joins OW. AI says it's currently open to business/first class and elites for Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines, Emirates, JAL, Thai Airways, Qatar Airways, KLM, and Vietnam Airlines.
MNL Airport First Meridian Lounge in terminal 3 is pretty nice, very good decor and amenities (golf simulator, cafe + bakery, showers) and view. Didn't sample the F&B b/c we came to the airport after dinner for a late-night flight, but offerings looked good, comparable to Delta's U.S. lounges.
First Meridian Lounge was available to us as OW Sapphires flying JAL in Aug. 2026. Hopefully OW flyers will keep access to the lounge once PAL joins OW. AI says it's currently open to business/first class and elites for Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines, Emirates, JAL, Thai Airways, Qatar Airways, KLM, and Vietnam Airlines.
Was very disheartened when I learned that the CX Lounge would close before our flight out and the airport's other lounges were generally terrible, so was pleasantly surprised by First Meridian.
REALLY????? This is a JOKE!!! The Cathay Pacific Lounge was 10 times better than the First Meridian Lounge. The corruption flex to shut down all the good airline lounges in T3 to make way for the subpar single Meridian Lounge was just wild!!!!!
Describing the FML as "subpar" is wild. I didn't have the pleasure of visiting the Cathay lounge in MNL, but I'd rank the FML lounge ahead of any outstation or contract lounge I've been to.
Agreed. I always relished the quiet calm of the Cathay Lounge after the raucous chaos of MNL. And the helpful CX staff at the desk who proactively asked if you wanted to be rebooked on a connection. And the noodle bar. But no longer. Perhaps one day there will be a combined tranquil OneWorld lounge at NAIA.
Yes, the FML is excellent. I asked the desk for the current list of airlines with access when I was there yesterday:
Air Canada
Air China
ANA
Cathay
Emirates
Ethiopian
JAL
KLM
Singapore
Qantas
Thai
Vietnam
United
Macau
Juneyao
Shenzhen
mickyb obviously works for San Miguel
Maybe even could be that pathetic CEO of San Miguel writing the comments here.
Yup, you've got me. And here I was thinking that being the fifth-most active participant on this site was going to be a good cover 🙁
No, what it shows is that you have very little experience in lounges! You never went to the Cathay Lounge? OK, you have little to reference your 'excellent' award for the Meridian lounge. Maybe your frame of reference comes from Priority Pass and Miracle Lounges, none of which are 'excellent'.
Lol. I need to have visited one specific lounge in order to cast judgement on another?
I preferred it to the Cathay lounge at LHR, is that enough relevant experience for you?
At least many of the especially younger Filipinos, working in tourism, speak decent English. We were surprised just how poor most Thais were at English.
I have a policy that people won’t be getting many tips from me if they don’t make an effort to speak the global language. Age of internet and YouTube means everyone outside China should speak or understand English. Simple as that.
You do you, but not sure why you'd expect Thai hospitality staff to all speak English, given that the top 6 countries for tourism into Thailand are:
1) China
2) India
3) Russia
4) Vietnam
5) South Korea
6) Taiwan
The highest Engllish-speaking country was the UK in 9th place. (No, I don't count India as an English-speaking country)
Also, you're doing everyone a favour if you don't introduce American tipping culture into the rest of the world.
I've never had a problem communicating in English in major Thai cities. Perhaps you come off as rude or vulgar which will affect the level of attention you receive in Thailand
Many Thais speak English. You were pegged as someone not worth their time, and your childish attitude reveals why. I suspect you suffer from your own behavior in your own country, too, and wonder why everyone is so "rude" to you.
@Ben. You are in danger of being declared Persona Non Gratis in Philippines. You are lucky. This happens often to foreigners who criticize the quality of their fruit or complain about a giant 3’ deep hole in a street repaired with a 6’ tall barrel in it. Your car hits the barrel instead of dropping into a hole. Yes, these foreign complainers were declared Persona Non Gratis and kicked out of the country.
That's why we refer to the Philippines as the land of the not quite right.