Set your expectations low and arrive early at this airport

The airport

Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL), the main gateway to the Philippines.

The flight

QF98 from Manila to Brisbane (BNE).

The one rule? Arrive well ahead of your flight. Many hours ahead.Credit: Getty Images

The arrival

My Qantas flight takes off at 2.45am. That might seem like a gate slot sent straight from Hades, but in Manila, it’s a godsend. The Philippines capital has a well-deserved reputation for having some of the worst traffic congestion in the world. I’ve been staying at Shangri-La The Fort in the Bonifacio Global City, an eight-kilometre car ride to Ninoy Aquino International Airport. Leaving the hotel around midnight means Manila’s traffic, though still busy, doesn’t turn a short journey into an epic crawl.

The airport and its crowd during a holiday period.Credit: Getty Images

The look

For a country with cultural connection to colour, flowers and lush leafiness, the grey upon grey of the airport is unforgivable – except perhaps on the grounds that a new mega-airport is being built for Manila, set to open before 2030. Still, 50 million people passed through these terminals in 2024. And more Australians are using it – my Qantas flight is a new service and Cebu Pacific is ramping up its Sydney-Manila runs. Both airlines use Terminal 3, which became fully operational in 2008, four years behind schedule. It’s by all accounts much more efficient and better designed than the older terminals, and new private ownership by the giant conglomerate San Miguel Corporation (yes, they also make beer) is seeing ongoing improvements.

Check-in

You need to have your ticket (that is, some kind of hard copy official record of your booking) and passport to show the security officers at the entrances. Under new rules, they don’t touch your passport. You hold it up next to your face for their perusal. Beyond this, there’s a bag-screening point. NAIA is notorious for lengthy wait times at check-in. The airport had a VIP fast-track service which let you pay to essentially queue-jump. We used it and it was fab (if guilt-laden). That’s since been kiboshed, with the owners of the airport retooling it to be available only for certain dignitaries and officials. A paid service is still apparently available, but far more expensive. Upshot: get to the airport in plenty of time, and then some.

Security

Members of the Philippine National Police Aviation Security Group at the airport with a bomb-sniffing dog.Credit: Getty Images

Members of the Philippine National Police Aviation Security Group are highly visible in the terminal, as are their firearms. They’re (probably) not there for you. All the same, avoid any horsing around and backchat. And don’t have valuables in your bags that you may lose sight of as they get screened (look on Reddit for horror stories). Go into the whole process knowing this too, shall take time. NAIA plans to put screening before passport control soon, in line with most airports.

A queue-free immigration area.Credit: iStock

Food + drink

The options are mostly fast food and international coffee brands. In the wee hours, when we are passing through, little is open. Our class of Qantas ticket gives us lounge access and the partner airline Cathay’s lounge here is highly rated, but it also isn’t open, so we hit the PAGSS Premium Lounge (Philippine Airport Ground Support Solutions). It is small, crowded, run-down, and the food offering is very limited.

Retail therapy

Standard duty free is available, but don’t expect to pick up thoughtful souvenirs at this point. If you see a Tesoros store in your travels, go there. They have gorgeous things. Tesoros is at the airport, but pre-departure.

Passing time

At least the PAGSS lounge has Wi-Fi and power points. The new airport owners installed faster, more reliable free Wi-Fi across the airport in October 2024. Otherwise, bring a book.

Verdict

This airport makes me appreciate the world’s great airports even more. My advice, though? Set your expectations low, but don’t be spooked by the horror stories you can read online. Approach it with preparation and patience and remember this is the gateway to and from a country full of beauty with some of the loveliest people on the planet. It’s a soothing thing to meditate on when you’re standing in a seemingly interminable queue.

Our rating out of five

★★

The writer travelled as a guest of Qantas.