NAIA passengers wait up to 2 hours to pick up luggage amid holiday rush

Arriving and departing passengers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) will have to exercise more patience amid the holiday season.

In Oscar Oida’s report in “24 Oras” on Thursday, a foreigner who just arrived in the country shared that while he had no problems at the immigration counter at NAIA Terminal 1, he had to wait for nearly  two hours to get his luggage. 

“When it comes to immigration, it’s good. When it comes to the luggage, I waited about two hours,” he said. 

The explanation given to them by the airport personnel is that they allegedly ran out of carts to offload the luggage from the aircraft and bring them to the terminal.

Some passengers did not mind paying extra when they booked Transport Network Vehicle Services (TNVS) just to get to their respective destinations. 

“Around P3,000 to P5,000 going to Clark City. If we go by shuttle, it will only cost us P500,” one passenger said. 

“I think it’s okay, it’s not too bad. But it would be better if someone would pick you up,” another said. 

An estimate from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said airport passengers could reach more than 980,000 this holiday season. 

Adding to difficulties for arriving and departing travelers are bottlenecks at the entry and exit lanes of NAIA Terminal 3. 

Instead of being dropped off at the terminal gates, some passengers decided to be dropped off to avoid being delayed and just walk to the nearest gates. 

“It would be hard for us to be late again. We rebooked our ticket last time, that’s why we are here again,” said traveler Jesus Almodiel. 

Some passengers arrived early as they already expected the heavy influx at the airport. 

“From C-5 going here at the airport, the traffic is already heavy. So that’s why we decided to go here early and it’s supposed to take us only 30 minutes early, but our trip took 45 minutes,” said Hannah, a departing passenger. —Vince Angelo Ferreras/RF, GMA Integrated News