⌛ Manila Airport question

Hi all, as surely many of you have experience on the topic I wanted to ask a couple of things on Manila:
First is related to the airport and connections between terminas and city.
As I'm coming first time to Phils I'm reading some dramatic info on the traffic and caos in manila so I'm starting to worry a little in the flight plannng :p

What would be a sensed time needed to move from the domestic flight terminal or the Philippines arilines one to the international terminal to catch the flight out on my way back let's say from Dumaguete?
I've a flight around 3 pm in a working day how many hours is better to allow to collect the checked in baggage of the internal flight and move to another terminal to check in?
And what are the possible connections between the terminals (shuttle, taxi or what else)

anyone know if there is a deposit for baggages at the philippines arilines or domestic flight terminal you can leave a bag for one week or so to travel lighter?

last but less worrying how much would it take (more or less) from the city to the domestic terminal?

Thanks

GDA

 

What airline are you taking is taking you to the Philippines? If it's Philippine Airlines, they are on the same building, just different wing. If its another international airlines, should take around 30 mins from picking your check-in baggage to the Terminal II which is where PR flights arrive and depart. Try to check if the airlines has an interline agreement with PAL. Usually if they do, you can check your things right through. And if I'm not mistaken, if you are coming from Termina 1, there should be a Philippine Airlines transfer desk there.

 

Gabrieleda, don't start to panic unless it's your first time you take an international flight :D
But it's better indeed to prepare yourself as good as possible.
If you have to move from the one terminal to the other you should at least count on 45 minutes.
Not that it takes that long to travel between both terminals (they are actually very nearby !) but you have some time to walk either to a taxi or to the shuttle bus (which is free !), the waiting time for a taxi (sometimes long) or the shuttle bus (not very long), walking at the other terminal to the wright incheck place etc....
And of course you need to add the required time (they always take that too long) for checking in again.
Including the picking up at arrival of your luggage and having checked in at the other terminal I should advise you to take at least 2,5 hours.
Some succeeded however (with quite some luck) in less than 1,5 hour.
Formally you need at check-in 2 hours before the plane leaves, but normally that required time is not needed assuming you have already a ticket. So 2,5 hour should be safe enough for you.
The problem could be the long queue at the immigration 'checkpoints',when they have opened only a few.
But in general they open soon more if many travelers.
Get your document to enter the Philippines (you receive that normally already in the airplane) filled out in the airplane so you don't loose time at the immigration 'checkpoints'.
I thought I once used a luggage-deposit safe at the domestic airport, but I'm not sure what the situation is now and how long you can leave it, but it should be not.
On the international airport it surely is no problem.
The time from the city to the domestic airport by taxi will vary from your city-destination (Manila is quite a big metropolis !).
From Ermita e.g. you have to reckon with 45 till 60 minutes.
Traffic in Manila on the wrong moment (like in many world cities) can destroy your mood however :D
Have a nice trip.

 

thanks both Survivor Adik and jellyfish. very good info already, if I saw correctly flying PAL would make things a little easier: I saw it's terminal is closer to the international terminal where Malaysia airlines fly me out. getting at least 3 hours time should not be that big problem as the flight is 3.10 pm.

I still dunno if I'll have check in baggage or only hand carry on the way to Manila but this make things quite clear and doable already

Thanks

GDA

 

I agree with the 2.5 hours to get checked in and make your international flight!

 

thanks again

 

Gabrieleda,

If youre flying with malaysian airline from terminal 1 then PAL to dumaguete or vice versa no need to panic because the terminal 1 and 2 are just near to each other no need to prepare 2.5 hours just 1.5 is enough. But if youre flying Maysian Air to Cebu Pac or V.V you really need to allot atleat 2.5 hours. Must better check first the Schedule of your desired airlines to avoid conflicts and miscaculation of your time. have a nice flight!

 

The general recommendation is to check in for an international departure at least 2 hours before departure. So depending on the time required to go from one airport to another, around 3 hours is the minimum time required between arriving in Manila on a domestic flight and continuing on an international flight.

On the return flight you can narrow this down to around 2 hours, since the recommended checkin time for domestic flights is only 1 hour before departure.

As a general comment, please note that if you are flying on separate tickets, missing one flight because of a delay of the previous flight might cause either a complete loss of your ticket or a rebooking penalty. This depends on which airline and which class of ticket, you are flying.

Planes do not always arrive on time, so it is important to determine not only the minimum time required if the first plane is on time, but also how safe you want your travel plan to be.

If it is really important to catch this 3.10 p.m. plane, you should probably fly to Manila the evening before the departure and not on the same day. Or at least you should fly early in the morning from a major airport like Cebu, where there are several other fligths, that can bring you to Manila on time, if your booked flight is cancelled or seriously delayed.

 

Actually if you're up to it, you just actually walk from NAIA 1 to NAIA 2. Tried this and it should be just around 10-15 minute walk. When you exit terminal 1, just walk heading to the right side. Just ask around.

That's if you're up to it and don't have that much luggage.

 

Not exactly recomended to do so in hot season if you come from a cold country.