MISC | What's your vision for a future airport?

[fieldsofdreams]

So I have seen recently the heated debates on the following:

• The "actual" distance between Clark and several points in Metro Manila
• How corruption at airports cause confusion and hopelessness among travelers and locals
• Expansion problems and NAIA, as well as its technical shortcomings
• The future of NAIA and Clark in terms of infrastructure development
• How the current infrastructure causes corruption and gridlock in terms of traffic, transit, and tourism

With the debates ongoing on both NAIA and Clark Airports -- as well as the future, with PAL's new airport -- I would like to ask you, fellow Filipinos, a poll question (as with my other polls, please comply with SSC rules):

What would be your ideal airport be like, if you have a chance to develop one for Manila?

It will be a multiple-choice question, in which you can select as many or as little as you want, provided that you can explain what the airport can do for you, your fellow travelers, and for the country. I am compelled to do this because I would like to see where our priorities are, and if we can come up to a conclusion of where we stand in terms of airport development, then we can develop our own interpretation of a brand new airport for Manila. I know this will take time, but trust me on this one: I will make this conversation as civil, polite, and respectful as possible.

My intention for this thread is to not infuriate anyone nor to overpower one's own desires to bring down others' concerns. My intent here is understanding and restraint: I want to give fellow users an opportunity to discuss the future of our airports in the country, and I am taking it one step at at time -- first up will be NAIA and Clark, then the rest of the country. Sounds fair?

[Isopropyl]

Basically, all of the above.

[fieldsofdreams]

Originally Posted by Isopropyl

Basically, all of the above.

Hahahahaha yeah, I wish so too. But, to have all of those will mean a lot of money to be spent from conception to completion (including the padulas and palakasan system, if you know what I mean) -- translated, if you have the money to bribe officials to build what you want, they might give it to you.

[cemby]

...hmmmm... others... is a shorter border control queue.... Manila is notorious for that....
one of the choices only outlined customs and tourism officers....

[Aerolineas]

aside sa all of the above Airport appeal o aesthetic appearance interior and exterior is also important.

[fieldsofdreams]

Originally Posted by cemby

...hmmmm... others... is a shorter border control queue.... Manila is notorious for that....
one of the choices only outlined customs and tourism officers....

Border control queue? What do you mean?

[fieldsofdreams]

Originally Posted by Aerolineas

aside sa all of the above Airport appeal o aesthetic appearance interior and exterior is also important.

Well, that is definitely a factor too, but I want to make the choices easier for you to choose. I mean, aesthetic appearance is as important outside as it is inside, but I want to go a few steps further by listing actual details.

[Xeltran]

Originally Posted by fieldsofdreams

Border control queue? What do you mean?

Immigration, probably.
This can be remedied by hiring more (efficient) immigration officers.
Or actually having officers manning the immigration booths.
I have personally seen empty booths during peak hours.

[fieldsofdreams]

Originally Posted by Xeltran

Immigration, probably.
This can be remedied by hiring more (efficient) immigration officers.
Or actually having officers manning the immigration booths.
I have personally seen empty booths during peak hours.

Oh really? I could've included that in the better-trained officials as more officers when needed.

[Xeltran]

D/P
(Wrong thread)

[cemby]

Originally Posted by fieldsofdreams

Oh really? I could've included that in the better-trained officials as more officers when needed.

yup... border control is immigration.... NAIA 1 made a little progress by double layering the booths so that more immigration officers can be used. However, it is often confusing to travellers and they always end up in one layer and underutilizing the other. NAIA 2 is far worse since there are actually like 2 booths in that terminal. the lines are notoriously long esp. when early morning hours when the long haul flights of PAL arrive. NAIA 3 seems to be better....

It is often the border control that is the most stressful for an arriving passenger here in the Philippines, simply because it is confusing...

[fieldsofdreams]

Originally Posted by cemby

yup... border control is immigration.... NAIA 1 made a little progress by double layering the booths so that more immigration officers can be used. However, it is often confusing to travellers and they always end up in one layer and underutilizing the other. NAIA 2 is far worse since there are actually like 2 booths in that terminal. the lines are notoriously long esp. when early morning hours when the long haul flights of PAL arrive. NAIA 3 seems to be better....

It is often the border control that is the most stressful for an arriving passenger here in the Philippines, simply because it is confusing...

Ah, interesting. Can the immigration booths be modeled after what I've seen here in SFO where it is one long corridor, with multiple booths and efficient queues?

[NTprime]

I chose all of the above but one thing is certain before San Miguel announces where their new airport will be built: and that is a large plot of land to accommodate the whole airport complex.

So whether it is San Jose del Monte, Binangonan, Sangley, Taguig, wherever, all I'll say for now is "Build 'em, and they'll come."

[cemby]

Originally Posted by fieldsofdreams

Ah, interesting. Can the immigration booths be modeled after what I've seen here in SFO where it is one long corridor, with multiple booths and efficient queues?

NAIA 1 unfortunately has a building configuration that makes the immigration hall unexpandable.... (I guess it really needs to be demolished..but because of its historic value, the idea will become unheard of...)

[fieldsofdreams]

Originally Posted by NTprime

I chose all of the above but one thing is certain before San Miguel announces where their new airport will be built: and that is a large plot of land to accommodate the whole airport complex.

So whether it is San Jose del Monte, Binangonan, Sangley, Taguig, wherever, all I'll say for now is "Build 'em, and they'll come."

That's so true. It reminds me of an impending expansion of PEK's existing airport, with possibly up to eight (!!!) runways.

[fieldsofdreams]

Originally Posted by cemby

NAIA 1 unfortunately has a building configuration that makes the immigration hall unexpandable.... (I guess it really needs to be demolished..but because of its historic value, the idea will become unheard of...)

Oh well, I think that the immigration hall should be better arranged so that there can be more counters, and that it should be accessible to handicapped and wheelchair-bound passengers. The last time I went through the immigration hall at NAIA-1, it seemed like the passageways at the immigration counters are narrow... And I think those really need to be replaced.

[thesmartboy]

Relocation.
My possible locations:
A.Artificial islands
1.On Laguna de Bay
2.On Manila Bay
B.Empty land
1.San Jose Del Monte(maybe Quirino Hwy.)
2.Antipolo(along Marcos Hwy.)
C.Land reclamation
1.Taguig(along C6)
2.Navotas(from Panghulo Rd. to the airport via Tanza)
D.For futurists
1.Paranaque(Bradco St.-overground airport)
2.Manila Bay-make a Philippine version of the "Freedom Ship" concept but bigger

[mwg12a]

Mine is the close proximity of the airport, accessibility within the terminal itself,. spaceous which pretty much would equate almost to room for future expansion. My number one issue better transit connection which should be in one roof pretty much, if not a good shuttle or rail service to connect international terminal to domestic. Lastly, efficiency and of course some amenities. If Manila is an international transit hub, yes, i'd be looking for more amenities but since it's an end point of international travel? I wouldn't care too much other than wifi spots or lounge areas that's not necessarily for business class passengers only, Business class lounges are provided by the airline companies anyway. But on the domestic side, I'd be wanting a bit more when it comes to amenities and if they can go away with the tiange like or turoturo style food kiosk.

[Aerolineas]

Laoag
Clark
Puerto Princesa
Daraga(Bicolandia)

Tacloban
Kalibo/Caticlan (either)
Iloilo/Bacolod (just need only expansions)
Cebu-Mactan
Tagbilaran

Zamboanga
Davao
Gensan

I hope All this Airports after 10 Years will be more World Oriented Airport at par with World Class Gateways.

[fieldsofdreams]

Originally Posted by thesmartboy

Relocation.
My possible locations:
A.Artificial islands
1.On Laguna de Bay
2.On Manila Bay
B.Empty land
1.San Jose Del Monte(maybe Quirino Hwy.)
2.Antipolo(along Marcos Hwy.)
C.Land reclamation
1.Taguig(along C6)
2.Navotas(from Panghulo Rd. to the airport via Tanza)
D.For futurists
1.Paranaque(Bradco St.-overground airport)
2.Manila Bay-make a Philippine version of the "Freedom Ship" concept but bigger

Relocation can be an expensive proposition, but if that means building a world-class airport with better infrastructure, then investing will be the best way to make it happen.

- Artificial islands would be similar to those of Osaka Kansai or Hong Kong. The big financial challenge will be the reclamation itself that should last for a long time because reclaimed land isn't necessarily as stable as land that has been built with bedrock, let alone the number of ships used to make it happen, and the possibility of limited space for growth. In addition, with artificial islands, there is a possibility that the island can sink over time if water build up is not addressed, especially during the rainy season or when the waves go really high. One last disadvantage for this plan is how to create the infrastructure to keep the water flowing without sinking the land above, as well as new infrastructure needed to connect the island with the rest of the existing roadways and rail. The advantage of making an airport on an artificial island is that one can create an airport with little to no distractions from your neighbors, and it can actually become a great place for plane spotting because you will have little to no obstructions to view planes taking off and landing.

- Empty land is the conventional option -- same as Mr. Ang's plan. It might be best to check out the topography first of the land area in question before building an airport. It costs way less to build using this method than building on artificial islands and less expensive to build out. The big con: it can become a NIMBY scenario (although Filipinos don't mind about the airplane noises to begin with) that can cause noise problems.

- Land reclamation has been the trend in the Philippines, especially in Metro Manila. It has similar issues to the artificial island plan, but another con for this idea would also be the expense of expanding when the time comes to build another runway or terminal, and it will come at the expense of either shortening the shoreline or diverting water away from waterways, canals or Pasig River. A pro for this plan is that it can be built with existing land available, and that with existing infrastructure nearby, development can happen pretty quickly.

- For futuristic plans, we will need to make concepts first before deciding which option is best.