3 Airports in 1 day

In a recent trip to Malaysia and Indonesia (blog entries to follow, I promise!), I got to be in three different international airports in one day--Minangkabau International Airport in Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia; LLCT in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and NAIA Terminal 3. It was the last day of my trip, and I’m spending it in transit waiting for flights to go home. 

LLCT in Kuala Lumpur

I’ve waited the longest in KL, arriving there from Padang in the morning and leaving in the early evening. Among the three, I can say that it’s the best international airport. It has free wifi, which passengers can actually use unlike in NAIA. It has a lot of restaurants fast food chains (both local and international) and coffee shops, where passengers can kill time. Plus, LLCT does not charge passengers with a fee (e.g. terminal fee, travel tax) unlike in Padang and (uurgh) Manila. The only problem is the long walk from the boarding gate to the aircraft (and vice-versa) because there was no tunnel to the plane since it was a budget airport. I had to walk for around 10-15 minutes after deplaning. Some airlines in Manila also let their passengers walk to save P7,000 from using the tunnel.  

The Long Walk

Another good thing in KL is the airport bus (Skybus and Aerobus) that makes it convenient for passengers to travel to the city. It’s cheap, too (RM 9 or P126 and RM 8 P112, respectively) for an hour-long trip to the city. There’s also a train from the airport straight to the city but this costs more.

Minangkabau International Airport

The Minang Roof shaped like a bull's horn
dominates the design of airport in Padang

Although I was fetched by my friends in Padang, I did not see any public transportation to the city except for taxi. In Manila, taxis are also available but I would not recommend it because our taxi drivers are the worst. They reject passengers and refuse to use the meter. Instead, they give an overpriced fixed rate. For instance, they charge P350 if you’re going to Pasay Rotonda. I think it would only be between P100-150 if they use the meter. If you don’t want to get fooled by taxi drivers, ride the shuttle bus going to Baclaran Church and EDSA where many city buses are available. Fare is only P20. The only problem is that the bus has no provision for luggage since it is a coaster. Add to that, the bus conductor allows more passengers and since there are no seats left, they stand in the aisle, so there’s really no place for luggage. It’s really inconvenient to commute from airport to city in the Philippines compared to KL. If this would be the first experience of visitors in our country, I don’t think they’ll be able to say “It’s more fun in the Philippines.”  I think this should be addressed by the management and the government immediately if they want to boost tourism in the country.

Details of railing in Minangkabau Airport

Ceiling Design in Minangkabau Airport

In Padang, a passenger has to pay a terminal fee like in Manila. These two are the only airports I’ve experienced that collect a terminal fee; Bangkok, Hong Kong, KL, Vietnam have none. Philippines also charge a travel tax for international departures. I wonder where Philippine government uses these fees. It was reported that the CCTVs in Terminal 3 were not working for a long time already. Why not use the terminal fees collected to repair it, or improve wifi, or improve the aesthetics of the airport? NAIA has a very impersonal feel because it lacks designs culled from Philippine folk designs unlike in Padang and Bangkok.

The only thing I did not like in Padang airport is the long line in immigration because there were only two lines for Indonesians and another to for foreigners. I had to wait in line for twenty minutes just to get my passport stamped. In some international airports, many booths were allowed two foreigners to speed up the process. 

Lining up in Immigration could take long in Minangkabau Airport

In terms of customer service, Padang airport staff and Air Asia staff in KL are friendly and helpful. I normally don’t like having small talks with strangers, but the staff in the check-in counter in Padang was very charming I could not resist it. Maybe he wants to practice his almost-perfect English (most Indonesians in Padang can’t understand English). In KL, I saw an Air Asia staff assisting a first-time passenger and assuring her family that Air Asia would make sure that she’s comfortable in her first flight. In the Philippines, most are courteous but I can’t feel any genuine concern to passengers unlike the ones I saw in Air Asia.

Having spent an entire day in different airports, I realized how important it is for the experience of the passenger in one’s country. Airports are the gateways for local and foreign visitors, and it says something about the culture and values of the country’s people. KL is big on its tourism so they make its airport friendly to tourists. Minangkabau airport’s design reflects the pride of people in Padang on their traditional culture. The Philippine airports don’t have any of these (at least NAIA), and it’s high time for our government to concern itself with the convenience of its tourists and to show them how we value our visitors.

NAIA Terminal 3