I asked a local traveling Filipino and he too said about 15 minutes. But he didn’t seem too confident. Eventually we saw an Airport shuttle bus pass us, and parked further up. He told me it was the airport bus and was just as confused as to why it parked further up, and not taking passengers.

So we waited for another one. About 10 minutes later more people came to wait for the bus. And then a man came out from the airport shuttle bus I saw the first time. He directed everyone to get onboard.

So here’s the fishy part. While the bus was moving the porter came around asking for 150 pesos. He was collecting from other foreign travelers. But didn’t bother the locals.

I didn’t pay. I just looked at him and shrugged. For one thing, I didn’t have any Philippine pesos on hand. The other, I wasn’t even expecting to pay for a fare.

The bus ride from Terminal 2 to Terminal 1 took about 5 minutes. Nowhere have I read I had to pay to ride the airport shuttle bus. Incidentally, I spoke with another American heading to JFK that was on the same bus afterwards.

And the bus conductor told him if he didn’t have pesos he could pay in US dollars. Which in itself is highly unusual. He paid $3USD which is slightly over 150 pesos. Either way, it was fishy.

I noticed that the Philippine native I spoke to earlier while waiting for the bus wasn’t even approached by the bus conductor.

Eventually, I learned, as long as you’ve got a transfer ticket on hand, you do not have to pay for the ride.

Here’s my proof. I stepped off the bus in front of Terminal 1 and the conductor just gave me a shy sheepish look. Like he got busted.

At NAIA Terminal 1

One thing that is certainly true about NAIA’s terminal 1 airline check-in counter is that the lines are long. I wish I took photos. Because there’s a lot of people, especially at 3 am in the morning. There appears to be some kind of order along the long lines of people queuing up to the counters.

Luckily, I already had my MNL to JFK boarding ticket printed at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok. So I can avoid the lines and make a beeline for passport control.

Here’s An Odd Story at Passport Control…

My wife’s friend is a native Filipino and I had previously asked her if she had any tips about Manila’s airports. One thing she said was don’t let immigration officers intimidate me. Sounds like an ominous prediction.

When I heard that my first thought was what’s the worst that they can do? And left it at that.

When I handed my passport to the immigration officer I noticed a very nonchalant attitude.

Then the questions started, “Are you of Filipino blood?”

I answered no.

“Have you ever been to the Philippines?”

No.

Then he spent a few minutes examining and looking through my passport. I have to admit. This was getting rather annoying.

I’m sure he can tell from his computer system and the fresh entry stamp that I arrived an hour ago. And my boarding ticket says I’m transferring.

Then he asked one last question, “Where did you fly in from?”

Thailand, I answered.

“Ah.” he says and stamps my passport.

Maybe I’m just being too sensitive. Maybe I was primed to feel the way I did because of my wife’s friend’s advice about not letting immigration officers intimidate me.

I’ve been stamped out by a lot of airports. And I must say, this one’s the weirdest. But I was glad it was over and by now I was so tired.

It was time to search for a dayroom or a lounge or whatever to sleep and shower in.

And I’m inside Terminal 1 – Looking for Dayrooms

On my initial research, I was looking to rent a dayroom I read about from The Wings Transit Lounge but it’s located inside terminal 3 on the fourth floor.

I walked around all over Terminal 1 and did not find any airport chairs I could sleep on. The chairs are made of metal with thin blue cushions. I read somewhere that airport security will fine passengers for sleeping on the chairs.

I really don’t know if there’s any truth to that. I’m not even going to think about trying. After possibly getting shakin’ down by that shuttle bus conductor, I didn’t want to take any chances.

Found a Dayroom – But is it Any Good?

At NAIA there are many airport lounges where you can pay to use and enjoy. But I was specifically looking for a bed. And most importantly a place to shower.

Well, I found it. There are no direct signs leading to the dayroom rental. Follow my directions though and you’ll find it.

Look for the signs leading to gates 9, 10, 11, 12, 14 and 15. It’s right next to a Starbucks. You will see a sign and a pair of elevators leading to the 4th floor where the dayroom rentals are located.

Cost of Dayrooms

For 1680 Philippine pesos, per head, you’ll get 24-hour access. Which is reasonable. Especially when I’ve got 14 hours to go so I can catch some sleep and a shower. By the way, there’s no wifi access inside the dayroom area. I know, a real bummer.

They only accept cash payments so you’ll have to exchange your local currency. There are two currency exchange counters near the duty-free shops.

There are single rooms with one twin bed. Also a couple of larger rooms with two twin beds.

You get a door key to your room. There’s no safety box inside to store your valuables so a good idea to have a good lock for your luggage or travel bags.

There are only nine rooms available and a receptionist sitting near the guest rooms.

Single rooms are small but I’m only in here for a small stretch of time. You’ve got a small kit of towels, toothbrush with toothpaste, disposable slippers, soap and a packet of shampoo.

I got room #9 which faces the airport tarmac. I checked in about 5 am. As the morning rolled in I could hear airplanes taking off. I looked outside and didn’t see any nearby airplanes. That’s just how loud airplane engines are so the jet engine noise travels far. It was noisy to the point even the windows inside my room vibrated.

This happens about once every ten or fifteen minutes. It took a while but I did manage to catch some much-needed sleep.

That is until I started hearing staff talking near the reception desk. Also, a dayroom guest complaining about being charged an extra hour he overstayed. And ringing office phones.

The walls and doors at this place are very thin. I could even hear a guy in another room snoring.

As bad as I’m making it all sound I did manage to grab some sleep. And you might be able too.

The best thing of all though at least there’s access to clean bathrooms with a shower room. There’s only one shower room and it’s not in the greatest shape. The ceiling is low and the shower head could use a good screw tightening.

Toilets were clean though. At my age that’s important.

For all the ladies you’d be happy to know there is a separate bathroom facility.

Checked Out and Ready to Leave for JFK

Boarding time for my flight to JFK was 7 pm. I checked out of the dayroom at 2 pm. I still had plenty of time. I wasn’t sleepy at this point and with the afternoon time, it seemed the frequency of planes preparing to take off increased.

Spending a few more hours inside a room with the sound of jet engines roaring past me is not fun.

So I decided to check out of the dayroom. And wait for 7 pm at the Starbucks next to the entrance at the dayroom. There were plenty of soft seats and a good place to waste some time there.

The free airport wifi access is very good inside terminal 1. I read reports somewhere else that it was really spotty. But while I was there for all those hours it worked really well.

Only takes a little while to log in. But when you’re on the speed was good. I could watch Youtube videos and surf with no lag.

I connected with the wifi access from Google. I tried the airports official wifi network but that one wasn’t working. For Google wifi, you get 30 minutes of access. When the 30 minutes are up you can just log back in again.

There are also mobile phone charging ports located near gate 9. It’s set up a little weird. There’s a bunch of chairs surrounding 3 narrow kiosks fitted with USB and electrical outlets.

There were more power ports than seats. But it’s better than nothing. And my flight was departing on gate 10 so that’s where I hung out to pass the rest of the time.

The air conditioning in this part of terminal 1 was really cold so bring a jacket. I was wearing shorts so it was extra chilly for me.

$100USD Extra for Emergency Exit Row Seats??

Here’s a shocker to me. At BKK airport I requested a seat on the emergency exit row aisle seat. Because I really, really enjoy that extra leg room. And I got it. Free of charge which is normal when I make the same request on airlines.

At Manila Airport I asked for the same. Only to hear it cost $100 USD extra to get those seats. I was surprised. Though I have heard airlines today are getting wiser. But why was I not charged for an emergency exit row seat for my BKK to MNL leg of the trip? It’s still an international flight after all.

I just stayed with the aisle seat I pre-booked.

Inside Flight PR 126

This was a Philippine Airline Airbus A350. I have to say, this is a very nice airplane. The seat was comfortable. The first time my ass hit the chair I was could tell a difference between the comfortability of these cheap seats compared to other economy seats on other airlines.

But, after 16 hours your butts still going to be a little sore. At least mine was.

Before the plane even took off I started to drift to sleep. Until I took a look at the in-flight movie selection. There were a bunch of movies available that I haven’t watched yet.

I watched Ready Player One, Pacific Rim 2, Bohemian Rhapsody, and Equalizer 2. The in-flight entertainment touch screen was awesome. The resolution was sharp and clear.

There is a USB charge port but no power outlet for laptop computers. There’s also free 5mb wifi internet access but it didn’t work while I was in this flight.

In-Flight Meal

You’ve got your Western option. And you’ve got your Asian option. I opted for the Pork Belly Singuba. I’ve never, ever tried Filipino food before. Never thought my first time would be on an airplane. I liked it.

At the next meal service, I ate the Chicken Bulgogi and Chap Chae. Not exactly Filipino, but hey, the meal was alright too.

I skipped breakfast which was served about 3 or 4 hours before landing. I was really tempted to try Bangus Lamayo. Which would be my second Filipino meal ever. But I didn’t feel hungry at all.

End of Journey

I have to say my first time flying with Philippine Airlines was a pleasant one. I should emphasize that the flight attendants were very nice and polite. The 16-hour flight didn’t even feel like a 16-hour flight.

The wide variety of choice in-flight movies was partly responsible for time going by so fast.

Lucky I’m flying back to Bangkok in the next month and a half with Philippine Airlines again. That’s how much I’m impressed with them. And if I time it right I could stay in Manila for 3 days or so.