NAIA: Airport of Hell?

I have been reading a lot about

the bad vibes buzzing about NAIA.

I found this link via the So, What's News? blog 

wherein we were ranked

as the worst airport.

There were also some rather nasty 

but true reviews as well.

NAIA being the shithole that it is today

truly deserves a big FAIL

billboard on its entrance.

I am not a frequent traveler

but from what I remember,

the place is riddled with filth

both human and garbage in nature.

Corruption is not rampant, it is the norm!

From the security guards who check

your travel docs upon entering

(which they are not authorized to do so)

to the creepy old men at the 

dilapidated counter where you are to

pay for that stupid airport tax

(where does the money go?)

to the bathroom attendants

who escort you from the toilet stalls

to the 'tabo' and yet fail to

stock toilet paper rolls and soap.

(the local mall has better toilets,

they use deodorizers, scent burners plus

they have full length mirrors, does the airport have

toilets for the disabled?)

to the frowning sentinels who guard 

the decaying immigration area,

<no pen with which to write your info on

the belo-sponsored immigration card,>

where I personally had to queue for 2

hours because only 2 booths were open.

(but when ping lacson breezed through,

he was personally escorted like a VIP

and waived of his criminal liabilities

and oh, VIPs with drugs on them are

also waived through, ahem Singson)

to the sales people at the duty free area

where once i was told to shop downstairs

because they were closed, when in truth they 

were not, there were still 2 tills open,

they were just lazy to restock the display

because i was the lone passenger loitering 

about the area.

(the whole departure area looks like

a big tiangge, with shops closed even, i remember

a boy bawang stall ata aside from

the goldilocks one na lagi ubos ang paninda! 

NAIA is a 24/7 airport right? 

People need to feed

and keep themselves amused)

to the agents who man the check-in counters,

i agree that some people are really 

trying to push their luck by checking in a 50kg

luggage when the limit is 25kg.

but really they should enhance their people skills

and smile more, frowning incites aggression.

Worst customer service,

mas maigi pa sa sari-sari store

sinasagot ang tanong mo.

(they also should be prompt in opening their

check-in counters, the airport does not have

that much seats, woe to the elderly

and disabled and the pregnant and the infants

and the list goes on.)

to the useless ground crew who serves as the gatekeepers

to the boarding area, they just put up their

little table plus and check your boarding pass, again!

and you have to leave the little printed paper

 when you want to go out of the 

boarding area to pee.

I say, I already paid for the damn airport tax,

why are they hounding the boarding area for?!

I know that when the gate opens and when it is

actually time to board the plane you have to 

produce this boarding pass again, they should just get rid

of the makeshift counter at the boarding area then.

(Passengers should arrive early

not only because of the long lines 

but also due to the limited seats available

to the passengers at the airport itself)

the customs people are the worst lot

so they say but i have yet to encounter

anyone who actually asked me for money.

they often asked me if i was indeed pinoy

because of my color.

when i travel i put little padlocks on all my

luggages' zippers, i even labelled

them alphabetically along with the keys.

I am grumbling and ranting again

but really they should at last upgrade

the facilities if only the toilets please.

The government should open the

newly built terminals to the international passengers

because what the tourists see is the drab

concrete walls, broken tiles,

old carpeting and frowning workers.

the last time i traveled, years ago, i only

relaxed when the plane taxied off the runway.

As to the people in PALea, those who left their posts

in the middle of a bad weather to do some crazy

stunt - lightning rally or walkout or

pagpapapress or pagsasapubiko ng

'totoong' isyu or whatever;

i am ambivalent.

on one hand i pity the passengers,

especially those with connecting flights

and those who braved the typhoon

only to have their flights cancelled

due to a mass walkout.

on the other hand, i do not really know

the entire plight of those employees with PAL.

I know individuals who had family members

who worked for PAL, they get to take home

trinkets, gifts, giveaways even dinnerware

from the caterers.

They even get to fly with their family to

different countries for free all on the corporate

tab because it is a perk when you work

for PAL.

The problem with all these 

with PAL and NAIA

is that they never thought of

making plans for the long term.

Life is a circle, 

one day you may be on top

the next day you are on your way down.

Also people should avoid stealing

from company supplies,

if everybody steals one paperclip

per day all year round,

imagine what that would cost.

Exaggerate this analogy

and you get tadah - the Philippine economy hahahaha.

Its 1:24am 

and I am talking nonsense.