Airport officials get tough on ‘send-off parties’

As if the heavy traffic on roads leading to and from the airport was not enough of a deterrent, airline passengers also have to make their way through a sea of sendoff entourages right inside the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

To reduce the risk of passengers missing their flights, the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) is looking into clearing the airport’s departure area of nonpassengers.

In a statement, Miaa general manager Jose Angel Honrado said that the new scheme for the flow of passenger traffic inside the Naia Terminal 3 aims to decongest the departure area.

“Passenger movement has been a recent concern in the terminal following a slight increase of passengers due to the summer season,” he added.

According to the Miaa general manager, the volume of passengers at Terminal 3 has posted a steady growth monthly since the onset of summer. From February’s 669,433 departures, the figures went up to 782,134 passengers in March and over 840,000 the following month.

Honrado explained that under the scheme, five or six entrances at the Naia Terminal 3 departure area would be reserved solely for passengers who must present their travel documents and tickets upon entry. The sixth entrance, he said, would be for nonpassengers or those seeing off a flier.

These people, Honrado pointed out, would then be restricted to the perimeter of the check-in hall so passengers could freely move around the departure area.

Departing passengers and their well-wishers would still be able to say their goodbyes at the terminal’s fourth floor where the shops and restaurants are located, he added. Jeannette I. Andrade