The Passenger of a Delayed Flight (Philippines - Worst Airport in Asia)

I'm on my way to go back to my hometown when an airport personnel announce that there will be a delay of my flight for an hour. I took time to reflect...

From the entrance gate of NAIA 3 to the check in counter to the pre-departure area, the process was not at all easy for passengers. The airport is literally full of people! Long lines going inside the airport, long lines going the check in area, long lines towards the check in counter, long lines towards the terminal fee counters.. Long lines here, long line there, long lines everywhere!! Of course it's Christmas season and I guess it's just normal for people to travel these days...but it seems the airport is too small for the population... Did they not expect this? It is such an inconvenience for the passengers especially those who are in hurry. But yet, everyone (including the very patient me) did their part, followed instructions, respected the lines and did what they had to do according the airport protocol. 

Since I was very patient, I was one of the earliest people to arrive at the pre-departure area, got myself a good seat, opened my laptop and updated my facebook status. I was busy reading articles that may be useful for my blog, when an airport personnel announced that there will be an hour delay to my flight. One hour? I can manage - I told myself. I updated my parents about the sudden change in schedule.  It is already 1:50pm and my supposed to be time of departure was 2pm... So I will depart by 3pm.. Blah blah blah I continued to entertain myself (with the fear that my laptop battery might drain and then I'll just sit quietly by myself and just let my mind wander).

I was getting in to what I was reading in the internet when another airport personnel,  male voice (the previous one was female voice), announced that there will be a longer delay of my flight - 1 hour and 30 minutes. He said they are sorry for the inconvenience and it was a situation beyond their control.

Here's the deal, I know the weather in Butuan City is not at all good since there's a storm somewhere in there (signal number 2 yesterday), but I just hope they will just cancel the flight so I can go back to our condominium in Manila and just reschedule my flight some other time of the week. It's easier that way than to keep us waiting and waiting and will just cancel our flight in the end. 

So anyway, I just would like to add, emphasizing to those who knows and informing those who doesn't know yet, that Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA, Philippines) was voted the worst airport in Asia by an interactive website (specifically NAIA 1). I know it's kinda embarrassing and I should not be telling this to my readers, but that is the reality and it's much hypocritical  to just hide it or deny it. 

"A reviewer named Brenty said of NAIA: ?It has to be experienced to be believed. Think of a bombed out ruin and you'll get some idea. It's like a cattle yard only worse. Toilets filthy. No seating once you get thru customs [maybe 40 seats for a thousand passengers].?

?Bribery and corruption in this airport is rife and the scams start the minute you walk off the plane,? said another who called himself Mecanix."

from http://globalnation.inquirer.net/news/breakingnews/view/20110412-330747/NAIA-voted-worst-airport-in-Asia-ranks-5th-in-world

However, the website did acknowledge that there is still hope for our airport. The government is not on the process of renovating critical parts of the establishment. Philippines' current president, Pres. Benigno Aquino II, ordered  immediate actions to be taken to elevate the status of the said airport since the airport is named after his late father Sen. Benigno Aquino. 

We just hope that people will notice the changes in the airport's physique and vote for Ninoy Aquino Internation Airport better on the next surveys.