The DJ who's not a DeeJay

Starting July 31, 2014, 5 international airlines will be transferring from NAIA Terminal 1 to NAIA Terminal 3.  They are Delta Airlines, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Emirates and Cathay Pacific.

Ever since I was a kid, airplanes and airports fascinate me. I don't like riding planes. I just like watching them fly and soar in the air. I also don't like checking in airports to fly. I just like the botiques and gift shops inside. I like the restaurants and quick food stalls. I like looking at their departure and arrival monitors to know which plane is coming and going where and when. I like watching the planes take off and land. I like listening to the voice over announcing which gate is ready for boarding or which plane has just landed. I like looking at different people from various walks of life: different citizenships, different races, different ages, different backgrounds.

I heard of stories where Filipinos going abroad or coming home are pretty keen on packing their bags to the limit... the maximum weight limit that is.   They want to stuff everything they can in their luggages and make their trip worth every kilo its worth.

I had to do some researching the other day on the Centennial Terminal, also known as Terminal 2 of NAIA. I had to send off some family friends there and I am only familiar with The Domestic Terminal and NAIA Terminal 1. I read up on Wikipedia about Ninoy Aquino International Airport before going there and asked some directions from friends. Here are my 10 personal discoveries.

1. Terminal 2 is home to Philippine Airlines and Air Philippines, its sister company.
2. It looks like NAIA Terminal 1, only better.
3. It seems less crowded since other airlines are not bunched up here.
4. The parking lot is cleaner. The restrooms are more presentable.
   
5. There's a building that appears to ba a control tower right in the middle of the parking lot.
6. Departures are on the upper level while arrivals are at ground level.
   
7. There's a Figaro coffee shop at the North Wing near international arrivals.
8. There's a separate entrance for 1st class, business class, diplomats and VIP. I wonder when I'll be any of those any time soon.
9. Getting to this airport means having to go through traffic caused by both domestic and international terminals.
10. Because of No. 9, get there as early as possible to avoid panicking car passengers who keep on checking their watch in fear they may miss their flight. (I blame C5 traffic due to the elevated flyover construction).
    

And while I was reading up on Manila's airports, here's an interesting tidbit I got:

"The original airport that served Manila, the Manila International Air Terminal, was opened in July 1937 on Nielson Field, the runways of which now form the Makati Triangle of Paseo de Roxas, Ayala Avenue, and Makati Avenue. In 1948, when the airport ceased operations in Makati to relocate elsewhere, ownership of the airport’s permanent facilities was passed on to the owner of the land, Ayala y Cia." (Source: Wikipedia)


No wonder that triangular block seems so straight.