EDITORIAL - Among the world's worst

It’s not the best, but it’s not the worst either, and improvements are ongoing. This sums up the reaction of airport officials to reports that the Ninoy Aquino International Airport – particularly the original Terminal 1 – had been voted the fifth worst airport in the world in a travelers’ website.

“The Guide to Sleeping in Airports” placed the NAIA behind two airports in France including the premier one, Charles de Gaulle, followed by the airports in Los Angeles and Moscow as the world’s worst airports. The NAIA was described in the website as “a bombed-out ruin” and “a cattle yard, only worse.” Those were exaggerations, but the NAIA, particularly Terminal 1 which handles most of the international flights, does pale when compared to its neighbors, giving it the dubious distinction in the website as Asia’s worst airport.

Air traffic controllers at the NAIA, at least, are not yet falling asleep on the job, as several of their counterparts have done in the United States. But NAIA ramp traffic controllers could be close to it, as recent reports indicated. The possible consequences of such a lapse can only add to the woes of passengers with awful memories of being stuck in an airport that lacks the comforts they enjoy in Singapore’s Changi International, voted as the world’s best.

Security lapses are not only giving the country a black eye among international travelers but also allowing drug smuggling to flourish. NAIA personnel have pointed out that shabu concealed in a box of hopia could not be detected by security scanners.

Airport officials have commented that the NAIA is not designed for sleeping. This betrays a lack of understanding of the needs of international travelers, the most basic of which are sufficient lavatories and a place to rest or pass the time in between flights, which could mean a wait of several hours. They’re not looking for five-star accommodations.

Travelers pay an airport tax of P750 at the NAIA, which amounts to about P8 billion a year, according to airport authorities. Where does the money go? Airports are the first places that greet travelers, leaving indelible impressions of the country. Travel surveys, while not comprehensive, should provide Philippine authorities with tips on what needs improvement at the country’s premier airport.