I have never traveled as frequently as I have in 2011. Ever since I moved to a new position at work, I have been to 6 trips abroad on official business. In between those trips I was also able to squeeze in a personal holiday. Having said this, I have spent some fair amount of time hanging out in different airports both here and abroad. I know that NAIA has been getting a lot of flak lately because of its decrepit state and less-than-comfortable washrooms. However, I do manage to look past these shortcomings by arriving in NAIA just-in-time – about 1 hour to 45 minutes prior to departure in order to minimize the time I spend in the airport itself. Now I don't recommend this idea to those who have little risk appetite since I myself have had my own share of mishaps by arriving in the terminal too late and being left by my flight. However, I've also had good experiences of being fast-tracked through check-in, immigration and boarding just because I was late enough but also early enough to be able to just make it.
Now what really irritates me in the airport are those long lines after the immigration section where people are asked to take off their footwear, remove their laptops and other metallic gadgets from their bags and have them go through the X-ray machine – for the second time mind you, since before actually entering the terminal, one and one's luggage is subjected to the same scrutiny except for footwear removal. This exercise frustrates me since when one is travelling on business, one is usually in office clothes which are not the easiest to take off and put on again (e.g. belts, jackets). This sometimes forces me to wear my lousiest ensemble (flip flops even) just so that I won't experience the agony of having to untie my shoelaces only to tie them back a couple of minutes later.
When I finally landed in Singapore, I began toying with the idea of fast-tracking one's check-in, security check, immigration check and even the terminal fee payment. Can this be possible? Of course, it will not be for free. It would be an alternative that carries with it its own cost. Here's what I came up with.
Option A – Pang Mayaman
Airport limo with personal chauffeur, security inspector and immigration officer.
3 hours before a flight, a government-authorized airport limo picks up the passenger(s) from home. Security checks and immigration stamping occurs in the comfort of the passenger(s)' home. Luggage tagging is also done at home since destination is already known beforehand. Terminal Fee Collection is also done at home with cash or credit cart choices. Option for provincial pick up is also available for a reasonable premium. Once the passenger reaches the airport, he is presented a pass that will allow him to pass through a special lane straight to the departure gate.
Rates vary with vehicle type (sedan, family van, etc.)
Bookings can be done via internet of via phone call.
Option B – Pang Katamtaman
Airport Bus Service with security inspectors and immigration officers
Passenger(s) can register to be picked up by a specially-designed bus service in designated pick-up points around Metro Manila. Security checks (physical) are done before passenger boards the bus while luggage is tagged before being loaded inside the bus by confirming the destination with the passenger ticket. Luggage checks are done while bus is en-route (X-ray machine placed in the rear end of the bus). Immigration stamping also occurs while the bus is en-route to the airport with an immigration officer acting like a bus conductor, also collecting the terminal fee at the same time. When the passenger(s) alights from the bus, he is given a special pass that will allow him to pass through the special lane straight to the departure gate.
Rates vary depending on bus route.
Bus routes and schedules will be determined by NAIA management vis-à-vis flight schedules and posted on the internet. Flights that are covered by a particular bus schedule are guaranteed not to depart before the bus arrives, as part of customer guarantee. Bookings can be done via internet of via phone call.
I think that this idea is a win-win for both passengers and NAIA. Passengers get the convenience of not having to go through the myriad of security checks and queues in the airport itself while NAIA gets to generate additional revenue. Implementing this kind of scheme will be a study in economics – how much some people are willing to pay (resources given up) in order to save certain scarce resources (time and energy). This scheme may not necessarily replace the queues in the airport but it should be able to reasonably reduce them. Other possibilities would be tie-ups with the top hotels (e.g. five-star hotels get their own buses) or with airlines (limo service can be put in as part of business class or first class package for a reasonable premium). There can be a lot of consequences to this idea, firstly security. However, this paper is about being creative and thinking that everything is possible, hence, I let my mind run away with this idea. Can you imagine how it would be if this were real? 4
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