Best airport indeed

Work-related travels outside Cebu had me using the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Terminal 1 lately. And I agree with the survey results of the popular travel website “Sleeping in Airports” which ranked the MCIA as the 16th best airport in Asia. That means the MCIA is the best airport in the Philippines.

Although the survey mentioned the MCIA in general, I would presume that the latest renovations in Terminal 1, the domestic terminal, has also raised further the profile of the MCIA whose Terminal 2, the international airport terminal, already earned a lot of praises and recognition.

The online outfit Sleeping in Airports may sound like a too-casual name but it ranks highly among frequent travellers in terms of reliability and quality of reviews and guides about the best and worst airports in the world.

What makes our airport the best in the Philippines and one of the best in Asia? Let me give you a couple of reasons from a novice designer’s perspective. I’m referring in particular to Terminal 1, because it has been newly redesigned and renovated, and as I said I had been there lately.

For me, the most important design attribute of an airport terminal is “wayfinding.” As a traveller, I always observe if an airport has adequate cues and other aids to help me find my way around the terminal building. Location of its facilities also plays a large role in wayfinding. In fact, cues to and placement of services and facilities have a direct impact on the airport’s capacity to handle passenger movement.

There are still many things that MCIA Terminal 1 can improve on, but this article is about a couple of features that makes Terminal 1 successful. Unlike the NAIA terminals, the MCIA Terminal 1 building is smaller in size so naturally it is easy to get around inside. But the airport management did not rest on this advantage and took further measures in improving wayfinding.

One good achievement by the airport in this regard is good lighting. Immediately upon arriving at the domestic terminal’s pre-departure area, a traveller is greeted with bright, comfortable lighting, enough to ease any pre-travel jitters and to guide one’s way to the cues and signs in the building. The spacious pre-departure entrance also helps in conveying a relaxing travel experience.

The direction and location signs are not cluttered and are immediately recognizable, yet these still match with the overall interior design of the building. Those large male and female symbols, for example, draw attention and immediately point to the traveller the way to the restroom. There are also what we call “reassurance signs” or similar signs along the way to reassure users that they are headed in the right direction.

The placement of the bus and taxi bay near the terminal building makes getting out from the airport toward the bus and taxi bay a breeze. The practice of handing out slips of paper noting the taxi’s name and plate number is reassuring to the passenger as a measure of accountability. There is nothing of that familiar “on guard” feeling one gets upon getting out of the terminal building in NAIA.

Airports, indeed, play a very important role in our choice of travel destinations. In fact, experts predict further increase in the volume of passengers using Cebu’s airport because of improvements in the facility.

I and my college friends can attest to this. Feeling the effects of age creeping up on us, my 40ish college friends and I have been planning to go on a short vacation abroad this December; just somewhere near where we could renew our bonds yet would not take a lot of time off from our respective jobs. Someone suggested going to an off-the-beaten-path domestic destination like Batanes.

No question our places in the Philippines outside Cebu are wonderful and definitely worth visiting. But the irony is that going to these places will take more time, money, and hassle than going to a regional destination like Taiwan or Hong Kong.

Convenience is the primary factor in our choice. We look for a destination that allows us to smoothly transition from vacation mode to work mode anytime there’s an urgent matter to be taken care of at home. That means faster internet connection, efficient mass transport system, and, of course, hassle-free airport terminals that offer a relaxing way to travel coupled with cost-efficient services.