We we’re transiting from terminal 3 in Manila to terminal 2. Manila airport is notirious for it’s scams and we we’re weary of transiting through this airport. After all, this airport was considered for years as one of the worst airports in the world.
As a caveat, I’ll add that we are seasoned travelers and I had researched quite a bit beforehand regarding this airport.
Most international airports have connecting terminals by trains, walkways, trams, skytrains (for example Changi Airport in Singapore), …
The terminals in Manila airport are quite far from one another and cannot be connected by walkways. You can either take a taxi or the shuttle service.
However, Manila airport offers a free shuttle service to passengers transiting and that need to change terminal. Seems good right ? Well.. there’s a caveat.
We thought, like most passengers that the free shuttle seemed like a great bargain, I mean it’s free right? What’s not to love.
We headed to the shuttle area (which is not easy to spot, despite being seemingly indicated), you will need to pass additional security screening just before reaching the area. The security screening is very basic (no need to take liquids out, or electronics).
Past the security area there is a waiting area with not much going on besides a charging station and seats to wait.
There is a staff member in charge of choosing who gets to board the bus or not.
Upon arriving we we’re asked when was our next flight (which was in two hours) and we’re denied boarding the bus which still had room by the way because the staff member estimated that we still had more than enough time. He denied boarding to many people despite there being still space on the bus, and the bus driver was telling him he still had some space and extra people we’re welcome on board. The staff member told the driver to head off without letting anyone else onboard. Which for us was staggering and beyond our comprehension.
Once the bus left, I asked him when was the next bus, to which he replied in 45 minutes… We did not want to risk our connecting flight and we could not afford to wait that long without even being sure he would let us on the bus…
We headed out the bus shuttle area and headed for a taxi. Right in front of the departure area you will see that there are plenty of taxis.
A lady flagged us and offered to organize a taxi, she had a green counter and seemed more or less legit. She told us that the total fair to transit from terminal 3 to terminal 2 was of PHP 1’800.00 (approx. 32 US dollars). I signed the coupon for the amount which seemed way too expensive, but after more then 20+ hours of travel we we’re desperate to make our last of three flights to Bohol.
The lady then asked us to pay an additional PHP 50.00 for the toll and told me the fee was now PHP 1’850.00 which I refused. She finally let go and said she got « confused » without apologizing for trying to scam us.
If you research “Manila airport scams” online you will find quite a few articles regarding that matter. The taxi meter scam is also a common scam.
Alternatives
So what can you do instead of the free shuttle and the taxi’s ? Grab is your best option in my opinion. We weren’t able to use Grab because we had no SIM card yet and the WIFI coverage wouldn’t cover outside the airport. If I was able to redo things, i’d get an eSIM ahead of time and order a Grab instead of using the crazy expensive taxi service.
On our way back transiting through Manilla Airport, we needed to change terminals to catch our connecting flight once again. This time, we had a SIM card with plenty of data and we chose to go through Grab. The experience was smooth and inexpensive 154 PHP (about 3 US dollars).
Tip
Which ever way you choose to connect terminals in Manila plan A LOT of time. The distance between the terminals doesn’t seem very far, if you look it up on google maps. However, the traffic in Manila gets bad, and I mean really BAD. A connection of 10 mins can easily add up to 30 minutes and more. So plan extra time for the connections so that you’re not stressed out about missing a flight.
Conclusion
In conclusion, if you’re going through Manilla don’t bother with the free shuttle service you’ll just end up losing time, taxis might try to scam you so i’d stay clear from those and instead use Grab.
