Philippine airport ranked world’s worst
On complaints of thieving staff and dirty toilets:
PHILIPPINES: The Philippine government pledged Wednesday to
improve the country’s main airport after it was named the world’s worst
following complaints of thieving staff, dirty toilets and a collapsing
ceiling.
The Ninoy Aquino International Airport’s Terminal 1 was given the
dubious title by an online budget travel guide,
www.sleepinginairports.net, based on reviews from its readers.
Reacting to the ranking, Transport Secretary Manuel Roxas said the
government would work harder to improve the 30-year-old facility.
“The customer is always right. This will serve as a challenge to do
what we have to do faster and better,” Roxas said. “There are already
plans and ongoing actions but clearly this is not enough so we will
expand our efforts.”
However he said there was only so much “botox” work that could be
done on the old terminal. He said the ranking reinforced the need to
move the main airport out of Manila to an old US airforce base two
hours’ drive away, although the government has not set a timetable for
this.
Explaining why Manila’s airport was the world’s worst, the website
cited passenger complaints of mobile phones and jewellery getting lost
at the security checks.
It also alleged that shops sold tampered water bottles and passengers
had to endure dirty toilets, while an incident in May when part of the
ceiling collapsed further damaged the airport’s reputation.
Manila airport general manager Jose Angel Honrado told ABS-CBN
television his staff would accept the ranking as a challenge, but
insisted some of the harshest criticism was unfair and out of date.
He said toilets had been repaired while staff accused of extorting
from passengers had been fired and charged in court. AFP
|