The Awesome Transformation of our Boracay Airport

While I rested and relaxed at Boracay Mandarin Hotel a few weekends ago, there was one thing that I couldn’t forget.  One major thing that impressed me so much that I can’t help but share the good news with everyone.  It’s something that we, Filipinos, will be very proud of.  It’s something that we have been wishing our government would do.  It’s a wish that has finally come true.

Is this the mental image you have of our Caticlan airport?  The jump-off point to our very own Boracay, a world-class holiday destination in the Philippines?

• The Über old airline counters: manual, old-school, inconvenient, unimpressive and chaotic…

• the uber-small and cramped terminal fee counters which we always wondered where our money go to… as the Boracay airport is so damn dirty, old and not maintained well…

• the uber uuurrrgghhhh waiting area that looked like an evacuation center.  I’ve always dreaded going to Caticlan airport each time.  After spending such a good time in paradise, here we are greeted by an ugly airport just to be able to catch our flight back to Manila…

We don’t have to worry anymore.  Because guess what???  Yes!  Yes!  Yes!!  The Caticlan airport is now renovated!! 😀  I was totally blown away when I stepped foot in the new airport.  I couldn’t believe that I was actually in the same ugly place that I had in mind before.  My gosh, I was like a kid enjoying the sight of the new Boracay airport.

Now, we can now proudly recommend Boracay to our foreign friends!  We can now proudly rave about the beautiful paradise of Boracay.  Especially now that the jump-off point has been upgraded to match the world-class image of our wonderful Boracay paradise!  I’m so happy!  I’m so proud!  Thank you so much Philippine government for finally listening!  This will definitely help our tourism and now we know, that at least, where our terminal fees and taxes went.  We saw the result!  I’m oh so proud! 😀

The new airport is now fully air-conditioned.  You can also feel the holiday season as the place has been decorated oh so beautifully!  I also noticed how much happier the security and staff are.  You see, when you work in a very pretty and luxurious environment, your mood changes for the better too!  I just love it!

The check-in counters have been upgraded big time too!  They are now COMPLETELY computerized!  I love how you can see the upcoming flights on top of the counter.  The lines organized and the beautiful and uniform design of the different airline counters.  The transactions being so smooth-sailing too.  We don’t feel stressed anymore when lining up!  It felt like an international airport already.

The terminal fee counter?  Not cramped anymore!  And yes, it’s still at Php 20!  No increase in fees in spite of the major upgrade, LOVE it!

The best sight I’ve seen in the new Boracay (Caticlan) airport?  The waiting area that I had been dreading before!!  It’s now something that I look forward hanging out in!  My gosh!  The seats are much more comfortable to sit on.  The view was just so nice!  All television units are flat-screen!  There’s ample space for all awaiting passengers.  I sooooo love it!

The flights list is so pleasing to the eyes too.  It’s easy to see the updates!  The color scheme and the airline logos are evident.  We just need to glance quickly and we can see how much waiting time we have before boarding.

There are more food and souvenir shops too!  And yes, they are dressed appropriately!  They’re Christmas-y!  I do think that the prices are a bit steep though.  I bought a can of soda for Php 50.  Yaiks!

Since we have transformed our Boracay airport into something world-class, we surely can expect more tourists to come!  So even the 2nd floor has been upgraded.  I love the artwork on the stairway wall.  It’s very Filipino, the creativity of our countrymen shines!

The second floor waiting area mirrors the first floor.  Equally spacious and just as cheerfully decorated with the Christmas-y theme.  A perfect place to rest if you arrive too early for your flight.

For those who stayed at Boracay Shangri-La Resort & Spa and Discovery Shores, their lounge area are located at the second floor.  I didn’t take a peek inside anymore as I stayed in a different hotel 🙂

That’s my good news for the day!  Now, book your flights to Boracay! 😀