Sunday, May 10, 2015

The Airport Without Trolleys - Davao International Airport




Isn't it odd that the Philippines' 3rd busiest airport, Davao International Airport, an "international airport" by virtue of its Singapore flights, does not have trolleys (carts) for its arriving passengers?

You read it right. During my last arrival in Davao, the arriving passengers of Cebu Pac's Air Bus couldn't get hold of a single cart! Not only does this snail-paced city plod on 30 kph vehicles, it also cannot even provide carts. If you're arriving with several baggages, you better grow 5 or 6 arms so you can hand-carry all those baggage with you.

Which begs the question, how progressive or promising is a city that can't even provide trolleys? It's like arriving in a world stuck in time! Progress surely manifests itself in an airport without trolleys, right? This is the same airport with very lazy cashiers. In fact, at the counter where terminal fee of PhP200 is collected, you'd often notice a very long queue, but there's a permanent fixture that says that they've run out of change". You can collect P200 from every departing passenger yet you cannot provide arriving passengers carts to carry our things? How convenient.

If there are no carts, where are the porters? Laughably, the administration has limited entry of such porterage service. This baffles no end. No porter, no trolley. This is an international airport, am I right?

When I asked the people manning the information counter, they would point me anywhere where there were no carts at all. Kinda like, "Imagine that they're there." "Imagine that you have a cart, and scoot!" So much for helpful information. Which again begs the question, why were they even there when they couldn't provide useful information.

Here is a vibrant city which allows vehicles to run so slow you might as well call it "Turtle City". And yes, add this enviable claim - "The city with no airport carts!" How proud can you get!

Lukduha na lang, dong!

This is the Eye in the Sky!

Look, Ma! No trolleys! The management of this "international airport" hasn't heard of trolleys! In my travels all over the world, I have never heard  or been in airports, even the "poorest" of them, where trolleys or push carts are an alien concept!

At the more sedate Philippine Airlines counters, guests have to be sure they can carry all their baggage with both arms. Maybe their teeth can carry them too? Hahaha. No airport carts in this part of the world.

4 comments:

Ramakrishnan said...

The airport looks sparklingly modern.No trolleys or porters ? Incredibly unique !

eye in the sky said...

Indeed it is unique. :)

Ola said...

a strange idea of the managment!

eye in the sky said...

Sure is. Or "no idea" at all about what he's getting into. LOL