EDITORIAL - Inhospitable welcome

Will passengers’ woes at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport ever end? Last year when the NAIA finally saw some improvement in its rating in travel websites, the bullet-planting scandal brought shame back to what is supposed to be the nation’s premier gateway.

Even before the tanim-bala scandal is resolved, new complaints have emerged about abuses that make passing through the NAIA a notoriously unpleasant experience. This time, it’s alleged overcharging by taxi drivers operating at the airport.

A story posted on social media reported that an airport taxi driver offered a group of passengers a fixed rate of P1,800 from the NAIA Centennial Terminal 2 to Mandaluyong. The group instead lined up for a metered taxi, where the fare reportedly ran up to only P320. An American was also reportedly quoted a fixed fare of P3,200 from the NAIA to Makati. With airport taxis allowed a flag-down rate of only P70 and an additional P4 for every 300 meters, that is an appalling amount.

Airport authorities have been reminded often enough that many travelers form their first – and sometimes only – impressions of a country based on airport facilities and services. The Philippines, which in the 1960s had Asia’s most modern gateway, has since been left behind by nearly all of its neighbors in terms of airport facilities. The sorry state of the NAIA, which is named after the assassinated father of the Philippine President, is often likened by critics to the state of the nation.

Overcharging by airport taxis aggravates that image, and can be added to the factors that have made the country lag behind its neighbors in terms of tourist arrivals. Someone outside the agencies in charge of transportation must investigate the complaints and put a stop to the reported overcharging. It has no place especially in a country that prides itself in its hospitality.