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| No, that's not our plane. That's an Airbus-type plane, best for international flights |
When I was a kid, almost everyone I knew (myself included) dreams of riding an airplane. Most of us would get envious whenever some of our classmates would talk about their experience while riding a plane.
I knew that time will come and I'll ride a plane. I have no idea that I'll do that a few days before my 20th birthday.
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My mother is a Grade Six teacher at a public school near our place. Every year, she and her friends (hereinafter known as Team Grade Six) go somewhere as an excursion. During these vacations, all of us three siblings have the chance to go with her -- for instance, my brother Harley went with my mother in their trip to Puerto Galera a few years ago.
In 2009, the destination is a little more grand -- Boracay. That year, my mother decided to take me along as her birthday gift to me (I even greeted myself a 'Happy Birthday' while on our way home, but more on that later on). I was stoked when she told me that -- especially when she told me that I have to get a replacement of my lost school ID as identification for my plane ticket. By the time I got my ID, I always look forward to riding an airplane.
The 'departure date' came, and the Team Grade Six met at a nearby mall just after it opened at 10am, and rode two chartered FX taxis (meaning renting the entire vehicle for an agreed fee) on our way to NAIA Terminal 3.
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| Hello, NAIA, we meet again. After 11 years... |
Off-topic story: I've been to the airport once -- when my father arrived from Saudi at the end of his work contract, my family were there to fetch him. Unfortunately, we did not see him there -- only to find out that he did not see us as well and decided to take a cab on his way home.
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| The check-in counter |
Upon entering the terminal, I wandered my eyes all over the place and realized the many issues that surrounded it. There were facilities that were not fully functional, and there were areas that looks and feels 'haunted.' I understand that, because Cebu Pacific was the only occupant there at that time. As of my last visit in Terminal 3 (more about that in the later posts), some of these areas are now occupied by other airlines (Air Philippines and Japan-owned All Nippon Airways), but still not fully occupied. The latest update is that
Cathay Pacific, Delta Airways and Emirates will start its operations in Terminal 3 next year.
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| Waiting for our turn in the counter. |
Tip #1: Come to the airport two hours before the flight. Every travel book, travel blog and even airport officials have been stressing this tip. Because if the hassles of thorough security checks is not enough to make you come early, I don't know what will.
Plus it comes with great perks. In our case, we came at the check-in counter at around past 12pm. Our flight was at 5pm. When the counter attendant announced that our flight will be delayed, one of the team asked if we could be assigned to an earlier flight. Long story short, we flew at around 3:45pm. Four words: more time in Bora!
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| Spell: I'm a Cebu Pacific passenger! |
Tip #2: Hold your boarding pass securely. It's called 'boarding pass' for a reason -- you can't get through the airport gates and inside the plane without it. That, and, in case of international flights, your passport.
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| No, my music player is off. It's just that I forgot to take off my earphones... |
Tip #3: Follow the instructions of pilots and flight attendants. When they say 'turn off your electronic gadgets,' do so. I almost went into trouble when I insisted that I took pictures from the window while the plane is taking off. Luckily, I wasn't caught or anything, but after that experience, I learned not to turn on anything during takeoff.
The upside, however, was that it preserved the memories of my thrill
while seeing everything from up above the skies, at approximately 20
miles from the ground.
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| From the plane window, before takeoff |
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| Manila skyline, taken during takeoff |
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| Can somebody tell me exactly what place this is? |
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| Also this one... |
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| And this one, too! |
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| For those who said 'Boracay' in my question in my previous post, you guessed it right! |
From that day on, I always look forward to flying to more destinations around the world. Surprisingly, I'm never fazed by the news of air travel-related incidents. And really, if only I'm 'pretty' according to flight stewardess standards, I'll give up my work and law studies just to see the world. Just like Colette Valois of
Pan Am fame.
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