AS a traveler living in Cavite who frequently flies, my usual means of getting to Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) is by driving myself, parking at the airport, and flying. This arrangement is very convenient, especially if you live outside Metro Manila. It's hard to find someone willing to drive you to the airport at 2:00 in the morning, and getting a taxi or Grab from where you're coming from is actually more expensive than the P900 pesos you'll pay for three nights of overnight parking (P300 per night) at NAIA.

Now comes the announcement that parking fees will increase to P1,200 for overnight parking beginning October 1, 2024, "to ease congestion and prioritize passengers." If I now have to park for three days, I'll end up paying P3,600. That's more expensive than the round-trip promo ticket to Cebu that I usually get!

NAIA is not the most accessible airport in the world. It has four terminals that are not linked together, unlike in other cities where you can move between terminals using an airport rail system. There are no trains or public buses that stop at any of the terminals. Using Grab is very expensive, and taking a taxi means having to negotiate with the driver for a fixed rate — like P300 from the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) to the airport — or, if you insist on using the meter, you'll likely hear, "Boss, plus P100."

So what are the options to avoid paying for expensive overnight parking at the airport?

Park n' Fly alternatives

I used to use the services of Park n' Fly, but I stopped after some bad experiences of being turned away because they were fully booked and waiting nearly an hour for a pickup. However, it might be time to consider using their services again. According to their official website, they charge P595 per day, value-added tax included. Just make sure to book in advance to secure a parking slot.

Another option is parking at the PITX, which prides itself of being the biggest "landport" in the Philippines. PITX connects you from Tuguegarao to Davao by bus and serves as a turnaround point for EDSA Carousel buses. PITX has a large parking area on the third level, mostly used by those who park their vehicles to travel around Metro Manila or to the provinces by bus. PITX charges a flat rate of P60 pesos between 6am to 12 midnight, and an overnight rate of P150 pesos between 12 midnight to 6 a.m.

From PITX, you can get to any of the airport terminals via the UBE Express airport shuttle. Their buses run from 5am to 7:45 p.m., departing roughly every hour. The PITX-to-airport shuttle costs P150. UBE also operates shuttles from Robinsons Sta. Rosa in Laguna, and Robinsons Manila, Victory Liner Pasay, Ayala Mall, and Ayala Center all in Metro Manila. Between NAIA and Clark Airport in Pampanga, shuttle buses run between the two, taking about three hours and costing P450. Interestingly, overnight parking at Clark Airport is only P250, and, joking aside, parking there and taking a bus to NAIA is still cheaper than parking at NAIA itself.

You can also park at nearby hotels close to Terminal 3 and walk via the footbridge at Newport City. Just make sure the security guard doesn't catch you hauling three heavy luggage sets toward the airport instead of to the hotel.

Going to the airport by jeepney

If you're not carrying heavy luggage, you might consider taking a jeepney to the airport. It's cheap, convenient and available almost 24 hours a day.

For Terminals 1 and 2, take the modern jeepney operated by the San Dionisio Transport Cooperative with the signboard "Baclaran – MIA/Baltao." These jeepneys are located at the corner of Airport Road and Quirino Avenue in Baclaran. They run on a loop from Quirino Avenue to NAIA Road to Terminal 1, Terminal 2, Sucat Road, and Domestic Road (passing in front of Terminal 4), and then back to Airport Road. The fare is only P15.

For Terminal 3, you can take the passenger jeepneys with the signboard "Baclaran – Nichols/T3." This is convenient if you're coming from the Pasay Light Rail Transit/Metro Rail Transit (LRT/MRT) station, as they loop from EDSA to Tramo to Terminal 3/Nichols to Airport Road to Baclaran Church, and back to the LRT/MRT station. The fare is just P13.

For Terminal 4, from Airport Road in Baclaran, you can charter an e-bike for less than P50 or you can walk, which takes about 5 to 10 minutes. Walking on a dark street at night may not be ideal, but it might make you wish that, when the NAIA development is finally completed, passenger safety, comfort and convenience are top priorities.