The day of departure came and I grabbed an Uber to Terminal 3, Manila Airport’s newest air terminal. As I was flying out on a Sunday night, the traffic in Manila
was minimal and I got to the airport in record time. The Cebu Pacific
international check in counter was virtually empty, and it was a bit unreal
being able to walk up directly to the check in counter. Security was also a
breeze as they now had multiple security lines open.
Most importantly, air conditioning seemed to be running on
full blast and almost all the retail shops have opened. Its taken a while, but
Terminal 3 has overcome its opening snafus, and now seems to be a fully
functional modern airport, at least on the international side.
In Terminal 3, all the lounges are located on the upper
floor. You take a side elevator to go up and you’ll see the Pacific Club on
your left and the airline lounges to your right.
I used my Priority Pass lounge card, compliments of the
American Express Platinum card, to access the newly opened Pacific Club.
The lounge featured around 50 seats spread out in a typical
seating format with a bunch of high chairs next to the windows for plane
spotting.
The food selection was typical of an average priority pass
lounge, featuring finger bite cold sandwiches and some hot congee soup with
condiments.
However, the lounge does feature a generous selection of
complimentary alcohol, including Johnny Walker Black Label. Service was
excellent and you can see staff checking on lounge customers constantly.
The lounge when I visited was relatively empty, however
during peak hours I can easily see this lounge getting quite full.
Overall the Pacific Lounge is a welcome respite from the crowds
at Terminal 3 and pleasant enough for grabbing a drink or two before your
flight.
