getting out of mactan airport

when i visit a town/city for the first time, how to get to and out of that town's airport is often the top priority in my research list. i figured, it'd be a good idea to compile posts featuring the airports in the country. so far, i've written about the airports in puerto princesa, coron, and caticlan. this time, i'm featuring my very own mactan cebu international airport. i've been to this airport countless of times that it was easy to overlook writing a post about it. it didn't occur to me until recently, that there could also be first-time visitors to cebu, and who could be currently searching the web about how to get to and out of mactan airport. i'm hoping that this little feature will help that first-time visitor, and hopefully make his arrival to cebu less stressful.

for starters, let me say that mactan international airport isn't a daunting airport. first-time travelers to cebu won't have anything to worry about. not to belittle mcia, but cebu being one of the top destinations in the country definitely falls short in terms of what a great airport should look like and have. the airport is rather small, compared to the airports in the country's other major cities. this is actually good news to first-time travelers to cebu. it could mean they won't have difficulty navigating their way around the airport.

	arriving at mactan cebu international airport. getting to the airport building via the tarmac. in some flights, a tube connects the plane to the airport building (see orange enclosure)

the connecting tube. cebu pac outbound flights with seat numbers below 16 usually let passengers use the tube, while those with seat numbers 16 up, pass through the tarmac. please note that this changes from time to time. there are times that passengers need not pass through the tarmac regardless of seat assignments.

	arrival entrance. if coming from the tarmac

just outside the airport. pick up point for those with private cars. if there's no one to pick you up, you may follow the sign directing you to the "fixed rate car service" or "metered taxi" booths. it should be on the right from where you exited the airport building

	left: car and van services / right: metered yellow airport taxi

yellow airport taxi. flagdown rate: 70 pesos, 4 pesos every 300 meters thereafter.

	arrange with the attendants at the booth to avail of metered yellow airport taxi or car/van services

to save a few bucks, cross the street towards the building shown. to your right, past the railings, are steps leading to the ordinary metered white taxi stand(if it's open). if closed, walk to your left following the signs until you exit the building. flagdown rate: 40 pesos / 3.5 pesos thereafter.

vending machines. turning to your left, after crossing the street, you'll see these vending machines.

	just follow the signs until you're out of the building, to where the metered white taxi stand is

ordinary/metered white taxi stand. in front of waterfront hotel and casino

view from the metered white taxi stand. taxis on queue (midportion of pix). the empty taxis will drive forward towards the taxi stand once occupied taxis have left. across the taxi queue is where you'll find the jeepney stop for multicabs.

	to further save on transportation, you can take the "multicab" to get out of the airport. note that drivers may wait for the multicab to be full before it leaves the airport. fare is 8 to 10 pesos depending on where you will get off.

multicabs waiting for passengers. the multicab stop is actually located near the international airport entrance.

	now, you've officially left mactan cebu international airport.

WELCOME TO CEBU!!! ENJOY YOUR STAY!!! to get back to the airport, simply hail a cab if you don't have anyone to drop you off. all cab drivers should know where the airport is. if coming from any points within the city 150~250 pesos ($4~6) should be enough to cover the fare. from my home in basak, lapu-lapu, it usually costs me PhP100 only. please insist on using the meter. some drivers may ask for a fixed rate, which could be higher than what's indicated. if the driver does, just look for another one. there are plenty of taxis around, anyway. sometimes, even if they used the meter, they might 'attempt' to ask for an extra reasoning that they might not be able to pick up a passenger on the way out of the airport. so, just be warned. it's really up to you if you give or not. you are not obliged to. so, it would be better if you carry some change.

if you're traveling without any luggage, and have enough time to spare before check-in counter closes, you might want to take the multi-cab to save a few pesos. click ---> HERE to find out how.

UPDATED: April 23, 2013. MCIA may soon be revamped through public-private partnership project. something to look forward to in the coming years. to know more about this ppp project, read the article ---> HERE.