Travel is ever more on the upswing as Dabawenyos learn to spread their wings in search for more special experiences, great eats and unique shopping finds.
Although Durianburg’s Davao International Airport already has a a growing number of international flights, there are still some destinations that are a little bit harder to reach as direct travel options by current airline operators are still limited. This means that the much-feared transit flights are still needed.
Fortunately, there is now a viable option for transit passengers away from already congested Manila skies and that is the Mactan Cebu Airport.
GMR Megawide Cebu Airport Corporation (GMCAC), together with partner airlines, recently held a roadshow last January 30 at the Grand Ballroom of the Marco Polo Davao to promote new flights and services of the Mactan-Cebu International Airport to Davao’s travel and tour operators.
GMCAC, the private company managing the terminal operations and other related areas of the Mactan-Cebu international Airport, has partnered with different airlines namely Cebu Pacific, Philippine Airlines, Philippines AirAsia, Cathay Pacific, China Eastern Airlines, Emirates, and Tigerair Taiwan to update travel agents of the new flights and different connections out of MCIA.
The sales mission is one of Mactan Cebu Airport’s marketing initiatives to keep tourism stakeholders, particularly travel and tour operators, informed of the recent developments in MCIA, highlighting the many destinations out of MCIA and the convenience that it offers to passengers who will use MCIA as their transit point.
“Davao is a very important market for us, so we continuously reach out and do dialogues with our tourism stakeholders through the sales missions. However, our effort does not end with the sales missions; it is just one of the many. As a matter of fact, we even have a sales coordinator who is focused here in Davao, so we are in constant coordination with the travel industry and the Davao market,” said Aines Librodo, GMCAC Head for Airline Marketing and Tourism Development.
Northeast Asian connections
In total, MCIA is connected to 32 domestic destinations and 21 international destinations, with 8 Philippine-based airline partners and 18 foreign airline partners.
Popular destinations include Taipei served by Philippines AirAisa and Tigerair Taiwan, which recently opened Cebu-Taipei services last year and is the latest addition to the roster of airlines participating in MCIA’s sales mission.
New Chinese airlines also commenced direct routes to China, with China Southern Airlines starting the Cebu-Guangzhou direct route thrice weekly every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday and Juneyao Airlines operating Cebu-Shanghai Pudong thrice weekly flights every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.
Currently, scheduled flights connect MCIA to seven destinations in mainland China namely, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Fuzhou, Xiamen, Kunming and Shenzhen. Charter flights are also available during the peak season.
Better life in transit
Aside from offering more flight options and destinations, the Mactan-Cebu International Airport also gives transiting passengers a whole new level of service.
With its resort-themed interiors, diverse food choices and unique shopping options, waiting in transit at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Terminal 2 is now more comfortable. The domestic terminal is also in the midst of a renovation which will ensure that even domestic passengers in transit still have a comfortable time while waiting for their onward flights.
Moving between Domestic and International Terminals is also easy with MCIA’s complimentary inter-terminal service which whisks transit passengers between terminals in less than 15 minutes.
Mactan Airport awarded as 2018 Asia Pacific Medium Airport of the Year
With all its positive changes and exceptional travel experience. It is no wonder that Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) has once again been named as one of Asia’s best airports. MCIA was named Asia Pacific Medium Airport of the Year during the CAPA Aviation Awards for Excellence in Singapore last November 8, 2018.
According to the official release by the aviation think tank, MCIA was selected among airports with over 10 million annual passengers for “having been the biggest standout strategically, has established itself as a leader and done the most to advance the progress of the aviation industry.”
As a traveller myself, the most direct flights are always better, but if you need to transit, you better transit in comfort and style, and in this case the Mactan-Cebu International Airport is indeed a step in the right direction.
