Details:
Date: June 2022
Airport: Manila -Ninoy Aquino International Airport
Title: Mabuhay Lounge
Location: Terminal 2
Airline/Alliance: Philippine Airlines
Access – Philippine Airlines business class, partner business and maybe alliance partner members
Summary:
There’s no way to sugar coat it, Manila’s Ninoy Aqino International Airport can be chaotic. It’s easy to become disoriented with masses of people and the lack of departure boards throughout the airport. Reaching the Mabuhay Lounges was a relief.
Inside the lounge it’s an oasis of relative calm, though that’s about as good as it gets.
The lounge is set out in a semi circular shape. It’s unclear whether this was by design or if this was the shape of the space that was available.
As you enter there is a relatively quite room first up, arranged inside were smallish brown arm chairs
Next up is where the buffet should be (closed due to Covid) there is a small bar, make that a very small not so well stocked bar. A mixture of dining table/ chairs dominate this room. At the back they have an area where you can order small meals as pictured.
At the back of the lounge is the final room, with well worn yellow carpet and piano music playing. Seating is a mixture of dining style tables/chairs and single brown armchairs. There is a water dispensing machine and a coffee machine which looks like it should have been retired three decades ago.
There’s no systematic approach to ordering. No ticket number, no electronic buzzer when your food is ready.If you want food, just order at the counter and go find a seat wherever you can. On my visit I observed the overworked staff searching, sometimes unsuccessfully, for the people who ho ordered food. I’m was waiting half an hour for my order.
After I returned to the ordering counter to enquire, my food eventually arrived. The Chinese Noodles and tuna melt empanadas were quite nice to be fair. Choice of beers was Heineken or Tiger, spirits was about 10 basic spirits.
When I arrived in the lounge it was around half full, however, 45 minutes later it’s not far from capacity. If it reaches capacity, presumably they’ll turn people away.
Manila Airport is the home port of Philippine Airlines, and as such I had expected this to be it’s flagship lounge.
Though the Mabuhay Lounge is rather ordinary, it was far better than the chaos outside at the time of my visit. Besides, as far as I’m aware, there is no other lounge in terminal 2.
Ratings:
Comfort – 3
Food – 3
Beverage – 3
Bathrooms – 3
Showers – N/A
WiFi – N/A