Trip.com x Japan Airlines Sapphire Fast Track

• Sakura Lounge, Ninoy Aquino International Airport (website)
• JAL078 Manila-Tokyo Haneda (Business)
• Villa Fontaine Grand Haneda Airport
• Sakura Lounge, Tokyo Haneda Airport
• JAL077 Tokyo Haneda-Manila (Business)
• SilverKris Lounge, Ninoy Aquino International Airport

After an uneventful SIN-MNL flight experience on SQ, I landed at NAIA Terminal 3 in the evening to a very chaotic arrival hall. Based on research, there are only 2 options to travel to and from NAIA’s terminals: either the airport’s official shuttle bus or simply take a grab ride in comfort without the wait. Or so I thought.

Kudos to this page on Grab’s official site on providing useful info on how to take a grab ride efficiently at NAIA’s terminals.

The cheapest grab option cost me 290Php (~$6sgd) but the chaotic traffic meant a 30min wait for the car to arrive, then another 30min ride via chocked traffic to Terminal 1 located 6km away (what happened to smart city planning?).

I was obviously too early for the check in counters to open at T1 as my layover was 6hours but seeing the airport staff set up the pillars was promising!

I have never been to NAIA so even as a first timer, there was simply nothing to do at the airport prior to checking in except for a Jolibee – so a fried chicken + coffee helped me kill some time. 3hours prior to the flight time, the counters opened to a queue of passengers who were early in line. The business line had a short wait and thank goodness for the APEC dedicated line (alongside cabin crew) card for my swift journey past immigration and security screening yay.

Location: JAL’s website provides a clear map of how to find the lounge:

Access: the below screenshot from JAL’s website makes it very clear who the lounge accords access to and I have to say I’m surprised that Econ Flexi can enter too – something useful for sure next time!

Operating Hours:

• AM : 3 hours before JL746 (To NARITA) departure – Until departure
• PM : 3 hours before JL78 (To HANEDA) departure – Until departure

The lounge has a small staffed reception to check for validity and the space seems to be just opened for business as I was the first pax to stroll in. The entrance of the space already feels like a haven for escaping the madness outside.

Seating – the space itself is not super big and provides mostly solo view-facing seats, alongside a few dining table setup of sorts to accommodate bigger groups. I liked the pops of red oriental touches which gave off a classy vibe to the quiet space.

Food & Beverages – they are laid out on a long table and offers a handful of hot food, desserts, wines and spirits. Sufficient for a meal for me, and the “Manila Sakura Lounge Special Beef Curry” was absolutely delicious!

Lavatories – there are only 2 lavatories and shared gender, with both kep very clean throughout my visit.

Service – no complaints about the service as soiled plates were cleared efficiently.

In Summary,

a great spot to wait for your flight! But be warned that the beef curry will test your self control.