Passengers departing from Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) Terminal 3 have reported arriving at their destinations without their checked-in luggage due to technical problems with the terminal’s baggage handling system, which has been in place for 20 years. The issue began on October 18 and has since caused inconvenience for numerous travelers. Inquirer.net report.
One passenger, Mae (not her real name), shared her mother’s experience. Her mother, traveling alone on a Cebu Pacific flight to Kalibo on October 20, discovered upon arrival that all her checked-in luggage had been left behind in Manila. “It was causing her a lot of stress as she traveled alone as a senior citizen,” Mae posted on social media, expressing frustration over the delay.
Another traveler, Terry, who flew to Cebu City for a convention on October 21, also faced a similar problem. Her formal clothes, including a Filipiniana dress for the event, were left in Manila. Thankfully, her luggage arrived later that day, although colleagues had already lent her clothes for the occasion.
With San Miguel Corp.-led New Naia Infra Corp. (NNIC) now in charge of Naia operations, the company acknowledged the ongoing issue and warned it might persist until July 2025, as a new baggage system is installed. In the meantime, NNIC has deployed extra personnel to manually sort luggage.
Cebu Pacific announced that 80% of the left-behind luggage has been recovered and normal processing has resumed. However, the airline continues to work with NNIC to address the situation by increasing manpower and refining processes to speed up baggage handling.
