Early Morning Flights

We have booked several early morning flights (around 2 – 4:00am), both local and international. Doing this as adult passengers is no problem because we can always sleep as soon as we are seated on the plane. However, doing this with a toddler is much trickier for a number of reasons.

1.       Our toddler is a light sleeper. Unlike others who can sleep anytime and anywhere, our kid can stay awake all day as long as she sees other people still awake. Because she is struggling to keep herself from sleeping, she can get cranky.

2.       Tired and cranky baby = Tired and cranky parents

3.       Lack of sleep = lack of energy to go around upon arrival in our destination. Thus, wasting our first day

4.       Lack of sleep may also cause our immune system to go down. Getting sick will prevent us from enjoying the trip or cause some downtime if we get sick after the vacation

The lessons we learned from past trips pushed me to search for the best option for us, in case we need to book more early morning flights in NAIA Terminal 3.

Option 1 is to book hotels nearby. This option might be quite expensive because the rooms in the Casino hotels can set you back a few thousand pesos. You will need to book at the last minute as well, to give allowance for any flight changes which are communicated to the passengers a day or two before the flight. The bridge connecting the hotel complex to the airport is a huge help in getting a cross safely. But with a child and the bags, chances are you will also need to take a car or a cab to the airport across the street.

Option 2 is to go to the free lounge (if you have the accredited credit cards). We are still yet to try this. Most lounges are only available for international flights since it is located after getting past the immigration counters. There is only a short window between being able to check in for our flights and boarding so picking this option will not really enable us to sleep longer. There are also no beds but I was told that the seating areas are quite comfortable and can possibly fit a toddler lying down. I look forward to trying this in the future just for comparison.

Option 3 is to book Wings Lounge. I discovered this through my research. We were very pleased after booking here the first time and have booked several more times since.

The lounge is conveniently located inside the airport but before the immigration gates. It is clean and simple. The rooms are small. We are a family of 2 adults and 1 toddler. We always book the family room with bunk beds. It is airconditioned and comes with a fan, some towels and toiletries. It has all the basic necessities.

There are common bathrooms for men and for women that are constantly cleaned. There are common seating areas and some light snacks (cereal, soup, crackers, mini sandwiches) and drinks (water, tea, coffee, juices). The level of comfort is far from a 4-star accommodation but it is sufficient enough for a restful stay for a few hours.

For us, it is great value for our money. The challenge is that they can get fully booked most of the time. We tried their online booking twice but our attempts were not successful.

By booking here, we are able to pay for the terminal fee in the evening, sleep the night, wake the toddler up at the last minute when we need to check in to our airline and go to our boarding gate. Better sleep for everyone and a great first touring day for everyone!

Happy trip!