The newly appointed general manager of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) is mulling the abolition of Very Important Person (VIP) assistance at the premiere terminal to make the airport experience equal for everyone.

Major General Angelo Honrado (retired) announced Friday that they will slowly phase out the Meet and Assist (MAS) service at the airport where anyone can be accorded VIP facilitation for a fee of P800.

According to Honrado, the Philippines is known as having the “friendliest” airport in the region in which anyone who can pay the fee will be accorded VIP assistance.

Anyone who avails of the MAS service will be met or sent off by an airport staff that will escort the passenger/s through a special lane in the immigration area so there is no more need to wait in long lines.

Honrado explained that in other countries, everyone is required to line up at the immigration counters for processing of their arrival or departure papers. If and when there is a VIP facilitation, it will be after the immigration clearance which each and every passenger has to submit to by him or herself.

Honrado admitted that although they still have to extend port courtesies to ranking government officials and the military, he said his office will carefully study up to what extent of assistance their airport staff can extend.

In the meantime, Honrado instructed the staff at the MAS division to no longer take possession of the passenger’s travel documents and instead, just accompany towards the immigration area and have them line up and present themselves to the immigration agents for proper processing.

“There is nothing demeaning in lining up at the immigration counters,” Honrado said.

“Everyone does it especially when we go to other countries.”

The airport chief added that the abolition of the VIP assistance will be done in phases. “We have to educate the passengers slowly. We cannot undo this overnight,” Honrado said.