The national airline is Philippine Airlines (PR) (website: www.philippineairlines.com).

Note: The period over Easter, from Good Friday to the following Bank holiday (and sometimes beyond), is a major holiday in the Philippines, as are Christmas and New Year. There may be some difficulty booking a flight during these periods.

PHP550 for international departures. Children under two years of age and transit passengers are exempt.

Ninoy Aquino (MNL) (website: www.miaa.gov.ph) is 12km (7 miles) south of Manila. To/from the airport: Bus and taxi services are available to the city (journey time – up to 1 hour 30 minutes by public bus, or 25 minutes by taxi). Facilities: Banks, post office, medical clinic, baggage deposit area, duty-free shops and car hire.

Mactan International Airport (CEB) (Cebu Island) (website: www.mactan-cebuairport.com) is 45km (28 miles) from the city centre. To/from the airport: Hotels and tour operators provide their own coaches; taxis can be hired.

Main ports: Manila. The port is a crossroads of trade in the Asia-Pacific region.
 
Shipping lines which call at Manila include Evergreen Lines, Far Eastern Shipping Company (FESCO) and Lloyd Triestino. Schedules and rates are listed in the shipping pages of daily newspapers. For more information, contact the Philippines Ports Authority (website: www.ppa.gov.ph).

In addition to Philippine Airlines (PR), there are several other charter airlines, including Air Ads (website: www.flyaai.com), Air Philippines (website: www.airphils.com), Asian Spirit (website: www.asianspirit.com), Cebu Pacific Air (website: www.cebupacificair.com) and Laoag International Airlines.

Inter-island ships with first-class accommodation connect the major island ports. Local shipping lines include Aboitiz Transport Systems Corporation (tel: (2) 528 7979 or 7171) and WG&A Super Ferry (tel: (2) 528 7000; website: www.superferry.com.ph).

The Metrotren is recommended for long journeys. The railway is on Luzon Island and stretches as far south as Carmona and Cavite to Meycauayan in the north.

Traffic drives on the right. Roads spread among the islands, with highways on the Mindanao, Visayas and Luzon island groups. Further roads are currently being constructed. Driving off the main highway at night is dangerous and should be avoided.

Bus: There are bus services between towns and also widely available jeepneys. These are shared taxis using jeep-derived vehicles equipped to carry up to 14 passengers on bench seats. Fares are similar to buses.

Taxi: Taxis are available in cities and in many towns. Make sure meters are used, as some taxi drivers will set an exorbitant and arbitrary rate.

Car hire: Available in Manila and in major cities. The minimum age is 18.

Documentation: International Driving Permit required, together with a national driving licence.

A number of bus routes are operated by Metro Manila Transport using conventional vehicles, including double-deckers. Most journeys, however, are made by jeepneys, of which there are an estimated 30,000 in Manila alone. The Metro Railway Transit (MTR) connects North Avenue in Quezon to Taft Avenue in Pasay City, travelling the length of Epifanio delos Santo Avenue (EDSA). The Light Railway Transit (LRT), a light rail transit link, runs from Baclaran terminal in the south to Caloocan terminal in the north. Tricycles (motorbikes with sidecars) and pedicabs (bicycles with a sidecars) are a cheaper alternative for shorter distances around towns. Calseas (horse-drawn carriages) are popular with tourists and are a common sight in downtown Manila.

The following chart gives approximate journey times (in hours and minutes) from Manila to other major cities/towns in the Philippines.

	Air	Road	Sea
Batangas	-	2.00	-
Cagayan de Oro	1.25	-	48.00
Laoag	1.25	7.00	-
Palawan	1.10	-	24.00