Finding fast and reliable transportation anywhere in Metro Manila is always a source of stress among Filipino commuters. Everyone knows how tough it can be to take public transport during rush hour—let alone get to the NAIA airport terminals carrying heavy suitcases, especially during odd hours and red-eye flights.
The months of June and July are the new peak season for international travel in the Philippines. The Bureau of Immigration (BI) noted a surge in international travel over the last two months, with July marking the end of classes for students, traditionally the most popular time for families to take vacations abroad.
Travelers taking international flights have been advised to arrive early and check in at least three hours before their flights to give ample time for airport procedures and delays. Given the normal traffic conditions on roads in Manila and the onset of the rainy season, expect traveling to the airport to be a much more stressful affair.
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If you’re the type who wants to have all your travel plans ironed out to avoid at least one aspect of pre-travel stress, you might want to consider prebooking your trips to the airport.
Ride-hailing firm Grab Philippines recently launched a new service called Grab Advance Booking, guaranteeing on-time rides to the airport with its GrabAirport fleet. According to EJ Dela Vega, Grab Philippines head of Mobility, the new product goes beyond offering mere airport transfers as it “provides travelers the peace of mind they deserve.”
“This new service has been engineered to have guaranteed on-time rides every time, enabling every Filipino traveler to leave their homes with the confidence they’ll have a ride to make their flight on time,” Vega said in a media release.
Here’s all we know about Grab’s new feature for airport trips.
How to prebook Grab trips to the airport
Accessing Grab Advance Booking for the airport takes a few taps on the app. Passengers can select ‘Advance Booking’ under the Grab transport page. They can then enter the date and time of their ride, the pickup location, and the specific airport terminal for drop-off.
There’s also an ‘Advance Booking to the Airport’ (Beta) shortcut icon on the transport homepage in the app.
According to Grab, Advance Booking passengers will receive regular updates and reminders about the status of their ride leading to the scheduled pickup time. Passengers can also chat and check in with their assigned driver in-app 45 minutes before their scheduled trip.
Advance Booking rides can only accommodate a maximum of three passengers with three pieces of luggage for everyone’s safety and convenience. If you’re traveling as a larger group or family, book enough cars to accommodate everyone.
What are the features of Grab’s Advance Booking to Airport?
Here are the advantages of using the Advance Booking feature the next time you fly out:
1) Book as early as seven days ahead
You can reserve rides to the airport as early as seven days or as late as two hours before the scheduled ride.
2) On-time pickup assurance
The Grab Advance Booking driver-partners are guaranteed to arrive on time. If services are disrupted, the Grab platform will reassign the ride to an alternative driver-partner, ensuring a successful completion of the passenger’s trip. According to Grab, to ensure fairness, a P100 courtesy credit will be offered to passengers if the driver arrives late for a pre-scheduled ride.
3) Extended wait time
Passengers are granted a 15-minute grace period on Advance Booking rides. This allows drivers to accommodate minor delays and gives passengers some leeway to bring out bags to their pickup location.
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What happens if you cancel prebooked rides at the last minute?
Grab has implemented some safety measures to protect their driver-partners in case of last-minute cancellations by passengers. Don’t worry: You can still cancel rides without charges in case your flight time is suddenly moved. You can cancel rides for free as long as you do it at least one hour before the scheduled pickup time.
If you cancel within one hour of your scheduled pickup time and you’ve already been assigned a driver, you will be charged the full fare to compensate drivers for their time and effort. The same policy applies when a passenger is unreachable or hasn’t arrived 15 minutes past the scheduled time.
If you need to adjust details on your Advance Booking such as the date, time, ride type, or pickup location, simply cancel the booking and schedule a new one.
Where is the Grab Advance Booking service available?
This new service from Grab is currently exclusive to trips going to Metro Manila airports via its GrabAirport fleet, which was launched last year in partnership with the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA). Availability in other cities and regions outside the National Capital Region is expected to roll out in the second half of 2024.
The Advance Booking complements Grab’s existing Airport to Anywhere feature launched in December 2022 with fixed pricing and no surge charges.
MIAA previously partnered with the ride-hailing firm to provide better airport transport services for arriving travelers. The MIAA operates the four terminals of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). Grab booths can be found right outside the arrival gates of Terminals 1 to 4.
Flying out soon? Check out Top Gear Philippines’s transport guide to and from NAIA.
