Singapore 2010: Changi International Airport (Budget Terminal)

Changi Budget Terminal is where arriving guests to Singapore are landed if they're flying in via a budget airline, which Cebu Pacific is. 

 The Budget Terminal is one of the wings in the expansive Changi International Airport, the other wings being Terminals 1, 2 & 3.

 

 

The only thing budget with this terminal is the name.  Truly world-class.

Changi International Airport or CIA is the most awarded airport winning 340 awards since its opening in 1981.  If there's a template for a perfect airport, hands down CIA is it.

Initially, i felt slighted that CIA discriminates budget travellers to land in their budget terminal, since other countries do not practice such.  But the only thing that is budget here is the name, the service and amenities are all world-class, it can even rival the best main terminals of most countries' airports.  No wonder CIA has won all those awards, surely they didn't disappoint.

 

The overview map of the Changi International Airport.  At left is the Budget Terminal.

 

CIA's website is also very informative (www.changiairport.com), few concerns are left unanswered by their website.   

CIA is considered a tourist spot all by itself, and some even spend their off days here to enjoy the different amenities the airport has to offer.  Some of the unique features of this airport for travellers are:

1. Gardens - CIA offers different gardens for nature lovers, Butterfly Garden, Cactus Garden, Sunflower Garden, Koi Ponds, Fern Garden and Fragrant Garden.

2. Shower, fitness & spa services.

3. Free use of swimming pool and jacuzzi

4. Free bus tour around the city for transfer passengers with 5 hours to spare

5. Napping centers

6. Children's playgrounds for bored kids

7. Entertainment Deck (movie theatre, xbox/ps3, jamstudio, music are, mtv booth)

8. Free movie

9. Aviation Gallery

10. Interactive Art installation

11. Prayer rooms

12. The Slide@T3 (world's tallest slide in an airport)

13. Medical Services

14. Transit Hotel

15. Robotic Flower

Arriving at 11:00am, a shuttle bus brought us from the budget terminal to Terminal 2. this was the longest airport shuttle bus ride i've taken, that tells you how expansive this aiport is. The transfer to Terminal 2 took almost 10 minutes.

 

Terminal 2 has numerous dining establishments to choose from, i was looking for Crystal Jade Restaurant for us to have lunch in but for some reason we couldn't locate it and my travelmates were getting hungry and tired with every step.  Hungry because note, budget airlines do not serve complimentary snacks during the flight to help lessen costs and therefore help us get those budget fares in return.

Though i mentioned that there were numerous dining options in CIA, we still ended up in a McDonald's chain, we needed to eat now and fast and McDonald's was already at arm's length so fastfood it is.  But i promise to never let this incident happen again. 

 

It turned out the manager was a Filipino so ordering was quite a breeze, this will be the first of many instances that an establishment in Singapore had Filipino crews.  And i found them in the most bizarre and unexpected places, talk about Filipinos being able to adjust to any place you put them in.

After the insignificant lunch, we had our dollars changed to the local currency (S$1=Php34) and then proceeded to visit the Singapore Visitor Centre at Terminal 2.  If you haven't planned out your trip before getting here, then visiting SVC would be a good idea before heading  out to conquer the city.  Here you can find various helpful items from tourist maps and discount coupons for participating establishments.

 

 

Then we visited a transport service company near the exit gate to hire a shuttle bus to transport us to Robertson Quay Hotel.  We chose the mini-van that can accomodate 11 persons over a 7-seater van for the same rate of S$50 or Php1,700.  A very good decision since it was really comfortable for everybody including the kids.

 

 The whole ride took about 45 minutes and along the way were scenic views of East Coast Park, Singapore Flyer and Marina Bay Sands.