NAIA Blue Lane is a big relief for every OFW flying out of the country. For the first time in forever, OFWs like me can finally say – “Immigration line? What line?” 😂 I’ve been flying in and out of NAIA 3 for years now, but this is the first time I truly felt like we, the so-called modern heroes, are being treated with a little extra care.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like they rolled out a red carpet for us or served us free milk tea while waiting. But this change is something we’ve all been praying for: no more super long lines at Immigration. Yes, you read that right. Today, as I was flying back to work, I braced myself for the usual one-hour queue. But surprise, surprise – in just about 10 minutes, I was done with Immigration. Imagine that!
In fact, the line at Jollibee on the second floor was way longer than the queue at Immigration. And honestly, I don’t mind lining up for my Chickenjoy and Jolly Spaghetti, but lining up for Immigration? No, thank you. This time, it felt so good to breeze through. Who wouldn’t like that?
Here’s what’s making this possible: NAIA now has a special lane just for OFWs. They call it the Blue Lane. Sounds cool, right? It’s completely separate from the lanes used by regular travelers. Because of this, OFWs can clear Immigration in as fast as 10 minutes. That’s faster than finishing your Jolly Hotdog!
This is great news for all of us who always panic about missing our flights because of the Immigration bottleneck. But just a piece of friendly advice – even with this speedy process, it’s still best to be at the airport four to five hours before your flight, especially if you have other things to do like tax refunds, OEC validation, or last-minute pasalubong shopping.
Still, hats off to NAIA for this change. Finally, something that makes OFWs smile even before flying off to work abroad again. Now, if only they can make Jollibee queues shorter too, life would be perfect.
Seafarer and Family Man
I'm Dexter— a seafarer by profession, a traveler by passion, and a homebody by choice.
