Ground Transport
Boracay is served by two airports: a small local airport served exclusively by domestic airlines and a larger international airport with both domestic flights and flights to a growing number of nearby international travel destinations.
Hong Kong is one of the international airport’s newest foreign travel destinations.
Travel to both Boracay Airport and Kalibo International Airport requires a short trip by jetty, which is an adventure in itself.
Boracay Airport is the closest airport, and it offers frequent flights to Cebu, Manila, Clark, and other domestic travel destinations. The airport is served by Air Juan, Cebu Pacific Air, Philippines Airlines, and SkyJet.
I took the twice-weekly flight on Air Juan from Coron in North Palawan to Boracay. The flight was in a small, nine-seater aircraft, and the views were spectacular thanks to perfect weather and the low cruising altitude.
Be aware, however, that the airline doesn’t accept payment by credit card, which led to a major inconvenience or me because I was not aware of this when I booked my flight.
Kalibo International Airport – a bit more distant – offer flights to both domestic and foreign travel destinations. Cebu Pacific Air recently launched non-stop flights to Hong Kong.
Xian Airlines plans to launch service to Xi’an and Fuzhou, China, in May 2017. Other scheduled service is offered to such international travel destinations as to Beijing, China; Busan, Korea; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Seoul, Korea; Singapore; and Taipei, Taiwan.
The airport is a hub for AirAsia Philippines and Cebu Pacific Air. It is a focus city for Philipine Airlines.
Some hotels in Boracay operate their own shuttle bus to the jetty terminal, which is a hop, skip, and a jump from Boracay Airport. Transportation to and from these hotels is often is complimentary.
Budget hotels will usually arrange transport by was of third-party service providers. Should someone help you with your luggage on and off the jetty, be prepared to offer him a tip.
Hotel guests traveling by way of Kalibo Airport, however, are usually charged. Since the charge is often based on the trip, the more guests taking the trip, the lower the cost per person.
While the trip takes one hour and 45 minutes to two hours, I totally enjoyed it. The scenery along the way was breathtaking, and it was interesting passing through the small towns.
I was also lucky enough to be seated next to the driver, and we had a pleasant conversation along the way. It would have been rather boring, however, if I had made the trip after dark.