By my count, I have flown in and out of Beijing Capitol Airport at least twenty times over the last five years. And out of all of those trips, not one has ever been on-time, either in or out. Not one. Not even close.
Until today.
I was on China Eastern flight 5107, departing Shanghai Hongqiao at 11:00 AM. As promised boarded 25 minutes before departure, and in hopes of helping things along, I boarded early. From 19C I watched the other passengers shuffle into the aircraft, I checked my watch, mentally preparing myself for the 30 minute delay that would inevitably resort from the difficulty that someone’s mother-in-law had stashing her suitcase in the overhead bin. But, for reasons known only to China Eastern and its Gods, none of that kind of business today! Instead, everyone was seated on-time, and we left the gate at 11:02, and we were on the runway, and in the air, at 11:12. This is truly unprecedented, and though I am not so naïve as to predict a sudden improvement in China’s air traffic management system, I hold out the slimmest of hopes that the Olympic planners are finally beginning to exert some influence on matters that serve my narrow personal interests.
Can China Eastern repeat? Stay tuned for a report on the return flight.
A final observation. I’ve recently noticed an increase in the number of foreigners (ie, white people) flying on China’s commercial airlines. Last week, perhaps 10% of the passengers on my flights in and out of Tianjin were (white) foreigners; today, flying up to Beijing, I counted 26 on a nearly full Airbus A330. It’s the tourist season, so that probably explains much of the passenger load (though not on Tianjin flights), but I’m guessing that it doesn’t explain all of it. Are there more expats in China now? Or just more people traveling here for business? Whatever the reason, it’s good news for those of us concerned that many of the most serious breakdowns in US-China relations largely result from cultural misunderstandings.
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