I mentioned back in August that I ordered a $150 Medison Celebrity laptop. Well, of course, it still hasn’t arrived.
In fact, medisonscam.info haven’t received theirs either,
and nor have Crave.
Apparently nobody’s has.
Well, some things sound too good to be true. And this was definitely one of them.
It doesn’t matter if I fly to Hong Kong or Shenzhen, or on Air China or Dragonair: my flight is almost guaranteed to be late. I am a bad omen when it comes to flying. Put simply, avoid flying with me!
Flying in and out of Beijing frequently I am often plagued with fog, maintenance issues, or simply “aircraft delay”. I’ve even seen signs saying ‘aircraft delayed for reason’. Well yes, and I should hope so too! Regardless, being grounded in China can be a painful affair. Airlines here have terrible internal communication; nobody knows what’s going on, and travelers are given little service. Even the airports are clueless, with FID’s often showing the wrong gate or failing to list certain flights. Delays are rarely compensated for (most airlines on domestic flights will provide only a lunchbox upon long delays, not food coupons), and there is certainly little advanced warning.
Once on the aircraft travelers can be greeted with further delays, often lasting over an hour while the plane waits for clearance on the tarmac. But don’t expect much information here either: pilot announcements are vague and almost always inaccurate.
Fellow passengers are often also part of the problem: too many carry large luggage onboard as ‘carry on’, yet I wonder how these are allowed on in the first place. It helps to board earlier to grab a piece of the limited bulkhead space. Be prepared for impatient passengers to use their mobile phones right up till take-off too, and immediately after landing. Quite likely, expect people to get up while the aircraft is still taxiing after arrival.
I have of course had good experiences flying into China, and doing so on a more reputed airline such as Dragonair or Cathay Pacific does improve the experience. But until the rules and regulations finally develop to an international standard (and not to mention the mentality of fellow passengers & staff), don’t expect a ‘western flying experience’ just yet.
And remember to bring a good book.