Asia - Shanghai to Beijing

I cant find a good airline that flies from Shanghai to Beijing. China Eastern and Air China both look like garbage. Can anyone reccomend another airline? Thanks!

Four airlines fly between those two cities. Besides Air China and China Eastern, you have Hainan Airlines and Shanghai Airlines. See if those are acceptable. Or you can always take the train.

I had a 747 Air China flight between those cities in F ... I enjoyed the trip. It was great service and they had the funky (but comfy) old seats. I don't think I would've been quite as thrilled in Y but this was fine.

I cant find a good airline that flies from Shanghai to Beijing. China Eastern and Air China both look like garbage. Can anyone reccomend another airline? Thanks!

Absolutely nothing wrong with either airline. Fly 'em all the time. No miles on most western FF program for intra-China flights, and you get the privilege of flying cattle class in a truly Chinese environment, but they get you there, pretty cheaply.

Plus, its a short flight. Deal with it.

No miles on most western FF program for intra-China flights

You get can UA miles on Air China. Not just codeshares any more.

and you get the privilege of flying cattle class in a truly Chinese environment, but they get you there, pretty cheaply.


Not sure what the above means but I've flown PEK-SHA a couple of times and it felt no different from a UA mainline fight with the following exceptions:
1) There's food (in a box)
2) Every time I've flown Air China, it has been delayed from 20 minutes to 3 hours.

It's a short flight with lots of frequency from multiple carriers so pretty good situation.

I cant find a good airline that flies from Shanghai to Beijing. China Eastern and Air China both look like garbage. Can anyone reccomend another airline? Thanks!

I marginally prefer FM to the others. But, I would not pay a premium to fly one airline over another because there's a decent chance you'll end up on the cheaper one anyway once your flight gets canceled.

Speaking of the cancelations, they used to bother me, but now my outlook is more favorable because I've picked up some useful proactive and reactive strategies over the course of the past several years.

Proactive: Pick flights that are less likely to get canceled (just use your gut and stay away from MU during rush hour, if you can help it).

Reactive: When you get to the check-in counter, get confirmation from the ticket agent that your fight is on time. This might involve them having to call someone else because many agents work for the airports as opposed to the airlines. If not, find out other alternatives that are running on schedule and initiate the rebooking process immediately (this requires standing in several more lines, but only takes 10 minutes or so).

I am in China now on business. Been here 2 weeks. Flying around every now and then. Actually China Eastern is pretty good even in economy. They have a lot of new A319 & A320 planes. Spend the extra 40-50$ and go in First. If the plane has to park on the tarmac instead of a gate (which is most of the time) there is a separate van for first class passengers so you dont have to cram in the standing room only bus.

For the OP, I took Air China between the PVG-PEK. Checkout http://www.elong.net and http://www.yoee.com to book ahead of time. My CA flight was delayed because of "air traffic control" by about 45 minutes.

I am in China now on business. Been here 2 weeks. Flying around every now and then. Actually China Eastern is pretty good even in economy. They have a lot of new A319 & A320 planes. Spend the extra 40-50$ and go in First. If the plane has to park on the tarmac instead of a gate (which is most of the time) there is a separate van for first class passengers so you dont have to cram in the standing room only bus.

I can't stand MU. I find Hainan much better.

For the OP, I took Air China between the PVG-PEK. Checkout http://www.elong.net and http://www.yoee.com to book ahead of time. My CA flight was delayed because of "air traffic control" by about 45 minutes.

sha-pek and pvg-pek are totally different animals because the former hosts ~35 flights per day and the latter, ~6. the pvg flights tend to happen (eventually) because most are continuations of flights from syd, lax, sfo, etc. but, sha-pek is much harder to pin down (of those ~35 flights, many never leave the ground) so checking schedules in advance is of little use.

I can't stand MU. I find Hainan much better.

if had to endure several years of bus gates and frequent 5+ hour delays, i think your tune might change. also, next time your in sh, drop me a line and i will bring out my mu fa friends; they are cool. (mind you, i still dislike mu, but they understand style and their gound ops are still better organized than hu.)

sha-pek and pvg-pek are totally different animals because the former hosts ~35 flights per day and the latter, ~6. the pvg flights tend to happen (eventually) because most are continuations of flights from syd, lax, sfo, etc. but, sha-pek is much harder to pin down (of those ~35 flights, many never leave the ground) so checking schedules in advance is of little use.

My apologies, I neglected to notice that the OP was referring to Hongqiao and not Pudong. That's good to know regarding SHA's cancellations. Just lucky I flew out of PVG I suppose :)

How is Air China? What planes do they fly from PVG-PEK?? How is their First Class product?? Any pictures to it??

How is Air China? What planes do they fly from PVG-PEK?? How is their First Class product?? Any pictures to it??

Air China was similar to HU IMO. They flew a 737-800 when I did it (you can see the full schedule by logging onto www.elong.net and it will list aircraft type with the flight). Airlines.net may have photos, but the general impression was that it was pretty similar in the seat and meal to domestic F in the United Staters, but better service probably.

What planes do they fly from PVG-PEK??

737
747
767
777

330 (tmk, most, if not all of these are leased from KA)

i believe one of the 744 flights uses the same equipment as pek-jfk, which is very nice in f/j (food is still wierd, but seat/service pretty damn good).

MU and CA are both fine. Just make sure to get a flight that's a continuation of some international flight. Decent, new planes, and upgrades are yours for the asking. As for cancellations and other nuisances, listen to moondog's advice.

From SHA, I can take Air China's 777, 777-200, or the 747-200. Which is the best for First Class? I cant find any pictures of what it looks like.

From PVG, I only have much smaller aircraft available to me. Is it better to fly from PVG or SHA?

From SHA, I can take Air China's 777, 777-200, or the 747-200. Which is the best for First Class? I cant find any pictures of what it looks like.

From PVG, I only have much smaller aircraft available to me. Is it better to fly from PVG or SHA?

hongqiao is better because it is closer to town and has 6x as many flights, though the "closer to town," bit is somewhat offset by the chaos factor.

tmk, ca doesn't have any 742s and only a handful of 744s have the spiffy first class (at most, one flight per day).

Sorry, I meant 747-400.

From a booking site:

Departure time: 08:55(SHANGHAI SHA) Date: 7/11/2006 Airport tax: ¥50
Arrival time: 10:45(BEIJING PEK) Duration: 1 hr 50 min Route: Non-stop

So, would you say the "best" airplane to go on is the 747-400 in First? Does Air China have a lounge in SHA?

Also, is this "spiffy" First Class the same as the JFK-PEK route? IE Click Here (http://www.airchina.com.cn/en/class/firstclass/firstclass.htm)

And lastly, who should I book through? (Elong doesnt allow me to really purcahse them now and they dont do pre-assigned seats)

Thanks so much!

I see I can book thru Expedia, but no pre assigned seats. Is there any way to get pre assigned seats?

Any seat maps of the 747-400?

Thanks

You get can UA miles on Air China. Not just codeshares any more.

Not sure what the above means but I've flown PEK-SHA a couple of times and it felt no different from a UA mainline fight with the following exceptions:
1) There's food (in a box)
2) Every time I've flown Air China, it has been delayed from 20 minutes to 3 hours.

It's a short flight with lots of frequency from multiple carriers so pretty good situation.

I was referring to the tendency of "most" mainland Chinese to not believe in lines, and to rush out of their seats at almost the moment the wheels hit the runway (OK - a slight exagerration, but not much of one).

I've not experienced delays per se in my travels to from PEK/SHA/PVG/NGB/SZX/CAN/Tianjin/Changxi/Xiamen/etc.

But, make sure you actually have a paid ticket in hand. Many's the time I've arrived at the airport and been told I am not actually booked for that flight. Stand your ground and don't move until you're ticketed. But, have proof of a paid seat in order to do so.

Other than that, the planes do indeed travel through the air just like UA's do.

Regarding the boxed lunch, I'd avoid the unpeeled fruit (if included) unless you've built up some consitutional resistance.

Maybe the 1st Class Seat looks like this, or has AC Equipment changed since last February?

Click Here (http://www.kluau.com/gallery/v/travel/china05/airchinafc/)

Maybe the 1st Class Seat looks like this, or has AC Equipment changed since last February?

Click Here (http://www.kluau.com/gallery/v/travel/china05/airchinafc/)

most likely, yes. you might to call ca to find out which flights, if any, offer the new config.

Flying MU in F from SHA to PEK tomorrow. On the 3 PM A300 flight.

Is there a dedicated F check-in line?

Is there a lounge (I know they have one in PVG)?

Flying MU because I've been negotiating a JV with them for the past two weeks and figure I should give them a chance.

Is there a dedicated F check-in line?

Is there a lounge (I know they have one in PVG)?


Yes and yes. But, I suggest you avoid getting to the airport with too much time to spare; lounge or no lounge, Hongqiao is a terrible place (only marginally better than a train station IMO).

Yes and yes. But, I suggest you avoid getting to the airport with too much time to spare; lounge or no lounge, Hongqiao is a terrible place (only marginally better than a train station IMO).

Thanks moondog.

What time would you arrive for the 3 PM flight? Is this, in your experience, a flight likely to be canceled?

Thanks moondog.

What time would you arrive for the 3 PM flight?


I would target 2:25p and not feel the slightest bit stressed. However, I would allow myself 40 minutes to get to the airport even though I can usually get there in 20 because traffic jams happen.


Is this, in your experience, a flight likely to be canceled?


As a matter of fact, I can't think of many other flights on this earth that are more cancel prone that that sucker (I've seen it on both ends). It's a lot cheaper to leave your big, old airbusses on the ground in SH than it is to fly them to BJ and back. Of course, "likely" isn't all that "likely"; just much more "likely" than other cases.

The good news with respect to both of your questions is that your F ticket is pretty much equivalent to gold in Hongqiao. Aside from not having to bother with lines, tmk you should be able to get a boarding pass issued on the spot for pretty much any fight with open seats (rebooking is a little more complicated than that for the rest of us).

You can get some good last minute flights from Shanghai to Beijing and back on elong.net. If you either buy ahead at a 60% off rate or at last minute you can fly for around 500 RMB. All of the airlines in my opinion are the same here in China. China Airlines is partnered with United so miles accrue. Hainan is considered by my Chinese friends to be the worst but I found them considerable to CA. They don't have alot of aircraft so you could be waiting a while if there is a delay.

You can get some good last minute flights from Shanghai to Beijing and back on elong.net. If you either buy ahead at a 60% off rate or at last minute you can fly for around 500 RMB.

This has not been my experience. 60%+ discounts (<y450) are fairly rare in the SHA-PEK market. I just searched 5 days out and y680 (40% off) was the lowest I found (and only on a handful of flights). PEK-SHA tends to be a bit better, but can also be pricey during the summer.

I would target 2:25p and not feel the slightest bit stressed. However, I would allow myself 40 minutes to get to the airport even though I can usually get there in 20 because traffic jams happen.


Thanks. SHA is defiantely efficent in processing passengers.


As a matter of fact, I can't think of many other flights on this earth that are more cancel prone that that sucker (I've seen it on both ends). It's a lot cheaper to leave your big, old airbusses on the ground in SH than it is to fly them to BJ and back. Of course, "likely" isn't all that "likely"; just much more "likely" than other cases.

The good news with respect to both of your questions is that your F ticket is pretty much equivalent to gold in Hongqiao. Aside from not having to bother with lines, tmk you should be able to get a boarding pass issued on the spot for pretty much any fight with open seats (rebooking is a little more complicated than that for the rest of us).

I ended up getting called back to Beijing today and booked myself on the Noon MU flight from SHA to PEK (the A330 flight). I got there early enough to transfer to Shanghai Airlines' 10:55 flight, and switching was very easy. Problem was that FM canceled the flight at the last minute (we were on the bus to the plane). The ground staff at SHA does not speak very good English, so it was hard to communicate, but I was able to get back on the Noon MU flight. Of course, my bag was put on the 12:35 CA flight, so I ended-up waiting in PEK for an hour for it to arrive. Had I just left well enough alone and stuck with my original flight, it would have been better.

Still, I don't know why a foreigner wouldn't buy an F ticket on this route. They are cheap (US$226 one-way) and, you're right, you are treated much better in the event of a problem.

Still, I don't know why a foreigner wouldn't buy an F ticket on this route. They are cheap (US$226 one-way) and, you're right, you are treated much better in the event of a problem.

Well, because coach often costs $50-70 all in and you still get there. Also, business class is less than $200, including the tax/fuel. I sometimes pony up for this upgrade, when on full fare tickets. But, honestly, coach is doable if you're good/lucky at picking flights.

Is there any reason to take F for the experience ?

I'll be in Beijing for two and a half days in August as part of a CRWSTAR (mostly SQ :) ). As I've been to Beijing a few times already, I'm thinking about visiting Shanghai for 24 hours.

I've flown MU and HU before - both in coach from Beijing to Kunming and around - and actually enjoyed the very Chinese experience. (I'm Chinese myself so blend in.) One of the HU flights had an auction conducted by the FA's of something although my Chinese wasn't good enough to understand what was on offer and why!

Would I get the same sort of fun experience if I sat in F ? Or is it just a bigger seat and (relatively) better food but nothing more ?

Is there any reason to take F for the experience ?


If you're stuck in a full fare situation anyway, I think the ~$40 upgrade to business class (on flights that have it) is worth while for some of the reasons already stated here (i.e. better treatment at airport), but there is nothing special about the onboard experience at all IMO. Plus, chances are, you'll be able to snag seats for 40-70% of full fare, in which case the cost of the upgrade is proportionately greater.

In the spirit of FT, I want to provide you with as many of my "in the trenches," anectdotes as possible so that you may be better equipped when things go wrong. Unsurprisingly, my rush hour flight today PEK-SHA provided such an opportunity.

This morning I called ctrip and booked athe 630p flight on my favorite airline, FM. The base fare was y680. While there were several other --only- moderately less attractive flights on offer, I went with my preferred flight because I figured there was a good chance my meeting would run long and I would miss it (and have to buy to a higher fare class on my own dime,... seeking reimbursement later).

Anyway, I left for the airport at 530 (I figured, even if the ride took an hour, I'd still get there before the 30-minute cut-off). In fact, there was no traffic at all and I was at the check-in counter with an hour to spare.

When I got there, I was informed that my airplane had never left Shanghai (bad news, off course, but I swear that MU usually fails to convey this simple piece of info at such an early juncture unless you pry it out of their agents).

Next stop was the rebooking desk. When I arrived there, I encountered a swarm of people that were all in the same boat and being accomodated on an 8p departure. The thought of spending 3 hours in PEK made my stomach cringe so I immediately switched into proactive mode. I, then, used the "clueless foreigner" card to get my ticket stamped with a chop that made it --effectively-- full fare.

Two Chinese girls in the crowd were so impressed by my flaunting of the impasse they had presumably been subjected to for ten+ minutes, that they insisted on riding under my wing and asked me to wait while they got their stamps. Unfortunately, they had a much harder time than I did so I spent 5 more minutes waiting (this was tough for me because each passing minute reduced my chances of getting out of Dodge before 8; it also foreshadowed events to come).

The three of us went to CA, MU, HU, and back to CA to inquire. In each case, the initial reception (me) was good, but as soon as they got between myself and the agents, the conversations ended.

So, after the second CA visit, I did something that I feel quite guilty about. I told them to back off. My intention wasn't to leave them to the vultures because I didn't want them to spend any more time in PEK than necessary, but since I was convinced that they were consistently ruining my game, I wanted them to leave the negotiations to me (it didn't help matters that they were Shanghainese; Beijing women don't like Shanghai women).

Unfortunately, they interpretted my cue as a prompt to "get lost," and did so. (Once again, I shall point out that I feel quite bad about this turn of events --doubly so, given that I pride myself on being a helpful road warrior; next time, I promise to conduct myself in a manner that is more representative of the FT spirit, even if it means potentially spending 2 extra hours in a place that I hate).

Once I was solo again, I decided to walk back over to CA because they had the nicest agent and the biggest plane (777), which I had previously learned was on-time (615p departure). Econonomy was sold out, which is why they had turned me away in the first place, but they had no problem giving me a seat in F (1 out of 6 available).

So, I flew, and I ended up getting to SH earlier than I was supposed to in the first place. The remaining 5 seats were never filled. I don't have much to say about the flight itself, except for the fact that I stand by my "F is usually a waste of money," claim. (The seats on the 2-class 777 are nothing to write home about and the food wasn't any better than the slop they serve at the Chinese restaurant across the street from me here; no auctions or other excitement, but I'm not complaining.)

We were awarded a bus gate in SH. I've recently decided that bus gates aren't all that bad on arrival because at least you get dropped off at baggage claim. Since I had no baggage, I made a beeline for the exit, took one look at the taxi queues, and immediately involked the McDonald's taxi strategy. I had to walk an extra 500 m because there were cops near the McDonald's, but I was still able to snag a taxi within 5 minutes.

Takeways: 1) rush hour is always an adventure; 2) any of you can replicate my success if you treat it like an NFL game; 3) please let the locals tag along if they want to, in the spirit of FT.

Regarding #3, I suppose it would be hypocritical if I didn't encourage you guys to take one free pass, in light of the fact that I did so myself. But, if you sieze that opporunity, you will feel guilty just like me (and please report back here).

Thanks for the report! I never imagined when I was happily taking internal flights earlier this year that it can go wrong so badly...

However, I did manage to miss my PEK-AMS flight because I arrived 5 minutes late (55 minutes prior to departure) but it was fine - waited an hour or so, paid £70 or so and an extra night in Beijing (yes!).

Thanks for the report! I never imagined when I was happily taking internal flights earlier this year that it can go wrong so badly...

However, I did manage to miss my PEK-AMS flight because I arrived 5 minutes late (55 minutes prior to departure) but it was fine - waited an hour or so, paid £70 or so and an extra night in Beijing (yes!).


IMO, flights getting axed should never be construed as "bad" because it happens on a daily basis. What's important, is the "proactive" part. You wil get there, and you can get there quickly as long as you do it right.

BTW, it goes without saying that I think your extra nigh in BJ was a gift you should treasure.

BTW, it goes without saying that I think your extra nigh in BJ was a gift you should treasure.

Most definitely! It was the culmination of one of my most enjoyable holidays ever - a very late decision to spend the New Year in China with nothing planned and ten days to go and do what I want.

I ended up in Kunming and then Lijiang; bought a ticket to Lanzhou with Jiayuguan in mind; but didn't take the flight because I met a fellow traveller and both of us hired a car to go to Zhongdian instead.

Next stop was the rebooking desk. When I arrived there, I encountered a swarm of people that were all in the same boat and being accomodated on an 8p departure. The thought of spending 3 hours in PEK made my stomach cringe so I immediately switched into proactive mode. I, then, used the "clueless foreigner" card to get my ticket stamped with a chop that made it --effectively-- full fare.



Can you explain about the rebooking desk and what are the criteria to get the chop...and what is its purpose. I am not familiar with what this affords you?

Can you explain about the rebooking desk and what are the criteria to get the chop...and what is its purpose. I am not familiar with what this affords you?

In addition to ticket sales offices, the airlines operate rebooking desks (in smaller airports, these are often shared, but in Beijing, all seem to have their own).

The normal way to rebook is to wait in line for an employee to find you a new flight and put a sticker on top of your old flight number. You can do the same thing at the ticket sales office window, but transacting there often entails paying a fare difference (obviously, the cheaper your ticket, the bigger the difference).

Getting chopped is a good method to pursue when you can't afford to waste time in line. The stamp says (in English) "Endorse to:__________," so with a chopped ticket, you can walk over to any airline that's operating a flight on your route and request a boarding pass or a stand-by boarding pass.

In addition to ticket sales offices, the airlines operate rebooking desks (in smaller airports, these are often shared, but in Beijing, all seem to have their own).

The normal way to rebook is to wait in line for an employee to find you a new flight and put a sticker on top of your old flight number. You can do the same thing at the ticket sales office window, but transacting there often entails paying a fare difference (obviously, the cheaper your ticket, the bigger the difference).

Getting chopped is a good method to pursue when you can't afford to waste time in line. The stamp says (in English) "Endorse to:__________," so with a chopped ticket, you can walk over to any airline that's operating a flight on your route and request a boarding pass or a stand-by boarding pass.

I asked a Beijing person about this because I thought maybe all the airlines are owned by the government so you could just switch carriers and its no big deal because they are all essentially the same. Then they said that not all airlines are owned by the government.

I asked about the re-bokking and chop. They said they didn't know about this and then I explained what you did. They were dumbfounded and said this must be some find of "foreigner trick". ^ :D

I asked a Beijing person about this because I thought maybe all the airlines are owned by the government so you could just switch carriers and its no big deal because they are all essentially the same. Then they said that not all airlines are owned by the government.

I asked about the re-bokking and chop. They said they didn't know about this and then I explained what you did. They were dumbfounded and said this must be some find of "foreigner trick". ^ :D

My return ticket features the same stamp. I will try to scan and post. The only thing that gives me pause is that my scanner here could chew it to pieces. But, I'm willing to take that risk; just give me a day or two.

This thread is making me think again about taking the train to Shanghai. :cool:

Seriously, which way am I better off? I'll have my kids with me, so I'd like everything "to work."

I'll also need transport from Shanghai to Xian (well, actually, I guess I'll be in Suzhou before heading to Xian), and then from Xian back to Beijing.

This thread is making me think again about taking the train to Shanghai. :cool:

Seriously, which way am I better off? I'll have my kids with me, so I'd like everything "to work."

I'll also need transport from Shanghai to Xian (well, actually, I guess I'll be in Suzhou before heading to Xian), and then from Xian back to Beijing.

I responded to your PM but would like to point out for the others that planes are always faster than trains, even if you have to wait for a few hours. Furthermore, as long as you avoid the 3-7 window, your flight will probably operate.

I responded to your PM but would like to point out for the others that planes are always faster than trains, even if you have to wait for a few hours. Furthermore, as long as you avoid the 3-7 window, your flight will probably operate.

How reliable are the trains?

For example, if I can take the 7 pm train from Beijing to Shanghai with a high degree of confidence that I'll arrive around 7 am, that might be better for me than taking an 9 am flight not knowing whether I'll make it by noon.

How reliable are the trains?


very

My company recently decided to furnish me with a digital camera (should have happened long ago given the amount of DD I perform, but I digress) so I began my travels today with FT in mind and took snapshots of remotely interesting things along the way. Anyway, here's how things panned out. (I will post the pics later.)

I booked the 7:45p FM (Shanghai Airlines) departure from PVG to PEK because I was supposed to meet my colleague's son in Beijing who was arriving on NW from NRT. The other choice was the 8p HU flight from SHA. While that would have been more convenient, I went with the PVG option because I've had (very) bad luck with HU in time-critical situations.

I left my house at 5:45p and took a taxi to the Shimen #1 Rd. subway station so I could ride the Maglev from Longyang Rd. (I did this for the benefit of the FT community because I've now taken the Maglev enough times to conclude that the bus is absolutely a better option.)

But, everything worked like clockwork (as usual) and I arrived at the check-in counter by 7p. The FM check-in area was relatively empty so I got a boarding pass in no time.

Then, I cleared security and descended into bus gate land. By the way, I've recently noticed that PVG is once again starting to take on a lot of domestic flights (there was a period about 2 years back where the reverse was the case). I always thought this was odd, given the limited gate space. Now, I think I know the answer to this paradox (keep reading).

In the past, I've been a strong proponent of PVG (v. SHA) on these boards because the latter is too chaotic for my tastes and getting a taxi is an ordeal (plus, with the #2 bus, PVG is actually a cheaper commute). But, today's experience may well force me to alter my view.

Boarding started at 7:10p. I skipped the first bus because I wanted to charge my laptop. But, I boarded the second bus at 7:20p because the gate area was clearing out and I didn't want to be the one pax that stood in the way of an early departure.

Well, that fear proved to be unfounded because we waited on the bus for 10 minutes before moving an inch.

The bus ride was clearly the longest of its kind that I've ever experienced; 17 minutes. Yes, I now understand that PVG has A LOT of land and -- therefore -- the capacity to run busses to hundreds of airplane-sized plots; as long as they keep building runways, this could be a viable low-cost expansion strategy.

Next, I settled into 5a on a sparkling new 738 and had a predeparture Sprite, which was actually cold. The plane was quite nice.

Then, we received word from the pilot that, due to bad weather in Beijing, we had been put into a ground hold. At that point, I called my colleague that I was supposed to meet and he told me the weather was fine, save a few isolated t-storms.

20 minutes later, the busses returned and we went back to the terminal. During the bus ride, I called ctrip and learned that all domestic flights into PEK were going to be cancelled from that point on. So, I went back to FM and rebooked myself on a flight out of SHA tomorrow morning.

I then took the #2 bus back to Jing-an Temple and arrived at 930p. At that point, I learned from my colleague that all the access roads to Beijing Airport had been baricaded. He got through around an hour later and successfully retrieved his son, but as of 11p, was still stuck at the toll booth because the access road had been closed. He handed the phone to his driver, who explained to me that a bus accident was to blame for all of the problems in Beijing this evening, but I don't buy it. My three top theories are: 1) terrorist threat; 2) in-bound VIPs; or 3) a combination of 1 and 2.

What should go without saying is that things like this happen in China from time to time so I'm not bummed, in spite of the wasted four hours. That said, I think most would agree that 4 canceled flights in 10 days isn't a good thing.

They must have cancelled all outgoing international flights from Beijing as well ? I wonder where incoming flights already in the air got diverted to ?