Although not all the FAs on the Chinese carriers can speak fluent English, they all at least know a few key phrases and will gladly summon help from their colleagues if they don’t understand you. I can’t imagine being a passenger that only speaks Chinese on the US carriers where the FAs seem to think progressively raising their voices while repeating the “chicken or fish” question over and over will somehow get the passenger to understand.

UA, AA and DL have Bought into the strategy that customers will fly them even as they reduce their FFP benefits. I think the China market is going to be a situation over the next five years that shows, at least in this instance, they needed those strong FFPs to compete.