I'm in China - just flew into Shanghai on UA, and onward to Beijing on Shanghai Airlines.
The differences between domestic travel here and that in the U.S. are astounding. There are no fascist security guards here waiting to pounce on you, and rape your privacy with their gloved or ungloved hands. Well-trained guards keep security lines moving smoothly. Properly set-up ID check counters before security ensure that people traveling have appropriate ID.
On board the plane, a uniformed unarmed air marshall sat in the front row of economy class, and after take off took up position in the FA seat outside the cockpit. I do not know if undercover air marshalls were present, but there is supposed to be at least
one uniformed air marshall on each domestic Chinese flight.
There was no secondary screening. There is no need for secondary screening if you do the job right the first time round!
I felt both safe and unharrassed. We in the U.S. really have something to learn from China. It is American air travel that is totalitarian.
[This message has been edited by Buster CT1K (edited 03-21-2002).]