PEK congestion
Sep 21, 2007 | 3:00 pm
#1
Original Poster
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Shanghai
Posts: 46,385
PEK congestion
As a corollary to my recent thread in which I ranted about flying in China being a PITA, I'm starting this new thread on Capital Airport's traffic woes and related topics.
In short, in spite of the ~15% reduction in flights (that has caused air fares to go through the roof), PEK has become a whole lot less user friendly during past weeks.
I think we can attribute most of the increased pain to the construction that's been going on in T2 and its access roads. In any case, I'd like to hear your comments.
But, I'd like to give you a few random tidbits first:
-the morning ride in is at an all time low; people in my circle have been reporting 60-90 minutes for something that usually takes 30; the bottleneck occurs between the toll gate and the terminals
-upon arrival last night, I noticed that doors 6-11 are closed for renovations; how they got such past the fire inspectors, is a curious matter insofar as I'm concerned
-taxis can once again drop pax off at the terminal itself (as opposed to in the parking lot) so the incremental value of 黑车 has been reduced
-my last 23 flights have been delayed (some only by minutes -- and, I realize that the Chinese use more realistic block times than Americans); my average is 1 hour
-the first flights of the day are the best, but this is counterbalanced by the afforementioned traffic problems
-3 to 7p is the absolute worst; you might get there in 30 mins, but you should plan on an hour plus arrival delay; those planning on flying back to PEK on the same plane (from pretty much anywhere) should call their airline before venturing to the airport because they will be affected as well
As much as I like BJ, I am posting here because our airport is the pits right now. I want to give you guys a heads up. Furthermore, I think that, acting together, we can devise some strategies to address the problem at hand.
In short, in spite of the ~15% reduction in flights (that has caused air fares to go through the roof), PEK has become a whole lot less user friendly during past weeks.
I think we can attribute most of the increased pain to the construction that's been going on in T2 and its access roads. In any case, I'd like to hear your comments.
But, I'd like to give you a few random tidbits first:
-the morning ride in is at an all time low; people in my circle have been reporting 60-90 minutes for something that usually takes 30; the bottleneck occurs between the toll gate and the terminals
-upon arrival last night, I noticed that doors 6-11 are closed for renovations; how they got such past the fire inspectors, is a curious matter insofar as I'm concerned
-taxis can once again drop pax off at the terminal itself (as opposed to in the parking lot) so the incremental value of 黑车 has been reduced
-my last 23 flights have been delayed (some only by minutes -- and, I realize that the Chinese use more realistic block times than Americans); my average is 1 hour
-the first flights of the day are the best, but this is counterbalanced by the afforementioned traffic problems
-3 to 7p is the absolute worst; you might get there in 30 mins, but you should plan on an hour plus arrival delay; those planning on flying back to PEK on the same plane (from pretty much anywhere) should call their airline before venturing to the airport because they will be affected as well
As much as I like BJ, I am posting here because our airport is the pits right now. I want to give you guys a heads up. Furthermore, I think that, acting together, we can devise some strategies to address the problem at hand.
Last edited by moondog; Sep 21, 2007 at 10:42 pm
Sep 21, 2007 | 5:09 pm
#2
Ambassador: China
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Malibu Inferno Ground Zero
Programs: UA AA CO
Posts: 4,836
PEK congestion
Its Friday afternoon rush hour traffic here in LA...and the first rain storm in nearly a year is coming in. So don't feel too bad. You could probably fly from LAX to PEK in less time than it would take from San Bernadino to Santa Monica on the 10 FWY.
