Review of Shandong Airlines flight Qingdao Guangzhou in Economy

Airline Shandong Airlines
Flight SC4675
Class Economy
Seat 16A
Aircraft Boeing 737-800
Flight time 02:55
Take-off 22 Jun 15, 16:15
Arrival at 22 Jun 15, 19:10
SC 3 reviews
marathon
By GOLD 2457
Published on 18th January 2016
This was the last domestic segment in a mixed business and private trip in Mainland China. As of now, I reported three flights in English:

CGO - PEK : CA1326 (B738) MiG Alley

And the two flights before this one :

CKG - CGQ : CZ6460 (A321) Roughing it in Changchun
CGQ - TAO : CZ3938 (A321) The Germans’ Chinese Riviera

This Flight Report begins with the taxi ride to the airport. The taxi driver was very pleasant and obviously happy to chat about all kinds of non-essential matters with a foreigner. The black color of this car was a signal that its regulated fare was very slightly more expensive, but it was significantly above average in comfort.

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I liked Qingdao’s historic center, on the other hand the endless housing and industrial areas are nothing to rave about.

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Qingdao North Station is an exception. It was built in 2007, at the end of the high speed line connecting in Jinan to the Beijing – Shanghai-Guangzhou trunk line. Qingdao - Guangzhou by high speed train in second class was twice cheaper that my TAO-CAN flight, but would have required over twelve hours (6:32 – 19:04) to cover all 2,401 km of that trip.

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Arrival in TAO, with the name of the city in Chinese and English on top of both terminals (having the name in English is unusual). I took these pictures on foot, after having checked in

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The control tower between both terminals

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« My » terminal landside.

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There is a take-off every 6 minutes, excluding international flights, according to this FIDS.

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For over 90% of the flights, it is possible to check in from 8 am, no matter the time departure. A good point for TAO.

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At that time of the day, the check in counters are not overloaded

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No use to envy the J/Elite counter and its red carpet:

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…I received my BP in no time

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The security check was nothing but routine. Once airside, the arrows on the ground indicate the boarding gates.

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The luggage carts have screens which could display advertising

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These massaging armchairs do not attract many customers

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When it comes to having an internet access, and since I had neglected buying a Chinese SIM card, I won’t get it at the Integrated Service Counter, which centralizes in a single point TAO’s absence of service.

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TAO is an international airport ; I could not see the parked foreign aircraft, or very poorly, but these are the ones I saw taxiing :

ANA 767

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Korean Air A330

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Asiana Airlines A321

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Dragonair A330

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Now to the domestic fleet. How could you ignore the existence of Rizhao, one of the countless cities above the million inhabitant mark, located 170 km away from Qingdao? That is where Rizhao Steel, which owns this Gulfstream G550.

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Even more local, young Qingdao Airlines, created in 2014, with A320s only as of my flight

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And equally local, since Qingdao is in Shandong Province, a Shandong Airlines 738, identical to the one which will operate my flight. There were many more on the tarmac of TAO.

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A special livery for this Shandong Airlines738

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This is the reason

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Two livery variants (with or without the name of the HNA Group) of the Hainan Airlines 738s

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China Eastern A320 in the old livery

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And China Eastern A319 in the new livery

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China Southern 737

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China Southern A319

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Xiamen Air 738

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Juneyao Airlines A320

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I saw an aircraft like this one several times during that trip : a Tibet Airlines A319 which was rather far from her base.

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A discovery with an aircraft of the brand new Guangxi Airlines, created in February 2015, a 70/30 subsidiary of Tianjin Airlines and Hainan Airlines.

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Last, not least, the gem in that plane spotting on a civilian airport : this Chinese designed Harbin Y-12 is operated by the Chinese Sea Surveillance (中国海监). This is an aircraft for military use which has been sold to many countries in the developing world.

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The so-called « Special passengers Lounge » - the translation is accurate !

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What was special was the frown on the face of the staff, unrelated to my picture taking, that I charitably blurred

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I was not surprised that no special passenger appeared to want to go there, with such a frown as a welcome.

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There were only two locations with power outlets for use by the passengers in the domestic terminal (plus one at the lower level for bus boarding)

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A gas station is a station 站 where you add 加 gas 油, and a cell phone is a device机 which is hand 手 held, so by analogy, a cell phone charging station is a机手加油站, even though no gas is involved. Chinese can be an easy language!

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Now is the time to go to Gate 29, which is downstairs : boarding will be by bus.

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It was noisy, as usual in the tarmac level rooms. The flight currently boarding here was not mine.

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It was 15:26, good news for the passengers of Flight CZ3800 to CAN, due to depart at 16:00, delayed for traffic control reasons : the planes has arrived, and please wait for further announcements. It will be over an hour late.

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And bad news for the passengers of the other flight to CAN, i.e. mine:

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Due to the floods caused by the weather in Guangzhou, the departure time is changed. Please listen to the announcements.

That was indeed bad news, because I was supposed to meet my Chinese colleague in the hotel to prepare our meeting of the next day.

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And alternating with the announcements of all the other flights (departing every six minutes, as previously mentioned), there as this continuously repeated message in Chinese and in English :

Ladies and gentlemen, May I have your attention please. We regret to announce that Flight SC4675, CA4675 cannot board due to weather conditions. Would you please remain in the boarding room and wait for further announcement.

This was the double penalty when a Chinese flight is delayed : you are tired of waiting, and tired by PA announcements which bring zero new information.

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Adding to the din, there were staff using loudspeakers to make additional announcements about the boarding flights.

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Meanwhile, this was a favorite of my earlier Flight Reports

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Since the flight departing from Gate 29 is not mine

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… I went back up to the main floor, where it was a lot quieter, and where I could plug my laptop to avoid draining the battery before the end of the day,

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and continue spotting planes, whose pictures are the one you already saw.

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Especially since it was relatively easy to keep checking the non-evolution of the situation : my flight was the one whose gate was not listed.

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Around 5 pm (remember boarding was initially scheduled at 15 :45), I went down again to check the news, and they were not good, because they announced that some food would be distributed.

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While a passenger was aggressively (needlessly so, IMO) arguing with a staff on the right, I asked the other one:

还没有时间?
没有时间。

There is still no time ?
No time [of departure].

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The good news was that this was not a full meal, which made me hope that waiting would not last until the time for dinner.

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After removing all the wrappings : this was not high level gastronomy, but good enough for waiting

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The room had emptied somewhat so I could have a seat next to the only power port in this room at tarmac level.

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It was 18 :16, i.e. ETD + 2h01’, and Flight SC4675 was boarding at long last !

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The passengers spontaneously lined up in an orderly manner

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The minibus for the J/Elite passengers

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The ride took us towards the left of the tarmac, with a Shenzhen Airlines A320

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Lots of Shandong Airlines aircraft were parked away from the terminal

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It wouldn’t be these two

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Nor this one

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B-5648, delivered on 9 May 2012 will operate this flight.

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Last wait until the thumb up OK signal given by the FA at the top of the stairs. This staff performed the FA second check, a rule in Mainland China.

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A special livery promoting Shandong Province

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A nice lighting on this one in the distance

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Profile view of the Y-12, in front of a China Southern E-190

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The terminal in the distance

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Again, a neat spontaneously formed line

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Boarding

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The two rows in 2+2 layout of the J cabin

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This time, I had as a carry-on luggage an extra bag with a pair of shoes and some clothes. If you do not know why, read again this FR .

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A detail of the carpeting

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… and of the seat covers

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The antimacassars have an ad for a grotto opened to visitors which takes advantage of its vicinity to Taishan, the most famous site in Shandong Province with Qufu (the hometown of Confucius)

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Taishan 泰山 is a sacred mountain which is a climbed through 6,660 steps, most in of which are in a single and spectacular sequence all the way to the top.

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Let’s go back to this flight. The seat pitch, as measured my way from the back of the preceding seat is may slightly more generous than the Chinese domestic standard.

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The safety card, both sides

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My half row will remain empty as long as the second bus has not arrived

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The middle seat, where the passenger on the aisle seat will place his bag will remain empty. It is a small compensation for such a long wait.

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The safety demonstration is a cartoon on the IFE screens. There will be later another cartoon explaining the reasons behind each recommendation and interdictions, all very didactic, fast paced and friendly.

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SC is not open to Western superstitions : there is a row 13 on this aircraft.

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What appears prominently before the wing of this Tianjin Airlines E190 is not the name of the airline :
天津农商银行 means « Tianjin Agriculture and Trade Bank ».

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The aircraft taking off and landing are SC 737, SC 737 and more SC 737. Only the color of the nose changes.

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Runway 17 : at 19 :15, it is precisely ETD+3h, and our turn to take off !

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The arc shaped terminal

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Winglet shot of 山東航空 (Shandong Airlines), written in traditional characters, like on the fuselage

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Some views of the geovision which was not displayed for a long time on the IFE

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ETA 21 :52, i.e. 2h42’ behind schedule and a quarter of an hour of delay recovered en route.

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Like CZ, SC does not know what black coffee is.

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Guessing my choice (chicken rice or beef noodles ?) should be easy if you read my previous reports

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This is the meal without the wrappings

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And the chicken rice that I chose, which was not taking any risk, with the pickles

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A FA distributed leaflets for joining Air China’s FF program

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Name, phone number, seat number : I could have filled it in up to there. The province and city would have been more of a problem. They then asked the day and flight.

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Two different moods of the Sky Interior lighting

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Three hours of flight was long enough for SC to propose relaxation exercises on the IFE

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Few passengers did them.

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Blue variant of the Sky Interior

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Final descent on CAN

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Touchdown at 21:51 : the IFE’s prediction was accurate

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No, Qatar Airways and China Southern do not have a joint venture !

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The lack of adequate lighting precluded any plane spotting, but it was obvious that CAN is a very international airport.

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Leaving the aircraft

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This flight was so late that waiting until I could take pictures of the J cabin did not make so much of a difference.

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Going down to the luggage delivery room

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I am puzzled by the concept of a « non parabolic height ». In Chinese, the sign simply requests not to throw objects below.

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The waiting room for luggage whose passengers have been lost by the airline, or maybe the other way round.

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But this time, my suitcase was there

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Like in TAO, the passengers are encouraged to not tolerate unfair taxi drivers not dutifully using their meters.

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The waiting time was negligible, but this sign suggests to the passengers taking the subway two levels below in case there is a long line.

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No long lines and no cheating on the fare : the taxi ride was uneventful. Guangzhou’s IATA code refers to the former transcription of the name : Canton which reminds travelers that the language there is Cantonese, the language used by the driver to communicate with his base. No communication problem though: he spoke fluent Mandarin too.

A curiosity seen on the expressway : this car registered in Guangdong Province also has a Hong-Kong number plate (FV 5698) which makes it possible to drive it there. I have seen Guangdong number plates on HK registered cars (very few of them), but this was the first time I was seeing the reverse. I do not know what it costs to obtain one “normally”, but according to my research, such a plate goes for up to a million yuan (150 000 USD) on the grey market, and it is hardly any cheaper in the reverse direction. Can you think of such a traffic tight border inside a country?

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There are noteworthy sights in Guangzhou, even though it is first and foremost the foreign trade center for Southern China, but I chose to show you unusual fortified houses spread in the countryside around Kaiping 开平, about 140 km south-west of Guangzhou : the Diaolou 碉楼

The Diaolou are surprising fortified houses built between 1850 and 1930 in the Guangzhou province. These were troubled times, at the time of the dying Qing dynasty and then the fledgling Republic. With bands of highway robbers and warlords having raised private armies, the security of people and belongings were uncertain.

The most beautiful Diaolou have been built by Chinese expatriates who had come home, or to their parents ‘s home after having become rich abroad, but most have been erected by villagers who contributed to build a dungeon where those who had paid could take refuge in case of alert. Protecting the whole village with fortifications would have been much too costly, and would have required an armed and trained militia to defend them : a nearly impregnable dungeon was a good compromise to guarantee the security of the people and of the most valuable belongings.

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The Diaolou met ideally the specifications : dungeons made of reinforced concrete, with only an iron door reinforced by a portcullis and narrow windows with iron bars at the ground level, railings which could double up as battlements at the top, and turrets which could be used to throw stones on the attackers (they cost nothing and could be reused at the next alert).The concrete was strong enough to resist the light artillery that the attackers might have. The structure was tall enough to be used as a watchtower in the plain, and since it was in the plain, digging a well was easy, which deterred any besieging attempt.

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On the other hand, the Diaolou were unfit for any significant military use during the Japanese invasion, the struggle against the invader, and the civil war between the Communists and the Nationalists which came later. The quality of the concrete was good, however, and many of them remained in a decent condition until people started to pay some interest to this unusual architectural heritage.

They dot the landscape everywhere, and it would be useless to try to see them all : the Chinese referenced a total of 1,833 out of over 3,000 which had been built.

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A Diaolou emerging from the bamboo grove that has grown since it was abandoned.

This one, nicknamed the Lighthouse, was a good example of a village Diaolou: it was built on a modest hill where the cemetery was located. It was equipped with powerful projectors and sirens imported from Europe, to serve as a day and night watchtower.

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The upper levels were unlikely to be damaged and were often quite ornate, with an unexpected style which mixed Italian and Chinese influences. The furniture was also partly imported from Europe or America in the Diaolou built by Chinese of the diaspora. But in accordance to Chinese customs, there always was a small sanctuary to the ancestors at the top level.

Like in Europe, some later Diaolou made the transition between defensive and leisure castles. The buildings of the Li Gardens, a gigantic estate built by an extremely rich Chinese returnee, could be defended, thanks to their iron doors and shutters, but they were also richly decorated, in a garden where even a decorative canal had been dug.

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The Li Garden has been looted and laid waste by the Japanese, and remained in that sorry condition for many years, together with revengeful signs, but it has been rehabilitated since.

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The Kaiping area can be reached by public transportation, but that is a time consuming option. A more expensive but more efficient solution consists in renting a car with driver for one day from Guangzhou: that the driver only speaks Chinese is a minor problem, because once there, what you see speaks for itself.

Thanks for reading me all the way to here !
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Verdict

Shandong Airlines

8.0/10
Cabin8.0
Cabin crew8.0
Entertainment/wifi6.0
Meal/catering10.0

Qingdao - TAO

8.0/10
Efficiency10.0
Access7.0
Services5.0
Cleanliness10.0

Guangzhou - CAN

9.5/10
Efficiency10.0
Access10.0
Services8.0
Cleanliness10.0

Conclusion

This was my second Shandong Airlines flight ever. The previous one back in 2008 had been late, and this time it was dramatically late.
The comfort on board was standard, but there were no newspapers, and the miscellaneous programs on the collective IFE can attract some passengers, or frustrate them when their favorite show does not last during the whole flight. I would have preferred to have the airshow during the entire flight, even though the short didactic cartoon was amusing.
The menu on board did not tell you much if you already read my previous Chinese flight reports; I chose to award a bonus for the food distributed in the airport before boarding.
I penalize the absence of a rail link to TAO, and the equally endless and useless delay announcements on the PA. My grade would have been even lower if it had not been possible to check in from 8am on nearly all flights.
CAN's accessibility is excellent: there is a subway station and there was no waiting at the taxi stand.

Related

7 Comments

If you liked this review or if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to post a comment below !
  • Comment 155415 by
    NGO85 SILVER 1963 Comments
    Thank you for translating this FR for us Marathon!

    I like how the FIDS are sponsored by the local company, I actually have a Haier washing machine.

    These massaging armchairs do not attract many customers
    - I think only Chinese airports have these in such abundance. What is the reason for this? Are they unsold stock from companies?

    The minibus for the J/Elite passengers
    - The highlight of any trip to China.

    I guess it makes sense, the SC cabin is a mirror image of the CA cabin just in different colors. Pitch looks good on these planes and a standard meal box.

    The Chinese airlines should be commended for how they handle delays in the distribution of snacks, you'd certainly never see that in the US.

    I am puzzled by the concept of a « non parabolic height ».
    - Lost in translation I suppose.

    The bonus of the Diaolou was very interesting, thanks for sharing!
    • Comment 332977 by
      marathon GOLD AUTHOR 10116 Comments
      “I like how the FIDS are sponsored by the local company, I actually have a Haier washing machine.”
      Haier is indeed headquarted in Qingdao – I did not know that before you raised the point.

      “I think only Chinese airports have these massaging armchairs in such abundance. What is the reason for this? Are they unsold stock from companies?”
      They are something of a mystery to me. Their presence could be partly for advertising purposes.

      The minibus for the J/Elite passengers - the highlight of any trip to China.”
      I hardly ever was treated to the J minibus ! :)

      “I guess it makes sense, the SC cabin is a mirror image of the CA cabin just in different colors. Pitch looks good on these planes and a standard meal box.”
      Agreed

      “The Chinese airlines should be commended for how they handle delays in the distribution of snacks, you'd certainly never see that in the US.”
      Delayed passengers would never get these snacks in Europe either !

      I am puzzled by the concept of a « non parabolic height.
      - Lost in translation I suppose.”
      This is a case where the original Chinese did not give me a clue as to how they came up with this translation.

      “The bonus of the Diaolou was very interesting, thanks for sharing!”
      You’re welcome, thanks for your comments !
  • Comment 155465 by
    jetsetpanda 2283 Comments
    Thank you Marathon for another fascinating FR and bonus.

    Traveling on a domestic Chinese flight has its unique set of circumstances and it is always interesting to see these idiosyncrasies through a foreigner's eyes - but not just any foreigner but one who has a vast and insightful knowledge into the local culture which makes it even more rewarding.

    I am puzzled by the concept of a « non parabolic height ». In Chinese, the sign simply requests not to throw objects below.
    - There is no excuse for such careless translation at an international airport.

    The Li Garden has been looted and laid waste by the Japanese, and remained in that sorry condition for many years, together with revengeful signs, but it has been rehabilitated since.
    - After WW2 there was a lot of hatred towards the Japanese because of the atrocities that they have committed and it's hard to say that this feeling is not unwarranted. However, one thing that I learned is that one should always try to judge a person based on his individual character. When my great grandfather house was occupied by the Japanese, one of the neighbor's little boy went over the fence and fell breaking his arm. I learned during my visit that the boy was taken by the Japanese and his injury was attended to and eventually healed. Not everything is black and white in life.
    • Comment 332978 by
      marathon GOLD AUTHOR 10116 Comments
      The more I know about China, the more I know that I know little about it, but the domestic flights have become a familiar experience.

      One day will come when all these uniquely creative and surrealistically poetic translations have disappeared in China, and it will be a sad one for me. What would be Chinese air travel be without the “carefully hot” water fountains airside?

      WWII was also a bitter and cruel time in France, but there were similar stories too, including one involving a member of my family. The overall picture is indeed always made up of countless dots of vastly different colors.

      Thanks for your comments!
    • Comment 332984 by
      jetsetpanda 2283 Comments
      One day will come when all these uniquely creative and surrealistically poetic translations have disappeared in China, and it will be a sad one for me. What would be Chinese air travel be without the “carefully hot” water fountains airside?
      - I call it global standardization. After a while, I can swear that airports are becoming the same with the big duty free shopping fest after passing through security.

      WWII was also a bitter and cruel time in France..
      - Of course, especially with the German Occupation. But there are other events that are as brutal as the Rape of Nanking and that not too people who are not French know about, like what happened in Oradour-sur-Glane.

      Thank you for sharing your provocative and insightful FR's.
  • Comment 156693 by
    BombieFlyer 93 Comments
    Hello Marathon!

    Thanks for this flight report! Your writing makes me feel like I am there with you throughout your journey, see what you see and do what you do.

    It's funny that Shandong Airlines does not provide the half fork-half knife China Southern is famous for ;)

    Anyway, thanks for bonus about Diaolou! I look forward for the next report
    • Comment 333986 by
      marathon GOLD AUTHOR 10116 Comments
      Hello BombieFlyer!

      “Your writing makes me feel like I am there with you throughout your journey, see what you see and do what you do.”
      This is what I try to provide to the readers of my reports :)

      “It's funny that Shandong Airlines does not provide the half fork-half knife China Southern is famous for ;) “
      Chinese airlines provide very similar experiences on domestic flights; you have to focus on details to identify differences, like CZ’s hybrid silverware.

      “Anyway, thanks for bonus about Diaolou! I look forward for the next report”
      I appreciate your taking time to write a comment; thanks ! There is more to come…

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