Beijing airport needs to lift its game

[photopress:beijingairport_1.jpg,full,alignright]The Olympic Games are just down the road and all reports are that China has the infrastructure well in place and is further ahead in preparations than any nation in recent times. Except perhaps in passenger handling and flights to and from Beijing airport which seem, according to a survey, to be be less than acceptable.

Finance Asia has just published the results of its annual business travel poll. A quarter of the responses referred to the above average number of delays on flights to and from Beijing. Some of the comments:

'You cannot count on anything like a schedule flying in and out of Beijing.'
'The travel from Beijing to Hong Kong continues to get worse, with the delays rumored to be weather, military exercises, and plane maintenance.'
'It is extremely annoying that you cannot plan your schedule in the way that you want it to be, as the delay is always unpredictable. I have to budget more time for travel these days when going to Beijing.
'I have to allow a whole day for travel each way to/from Hong Kong, which reduces the number of meetings I can schedule in Beijing.'
'Meetings are scheduled based on an expectation of a 1.5 hour delay – time is wasted.'
'The flight is always delayed. We will be seated in the plane, but won’t take off until 45 minutes to one hour later.'
'It sucks, it is a totally inefficient airport.'

And this is the airport that is going to be a vital cog in the logistics for the Olympic Games? It sounds like London Heathrow of which Jeffrey Barnard wrote: 'I welcome death for I will not have to pass through Heathrow.'
Source: Finance Asia