Reflections at 35,000 feet

At the moment, I am sitting on board China Eastern Airlines flying from Shanghai to Qingdao. As a former employee of the airline industry and a frequent traveler, it is interesting to reflect on the experiences here in China versus the United States.

As we had started the day at the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition, we had already seen the development of transportation expansion in Shanghai. So it was no surprise that the Shanghai Hongqiao Airport was new, immaculate, and very open, designed in much the same fashion as the Shanghai Pudong Airport to which we first arrived. The advertising within the airport was larger and bolder than most places in the US, although that space was still bought from advertising conglomerate JCDecaux, as is the case at home. Check-in kiosks abounded, not that I used one because as a group of 30, we checked in with an agent at the groups desk. Interestingly, we had a misunderstanding as to the complimentary weight allowed for checked luggage; here weight was given as a total rather than on a per bag basis. Anther difference was that absolutely no liquids are permitted in a carry-on, not even in the 3oz container in a 1-quart plastic bag enforced in the US, Canada and Europe. The misunderstanding in particular reiterates the importance of flexibility in international travel; sometimes you just must roll with the punches. It also reinforces the point that different airlines, countries and cabins of service will almost always have different requirements and due diligence is critical if one wants to avoid excess fees. This statement seems to be the catch-all that could be applied to most any aspect of business or life. The theme of attention to detailed rules and due diligence for success has been repeated at throughout this program:

• recently at UPS in Atlanta
• at organizations in China (namely Citi and US Commercial Service so far)
• in our legal environment course

After check-in, we proceeded through security, which was very similar to US security, complete with x-ray scanners and metal detectors. We were departing from Gate 53, which was a non-ramp, remote boarding process that involved a bus ride and steps to the plane. This is interesting as my understanding is that this is a relatively new airport offering additional capacity to Shanghai; often times the remote boarding is used only in space-constrained airports that already have traffic at capacity levels such as London Heathrow. If Shanghai’s secondary airport is indeed already experiencing these issues, the continued population and economic growth will certainly increase the need for additional capacity. This issue can be two-sided; on one hand it presents a problem of high traffic, but on the other it presents opportunities of further building and development that can create new jobs and wealth in the area.

For my final observations on the actual China Eastern experience, I toast their strong customer service. The plane itself (Airbus 320) seemed moderately new and in good condition. The seats were comfortable, reclining back farther and offering more leg room than many US domestic coach seats. We were offered both a tasty ham and cheese sandwich and a beverage on board, and the flight attendants were very attentive. Directions and information were given in both Mandarin and English in the airport and on board. This was actually a bit of a surprise for me as it was a China domestic flight. This international touch shows a sense of welcoming to Western business coming to China, both as tourists and business-people. This open reception is yet another recurring theme that has emerged on this trip.

It’s Not Easy Being Green…

“Try it. Try it. You’re in China. Try new things,” Rui and Eduardo chided.

I stared at the delicacy in front of me and gulped. I did say I was open to trying new things. “Here goes nothing,” I thought as I looked down at the plate of fried frogs. World, I ate frog and I think I liked it. It honestly does taste like chicken except that it’s chewier and has a slightly different texture.

Moving onto more serious topics, we visited the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center today. It was amazing!  There was a scale model of Shanghai’s 10 year planning projection that was quite impressive. It had all the current buildings as well as the approved projects, which were differentiated by their white color. A major portion of the future plans involve heavy sustainable aspects. Among them, is a large-scale waste management plan.

This environmental focus, interestingly enough, ties back to what we mentioned yesterday in our US Commercial Services blog post. From the planning efforts, China recognizes that the environment could be a constraint to its growth and is taking steps to ensure sustainable growth. It would be interesting to see what steps the other Chinese cities are taking to grow sustainably. We’re off to Quingdao, so we’ll see if there are any tangible steps that we notice.

On our way out of the Exhibition Center, we noticed a small gathering of people holding up signs.  They were basically protesting some sort of disparity in housing. It poignantly brings up another factor that could be a constraint to China’s growth- the huge gap between the rich and the poor.