U.S. airlines are retreating from Mainland China, realizing the great Chinese aviation gold mine may actually be fool’s gold. To be sure, there is money to be made…a lot of it. But U.S. airlines are increasingly finding frustrating yields...
Now Taiwan May Punish Airlines Who Complied With Chinese Demands
In the ongoing battle over the sovereignty of China and Taiwan, Taiwan is now fighting back. The island nation is mulling punitive “countermeasures” for airlines who caved into Mainland demands to label Taiwan as part of China. These “countermeasures” are...
Review: EasyGo VIP International Lounge – Hangzhou (HGH)
The EasyGo VIP International Lounge in Hangzhou (HGH) served one key purpose: I was able to charge my devices prior to my AirAsia flight. You might have trouble finding this Priority Pass lounge unless you can read Chinese. Look...
Editorial: Satisfying China’s Request is Impractical
China has asked US airlines to designate Taiwan as part of China on their websites and systems. Regardless of where you fall on the China/Taiwan debate, there are impracticalities that arise when treating the two places as one country and it...
China Rejects Compromise On Taiwan By U.S. Airlines
China has rejected an attempt at compromise over the thorny Taiwan issue by the three U.S. legacy carriers. Earlier this week, I wrote that U.S. airlines agreed to Chinese demands that Taiwan not be listed as an independent nation...
U.S. Airlines Will Kowtow To China On Taiwan
U.S. airlines including American, Delta, and United are poised to capitulate to Chinese demands to remove references to Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau as separate nations. Last time I wrote about this, U.S. airlines had collectively deferred to the...
Air China Fires Smoking Pilots, But Will Culture Change?
Last week, I wrote about an Air China 737-800 that rapidly descended due to a loss of cabin pressure. At the time, Air China and Chinese authorities believed it was due to pilots smoking in the flight deck, but...
Chinese Warn Citizens That U.S. Travel Is Extremely Dangerous
China and the USA are now at war with another…a trade war. The old adage “all is fair in love and war” applies here too. The Chinese government has warned its citizens about the unsafe conditions in the United...
China Won’t Discuss Taiwan Issue With U.S. Airlines, Blames Trump
As a “final” deadline approaches for U.S. airlines to respect Chinese wishes over the classification of Taiwan on their websites, the issue is escalating into a full-blown diplomatic battle. Recall that China has insisted that all U.S. airlines identity...
U.S. Airlines Brashly Defy China: Consequences Coming?
The Chinese government is insisting that U.S. airlines stop treating Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau as separate nations on their websites and other booking channels. Thus far, U.S. airlines have steadfastly refused. But what will happen when Beijing tightens...
A Peek Inside the Chairman Suite – Park Hyatt Beijing
The Park Hyatt Beijing is one of our favorite Hyatt properties for their attention to details, elegant rooms and their extravagant breakfast. During a past stay a few years ago, we were given a tour of the Chairman Suite, the...
China Threatens U.S. Airlines
As Marriott can already attest, tensions over China’s sovereignty can hurt business. Now U.S. airlines are under threat. In one corner: China, stating that any business operating within its borders must respect its sovereignty. In the the other corner:...
Chinese ‘Ghost Cities’ Create Instagram Haunts
On my quest to visit some of China’s Ghost Cities, I found three near Shanghai, perfect for my trip. I expected to find empty cobblestone streets and block after block of empty and under construction Tudor-style homes. What I...
Review: Park Hyatt Beijing
The Park Hyatt Beijing is showing some signs of wear, but remains an excellent choice for a luxury hotel in the heart of China’s capital city. After arriving from Helsinki on Finnair, we proceeded to the hotel via taxi...
Chinese Cyber Police Block Marriott’s Website for Disrespecting China
Cyber Police from the city of Shanghai have blocked Marriott’s website and mobile app for one week, punishing the hotel chain for “disrespecting” Chinese Sovereignty. Marriott sent out a Mandarin-language survey to Chinese consumers which listed Hong Kong, Macau, Tibet,...
United Cancels Service to Xi’an, China
United Airlines is cancelling its summer seasonal service between San Francisco and Xi’an, China. Effective today, the flight has been removed from the schedule. In an internal memo, United blamed poor yields for the decision to abandon service– In...
Live and Let’s Fly Weekend Digest: October 22, 2017
I’m back in LA after a fast-paced week around the world. My trip took another twist on the way to Ho Chi Minh City, which I will share tomorrow morning. As it was a relatively light news week, Live...
Business Class: China Railway High-speed
While living in England, traveling by train became a way of life and when you bought your ticket, you knew exactly what to expect. However, during a trip to China, our first train experience was a bit of a...
United Airlines Cuts Service to Hangzhou
United Airlines is finding its mission to expand to secondary cities in China is not as profitable as initially hoped for. The carrier will suspend service to Hangzhou effective October 16, 2017. We have no official announcement from United...
VIP Treatment in China Eastern VIP Lounge Shanghai Airport
Sometimes an ordinary lounge visit becomes a little bit extraordinary thanks to unexpectedly excellent service…even if such service is part of concerted scheme to deceive. I already wrote about what happened here. It was simply an amazing experience in...
