Talking Travel: Xiamen Airlines Comes to Beijing

After a kid kicked my seat for four and a half hours on a red-eye from San Francisco to Newark, I've thought a lot about earlier posts regarding the need for family-friendly airline facilities and late-night flights in general. This also dovetails with recent issues in the US about reclining seats. Conde Nast Traveler comes to the erroneous conclusion that reclining seats should be abolished, or that passengers just shouldn't put their seats back.

Talk about blaming the victim. No, that is not the correct conclusion. The correct conclusion is that by demanding cheaper and cheaper airfares, travelers have assented to this kind of treatment on airplanes. Airlines do it because no one complains enough or votes with their wallet to change the situation. In China of course, there's a simple solution: the person in front of you puts their seat back with no regard for who is behind them, assuming that person will do same. This is why, especially on long-haul flights, I always take the window seat in the last row of the plane. Sure, I get a seat in the face, but I also get to put my seat all the way back with a clear conscience. Anyway, pay more for better airlines that treat you like a passenger and not like cargo.

Xiamen Airlines, an airline you may have heard of, has established a base in Beijing, and will be placing 40 aircraft here in the capital, including at least six Boeing 787 Dreamliners.

Xiamen Airlines is also starting Jiangxi Airlines. Probably a whole bunch of their aircraft will be based in Shanghai. Whatever, man.

Until Thursday, one road flat safe.

Photo: Business Traveller Asia