Government Responds To Complaints And Bad Behavior

If you take the "civil" out China’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAAC), you might get a flavor of how that country’s passengers are behaving lately.

China’s traveling public has complained about the in-flight service, delays, misplaced and damaged luggage, and the coffee (oh no, not the coffee!), according to Reuters.

But the CAAC has taken the issue to heart, issuing an internet-based plea last week to domestic air travelers to curtail their whining.

"What must be stressed is that safety is at the root of airline travel," according to the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China’s Web site, "and on-board service revolves around this."

Further explanation: "That is what restricts the type of food carried, as well as the fact that on-board food is frozen first for freshness then reheated, so naturally the flavor suffers." (As my kids would say, TMI, or "too much information.")

Passengers are fighting back, however, against boorish cabin crews, crumbling in-flight entertainment systems, and delays while fully-loaded aircraft sit on the tarmac for hours; passengers are refusing to deplane until they are compensated for late flights and, when herded into lounges following unannounced diversions to other airports, breaking down locked doors and storming runways.

"We hope to increase consumers’ understanding about the special nature of the civil aviation industry," reads the Web site,"so together we can create a cozier, more harmonious aviation travel environment."

The airlines have also added their two cents, saying it's the passengers who are unruly and poorly educated about flying. Airline representatives say they spend billions on new aircraft and on improving service.

See you at the 2008 Beijing Olympics!

FMI: www.chinadaily.com, www.caac.gov.cn