Getting to Pingyao

On our way to the ancient walled city of Pingyao, my cousins Michelle and David were treated to a Chinese airline customer service experience.

First, picture US airline customer service. Then, move that out of an overly litigious and customer-focused society into a context where it is accepted that the customer has no rights but those the vendor tells him to have, and no one has ever received a refund or compensation for poor treatment, ever.

Very early in the morning, we hopped a taxi to the airport. We walked in about 55 minutes before our flight and split up into different lines to see who would make it to the counter first. Exactly 30 minutes before our flight, we handed our passports and boarding passes to the agent, who said, "Flight is closed. I cannot check you in." What! We've been here almost a 1/2 hour already! And there was no announcement the flight was closing, no effort to get passengers checked in. I was furious. The gate agent deflected me with a classic Chinese send-them-to-someone-else-for-bad-news maneuver, "Go to the Duty Manager. He can help you."

We headed across the hall to the Duty Manager, who said, "The flight is closed. Of course I cannot help you. It's already 30 minutes before departure." At that moment, a Chinese customer approached the counter with the same situation for the same flight - as well as proof that he was actually at the check-in counter a full 33 minutes ahead of the flight, but he was denied check-in as well. Now I realize, the flight was likely overbooked. Perhaps a group of VIPs needed to get on the flight, or perhaps they sold just a couple of extra tickets, but either way, the airline saved face by declaring us at fault.

The duty manager said, "There is another flight at 9:20." Ok, less than 2 hours later, we can manage that. We dashed to the ticket counter only to find out the flight was a 9:20 pm, not am. Score 2 for the duty manager, 0 for customer service. Ultimately, we ended up going to a different airline and buying first class tickets to Taiyuan, the nearest city to Pingyao, because those were the only seats available. At 900 RMB (about US$130), the price was quadruple our original ticket price, but still acceptable.

Perhaps if I had known what we were headed to in Pingyao, I would not have been in such a rush or felt so frustrated at the delay. But as it was, the taste of my fury at the duty manager was still lingering in my mouth as I nursed my instant noodle cup in the first class lounge.