The Adventures of Daniel Kwan

Some photos of my trip from PVG to PEK to come back to the States.

Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) – Terminal 2

Airbus A330-200

Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK) – Terminal 3

Boeing 747-400 Combi

I was expecting Beijing Airport’s new Terminal 3 to be a lot more impressive. It was big, but that was it. All the stores were clumped into one area and there were only a couple cafes along the way to my gate. I didn’t get a good look at the outside, but I didn’t like the interior architecture and overall look.

I’m guessing they wanted to mix modernity (cool, muted colors) with a traditional Chinese color scheme (warm, saturated colors), but it all just turned out ugly. That’s what happens when designers aren’t given creative freedom. Also, they seriously needed to turn up the AC. The place was hot.

Pudong Airport’s new Terminal 2 (which I just realized opened on the same day as PEK’s Terminal 3) looked much better, at least from the inside. Again I didn’t get a good look at the outside. The check-in area was nothing special, but the halls to the flight gates felt very comfortable and had many stores along the way. It felt like SFO, actually.

By the way, to anyone who takes Airport Bus Line 1 to PVG, note that the bus stops at Terminal 1. Air China is at Terminal 2 so you’d need to take the shuttle that goes between the two. This can be a pain if you have a lot of luggage.

One last thing I want to mention: the lady at the PVG information desk who told me where to find the Terminal Shuttle spoke fluent English and was very friendly. When I left, she smiled and said “have a nice day,” and that actually did put me in a nice mood. Unfortunately the Air China lady at the check-in counter was a bitch. The flight crew was friendly though.

Anyway, some more pics below. Enjoy.

» CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE

Tomorrow I’m going back to California for two weeks. I get to fly on the wonderful Air China, which is always an adventure.

Seats can’t be reserved in advance online nor by phone, so I’ll have to check-in at the airport extra early to get a better seat. I hope to get there four hours early.

The two-hour pit stop in Beijing will let me visit Beijing Airport’s new Terminal 3, which opened three months ago. It’s the largest terminal in the world. (I like airports.)

Air China’s economy seats don’t have individual video screens, so I’ll get to enjoy the movies on the projection screen with everyone else, like in a theater.

Best of all, Air China passengers tend to have a distinct sense of conduct you won’t find in many other airlines’ passengers. They’re generally more – how should I put this – lively.

I can’t think of a better airline to spend more than 10 hours on. (Sometimes you have to look on the bright side to maintain sanity.)