MY SHANGHAI AIRPORT SAGA TELLS ME "GOOD LUCK TO OLYMPICS IN CHINA 2008"

Yeah, good luck to China on trying to shape up, not unless they can do something about their taxi drivers spitting out of the window every 3 minutes, stop the migrain-triggering incessant car honking, and improve service staff attitude by 70%. That's a lot to do in less than 3 years, more like they need 3 decades!

I must say while I had a great time working with Kitson and team in Shanghai (we whipped up an incredible event), but I can't say I have the same experience with the people in Shanghai. Everywhere you hear shouting matches....yes, whether the people are quarelling or not, they speak at the top of their voices, and then you realise, hey, that's their mode of conversation! I was once told if you want things done, you CANNOT speak to them gently. I wasn't used to this but, I had to try.....but how wrong, still didn't get what I want. Tell you how i found out......

So, on Saturday, after an euphoric event on Friday, I was due to fly back to Singapore at 10.35am on MU567 (China Eastern), because I have a performance on Saturday night. Scheduled to arrive back here at 3.35pm, I figured I have ample time to prepare even if the notoriously late carrier suay-suay really kenna some delay. I woke up at 7am, cherrily arrived at the airport at 8.40am and went to check which row I have to queue to check in......my eyes surveyed the entire board once, no such flight, panick, can't be, maybe eyes still sleepy. Rub eyes, check again, still don't have. Freaked out, I dragged my luggage packed for like a 2-week travel to China Eastern ticketing counter to enquire. After staring at the computer for a minute, the girl told me there's no such flight. What? Just 3 days ago I called China Eastern office in Singapore after the 4th attempt (they gave me 3 other tel numbers that turned out to be wrong) that I don't have to re-confirm my seats anymore?? Further check, she said it had been cancelled, but due to what reason, when cancelled whatsoever--don't know! Ok ok, calm down, so what is the next flight I can be on. Oh, so now I have to go to another counter called "Duty Supevisor" to ask. Dragged luggage again (yes I know airport provide trolleys, but I have no time...very stress liao because got assignment back in Singapore). Duty supervisor unemphatically says next flight at 3.50pm and I arrive 8.50pm. Quick mental calculation, after collect luggage 9.30pm, my show at 10pm....CANNOT! I went around looking for another possibility. Found one and only SQ flight at 2.35pm, arrive 7.35pm. Ok, still looks plausible, that is if I apply cosmetic on board the plane. Went to SQ counter ask if I can be tranferred over. No seats. They told me to wait, if there's cancellation, I can get it IF China Eastern willing to endorse the switch over, which is entire at their discretion. I prayed silently, YES, phone rang and Kitson told me someone just cancelled reservation and have 1 seat on SQ. I went to Duty Supervisor again, told them my ordeal again, and tell them to help switch me to SQ, a discretion they were just not willing to exercise. I started by being gentle.....don't work, I remembered someone say must speak English, not Mandarin, still don't work. And finally I have to YELL, until I heard my own echo travelling down the departure hall, still no one moved an arse! All the moron did was wrote me a chit that says the original MU 567 has been cancelled and said that I can pursue the matter with my local agent for issuing me the ticket! To cut the long story short, Kitson was nice enough to buy me and get the agent to send me the SQ ticket and we agreed to take the matter to Singapore since there's is NO POINT in seeking help in Shanghai...these people have never heard of service recovery, problem solving or anger management, btw, while I was shuttling between counters to seek help, I witnessed at least 2 other passenger-and-airport staff squabbles.

Then the final part. After checking in to SQ, I wanted to make sure I cancelled my seat with China Eastern (I held on to the 3.35pm seat just in case I didn't get the SQ) so that I can get the refund back in Singapore. So as usual, I went to Duty Manager who tai-chi the task to the ticketing counter, and as you would have guessed it, ticketing counter asked me to go duty manager. Who wouldn't blow a top by now? And yes, this is the only time it worked. Without bargaining further, she tapped on the computer and told me "Cancelled!". I'm not satisfied, I demanded to know when and why MU 567 was cancelled and why I was not informed. She made a probably bogus call which was not answered and just gave me the tel. no to call myself since she got no reply. I'm exhausted, I have to board so I let her off. While running towards the gate, I made the call and as I already half expected it, the China Eastern call centre rep also can't give light to my plight. He offered several clueless possibilties you wished you had not wasted the roaming call charge.

While the biggest consolation was not only I got back on time to do another great show, the flight back on SQ was so much more plesant (if not for the next passenger trying to hit on me-this is another experience I have to post in my next entry), compared to hot-like-hell Sin-Shanghai China Eastern flight which had the loo smelling like porta pumper.

Bet you are exhausted reading too. Anyway, before I forget, all these happened after I already had a tiff with a hotel receptionist ealier when checked out who insisted I still had to make the balance payment of several hundred yuan when it had already been settled by Kitson during check in. I had to dig out the already stashed away receipt as proof before he irately walked away and declared "mei shi le, mei shi le" (no issue, no issue) like as though he is granting me pardon for something I had done wrong!!

Actually I've many lovely pictures to post, but guess I will do so next post because the re-enacting of the Shanghai airport saga causing me to hyper-ventilate. In the meantime, just one of my favourite one, to remind me that there was at least something cool about Shanghai-the weather! More pictures next post.