Every internal flight in China I have been on, or indeed any flight that originated in China started with an announcement in multiple different languages along the lines of: “We are ready to go but we need everyone to SIT DOWN before we can push back off the stand.” This is repeated with increasing levels of tension and volume until finally people sit down. When in the past I have looked along the aisles, there are people just wandering around, hanging out, generally doing anything except sitting in their seats. It’s SO much worse on arrival though….
You know how, when you are on a plane and it’s time to leave you get up, wait for the people in front of you to gather their belongings before you take yours and make your way to the exit? It’s generally fairly civilised with an unwritten “people in front first” rule that everybody abides to.
It’s not really like that in China. People jump up and often start wandering around pretty much seconds after the plane has landed (sometimes before) and while the plan is still taxiing to the gate. On today’s flight,fellow passengers waited several whole seconds after the announcement that says “please stay seated, with your seatbelt fastened until the aircraft has come to a complete stop…”
When it comes to getting out into the aisle, nobody will stand politely by while you faff with your stuff. You have to physically muscle your way out of your seat and into the surge of people. Under no circumstances will someone wait for you. If you have a bag to retrieve from the overhead locker, you have to be careful as, when you turn sideways, you present a smaller surface area. People will pretty much climb over you unless you are large enough to block the entire aisle, and even then they will probably try. (My trick is to always make sure to put my rucksack on if I have one before turning sideways.)
Then when you are in the aisle with your belongings, it’s still not over. As you take a step towards the front of the plane, the person behind you will bang his/ her bag hard into your Achilles. You turn and give the bag a hard look just to make it clear that it was a bit of you and not, say a chair, that it bashed. Anywhere else in the world the person behind would look a little sheepish and maybe even apologise. Not in China. Every subsequent step you take will be accompanied by another equally unapologetic bash from behind.
The crazy crush to get out of the plane continues, very much not helped by the people who exit then for reasons I fail to fathom, procede to stand RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE DOORWAY.
Then they pile off quickly to then STAND on the miles of travelators that lead to Immigration. All that hurrying and now they are standing on a bit of rubber moving at approximately 0.5 mph. (Obviously they stand on both sides) I don’t get it. I just don’t get it.