Half of Qingdao Flights Grounded and Other Travel News

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Talking Travel: Your semi-regular roundup of Beijing's latest transportation-related news.

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50 percent of Qingdao flights indefinitely groundedAs is always the case during Golden Week, upwards of half a billion people crisscrossed the country this year despite a pandemic that threatened to derail everyone's plans. As a result, headlines across the globe cited the country's "near return to normal," making China Domestic Travel a trending topic on Twitter, and dare we say, the envy of the world. Unfortunately, however, a new – albeit mild – outbreak in Shandong Province's Qingdao was reported shortly thereafter, effectively pausing the celebratory mood that permeated the country just two weeks prior. To date, the severity of the outbreak is largely under control, and the local government has already announced plans to test roughly 9 million residents. Still, the incident is more than enough to spook certain business sectors including the recently resumed airline industry. According to the Beijing Evening News report, Qingdao Liuting Airport had canceled 49.79 percent of flights by 9.25am on Oct 13, including more than half of the flights connecting it to both of Beijing's airports. 

Given Qingdao's proximity to the capital, it's a favored weekend getaway known for fresh seafood and being the home of everyone's favorite cheap beer, Tsingtao. Unfortunately, however, for the time being, you'll just have to drink your Tsingtao on the streets of Beijing.

Overseas travelers will be tested three times

The city's epidemic and prevention control authorities announced yesterday that all overseas travelers coming into Beijing will need to produce three negative COVID-19 tests: one within five days of departure, one at customs upon arrival, and one at the end of the 14-day quarantine period.

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United Airlines adds another direct flight to China

Foreign passport holders have had a hell of a time entering the country since Mar 28 in that generally speaking, they haven't. Nevertheless, after China announced that most valid visa holders would be allowed to return last month, the resumption of direct flights between China and the US specifically remained no less tricky given the pandemic situation Stateside and intense political climate between the two countries. Luckily, all hope is not lost as the number of flights have been slowly but steadily increasing, with United Airlines the latest to announce that beginning Oct 21, flights between San Francisco and Shanghai's Pudong airport will resume its nonstop status four times a week, making it the most frequent direct flight between China and the US.

If you're willing to fly to Shanghai first, the US is just a nonstop flight away

In the meantime, all travelers should be aware that regardless of nationality, anyone flying to China from the US needs to provide a negative nucleic acid test administered within three days of departure.

New transportation planning standards favor green commuting

Back on the ground, Beijing's municipal government recently released a new transportation planning standard for pedestrians and cyclists, which will go into effect on Apr 1, 2021, and prioritizes walking and cycling around the capital.

In a perfect world, every intersection would be this orderly

Some noticeable changes are new requirements for pedestrian crossings – they need to be wider than two meters and should include dedicated paths for bicycles to avoid unwanted, and unsafe, mingling between folks on wheels and folks on feet. Moreover, the duration of red lights should be less than 90 seconds, and spaces for bike parking should outnumber those for car parking within 100 meters of any railway and subway stations, transportation junctions, and large public service facilities. 

Images: Trip Vivid, TTG China, Beijing Daily

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