Before You Leave By Chinese Airline

What arrangements should I make if I'm meeting someone at the airport in China?

• Airports are huge and congested places so you want to take extra care when arranging to meet someone at the airport.

• Make sure you give them all your flight information so they can stay updated in case your flight is delayed.

• Ask them not to leave for the airport until they have gotten an update concerning your flight's status. The Chinese Airline will not verify that you are on the plane or that you even bought a ticket to be on the plane, but they will usually update individuals on the arrival time of particular flights.

• Check out the airport's web site and share that web address with the person you are meeting. This way you can both see the airport's layout and identify a good place to meet.

• Agree on a specific place to meet and be as specific as possible. Agreeing to meet in the passenger pick up area may leave you looking for each other in a huge place. Also, many airports in China have more than one terminal building and thus they can have several passenger pickup locations.

• Realize that security may prohibit them from waiting for you in their car at the pick up area and they may need to park or keep driving around until you can meet them.

• Don't plan to meet at the gate. Most Chinese airports only allow ticketed passengers past security and into the gate area. You might even consider agreeing on a secondary location that is just off the airport property, such as a specific restaurant or hotel, in case security prevents them from making it onto the airport property. Again, the airport's web site can probably help you locate such a location.

• Trade cell phone and pager numbers, if you have them, so you can reach each other once you both make it to the airport. You will need to keep your cell phone and pager turned off on the plane, but you can use it once you reach the airport in China. You might want to call when you are ready to be picked up so they don't have to park or keep driving around until you arrive.