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Blog > Plane or train?
Author: Judy (Qian) Wang
While sitting in the airport waiting for my delayed flight (again), I am wondering whether next time I should choose the train to save some time.
I was at a client event in Southwest China, and about 40 journalists who came from Beijing were seriously delayed due to the heavy rain. One journalist told me it took her 8 hours in total for the whole journey (the normal flight time is 2 and half hours) and it’s impossible for her to do any work during this period. However, if she took the train, maybe it could at least give her some time to do some work or make some phone calls. It is said it will only take 5 hours for the bullet train to complete the same journey by the end of the year and I really wonder whether travelling by plane would still be the first choice for most people.
Though the chance to meet with an aviation accident is very small, the serious consequences still make passengers not feel particularly relaxed, when compared with taking a train, especially when the plane is ‘shaking’. I am also curious to know – whether the ‘Airplane mode’ is safe? We are always told not to turn on mobile phones on the plane, even if it’s on the airplane mode, why then was the ‘airplane mode’ invented? I always find people don’t turn off their mobiles while on the plane, using it as an MP3 because they think the airplane mode is safe.
The bullet train really provides a good travelling solution now and maybe it’s the time for the airlines to make more improvements.
6th Jul 12
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