Han Ximin, Sun Haiying ximhan@126.com, NEARLY 400 passengers have missed their flights a day on average since the start of the Spring Festival travel rush Jan. 21, data from the Shenzhen airport showed. Among them, nearly 100 a day missed flights with China Southern Airlines, mostly due to failing to leave sufficient time for boarding, the airline company said. Among them, 80 percent completed check-in, but didn’t have sufficient time for luggage consignment, lining up for security checks and walking to the boarding gate. It is a 20-minute walk to remote boarding gates, and flights generally close boarding services 15 minutes before departures. The airline wishes to remind passengers to leave sufficient time for boarding. The Shenzhen airport has been handling the travel peak for the holiday rush since yesterday. China Southern Airlines operated 122 departure flights yesterday, sending 23,000 passengers home. Some passengers, around 15 percent, missed their flights due to carrying restricted items like batteries in their consigned luggage, which requires a double check. The airline wishes to remind travelers to carry such items in their carry-on luggage. Prior to going through security checks, they need to allow security inspectors to inspect the items in order to save time. Three percent of passengers missed flights due to confusing the departure time, as some flights depart in the wee hours — for example, if a flight departs at 1:30 a.m. Friday, air passengers need to arrive at the airport on Thursday night, not Friday. A dozen people missed their flights for this reason. As the flights are already fully booked, it is hard for passengers to reschedule their flights, the airline warned. |