The first batch of passengers arrives at the swank Terminal 2 of Pudong International Airport yesterday morning. The new building has been three years in the making. It is capable of handling 40 million passengers per year.
Terminal 2 - huge, sparkling new and state of the art - officially began operations at Pudong International Airport yesterday.
This reporter, on dawn patrol, was there to watch proceedings unfold. And, apart from a slight hitch in ticket markings, the facility came through with flying colors.
Yao Mei, a Chinese businessman, became a rather bewildered celebrity as he was the first passenger to check in at the Shanghai Airlines' counter at 6:15am.
Yao caught Flight 9545 to Chongqing City. "I felt nothing special ... only that the check-in procedure went impressively quick," said Yao, surrounded by a media throng of flashing cameras and microphones.
The pedestrian and shuttle-bus services that connect the two terminal buildings also officially opened yesterday.
Linking corridors are supported by automatic walkways. It takes about 10 minutes for passengers to complete the walk between the two terminal halls.
The shuttle buses leave every 10 minutes on a trip that takes just three minutes.
But confusion over whether flights leave from Terminal 1 or 2 is a problem that may take a few days to rectify.
"We hope highly visible tags are pasted somewhere on the tickets to show whether they are for T1 or T2," said a Shanghai man on board a shuttle bus. His daughter was catching a flight that left from the new terminal early yesterday.
Her ticket, from an agent, did not signify a terminal number and he drove his daughter to Terminal 1. Consequently she almost missed her flight from Terminal 2.
Airport officials said yesterday that all new tickets should have "T1" or "T2" stamped on them. Some tickets issued by agencies before yesterday did not have the information.
"Our airline offices have already started informing ticket buyers of terminal details," said Zhang Chenwen, an operations manager of Shanghai Airlines. "Our ticket agents have also been told to follow the same practice, but how well they carry it out is beyond our supervision."
A shuttle driver said that most travelers who mistakenly went to Terminal 1 yesterday booked their tickets from agents instead of directly with airline offices.
Fifteen airlines moved from Terminal 1 to Terminal 2 yesterday, while 18 will relocate on April 29.
Terminal 2 is easy to negotiate. Clearly marked signs indicate areas for taxies, long-distance buses, the Maglev station, parking lots, terminal-shuttle buses and linking corridors.
Terminal 1 was another story.
"Many passengers have been asking us where they can find the shuttle buses," said a female guide, standing next to a gate of Terminal 1's arrival hall.
Terminal 2, however, drew much praise.
"It's comfortable and very spacious," said a female traveler, surnamed Wang, who was heading for Changchun City from Terminal 2. "I like the carpets. The new terminal facilities are equal to airports in Singapore and Australia, where I have traveled."
About 120,000 square meters of carpet has been laid.
(Shanghai Daily March 27, 2008)