This morning Qi and I took a plane to Beijing. Because of all the horror stories in the local press about overcrowded stations and airports and long delays, we were prepared for the worst. Our taxi picked us up at 10:20 AM, and the ride to the airport was very smooth. We arrived withing 15 minutes, no traffic jam whatsoever, such a ride normally occurs only late at night. At check-in all counters were open, and there were just 3 people in front of us. Within 5 minutes after arrival we were checked in, so that was a good start.

Because I heard that Hongqiao airport changed its taxi system, I went to check that out (I did not fly from here anymore after they implemented the changes last month). I remembered reading in the Shanghai Daily that they now have 10 places to find a taxi (instead of previously 2), but I only found one place, and the second one had disappeared. Strange. But at least now there are three lanes for taxi