V-Flyer

Nanjing to Chengdu in south west china, where some European airlines now fly direct to. Chengdu is a well developed city with an agreeable climate and a very Mediterranean, laid back (for china) pace of life. Miss PVG has a lot of family there and it provides a good gateway to some of the more scenic parts of China, so we decided to fly there for a few days.
We conveniently got a lift for the 45 minute drive to the airport. There arent many other options. Nanjing was a late starter in the rush to develop Chinese cities and is still playing catch up, and the only way to the airport is by private car or taxi, there are no airport to city buses and no raillink yet, though Im sure its coming.
Check in at Nanjing was as usual a trouble free affair and we were quickly though the security checks and waiting at the gate. This isnt an airport for the shoppers amongst you, with a very limited choice of typically Chinese fare, a couple of bars and restaurants and not much else.
Chinese flyers at least seem to be developing the art of queuing, unlike their compatriots on every other form of transport, and an orderly queue formed at the gate a few minutes before we were called for boarding.
Once onboard yet another shiny new A320 I had to be dragged kicking and screaming past the same proper sized business class seats in the first two rows that I had enjoyed only a few days before on the flight in from Seoul. At this point I chastised miss PVG for booking us in economy, but she rather sensibly reminded me that the money saved could buy us both a whole lot more beer than we could have managed for free in the business class lounge Women!
Seat pitch in economy on the masses of Chinese airlines is widely variable, and this flight was one of the better ones, probably better than virgin since my knees didnt touch the seat in front.
The flight was full and pushed back five minutes before schedule so I assume everyone was on board.
The two hour flight was one of the bumpiest I have experienced in a long time. The cloud extended above our cruise height, so we had constant turbulence of the sort you normally only get on take off and landing through clouds, and since we were down the back it was decidedly unpleasant. But the cabin crew never faltered and they carried on working throughout. This was an early evening flight so we got an evening meal of the typical Chinese airline choice of rice or noodles, both of which were pretty good, but only a choice of soft drinks.
Landing into Chengdu on schedule was interesting due to strong winds, and I can safely say this is one flight I was glad was over.
The Chinese are a funny lot when it comes to getting off a plane, they are stood up and trying to get stuff out of the overhead bins even before the thrust reversers have been stowed, (much to the annoyance of the cabin crew) and then it is a mass bundle for the exit. The best policy really is to sit it out since, no one is going anywhere fast, and in this case it paid off since we had a clear run to the rear stairs which were in place before the front ones!
Domestic flights in china entail no further security checks upon arrival, but do remember your baggage receipts since these are matched with the tags on your bag by security as you exit the baggage claim area. Im not sure if this is to deter theft, or help the absent minded.
Off to explore the chengdu high life, and all that super spicy Sichuan cooking!