Crash Landing

by Monica Liau
on Friday, July 02, 2010

With the green line extension, Shanghai's jetsetters rejoiced at having a direct metro route to the PuDong Airport that cost less than a Maglev or taxi ride, though in hindsight it was all just a little premature. If you are in any semblance of a hurry and carrying baggage - plus that big chip on your shoulder from realizing that you've forgotten grandma so-and-so's present but it's too late to turn back - the metro may not be a great idea from the city center. From my neck of the woods (JiangSu Road) it's a pain, despite the ride being a straight shot. It drags on forever. You should have the foresight to start at least one and a half hours before you need to be there. Keep in consideration that you are transferring at GuangLan Road. While you don't have to change platforms, you often have to wait nearly 15-30 minutes for the train. Also, if you're ever planning to return via metro, make sure your flight gets in well before 4pm because that is when the line closes. Subway officials have not gotten that whole "convenience thing" quite right yet.

Whether or not you hazard the metro, chances are that - if you're not running for your life through the concourse - you're sitting around scratching your butt and wondering why you didn't pack a snack. I don't often take the dive and splurge on airport food, but on one particular trip I had been up all night after a particularly busy week, a particularly interesting round of World Cup matches and particularly large amounts of beer. After a panicked 6am dash through security, I was grumpy, hung-over and starving. They almost stopped me at customs for importing bad behavior.

I needed something more than a six-pack of Pocky from duty free. Weary worn, I settled for the only café in sight: Blue-something. Blue Mountain? Blue Moon? Forgive me for not remembering the name, but it was utterly forgettable. I thought soup noodles for RMB59 would be a sure-fire mediocre meal at least, but the bowl of junk was bland, old, mushy and tasteless. Totally rubbish; not even watching Japanese businessmen pound beers at 7:30am makes it worthwhile.

After my meal, I went wandering to my gate and finally found the food court where a Burger King, Café Ritazza and Heineken Bar all reside. At the end of the day, despite the new options and gorgeous terminal, the PuDong Airport still stinks in terms of dining. Pack a lunch or go with fast food, but avoid the upper-end stuff. You'll just be disappointed.