Here's a Friday joke for you: How many Chinese airport workers does it take to push a 20-ton plane with 69 passengers and 7 crew? The answer: 30.

If you're not laughing yet, it's because it's not actually a joke, but a true story. This week in Zhengzhou a CRJ7 plane landed with a faulty front hydraulic system, which apparently meant it couldn't be attached to the tow truck. So airport officials sent out 30 staff to push the plane instead.

Two hours later, the 30 exhausted workers had pushed the plane less than half a mile but it was neatly out of the way and the passengers could disembark. And at least the airline didn't ask the passengers to get out and help push. Perhaps that's what they'd do on a low-cost carrier?

Related Stories:
· Airport Workers Get the Push [Ananova]
· China Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Ananova]]]> amandak 2008-09-26T08:45:34-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/9/2/21812/75552

Usually unspoiled romantic trips to Thailand have been messed around this past week as anti-government protests close down airports and roads. Although the Phuket Airport has been reopened and thousands of stranded vacationers are now on their way home, it's far from being over--a State of Emergency has been announced.

People's Alliance for Democracy protesters are now threatening to blockade not just Phuket, but seven airports across Thailand unless the Prime Minister resigns. Tourist hotspots like Krabi, Samui and Phuket are among the seven.

There's a good way and a bad way to experience airport shutdowns like this. The good way is what hundreds of tourists on Phuket just experienced--four extra days on a tropical island at the airline's expense. That's what we're rooting for.

Related Stories:
· PAD Warns of More Airport Closures in the South [The Nation]
· Aussies Tell of Thai Airport Scramble [SMH]
· Thailand Travel Guide [Jaunted]

[Photo: adaptorplug]]]> amandak 2008-09-02T09:00:21-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/2/6/105422/7143

Blame Peter Greenberg. About a week ago, the travel guru wrote an article hyping Rule 240, which used to govern interline agreements on airlines. Basically it said that airlines couldn't keep you captive in the terminal if they cancelled your flight; they had to put you on the next one out. But the rule no longer exists in that form, as Greenberg himself admits in his story.

That didn't stop the piece from getting picked up elsewhere, with people claiming that "invoking Rule 240" would solve all your canceled-flight woes regardless of the airline you're on. Wrong. Your trip on any given airline is always governed by a contract--called the contract of carriage--and if you act like a jerk, there's no way you'll get anything more than what that document mandates.

So what's a flyer to do? Know your stuff before you get to the airport.

MORE]]> pbb 2008-02-06T11:00:01-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2007/8/14/6738/96706

If you're not sure which airport you should fly into the next time you head to Britain, check out the UK Flight Delays website. It tracks the average times for check-in, security and immigration at airports in the UK, according to information that website users plug in.

While the numbers are still based on a small sample, you can already see that London Gatwick is doing badly: each stage takes more than 30 minutes on average. Smaller airports like Cardiff and Birmingham are higher up on the league table. Travelers can also leave notes about their experiences, and the Travellers' Comments page reads like a soap opera of bad airport experiences. If you need to vent after experiencing some airport frustration--or you want to praise a good experience--this is your site.

Related Stories:
· Fresh Stats on the Summer of Flight Delays [Jaunted]
· Yotel Gatwick Airport Hotel [HotelChatter]

[Photo: bob the lomond]]]> amandak 2007-08-14T09:15:01-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2007/6/18/152039/266

As we told you earlier today, if you are flying into or out of Milan today, watch out for the bunnies with stars in their eyes. Linate airport runways have been stormed by hares who are interfering with radar. What are these rabbits doing? Mostly taking part in mating competitions that include chases and "boxing," in which females hit males to test their stamina (and readiness for fatherhood?)

Yesterday, some 57 hares were shooed off the runway. How do you say "Get a room!" in Italian?

Sunday's hare-speed-dating event caused a 3-hour delay and left the airport grounds littered with oyster-flavored carrots and Marvin Gaye albums.

[Photo: Alberto Pellaschiar/ Dave Windett] ]]> egw 2007-06-18T16:45:43-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/