FIFA fans miss flights, too into football games

• Source: Global Times
• [09:54 June 21 2010]
• Comments

By Zhang Cao

Pudong International Airport authorities are dispatching three times as many inspection officers at boarding gates for the remainder of the 2010 FIFA World Cup to ensure that passengers watching the games while waiting to board do not miss their international flights.

Though boarding flights on time is ultimately the responsibility of passengers, airport authorities are assigning three instead of one inspection officer to boarding gates to help passengers be more mindful of the time - not just the score.

With the June 11 to July 11 football games being broadcast on televisions at the airport, some 15 passengers, both Chinese and foreigners, have missed their scheduled flights while another 15 or so have come very close to missing their flights, said airport authorities.

"A British man missed his plane because he lost track of the time while he was watching one of the games," Wu Zhencui, a press officer of the Pudong International Airport Frontier Inspection Station, said Sunday. "He had to pay an extra 2,000 yuan ($293) for another ticket so that he could get to Hong Kong for the next day."

Between 7 pm and 12 pm daily, when the football matches are televised in China - and at the airport - about 27 international flights depart from Pudong.

"Footy fans have been missing their flights during this time," said Wu.

Wu added that the airport will continue airing the games, but urged passengers to keep a close eye on the time as only passengers holding business class tickets can reschedule their flights. Economy class passengers who miss their flights are required to purchase new tickets.