Results tagged “unitedairlines”

Following a successful flight from Shanghai to San Francisco, a body was discovered in the nose wheel well of United Airlines flight 858. Mechanics discovered the body during a routine post-flight inspection after the plane landed at 7:42am, Thursday morning. According to investigators, the man was of Chinese Asian descent and in his 50s.

OK, we've never heard of East Star Airlines before, but it has just become the first private airline in China to be authorized to operate international flights. A Xinhua report tells us that under Civil Aviation Administration of China regulations, new airlines may apply to operate international flights only after three years of operations. East Star has been in business less than two years, but it beat rivals Okair, Ueair, Juneyao Airlines and Spring Airlines to be the first. Hmm... we wonder what made them bend those rules!

For most of the day yesterday, we here at Shanghaiist were wondering if we should post anything about the horrific mass shooting at Virginia Tech, a university in the United States. On the surface, the answer should have been an easy "no" — Blacksburg, Virginia, is nowhere near Shanghai. But news started to trickle in about the suspected killer: He was Asian, possibly Chinese. And then, yesterday morning, Chicago Sun-Times columnist Michael Sneed posted a story labeled "exclusive" that started out like this:



  • "She said the gunman 'was just a normal-looking kid, Asian, but he had on a Boy Scout-type outfit. He wore a tan button-up vest, and this black vest, maybe it was for ammo or something.'"
  • "The 24-year-old man arrived in San Francisco on United Airlines on Aug. 7 on a visa issued in Shanghai, the source said. Investigators have not linked him to any terrorist groups, the source said."
  • "The gunman who shot up a Virginia university and killed at least 33 people including himself was an Asian student who had quarrelled with his girlfriend just before the shooting spree, a Taiwanese student said Tuesday."
  • "The gunman found dead today by authorities from apparently self-inflicted wounds was described by an injured student to MSNBC as a college-aged Asian with a maroon hat and black leather jacket." Just because his visa was issued in Shanghai does not mean he is from Shanghai.
  • "No Chinese students have been found among the dozens of victims in Monday's shooting rampage on the campus of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), in the eastern U.S. state of Virginia." Except for, maybe, the killer.
  • "Shanghai's oldest luxury hotel, Peace Hotel, has been closed for a US$65m restoration and is expected to reopen in 2010."
  • "McDonald's China has promised to establish trade union branches in its 40 restaurants in the eastern Zhejiang province this year, the All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) said Monday."
  • "Some interesting variations by Chinese sports shoe companies on one of the world’s most famous logos." Also 'borrowed' from are Diadora and Mizuno.
  • "The bones are used for traditional Chinese medicine and the claws are worn by some men as pendants in the hope of increasing their virility."
  • "The Consumer Council in Hong Kong warns that excessive consumption of dried squid snacks could result in arsenic poisoning, leading to chronic pathological liver disorder." Good thing we can't stand the stuff.
  • "Google may face legal action after admitting to unauthorised use of data from Chinese internet portal Sohu in its own Chinese translation software."
  • "The U.S. government's accusation that China's market access restrictions on films, books and audiovisual products are leading to rampant piracy does not stand up," Wang told a news conference in Beijing.
  • "They said the fourth-year undergraduate was an introvert who was working as an intern in a local company. She was reportedly pessimistic about over the demanding job last week." Happened in Changning District around midnight.
  • "Zhu Jun, owner of Shenhua soccer club, is countersuing his neighbors in a dispute about a wall that allegedly blocks sunlight." On Xingguo Road.
  • "After This Our Exile, which tells the story of a gambling addict who forces his son to steal to make ends meet, won best film, director and screenplay."
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    Photo by sheniferous found via the Shanghaiist Contribute page.

    Hot on the heels of United Airlines being awarded a nonstop route linking Washington, D.C., and Beijing, Delta Air Lines has started campaigning early for the 2008 China-US flight path — we're not sure why there appears to be a one-route-per-year limit on these things. Anyway, here's a bit of the story:

    Didn’t take long for our first new year wish to get squashed. On Tuesday, United Airlines won preliminary approval from the US Department of Transportation to operate a daily non-stop flight between Washington, D.C. and Beijing starting this March, beating out proposals from fellow carriers Northwest (Detroit to Shanghai), American (Dallas to Beijing) and our favorite, Continental (Newark to Shanghai).

    • If you drive a Mercedes Benz S Series W220, we highly doubt you are reading this website. but if you are, your car is at risk of a gas leak and has been recalled.
    • In airline news, American Airlines' prices for US-to-Shanghai flights are not as low as we reported earlier, but they are still low: "The cheap seats are available at $625 from Chicago O’Hare and $675 from Atlanta, Boston, New York LaGuardia, Newark, St Louis, and Washington D.C. Flights from Dallas Fort Worth will cost $680." Tickets must be purchased by March 10 and they are good for flights leaving the US between April 2 and May 1. Return flights must be made before June 30. Also, United Airlines wants to fly to South China. And Continental Airlines desperately wants in on the Shanghai gravy train.
    • Who could possibly be "shocked" that half of China is "suffering from second-hand smoke"?

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