Cities

Finnair - the worst airline between Europe and Asia?

http://www.janipenttinen.com (Jani) — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 03:45:01 CDT

I used to think Finnair is one of the higher quality airlines out there, but I guess mostly because I am from Finland. Well, I no longer think of them as anything high class or something I would recommend. Over the past year we've read a lot about the constant delays of their flights, often counted in several hours... but it only really sinks in when the trouble hits home!

The longest delay I've ever heard of happened in the spring when Wen's mom was returning back home to China from Finland, after visiting us. The flight was initially delayed couple hours, then a little longer until finally being completely canceled. In the end she had to wait for 24 hours at the airport!

The biggest problem was that Finnair didn't tell us about the delay before she checked in. When you're in Finland with a single entry visa, once your out of the border check, cannot return. She was unable to get out of the terminal area, and for the same reason she was also unable to sleep the night at a hotel. She ended up staying 24 hours in the terminal where almost nobody speaks Chinese (she speaks no English) and could do nothing but just wait for the flight.

Well, surely Finnair would compensate such wait, right? The EU regulations state pretty good compensation for passengers stranded for more than 3 or 4 hours, and hers was way over that. That's what I thought too...

However, Finnair took more than one month to even process the inquiry (I couldn't believe it when I called them... they obviously have no standard policy of trying to keep customers happy, all complains are put in a queue where the processing takes 4-6 weeks) and today they finally returned with a decision: they figured out the delay was not their fault and they didn't have any advance information of it, so at most they will reimburse any food she bought during the wait, assuming she has receipts!

I fail to believe a large airline doesn't have any idea two hours before the flight is about to leave that they will not be able to fly at all. And in any case, why not try to keep customers happy? It's unbelievable Finnair thinks it can say "It's not our fault" and think that the customer will then be happy. For sure, there is nothing the customers can do when the flight keeps getting pushed back. There also don't appear to be other causes (no reason was given for the delay) so "Not our fault" doesn't really cut it.

It is for sure that Wen's parents or anyone they know, will never fly Finnair again. China may have a lot of people but they are also a lot more connected than the western so hurting the feeling of one will easily come back to you a hundred fold. And the sad thing is that it doesn't hurt just Finnair's reputation but Finland as a country as Finnair is known as the "Finland airline".

I just recently read from Finland's leading newspaper that Finnair is forced to cancel their Guangzhou route and that the rest of the Chinese routes are now flying half-empty, while just one year ago they were flying full. Finnair is blaming the spring earthquake, but the newspaper said they have received information that a lot of Chinese are simply frustrated by the delays and the way Finnair treats their customers.

I think Finnair fails to realize it's not easy for Chinese to travel to other countries, and basically most of the people flying are in fact fairly succesful. Flying to other countries is not a common trait, it's something special and the expectation on the foreign airlines is high. In China these people are used to getting top class service and they don't even mind paying high prices. But they simply cannot accept getting lousy service and except an apology and full compensation.

What Finnair has done might be something that is too late to fix. They might already have the reputation in China of being a low class airline with unreliable flights and bad customer service. Finnair obviously puts the blame on the earthquake and the high gas prices, but the fact of the matter is that Finnairs mounting troubles are home-grown and there's no way out of it other than a serious change in attitude. Even then it may not be possible anymore.

Finnair's slogan is "The fast airline between Europe and Asia" but they should realize people don't only want short flight time. There should also be no wait time before the flights, and people don't really like sucky customer service either.

I was once at the Beijing airport waiting for a delayed flight for a few hours. It was a Chinese airline. They ended up paying everyone quite a nice chunk of cash, on the spot, to compensate the fact we had to wait. Not surprisingly, I had no bad feelings towards them, quite the contrary.

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Fun photography in Santiago, Chile and Buenos Aires, Argentina

http://en.xihalife.com/u/1055404/ (sari) — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 10:57:15 CST

Hey guys,

I wanted to recommend a fun thing to do in either Buenos Aires or Santiago.

The company is called Foto-Ruta. They started the business in Buenos Aires but recently spread their wings and launched in Santiago too. They make photography tours but not those average, boring tours because they have added a little twist there. They encourage you to take your creativity to the next level while exploring the city.

I personally enjoyed the experience since I'm a big photography lover but turned out that you can shoot with your iPhone if that's what you want. All the cameras and levels very equally welcome. We also had some wine by the end of the tour while reviewing our photos. It was nice and relaxed. I got to meet new people, take great shots and get to know the city a little better. I couldn't have asked for more.

Their website is: foto-ruta.com

Have fun in South America!!

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Spain,Bracelona

http://irishka.xihalife.com/ (irina) — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 05:38:56 CDT

love to travel a lot specially in Spain

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New York City

http://molly9518.xihalife.com/ (J.J.) — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 07:03:38 CDT

To all New Yorkers: I've fallen in love in the New York City, so PLEASE tell me about it

''(...) Sit back New York City
You're not cute but you're oh so pretty (...)
You are a part of me (...)
You are the heart of me (...)''

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America- The Beautiful! For all patriots

http://molly9518.xihalife.com/ (J.J.) — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 04:29:26 CDT

FOR ALL PATRIOTS!

AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL
O America for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mouintain majesties,
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crowd thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for pilgrim feet
Whose stern impassioned stress
A thoroughfare of freedom beat
Across the wilderness!
America! America!
God mend thine every flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law!

O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife.
Who more than self their country loved
And mercy more than life!
America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness
And every gain divine!

O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for halcyon skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the enameled plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
Till souls wax fair as earth and air
And music-hearted sea!

O beautiful for pilgrims feet,
Whose stem impassioned stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
Till paths be wrought through wilds of thought
By pilgrim foot and knee!

O beautiful for glory-tale
Of liberating strife
When once and twice,
for man's avail
Men lavished precious life!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
Till selfish gain no longer stain
The banner of the free!

O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam

Undimmed by human tears!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
Till nobler men keep once again
Thy whiter jubilee!

THE STAR SPANGLED BANNER
Oh,say! can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming;
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there:
Oh, say! does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In fully glory reflected now shines in the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh, long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion
A home and a country should leave us no more?
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution!
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Oh, thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust":
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

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do u love ur city?

http://en.xihalife.com/u/254424/ (priti) — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 22:35:18 CST

my Chittagong is the best city in the whole world.
i love my city sooooo much!!

if u love ur city then always be aware 2 save it!!
by the way, do u love ur city?
is so then let me know..

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trip to Germany

http://lialka.xihalife.com/ (pagauk veja laukuos) — Sun, 17 Jun 2012 15:56:38 CDT

Hey
This summer I'm planning a trip to Germany from Lithuania, so my main question would be: what would you suggest that I would visit in Germany?
Our last stop and the destination will be Heide Park

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One day sidecar tour on 29th,October

http://en.xihalife.com/u/516705/ (changjiangsidecar) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 03:38:07 CDT

Dear Friends:

Do you want grab the ride season before it’s gone, come and join the one day trip on next Saturday!

Detail information as below:

Destination: Huai Rou
Start time: 8:30 a.m on 29th, October , 2011

End time: About 3 or 4 p.m will back to BeiJing city

Start place: In front of Australian embassy

Tips:

It’s much colder in the mountains, so bring your thick clothes which you wear in winter times, especially the girls and ladies !

Please get back to me as confirmation before Wednesday 26th of October.

Attached are some pictures of our last ride( last weekend tour), hope you will like it.

Best Regards
changjiangsidecar
www.changjiangsidecar.com

skype: changjiangsidecar

Mobile: +86 13651331816

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U.S.A.

http://molly9518.xihalife.com/ (J.J.) — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 04:24:39 CDT

Hi everyone! I'm very interested in the culture of the U.S.A. Tell me sth 'bout it, please

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Any one have expereince of Costa Rica Vacations?

http://en.xihalife.com/u/978928/ (Jasmine Desuja) — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 05:52:08 CDT

If you have experience of vacations in Costa Rica. Please share with me. I am planning to have Costa Rica Vacations .

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A summer trip to Finland

http://coupdepouce.xihalife.com/ (Coup de pouce) — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 08:02:21 CDT

Earlier this month, my brother, his girfriend and I left for a +2 week long road trip, heading for Finland. This was my second visit to Finland, first one being erm... 16 years ago ?

Since I don't think millions of people will take time to comment on this topic, I will sum it up : almost 6,000 kms on the road with a trailer car (or van), 11hours on a ferry from Sweden to Finland and another 11hours on our way back, that's for the main figures

Now for some facts and figures about Finland : please keep in mind that this is my opinion, nothing more, don't feel offended and feel free to add your opinion of course

First of all, it's nice to travel abroad and be able to communicate ! Yes we are French, yes we suck at languages but the three of us could speak English, hence be understood most of the time Don't expect to speak english in France :(

This way we could always get some help be it in a supermarket or at the local tourist center.

Secondly : life is sooo expensive over there ! For some unknown reason only tobacco is cheaper in Finland than in France, all other goods are a lot more expensive ! For instance while we pay 0,90euro for a baguette (and this has gone a lot more expensive than before), it was always more than one euro and up to 1,50 in Helsinki ! And I don't mean to be crude but this isn't even a true baguette :(

I was also amazed at the many Mac Donalds shattered all over Finland, it seems there even a dozen of them only in Helsinki ! That and also shops selling sweets, only sweets but all kinds of sweet ! Maybe a reason why I found that Finnish girls weren't quite as thin as in my memories (yet Finnish women are so attractive !)

Another striking feature, for us, is that boundless forest and the many lakes that cover Finland ! While you can drive a hundred kms, you seem to be always driving across a huge forest, spotting lakes here and there and that's a wonderful landscape !

Enough for now, maybe I will go on if someone adds some comment

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10 Wonders of the New China

http://jason.xihalife.com/ (Jason) — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 02:11:35 CST

It's a hotbed of innovative architecture, from diaphanous theaters to buildings heated and cooled by water

China's current building boom is doing more than sucking up the world's supply of steel -- it's creating a stage for some of today's boldest architecture and engineering. Take a tour of the 10 of the most intriguing examples.

The Commune, Beijing
First phase completed 2002, expansion scheduled for completion in 2010
Even if the Commune didn't sit beside that wonder of the ancient world, the Great Wall of China, it would still qualify as a wonder. The complex includes houses by 12 of Asia's leading architects. It was conceived by married real-estate developers Zhang Xin and Pan Shiyi, who gave each architect a $1 million budget. Shigeru Ban, the Japanese architect most famous for the paper houses he designed for refugees of the Kobe earthquake, designed the Furniture House, featuring the laminated plywood typically used for modular furniture, and China's Yung Ho Chang created the Split House, which takes the idea of a boxy dwelling, slices it in half, and spreads it out like a fan.

The Commune is now operated as a boutique hotel by the Germany luxury hotel group Kempinski, which is responsible for an upcoming expansion, which will feature 21 homes (including replications of the originals). One element will remain untouched in the new development: the Commune's private pedestrian trails, which trace untouched sections of the Great Wall.

Beijing International Airport, Beijing
Foster & Partners. Under construction, to be completed in late 2007
According to the U.S. Embassy to China, the country will be building 108 new airports between 2004 and 2009 -- including what will be the world's largest: the Beijing International Airport, designed by Foster & Partners. Set to open at the end of 2007, in time for the Beijing Olympics in 2008, the airport terminal will cover more than 1 million square meters, giving it a bigger footprint than the Pentagon.

It's designed to handle 43 million passengers a year initially and 55 million by 2015, figures that will probably push the new facility into the ranks of the top 10 busiest airports, going by the 2004 numbers from the Airports Council International. Given the scale and traffic, Foster & Partners focused on the traveler's experience, making sure that walking distances are short, for instance.

Building on Foster's experience designing Hong Kong's new mega-airport, the massive Chek Lap Kok, the sprawling Beijing terminal is housed under a single roof. To help passengers distinguish between different sections of the vast space, skylights cast different shades of yellow and red light across walls -- a subtle but innovative navigational aid. The architects also kept sustainability in mind: An environmental-control system reduces carbon emissions, and skylights situated on a south-east axis lessen solar heat, keeping the building cool.
Shanghai World Financial Center, Shanghai
Kohn Pedersen Fox Architects. Under construction, completion scheduled for 2008

Rising in the Lujiazhui financial district in Pudong, the Shanghai World Financial Center is a tower among towers. The elegant 101-story skyscraper will be (for a moment, at least) the world's tallest when completed in early 2008.

One of the biggest challenges of building tall is creating a structure that can withstand high winds. The architects devised an innovation solution to alleviate wind pressure by adding a rectangular cut-out at the building's apex. Not only does the open area help reduce the building's sway but it also will be home to the world's highest outdoor observation deck -- a 100th-floor vista that will take vertigo to new heights.

National Swimming Center, Beijing
PTW and Ove Arup. Under construction, completion scheduled for 2008

The striking exterior of the National Swimming Center, being constructed for the 2008 Olympic Games and nicknamed, the "Water Cube," is made from panels of a lightweight form of Teflon that transforms the building into an energy-efficient greenhouse-like environment. Solar energy will also be used to heat the swimming pools, which are designed to reuse double-filtered, backwashed pool water that's usually dumped as waste.

Excess rainwater will also be collected and stored in subterranean tanks and used to fill the pools. The complex engineering system of curvy steel frames that form the structure of the bubble-like skin are based on research into the structural properties of soap bubbles by two physicists at Dublin's Trinity College. The unique structure is designed to help the building withstand nearly any seismic disruptions.

Central Chinese Television CCTV, Beijing
OMA/Ole Scheeren and Rem Koolhaas. Under construction, scheduled for completion in 2008

The design of the new Central Chinese Television (CCTV) headquarters defies the popular conception of a skyscraper -- and it broke Beijing's building codes and required approval by a special review panel. The standard systems for engineering gravity and lateral loads in buildings didn't apply to the CCTV building, which is formed by two leaning towers, each bent 90 degrees at the top and bottom to form a continuous loop.

The engineer's solution is to create a structural "tube" of diagonal supports. The irregular pattern of this "diagrid" system reflects the distribution of forces across the tube's surface. Designed by Rem Koolhaas and Ole Scheeren and engineered by Ove Arup, the new CCTV tower rethinks what a skyscraper can be.

Linked Hybrid, Beijing
Steven Holl Architects; Li Hu, lead architect. Groundbreaking on December 28, 2005, scheduled for completion in 2008

Linked Hybrid, which will house 2,500 people in 700 apartments covering 1.6 million square feet, is a model for large-scale sustainable residential architecture. The site will feature one of the world's largest geothermal cooling and heating systems, which will stabilize the temperature within the complex of eight buildings, all linked at the 20th floor by a "ring" of service establishments, like cafés and dry cleaners. A set of dual pipes pumps water from 100 meters below ground, circulating the liquid between the buildings' concrete floors.

The result: The water-circulation system serves as a giant radiator in the winter and cooling system in the summer. It has no boilers to supply heat, no electric air conditioners to supply cool. The apartments also feature gray-water recycling -- a process that's just starting to catch on in Beijing in much smaller buildings -- to filter waste water from kitchen sinks and wash basins back into toilets.

Dongtan Eco City, Dongtan
Masterplan by Arup, for the Shanghai Industrial Investment Corp. In planning stages, first phase to be completed in 2010

Developed by the Shanghai Industrial investment Corp., Dongtan Eco City, roughly the size of Manhattan, will be the world's first fully sustainable cosmopolis when completed in 2040. Like Manhattan, it's situated on an island -- the third-largest in China. Located on the Yangtze River, Dongtan is within close proximity of the bustle of Shanghai.

By the time the Shanghai Expo trade fair opens in 2010, the city's first phase should be completed, and 50,000 residents will call Dongtan home-sweet-sustainable-home. The goals to be accomplished in the next five years: systems for water purification, waste management, and renewable energy. An infrastructure of roads will connect the former agricultural land with Shanghai.

Olympic Stadium, Beijing
Herzog & de Meuron. Under construction, to be completed in 2008

Sports stadiums have long followed the enduring design of one of the original wonders of the world, Rome's Coliseum. Herzog & de Meuron's National Stadium in Beijing is an attempt to rethink the classic sports-arena layout for more ecologically correct times.

The Swiss architects (of Tate Modern fame) wanted to provide natural ventilation for the 91,000-seat structure -- perhaps the largest "eco-friendly" sports stadium designed to date. To achieve this, they set out to create a building that could function without a strictly enclosed shell, yet also provide constant shelter for the audience and athletes alike.

To solve these design problems, they looked to nature for inspiration. The stadium's outer grid resembles a bird's nest constructed of delicately placed branches and twigs. Each discrete space within the facility, from restrooms to restaurants, is constructed as an independent unit within the outer lattice -- making it possible to encase the entire complex with an open grid that allows for natural air circulation. The architects also incorporated a layer of translucent membrane to fill any gaps in the lacy exterior.

National Grand Theater, Beijing
Paul Andreu and ADP. Under construction, to be completed in 2008

Located near Tiananmen Square, the 490,485-square-foot glass-and-titanium National Grand Theater, scheduled to open in 2008, seems to float above a man-made lake. Intended to stand out amid the Chinese capital's bustling streets and ancient buildings, the structure has garnered criticism among Bejing's citizens for clashing with classic landmarks like the Monument to the People's Heroes (dedicated to revolutionary martyrs), the vast home of the National People's Congress, or Tiananmen Gate itself (the Gate of Heavenly Peace).

French architect Paul Andreu is no stranger to controversy -- or to innovative forms. A generation ago, in 1974, his untraditional design for Terminal 1 of Paris's Charles de Gaulle airport was criticized for its unusual curves, yet Andreu's groundbreaking, futuristic building later was seen to distinguish de Gaulle from more generic European and international air hubs. (The same airport's Terminal 2E, also designed by Andreu, gained attention in 2004 when it collapsed, tragically killing four people.)

Beijing's daring National Grand Theater is as much a spectacle as the productions that will be staged inside in the 2,416-seat opera house, the 2,017-seat concert hall, and the 1,040-seat theater. At night, the semi-transparent skin will give passersby a glimpse at the performance inside one of three auditoriums, a feature that highlights the building's public nature.

Donghai Bridge, Shanghai/Yangshan Island
China Zhongtie Major Bridge Engineering Group, Shanghai # 2 Engineering Co., Shanghai Urban Construction Group. Officially opened in December, 2005

A key phase in the development of the world's largest deep-sea port was completed when China's first cross-sea bridge -- the 20-mile, six-lane Donghai Bridge -- was officially opened in December, 2005. Stretching across the East China Sea, the graceful cable-stay structure connects Shanghai to Yangshan Island, set to become China's first free-trade port (and the world's largest container port) upon its completion in 2010.

To provide a safer driving route in the typhoons and high waves known to hit the region, Donghai Bridge is designed in an S-shape. The structure, reported by Shanghai Daily to have cost $1.2 billion, will hold its title of China's -- and one of the world's -- longest over-sea bridge for only a couple of years, though. In 2008, the nearby 22-mile Hangzhou Bay Transoceanic Bridge, which also begins (or ends, depending on your journey) in Shanghai, will earn the superlative.

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private vw polo 1.4 for long term rental

http://johnsonsong.xihalife.com/ (johnsonsong) — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 09:03:05 CDT

private VW polo car 1.4 for rent in shanghai
it is very new in silver color
manual with full insurrance
can be rent out very cheap !
johnsonsidecar@gmail.com
mobile:13661904350

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polotics

http://en.xihalife.com/u/257202/ (Alex) — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 12:52:29 CST

I dont like polotics, its all lame and boring so i just skip the entire process of polotics!

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When you rent a flat

http://en.xihalife.com/u/759601/ (Booking Flats) — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 06:49:50 CDT

The book: Defending Possession Proceedings, the 7th edition contains chapters as:
Family Intervention Tenancies Public law defencesHuman rights defencesDisability discrimination defencesRent arrears and bankruptcyThis as an absolutely interested book and very useful if you intend to rent a house.
Read more on: www.just-searching.com
Attorney-at-law - Lawyers Vienna - Rechtsanwalt Wien

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