Chapter 664
After Su Miao and Su Yuanzheng decided to fly to Guangzhou, they went straight to the ticket office of Beijing Capital Airport early the next morning.
The ticket window was crowded with people, all holding letters of introduction from their work units, waiting in line to buy tickets.
In the 1990s, civil aviation was still in the transition stage, and air tickets were expensive and had entry barriers.
First, your identity must be verified. When purchasing a ticket, you must present your company letter of introduction and your ID card (or work permit), which will be checked again when you board the plane.
Some popular routes give priority to public officials, and private company employees have to wait in line when seats are vacant.
Letters of introduction from state-owned units, government agencies, and public institutions are the "hard currency" for purchasing tickets, while letters of introduction from private enterprises may not be accepted at some windows.
If the private enterprise has been registered with the Industry and Commerce Bureau and has an official official seal, some ticket sales points may recognize it.
You may also be asked to provide additional materials such as a copy of the legal person’s ID card and business license.
For some small self-employed individuals or unregistered private enterprises, the difficulty will increase significantly.
This situation continued until 1993, when the civil aviation industry fully implemented market-oriented reforms and officially abolished the requirement for a letter of introduction to purchase tickets. After that, it became increasingly convenient for private companies to purchase tickets.
Fortunately, Su Miao pays great attention to the formalization of the company. Even though it is still a small shop, it has completed all the formal procedures that can be handled at the beginning of its opening. Now, no matter what materials the window asks them to provide, they can produce them.
Su Miao still asked worriedly, "Dad, did you bring all the documents? Did you forget anything?"
"Everything is here. I checked it three times before leaving, and nothing is missing." Su Yuanzheng patted the file bag he was holding in his arms.
Even in Beijing, flights are not very busy nowadays. At least in Su Miao's opinion, it is far from what it will be in a few years. The number of flights will increase after the Asian Games.
When it was their turn, the conductor said without even looking up: "Letter of introduction."
Su Yuanzheng quickly handed over his business license and ID card: "Comrade, here are our ID cards and letters of introduction."
The conductor frowned and looked up, sizing them up. "Private? What are you doing in Guangzhou? For a private company, a letter of introduction alone isn't enough; they need other documents."
Su Miao had anticipated this situation before coming and had asked his father to prepare.
Su Yuanzheng took out a copy of the business license and a photocopy from his document bag and said:
"There's a product exchange meeting over there, and we're attending on behalf of our company. I'm the legal representative of the company. Here's our business license. You can check the name on it."
The ticket seller didn't care that there were so many people queuing behind him. He checked the documents slowly and showed no intention of giving in.
Su Miao's eyes rolled, and she took out a business card from her bag and handed it over with a smile:
"Comrade, this is Secretary Wang's business card. He's a regular customer of our store, and he asked us to prepare these materials. Take a look..."
The ticket seller took the business card and looked at it. It was indeed the business card of the secretary of their unit. Ordinary people could not easily have it. This business card was of great significance.
She hesitated for a moment and lowered her voice: "Okay, I'll make an exception this time, but it won't happen again. Since you have this relationship, you should be more flexible in the future and don't use letters of introduction from private companies."
Su Miao and Su Yuanzheng thanked him repeatedly and finally bought a flight from Beijing to Guangzhou the day after tomorrow, economy class, with a ticket price of 280 yuan per person.
The price of an economy class ticket is equivalent to two months' salary for a regular worker. It is indeed not something that ordinary people can afford.
As for the ticket seller's workaround, it refers to the method used by people who do not have a job but want to take a plane on weekdays.
The first way is to be affiliated with a state-owned unit and use connections to ask the state-owned unit to issue a letter of introduction on your behalf.
The second way is to find some travel agencies that can handle air tickets for you to buy.
Both of these require favors and service fees, and neither is easy.
After getting the plane ticket, Su Yuanzheng began to fantasize about the scene of taking a plane two days later.
He said nervously, "Miaomiao, do we have too much luggage? Can we carry such heavy luggage on a plane? Is it dangerous to be overweight?"
"No, every passenger has to go through a comprehensive check at security when boarding the plane, including luggage items and weight requirements. We only brought basic items, so such a small suitcase wouldn't be oversized or overweight."
"That's good. I heard flying can cause tinnitus. Do you want to bring some plums?"
"Bring some! Bring some snacks, chewing them can help relieve the pain." Su Miao smiled and stuffed a few packets of snacks into the bag.
On the eve of their departure from Beijing, Mr. Qin and his family embarked on a journey to a foreign country. Given his age, he would not return in his lifetime.
As for whether he would return to his hometown after a hundred years, he did not force it, it all depended on his sons' arrangements.
He solemnly handed the key to Su Miao, and also handed the future of this old house to her.
On the day of departure, the father and daughter arrived at the airport early.
Although the facilities of Terminal 1 at that time were relatively simple compared to later ones.
The huge airport looked particularly impressive to Su Yuanzheng. He looked up at the plane that had just taken off and exclaimed, "This iron bird is so huge! It's much more majestic than a train!"
Su Miao smiled and pulled him to check in. The security check wasn't particularly strict, but the staff still carefully checked the ticket and ID card. They also reminded him, "Open your luggage and take a look. You can't bring lighters or knives!"
The plastic floor of the boarding bridge was a bit slippery. Su Yuan was moving forward while holding the handrail, but his eyes were fixed on the wing outside the window.
After boarding the plane, Su Yuan was like a curious child, touching the seat and studying how to fasten the seat belt.
Seeing this, the flight attendant kindly explained to him the facilities on the seat.
As the plane taxied, Su Yuan was nervously clutching the armrest: "Miaomiao, can this thing really fly?"
Su Miao patted his hand: "Dad, relax. You may feel a little weightless when you take off later. Don't be afraid."
The engine roared and the plane accelerated on the runway. Su Yuan was holding his breath until the fuselage suddenly became lighter.
"Fly, fly!"
At the same time, he suddenly felt a swelling in his ears, as if his ears were blocked by something.
He quickly did as his daughter had said before and threw a piece of candy into his mouth and started chewing it.
This is mainly achieved by opening and closing the mouth during chewing to promote the opening of the Eustachian tube, allowing the middle ear to communicate with the outside air, thereby balancing the air pressure on both sides of the eardrum and reducing discomfort.
He leaned against the window, watching the ground getting farther and farther away, the houses turning into small squares, and cotton-like clouds floating past the wings. He was so excited that he couldn't speak.
After the flight stabilized, Su Yuanzheng loosened his clenched hands and turned to look at his daughter. He found that his daughter remained calm and had already started reading the newspaper.
The headline on the front page was "Everyone sprints to actively welcome the Asian Games", and the Olympic Sports Center in the accompanying picture was shining in the light.
"Miao Miao, you're not nervous at all?"
"I'm a little nervous. I'm going to read the newspaper to relieve some of the tension."
“…”
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
