The vacation was cut short before it even started.
The American company Delta Airlines decided to return a plane in flight to Shanghai to Seattle last week because of the new restrictions against Covid-19 required at the airport, drawing the wrath of the Chinese authorities.
"To comply with the cleaning requirements at Shanghai Pudong International Airport which were issued by the Chinese government on December 21, Flight 287 from Seattle to Shanghai returned to Seattle while en route to Shanghai" , said a spokesperson for the company on Monday.
"The new clean-up procedures require considerably extended floor time and are not operationally viable for Delta," he added without giving details of the procedures in question.
Outdated Covid-19 tests
According to Chinese media, several passengers ended up in the United States with expired Covid-19 tests and expired visas, prompting the Chinese consulate in San Francisco to officially complain to the airline.
More than 2,000 flights have been canceled in recent days by airlines across the world, with many pilots and crews sick or in quarantine due to the highly contagious Omicron variant of Covid-19.
Many authorities have also tightened the restrictions, the Chinese authorities being particularly on the teeth as the Beijing Olympics approach, which begins in less than 40 days.