BEIJING, Nov. 20 -- Seventy-five percent of all fliers have been on a flight that was delayed by at least 30 minutes, a recent survey suggests.

    Among regular business travelers, that number jumps to 94 percent.

    Many fliers say they are furious about airlines that don't tell them why a flight is delayed or when they expect the plane to take off.

    The survey was conducted by the Shanghai Commission of Consumers' Rights and Interests Protection and its counterparts in Beijing, Tianjin, Chongqing and Sichuan Province. They interviewed 2,669 people from May to September this year.

    The five organizations and the China Consumers' Association, forwarded the survey to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), the country's airline watchdog, yesterday and suggested it urge air carriers to issue specific standards for flight delays within six months.

    The organizations heard more than 700 complaints about airline service between July 2003 and June this year, involving more than 100,000 passengers.

    Nearly 70 percent of the complaints involved flight delays. Fourteen percent were about ticket disputes, with most of the others revolving around damaged or lost luggage.

    More than 7 percent of the 329,338 flights that landed or took off from the city last year were late.

    "Flight delays are unavoidable, but the air carriers should explain them sincerely to fliers and take measures to make up for the delays," said commission Secretary General Zhao Jiaoli.

    "They should respect the fliers' rights."

    About 43 percent of respondents told the survey they were satisfied with how their airline handled the delay, complaining about a lack of monetary compensation, explanation or accommodation if they had to stay overnight.

    The CAAC suggested last year that airlines set up standards for how they will compensate delayed flyers.

(Source: Shanghai Daily)