QINGDAO, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- Carrying 148 passengers, Shandong Airlines flight SC4816 smoothly landed at east China's Qingdao Jiaodong Airport on Monday evening. Departing from a rainy city, the flight, despite being delayed by 14 minutes, arrived 7 minutes ahead of schedule, days before the Spring Festival that marked the arrival of the Year of Snake.

At the cabin door, chief flight attendant Zhao Yue greeted passengers with a smile, bidding them farewell and exchanging New Year greetings, while inside the cabin, four pieces of festive Chinese character "Fu," meaning good fortune, and a snake-shaped papercut adorned the walls.

Zhao said that on New Year's Eve, the cabin will be further decorated with more traditional Chinese New Year elements, and dumplings, a symbol of family reunion, will be served during meal times. For the Spring Festival, certain flights will also host special activities such as writing Spring Festival couplets.

The 2025 Spring Festival travel rush, or chunyun, began on Jan. 14 and will continue through Feb. 22. According to the Civil Aviation Administration of China, the number of air passengers is expected to exceed 90 million, potentially setting a new record. Shandong Airlines has also entered a very busy travel season.

"Our flight hours and schedules have increased significantly. In December, I flew about 60 hours, but this month I expect to touch 80," said flight attendant Yuan Zixuan, adding that during the Spring Festival travel rush, there are more passengers with special needs, to whom she and her colleagues will offer extra care and attention.

Qu Junke, a check-in supervisor at Shandong Airlines' Qingdao branch, noted that the airline places great importance on the needs of senior citizens, unaccompanied children, passengers with disabilities, and first-time flyers during the travel rush. From check-in to the cabin and post-flight transportation, dedicated staff are assigned to ensure these passengers enjoy a smooth and reassuring journey.

During the Spring Festival travel rush, crew members witness countless emotional homecoming moments that leave lasting impressions.

Flight attendant Fang Luyi shared several heartwarming experiences, including a young man sitting by the window, nervously straightening his clothes and checking the ring box in his pocket, preparing to propose upon landing; a young woman carefully applying makeup under the dim cabin lights on a night flight, wanting to look her best for her parents after being away studying abroad for two years; and an elderly couple holding a new smartphone gifted by their daughter, asking for help to send a safe arrival message.

"As flight attendants, we're used to spending holidays on duty. For us, the day we return home is our reunion festival. But for most passengers, the Spring Festival is still a journey across mountains and seas to return to the warmth of their childhood home and the embrace of their parents," Fang said.

Flight attendant Wang Xiaoyu recalled a memorable encounter with a five-year-old girl traveling alone during the Spring Festival season. Wang carefully looked after the child throughout the flight, and as the girl disembarked, she surprised Wang with a drawing she had made. It was an image of Wang wearing an apron and serving food. "That day's work was exceptionally busy, but seeing the drawing made all the exhaustion vanish instantly."

Flight attendant Li Xue once organized a unique Spring Festival activity in the cabin, where passengers used modeling clay to make dumpling replicas. The participants molded "dumplings" in various shapes -- some long and thin like willow leaves, others plump like gold ingots. Afterward, passengers happily posed for photos with their creations, and some exchanged their replicas.

During the Spring Festival travel rush, many foreign passengers also experience and learn about the meaning of Chinese New Year during their journeys. Yuan noted that many Western passengers show great curiosity, asking about specific Spring Festival customs, and some even greet her in Chinese with a cheerful "Happy New Year." "These interactions make me feel the warmth of the festival spreading across the world," she said.

Captain Jiang Tong, a former PLA Air Force pilot who later transitioned to civil aviation, has been flying for 23 years with Shandong Airlines. With over 25,000 flight hours, he is set to retire in 2025.

Reflecting on his career, Jiang recalled navigating challenging weather conditions during past Spring Festival travel rushes, including strong winds, heavy snow, and freezing fog. In every scenario, his priority has always been passenger safety, even if it meant diverting flights or delaying schedules. Most New Year's Eves, Jiang was in the air, returning home late at night. Last year, he flew to Harbin amid the winter tourism boom, landing just after midnight on the Spring Festival and celebrating the holiday arrival with passengers at 10,000 meters.

This year, the airlines gave him the New Year's Eve off, which allowed him to spend a rare festive evening with his family. Together, they made mackerel-filled dumplings.

"This will be the last Spring Festival travel rush that I serve before retirement. I'll make sure to fulfill my duties to the very end. I'll cherish these years of soaring through the skies, and prize above all else, every ordinary yet warm moment shared with passengers, colleagues, and my family," he said. Enditem

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