The Year of the Dragon kicked in on 10 February and, as people around the world rejoice in festivities, airlines and airports around the world are making sure to join in the celebration.
1. Airports
Manchester Airport is marking the Lunar New Year with a fortune cookie and plush toy dragon giveaway to passengers jetting off to China from Terminal 2. Manchester has one of the UK’s oldest and largest Chinese communities and celebrates the Lunar New Year with an impressive parade through the city centre, ending in its Chinatown district.
Brussels Airport also teamed up with Hainan Airlines to celebrate the Lunar New Year. Combining Belgian and Chinese cultures, the famous Smurfs greeted guests around the airport and shared gifts while donning Hanfu costumes.
Thailand’s main airport, Suvarnabhumi International Airport (BKK), has decorated its check-in areas with traditional Chinese ornaments, with the Dragon, of course, taking centre stage. Also at BKK, between 8 and 10 February, Thai Airways waited passengers with a “sumptuous feast including steamed shrimp seaweed rolls with Singapore sauce, barbecue pork buns, Chinese steamed dumplings, orange butter sponge cake, pineapple mousse, pineapple mousse cheesecake and more.”
2. Airlines
For the duration of the Lunar New Year holiday, lasting up to 15 days, also called the Spring Festival, British Airways customers flying between London and Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Singapore can enjoy traditional festive dishes that signify luck and prosperity, including black pepper spiced fillet of beef with Chinese seven spiced broccolini, spicy Kung Pao prawn, Huaiyang dish (Lion’s Head meatballs) and white chocolate tangerine mousse, a fruit that symbolises gold in Chinese culture. Moreover, during the festival period, customers travelling through London Heathrow Terminal 5 will be gifted red envelopes with chocolate coins, with lion dancers performing on the concourse.
Emirates is also introducing special menus at its lounges in Dubai, Singapore, Bangkok, Shanghai and Beijing, among others, featuring ‘Cheung Fun’ steamed rice noodle roll stuffed with dried prawn and scallops, Cantonese roast duck bao with plum sauce, poached shrimp and vegetable dumplings with soy and vinegar dip, sweet and light mango coconut cake with spices and black tea cake. Passengers can also enjoy traditional red envelopes shared inflight, as well as blockbuster movies onboard in Mandarin and Cantonese.
AirAsia celebrated with a special Lunar New Year late-night flight from Kuala Lumpur to Sibu. “I am pleased to be part of this meaningful event to welcome the Year of the Dragon”, said Malaysian Minister of Transport, Anthony Loke, who greeted passengers and gifted them small red bags.
Like every year since 2008, Korean Air celebrates the Year of the Blue Dragon by exhibiting traditional good luck decorations, called Bokjori, at various company sites from 2 to 15 February. Bokjori is a strainer made of woven bamboo, traditionally used to wash rice before cooking.
