Of all the things you might want during a lengthy flight delay, bouncy cheerleaders waving white pom-poms in your face are probably far from the top of the list.
But the airport in Dalian, a city in north-eastern China, was widely praised for just such a response to foggy weather last week. When flights were grounded, stranding some 5,000 passengers, the airport authorities provided tea and a squad of dancing cheerleaders.
The cheerleaders were without question an improvement over a frequent alternative in Chinese airports: utter chaos. Over the previous few weeks, flight delays had led to scuffles, police deployments and, on two occasions, passengers storming the runway in protest.