Outside the window mountain ranges and numerous glaciers drift by – it’s all very tranquil.

Inside the cabin the in-flight entertainment has been hi-jacked by someone with a penchant for loud Chinese pop music. On the mini-video screens ladies with flowing robes and flimsy swords prance through fields and forests and the intercom is doing it best to cope with the soundtrack. The gentleman in the next seat is probably not a frequent flyer – whilst he’s singing along and tapping his feet enthusiastically in the choruses he’s bluffing the lyrics to most of the verses. His spirits have no-doubt been buoyed by an elaborate 3 minute dance display down the aisle from all three air hostesses to which he and many of the other passengers clapped along to. Somewhere along the line Sichuan Airlines worked out how to stand out from the crowd and they went for it.