Tom Hanks in The Terminal was inspirational in how to survive airport hell.

And so that’s who I was thinking of yesterday, on Thanksgiving, when waiting from morning through evening at Terminal 3 in Beijing.

I was awaiting news whether or not my delayed flight to Bangkok for a conference would cancel – which eventually it did as a result of the airport protests in that country.

The movie, The Terminal, is a story of a man, Viktor Navorski (Hanks), trapped in a terminal at JFK International Airport after being denied entry into the United States. He can’t go back home due to a revolution in his country.

Mr. Navorski makes a decent life for himself at his terminal. The airport features stores like Brookstone and the Discovery Channel, where Mr. Navorski also seeks employment. He kindles a romance with flight attendant Amelia Warren (Catherine Zeta-Jones). And he learns English by immersion and also using the New York City tour guide.

Mr. Navorski was a model airport refugee, and in my book, much preferred to the likes of people who lie on airport benches, roll their eyes at staff, and generally look pissed off when their time is a-wasting in transitory purgatory.

And so, I set out to enjoy the fruits of Terminal 3’s labor, and have some tips for enjoying delays in China’s international airports as a result.

• Make a trip to Burger King. As I understand it, Terminal 3 hosts the first Burger King in China. A flame-broiled burger definitely is king compared to the Big Mac pawns of the McDonald’s world, but only recently have people begun to understand that in China, thanks to Terminal 3. There’s no crazy add-ons either here. You don’t get some funky hot sauce added to a quarter pounder, making it a “Brazilian Burger,” as was once the case at McDonald’s in Beijing. No, this is the real Whopper deal. There are other burger variations, but all pure Americana. A double cheeseburger with mushrooms. A bacon burger with barbecue sauce. Believe me, when you’re hungry, delayed, and feasting on processed cattle, there are few steps closer to paradise.

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