As
more and more inter-city high speed trains are introduced in China, the
airlines operating on these sectors are faced with big challenge, even
some opted to pack up their operation in fear of financial losses, but
the ultimate beneficiary of this healthy competition between the two
modern mean of travelling is ordinary commuters. Airlines linking
Beijing, Shanghai and other cities have been searching for ways to
prevent passengers from flowing onto the new Beijing-Shanghai
high-speed link that will start operation on June 30, the China Daily
reported Saturday. Those measures include more discounts as well as
free shuttle buses to and from airports, according to the newspaper.
The influence of high-speed railway on airlines can be traced back to 2009, when the opening of the Wuhan-Guangzhou high-speed railway significantly reduced the number of flights between the two cities.
The bullet trains between Chengdu and Chongqing in Southwest China have eliminated flights between the two cities, the report said.
In March, flights between Wuhan and Nanjing were edged out after a high-speed line linking the two cities was put into operation.
Statistics by travel search engine Qunar.com at noon on Friday show the lowest fare for an air ticket from Beijing to Shanghai is 368 yuan (72 U.S. dollars) for next Thursday, when the Beijing-Shanghai high -speed bullet trains start to run. That price is 67 percent off the full price ticket, according to the paper.
The lowest plane ticket price is less than a ticket for a high -speed bullet train, which charges 410 yuan for the cheapest second -class seat.
“Many passengers would like to try the train ride. The new line is sure to drive many passengers from airplanes to trains in the short term, which will lead to a decrease in air ticket prices,” Yang Wei, senior director of the air tickets business department at Qunar.com, told the newspaper.
He estimated airlines will further cut prices and offer more discounts to meet the fierce competition from the bullet trains.
“In addition, airlines are likely to cut or suspend carriers linking cities along the rail line, especially on the short routes linking Beijing and Jinan or Jinan and Shanghai, due to less passenger flow,” Yang said.
Meanwhile, airports in cities along the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway are providing quicker check-in services and enabling closer ties with railway stations to further boost passenger flow.
The airport in Nanjing, capital of East China’s Jiangsu province, has set up special check-in services for passengers heading to Beijing.
“Now for average passengers to Beijing, it only takes about five minutes to check in rather than the 30 minutes it used to be,” a staff member at the airport was quoted by the China Daily as saying. APP
The bullet trains between Chengdu and Chongqing in Southwest China have eliminated flights between the two cities, the report said.
In March, flights between Wuhan and Nanjing were edged out after a high-speed line linking the two cities was put into operation.
Statistics by travel search engine Qunar.com at noon on Friday show the lowest fare for an air ticket from Beijing to Shanghai is 368 yuan (72 U.S. dollars) for next Thursday, when the Beijing-Shanghai high -speed bullet trains start to run. That price is 67 percent off the full price ticket, according to the paper.
The lowest plane ticket price is less than a ticket for a high -speed bullet train, which charges 410 yuan for the cheapest second -class seat.
“Many passengers would like to try the train ride. The new line is sure to drive many passengers from airplanes to trains in the short term, which will lead to a decrease in air ticket prices,” Yang Wei, senior director of the air tickets business department at Qunar.com, told the newspaper.
He estimated airlines will further cut prices and offer more discounts to meet the fierce competition from the bullet trains.
“In addition, airlines are likely to cut or suspend carriers linking cities along the rail line, especially on the short routes linking Beijing and Jinan or Jinan and Shanghai, due to less passenger flow,” Yang said.
Meanwhile, airports in cities along the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway are providing quicker check-in services and enabling closer ties with railway stations to further boost passenger flow.
The airport in Nanjing, capital of East China’s Jiangsu province, has set up special check-in services for passengers heading to Beijing.
“Now for average passengers to Beijing, it only takes about five minutes to check in rather than the 30 minutes it used to be,” a staff member at the airport was quoted by the China Daily as saying. APP
