Chinese airlines offer affordable, unlimited flights
CHINA Southern Airlines Co Ltd on Tuesday became the latest Chinese airline to offer ultra-cheap, all-you-can-fly deals aimed at reigniting air travel following coronavirus lockdowns.
At least eight Chinese carriers have so far launched similar schemes which they hope will boost the ailing domestic aviation sector in the world’s second-largest economy.
Lucky Air, which unveiled offers for unlimited domestic flights on July 13, announced two days later that it had hit capacity for monthly and seasonal passes for individuals.
The deals, va lid for anything between a month and a year, start at 1,588 y uan ($230) for unlimited flights over 31 days per person.
Luck y Air said it has plans to sell more of such packages in t he f uture.
Airlines of fer variations of such deals, including Spring Airlines Co Ltd’ package for children travelling wit h t heir parents and China Eastern Airlines Co Ltd’s unlimited weekend flights.
Southern’s all-you-can-fly deal costs 3,699 yuan and can be used until January.
Some carriers have chosen to join hands, with Qingdao
Airlines Co Ltd, Okay Airways Co Ltd and Ruili Airlines Co Ltd collaborating for unlimited weekend deals as well.
Others like Juneyao Airlines Co Ltd rolled out a 888 y uan package for unlimited upgrades – a llow ing passengers to bump up t heir economy class tickets for no added cost.
China’s economy has been recovering gradually since the coronavirus outbreak, and on July 24, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said daily flights had returned to about 80 per cent of pre-virus levels.
The countr y’s av iation industr y lost 34.25 bil lion y uan in the second quarter of t his year, t he CA AC said earlier t his month, af ter Beijing took drastic moves to curb the spread of the novel coronav irus.
As t he v ir us began its global march, governments around the world had started limiting travel from highrisk countries, wit h China going a step further in March to dramatically cut flight routes and bar most foreigners from returning.
In April, passenger trips were down 68.5 per cent yearon-year.