Economy

Airlines lower prices to compete with express train

By Guo Rui (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2009-12-18 13:31
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To compete with a new high-speed rail line from Wuhan to Guangzhou, several airlines, including Shenzhen, Hainan, and China Southern Airlines, have begun offering discounted tickets of 190 yuan to fly one-way between the two cities.

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A train ticket on the express costs between 490 and 780 yuan.

"It is a response to Wuhan-Guangzhou express rail," said Sun Jianhua, the general manager of the China Southern Hubei Bureau. Airlines must learn to coexist with trains in ways that are mutually beneficial, Sun said, pointing to Lhasa as a good example. After Qinghai-Tibet Railway finished, Lhasa Airport became busier than before, he said.