●Special price of RMB99 sold online
Flight from Zhengzhou to Shanghai is always a favorite route, but yesterday, Mr. Zheng bought a flight ticket of special price with only RMB99 from a website. He said, he had never got such a cheap ticket before, but yesterday, he tried with a swift imagination and got it out of expectation.
“The 99-series special ticket s account for over 50% of total”, said Lei Zhang, the spokesman of Spring Airlines, especially for the 99-tickets, the final discount of over 87%.
Tickets are cheap not only for flights to Shanghai, but also for those from Zhengzhou to other cities, the reporter investigated and found yesterday. “Since the National Day, the ticket prices mostly have been discounted more than 70%”, according to Chang Minghan from the Zhengzhou Branch of Hainan Airlines, who released the prices for the flight tickets before Jan. 10, 2010, “almost all are discounted more than 70%”, among which, the price for the single ticket from Zhengzhou to Guangzhou is RMB270, a 80% discount, and RMB820 with a 76% discount from Zhengzhou to Haikou.
“We planned to raise the prices during the holidays of Christmas and the New Year, but the plan is ruined”, said a principal from the marketing department of an airline company, if one company began to down-regulate the flight ticket prices, the others would follow suit in order to compete for passengers.
●Over 100 tickets with 80% discount on one flight
“There are more business passengers on the flights of cities like Beijing and Shanghai, and more tourists for routes of cities like Haikou and Hangzhou. This year the economy is in recession, for which the companies are reducing expenses of business trips and the common people are not enthusiastic for trips, subsequently the ticket prices are definitely lower than previous years.” As for the numerous discounted flight tickets, Zhang Lei, the spokesman of Spring Airlines, believed that that was resulted from the relationship between supply and demand, “Less passengers, naturally lower prices”.
The current ticket prices are probably the lowest in history. Several airline companies hold the same opinion, this time is different from the previous price gimmick with a few special-price tickets, there are more. For example, the special-price tickets of 99-series from Zhengzhou to Shanghai, issued by the Spring Airlines, account for more than 50% of the total. Like the flight tickets with 80% discount from Zhengzhou to Guangzhou, issued by the Hainan Airlines, there are about 100 tickets on every flight.
Why the airline companies complain about loss on one side, and down-regulate the ticket prices on the other side to compete for the passengers with railway transport? Insiders said, the airline companies were forced to do so, because if the flight was canceled, the airline company would lose the air routes right on this air line, not to say the market share.
●Special-price tickets will not be canceled, be cautious when booking
The Spring Festival Transportation Peak is around the corner. According to the previous years' experiences, the ticket during Spring Festival would have been sold out one month in advance, with a 30% discount or even no discount. The current flight tickets with an 80% discount, cheaper than train sleeping tickets, should be booked for home-returning during the Spring Festival? “If it has been scheduled when you return home, you may book tickets, and the earlier the ticket booked, the cheaper”, said Qiu Juan, the general manager of the Zhengzhou Branch of Spring Airlines, tickets like the 99-series of special prices, is sold online 45 days in advance.
If the returning date had not been scheduled, you’d better not book tickets eagerly, Chang Minghan said, the special-price tickets could not be canceled or changed. If there were any accident, the flight ticket would be invalid. He believed, judged from the present market situation, it would be very difficult for the flight market to be as popular as previous years during the Spring Festival, and at least that would be like this before Jan. 10, 2010. The citizens might choose to book tickets when the Spring Festival draws near and the schedule has been determined.
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