Indians flying cheap with Chinese airlines |
By offering lowest fares on busy travel routes between India, the Far East, Australia, New Zealand, right up to the West Coast of North America, along with short transit stops at their hubs, mainland Chinese carriers are attracting Indian passengers.These airlines offer a combination of value-for-money fares and high quality experience that has attracted the price-conscious Indian traveller. These airlines are also popular with corporate travellers who have business interests in China or want to use the country as a hub to fly onward to the USA. The fare difference varies between Rs 20,000 and 25,000 for long-haul destinations like the US and Canada compared to other carriers like Singapore Airlines (SIA), Thai Airways and Malaysian Airlines. The competition price differential for China and Japan is from Rs 15,000-20,000. The limited access to the Indian market granted to mainland Chinese carriers has saved airlines like SIA, Cathay Pacific, Thai, Malaysian and even Air India from a Chinese takeover on routes to the east. At the moment, all major Chinese carriers fly mainly to and from Delhi. Under current Sino-Indian bilateral agreements, airlines of both sides can operate 10,000 weekly seats on 42 frequencies.
|
|
|
|