Download
A traveler can't get very far on just 9 yuan ($1.48) in many cities, but from Sunday, that has been the going price for a plane ticket between two major cities in Hebei province that are 500 km apart.
Budget carrier Spring Airlines made the first regional flight between Shijiazhuang, the capital city of Hebei, and Tangshan, the economic powerhouse in the north of the province, on Sunday.
An Airbus 320, which seats about 180 passengers, is scheduled to make a round trip on the route every day.
"The flight shortened my travel time to 40 minutes and cost much less than a train ticket," said Li Wenhua, a businessman commuting between the two cities.
"I usually drive cars on business trips, which takes at least five hours, plus the high costs for gasoline and expressway tolls," he said, adding that the long trip makes him exhausted.
By bullet train, the trip takes more than three hours and costs more than 128 yuan.
Spring Airlines is selling discount tickets for the new air route for only 9 yuan. With fuel surcharges added, a ticket costs only 119 yuan.
Tickets for the first flight from Tangshan to Shijiazhuang sold out two days in advance, and more than half of the passengers aboard that flight bought their tickets at the low price, he said.
"I have relatives in Tangshan, but I only visit them two or three times a year. This flight will make our visits much easier," said Deng Wenxiu, 55, who lives in Shijiazhuang.
Hu Tingbao, manager in charge of Spring Airlines' new route, said the special low-price ticket is not temporary.
"The special price will be available for the long term," he said.
He also denied that the low price would have a negative impact on the airline's sales, adding that the price is kept down thanks to support from Tangshan Airport and the local government.
Ren Mingqi, general manager of Tangshan’s airport management company, said the new market strategy aims to help the airport survive.
Opened in 2010, the regional airport has little scope for development, since it is close to Beijing and Tianjin.
"The low price can help the airport attract passengers from the city and its neighbors such as Chengde, Zhangjiakou and Qinhuangdao," Ren said.
In the past three years, the Tangshan city government has allocated more than 100 million yuan to fueling the airport's development, he said.
About the broadcaster:
Nelly Min is an editor at China Daily with more than 10 years of experience as a newspaper editor and photographer. She has worked at major newspapers in the U.S., including the Los Angeles Times and the Detroit Free Press. She is also fluent in Korean.
英语六级写作素材积累:常用名词(2)
英语六级写作素材积累:常用动词(1)
大学英语六级作文预测:社交网站
英语六级写作素材积累:常用名词(1)
英语六级写作优秀范文-大学生结婚
英语六级写作素材积累:高级作文词汇(1)
英语六级写作优秀范文推荐-反盗窃
英语六级写作优秀范文推荐-兼职
英语六级考试写作备考加分句型(1)
英语六级作文预测句型
六级作文预测:变与不变
英语六级2分作文范文批改1
英语六级作文真题-名字的重要性
英语六级写作素材积累:高级作文词汇(2)
大学英语六级万能作文模板-辩论式议论文
大学英语六级写作模板——提纲式作文
英语六级写作必备:基本句型(1)
英语六级作文真题-艺术班
英语六级写作优秀范文推荐-私家车
英语六级写作素材积累:常用名词(5)
英语六级写作优秀范文推荐-熟能生巧
英语六级写作素材积累:常用形容词(2)
英语六级写作优秀范文推荐-科技的双面性
六级作文真题-电子书会取代传统书吗
英语六级写作优秀范文推荐-网络的利弊
六级作文真题-做好事应该回报吗
英语六级作文预测新题型(1)
英语六级写作素材积累:常用形容词(1)
六级作文真题-高校排名
英语六级17分作文范文批改2
不限 |
英语教案 |
英语课件 |
英语试题 |
不限 |
不限 |
上册 |
下册 |
不限 |