Rail and air travel operators are going to head to head as they
compete for high-end customers on key routes.
The Ministry of Railways said recently that high-quality mineral
water, produced in the Tibet Autonomous Region, will be provided free
to all passengers on long-distance bullet trains this month.
The water, which comes in 330 ml bottles, retails for about 6
yuan (79 cents), much higher than regular brands, and even
first-class airline passengers do not get such refreshments free of
charge, the ministry said.
When it comes to service, attendants on bullet trains are
trained to the same standards as hotel staff, an official with the
news office of the Shanghai railway bureau said yesterday. In
addition, the catering providers were chosen through public bidding
and are as good as those operating on airlines, the official, who
asked not to be named, said.
The upgraded service and faster traveling speed have helped
greatly boost occupancy rates on bullet trains, he said.
"Our daily bullet train between Beijing and Shanghai has been
full since the speedup on April 18," the official said.
The journey takes 10 hours and tickets are priced at 327 yuan
and 409 yuan, less than half the cost of an air ticket between the
two cities, he said.
In response, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC)
said on Sunday that five domestic airlines had joined forces to
offer the Beijing-Shanghai Express Flight service, which made its
maiden flight on Monday.
The service promises flights between the two cities every 30
minutes and passengers can use a single ticket on any of the five
participating airlines. They will also benefit from faster check-in
times, the CAAC said.
Travel experts have said the new promotions and services are a
clear indication of the "accelerating" competition between rail and
air travel providers.
"Traditionally, air travel has had the upper hand when it comes
to long-distance travel - 1,000 km or more - such as between
Beijing and Shanghai," Wu Wenhua, a researcher with the National
Development and Reform Commission's comprehensive transport
institute told China Daily in a phone interview
yesterday.
"But the Beijing-Shanghai route has such a huge passenger flow
that neither rail nor air travel operators can afford to take their
eye of the ball in the battle for market share," he said.
CAAC figures show that 4.18 million passengers flew between
Beijing and Shanghai Hongqiao Airport in 2006, equivalent to about
11,000 per day.
The Ministry of Railways declined to provide its passenger
numbers for the route.
(China Daily August 8, 2007)