Only a week before the first direct flights between the mainland and Taiwan, airlines running the charter flights are advertising their services and discounts to attract more customers.

There's hot competition between the mainland airlines for their slice of the Spring Festival travel and many are offering huge discounts to lure passengers.

The biggest surprise comes from China Southern airline.

If a passenger flies from another Chinese city to Guangzhou and then to Taiwan on a China Southern flight, the first part of the trip will be free.

The ticket price from Guangzhou to Taipei ranges from 1400 to 3000 yuan, or US$170 to 360 for a round trip. The cheapest single trip ticket being offered costs only 800 yuan, or US$100.

Round-trip ticket prices for economy class from Shanghai and Beijing to Taipei are around 3700 yuan, or about US$460.

Other companies are offering 30 percent discounts on tickets for flights on January 29, the first day of the charter flights. Some airlines have also started a ticket-booking service. 

Feng Zhuozhi is from Beijing-based Straight Travel Agency, the organizer of ticket selling for the charter flights. He talks about their ticket booking service.

"We firstly contact enterprise associations in Beijing, who book tickets for all their members for once. We'll also contact some Taiwan companies to ask if they need our service; and for individuals, we just call them one by one."

Besides preferential tickets, airline companies are also introducing other services.

Passengers in Shanghai can take a free taxi from Dazhong Taxi Company to the airport.

China Southern is preparing Taiwanese food for their in-flight snacks.

Crewmembers from Shanghai Airline Company are also busy learning the dialect spoken in Taiwan. Wu Eryu is the chief air hostess.

"We are learning short phrases like ‘how are you’ and ‘thank you’in Taiwan dialect. We want our passengers to feel at home in a comfortable and safe environment."

As charter flights get a warm welcome across the straight, there are also calls from the Taiwan public to have direct flights on a regular basis for not only Taiwan businessmen and their relatives.

(Shenzhen Daily January 24, 2005)