Source: CCTV.com
02-16-2007 13:51
Special Report: 2007 Spring FestivalMore chartered flights are flying to Taiwan as the Chinese New Year approaches. And the Xiamen and Guangzhou airports have now joined Shanghai and Beijing. Passengers say they are impressed by the convenience, and Taiwan airlines say the business opportunity is great.
It takes a little more than an hour and a half to arrive at Taipei from Guangzhou. And the festive atmosphere at the mainland airports is an added surprise.
Check-in and boarding procedures have been simplified for Taiwan passengers, making the trip home much easier. "It's great! Very convenient! Especially for passengers with kids. We don't have to take the ship and then connect to flights. Boarding just once, and we're in Taipei." A Taiwan passenger said.
As cross-strait chartered flights become a holiday feature, four Taiwan airline companies have entered the mainland market in the last three years.
Far Eastern Air Transport sold 96 percent of its seats on its first flight to the capital. The president Cui Yong said "Half of our revenue has been collected from the cross-strait market since the first chartered flight."
Twelve airline companies are currently arranging the Spring Festival chartered flights. They've now reached their peak of 18 flights in a day. The post-festival peak will come in about a week.
Editor:Du Xiaodan