The civil aviation sector has been in a slump since October. And the slowdown is worsening due to the global financial crisis.
Airlines are offering tickets at huge discounts. For example, airfares between Beijing to Nanjing, Xi'an and Shanghai are as much as 85 percent off. Some plane tickets are even cheaper than train tickets. The airfare from Shanghai to Harbin is 299 yuan, while a ticket for a sleeper on the train is 483 yuan.
Airliners say November and December are usually slow. But this year's situation is worse than usual. Passenger numbers have been dropping, for both business trips and private travel. Airlines have been doing what they can, including reducing expenditures, adjusting flights and lowering costs, in order to survive this economic turbulence.
(CCTV November 26, 2008)
