Airlines cut fares

The Chongqing Evening News has reported that airlines are offering discounted tickets to get back passengers they lost due to the rise in fuel costs.
Airlines in the country raised fuel surcharges for routes shorter than 800 kilometers to RMB40 (US$6.03) from RMB20. For routes longer than that the fuel surcharge was raised from RMB40 to RMB70 for adult passengers.
For some airlines, the number of passengers on daytime flights has been reduced by 30%.
Major Chinese carriers, including Air China, China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines and Shandong Airlines now plan to lower ticket prices for daytime flights by 10 to 20%.
This comes as China’s three biggest carriers all face an increased annual expense of RMB400-580 million (US$60-90 million) with aviation fuel prices raised by RMB220 (US$33) per ton.
CRIEnglish.com reports that the discounted flight tickets plus fuel fees are sometimes cheaper than railway tickets.