China Scaling Back Their “One Route, One Airline” Rule

What about China Southern? They have the largest fleet size in China.

Good for passengers.

China Southern is based in Guangzhou, not in Beijing or Shanghai

@AsiaFlightExpert

China Southern DO have a base in Beijing and they wanted to have more ex Beijing international routes however they cannot do t due to this restriction

I’m booked on China Eastern in August, is it as terrible as the internet is making it out to be?

@Lucky - Hainan Airlines is actually based in Haikou, Hainan Province - hence the name. They have a huge HQ building and ops center there, and their main training academies are also in Hainan province - Haikou (engineering training JV with Lufthansa) and Sanya (pilot training + simulators).

Beijing happens to be the HQ for the HNA Group however and therefore a lot of commercial work for the airline takes place there, as well as it being their biggest hub airport. But the airline ops team is very much linked to its Haikou roots.

Most occasions when a government allows the market to dictate business decisions as opposed to arbitrary regulation, it's a win for consumers.

@Alexis I actually enjoyed my MU flight from HNL-PVG in economy, I do suggest registering for wifi in advance and download a VPN that works against china's firewall as it was an issue for me

CZ finally has a way to profitably run its A380! Let's hope to see them on routes like PEK new airport - SFO/LAX/JFK

Speaking of airlines in China, I think you should cover this news on Sichuan Airlines: https://edition.cnn.com/2018/05/15/asia/chinese-airline-accident-intl/index.html
The pilot is doing an amazing job.

Also, I doubt the competition will increase a lot immediately except for new PEK. New Beijing Airport will definitely encourage Skyteam members (CZ/MU) who move there to start new routes but for the rest second-tier routes as long as the performances are not too bad and the airlines are still receiving subsidy from local government, they will probably keep it and earn profits from subsidy instead of fighting head to head.

I don’t think foreign airlines should have too much to worry about as most, including Chinese passengers, would rather fly non Chinese carriers given a choice. Unless they flood the market with extremely cheap seats, it should be a battle really amongst the Chinese carriers.

Alexis;

I flew YVR-PVG-BKK round trip on China Eastern in J
It was fine

One plane was brand new, 2 were average, one had wear and tear.
It’s odd that they don’t let you look at menu, but no biggie
Their English skills are pretty poor

But they tried hard to help. (Like getting me snack when I mimed it)

Food was pretty bad. Eat before you board!
It was heavy on seafood local dishes, like cold sea cucumber with some sort of tepid broth

But I thought it was fine, especially since it cost half of what some other carriers were charging

FWIW: I’m new to the J and F international scene, and am happy just to have seat lie flat

I am actually on Xiamen's flight from Shenzhen to Seattle right now - with free inflight wifii. While surprisingly nice, this flight is likely to get cut, which is a shame. Xiamen could actually do pretty well with it. Part of the problem with Chinese airlines competing is that they just don't provide a culturally relevant or well-marketed service for Western people.

Whilist not top-notch, Chinese carriers has come a long way and now have become flyable.
They may not be number one choice for non-Chinese passengers, but for the Chinese going abroad, ease of communication and a more familiar environment would definitely be a positive factor.
Non-Chinese passengers would still choose to fly other airlines but the growing Chinese market and outbound demand would be more than sufficient keep Chinese airlines flying& profitable.

Well, the government may allow more route if the passengers stop throwing coins in the engine for "LUCK" 🙂

@TProphet How's the load factor for SZX-SEA as you observe on that flight? Very curious. I think that route should be fine, Xiamen probably won't join the fight and will just let China Southern (its parent company) do it.

It's a good thing. I feel Air China need to improve their service a bit. Competition -> Lowe price and better products. Chinese airlines haven't just become "fly-able." Theyve become "desired" in my book. Hainan airlines is my fav. They are a 5 star airline with pretty good service and very competitive prices. FAs speak good English and are very professional. Chinese airlines in general outdo US airlines. Hainan is the best out of China. Delta IMO is the best out of US.