China’s largest online air ticket booking agency Xiecheng Tourist Net started to offer huge discounts from 22 November on flights originating from Wuhan. One-way tickets from Wuhan to Beijing on one the country’s major airlines now cost as little as Rmb270, compared with Rmb272 for a middle hard bed on the Wuhan-Beijing sleeper. One-way air tickets from Wuhan to Shanghai cost just Rmb200, compared with Rmb274 for a lower hard bed on the Wuhan-Shanghai sleeper. Other destinations that attract extremely low prices are Xiamen (Rmb300), Qingdao (Rmb250), Nanjing (Rmb220) and Chongqing (Rmb240).

The deep discounts are partly due to promotions by all the major airlines ahead of the Spring Festival, which falls on 14 February 2010. Another reason is the intensified competition from rail services that have much improved after recent renovations and expansions, and whose prices remain low. Being a regional rail hub, Wuhan has easy access to most major cities and, as a result, competition for passengers is fierce between rail and air service providers.