Are air tickets more expensive during the National Day holiday than during the summer vacation?, Travel Weekly Report | July China Civil Aviation Passenger Transport Volume Reaches Monthly High | Data | Passengers

NO.1 In July, China's civil aviation passenger transportation volume reached a new monthly high

According to data from the Civil Aviation Administration of China, the strong demand during the summer of July has driven the continuous growth of the aviation transportation market. The entire industry has completed a total transportation turnover of 11.37 billion tons per kilometer, a year-on-year increase of 67.1%. The transportation scale has rebounded for eight consecutive months, and the overall transportation scale of the industry has exceeded pre epidemic levels for the first time. The completed passenger transportation volume was 62.428 million, a year-on-year increase of 83.7% and a year-on-year increase of 5.3% compared to the same period in 2019, setting a new historical high for civil aviation monthly.

Among them, domestic routes completed a total of 590.75 million passenger transportation, an increase of 16.8% month on month and 74.6% year-on-year, with a passenger transport scale exceeding 12.1% of the same period in 2019; The international passenger transportation market is still in the recovery stage, with a total passenger transportation volume of 3.353 million, a month on month increase of 32.6%, and the passenger transportation scale is equivalent to 50.9% of the same period in 2019.

NO.2 Mid Autumn Festival and National Day with eight consecutive days off, domestic airfare prices or beyond summer vacation

The Notice on the Arrangement of Partial Holidays in 2023 issued by the General Office of the State Council shows that there will be 8 consecutive days off for the Mid Autumn Festival and National Day in 2023. According to Tongcheng Tourism, due to the announcement of the Mid Autumn Festival and National Day holiday, as well as the opening of the third batch of outbound destinations, the number of inquiries and bookings for Mid Autumn Festival and National Day tickets on the platform has significantly increased. In addition, the consultation volume of the Mid Autumn Festival and National Day routes on the platform has doubled, and the consultation volume of outbound tourism has increased by more than four times.

According to the analysis of Tongcheng Research Institute, the flow of family visits and tourism during the Mid Autumn Festival and National Day holiday is highly overlapping, and the average price of domestic air tickets will remain stable at over a thousand yuan. The overall price level is expected to exceed that of summer vacation. The average price of domestic air tickets on the first day of the Mid Autumn Festival and National Day holiday is about 1293 yuan, an increase of nearly 40% compared to the summer vacation. Starting from September 26th, domestic flight prices will significantly increase. Driven by strong demand, the average price of international air tickets is expected to increase significantly during the long holiday period. According to data from Tongcheng Travel Platform, the average price of international air tickets on the first day of the National Day holiday is about 6696 yuan, which is about 72% higher than the average price during the summer vacation. Starting from September 25th, international flight ticket prices will significantly increase.

Cheng Chaogong, the chief researcher of Tongcheng, believes that the recovery of outbound tourism is expected to reach its first milestone during this year's Mid Autumn Festival and National Day. Among them, destinations such as Japan and South Korea will have strong performance, and long-distance trips to Europe and America will also have good performance, which will drive the demand for airfare and accommodation in related destinations. At the same time, the domestic long-distance travel market during the Golden Week is expected to continue the heat of the summer, and the passenger flow of some popular destinations is expected to exceed the level of the same period before the epidemic.

According to data from Hanglv Zongheng, as of August 15th, the number of inbound and outbound flight reservations during the National Day holiday exceeded 350000, an increase of nearly 19% from a week ago. During the National Day holiday, the top 10 popular destinations for outbound travel are Seoul, Hong Kong, Osaka, Bangkok, Tokyo, Singapore, Taipei, Sydney, London, and Melbourne. According to the current flight booking situation, the average paid price for inbound and outbound flights during the National Day holiday is about 5977 yuan, which is about 40% higher than the summer price.

No.3 New news on increased flights between China and the United States

Last week, Air China, China Eastern Airlines, and China Southern Airlines successively submitted new flight plans for September to October to the US Department of Transportation, each applying for two new flights between China and the United States per week. Among them, China Eastern Airlines applied to add two new weekly flights from Shanghai to Los Angeles; China Southern Airlines applies to add two new weekly flights from Guangzhou to Los Angeles; Air China has applied to add one weekly flight from Beijing to Los Angeles and one flight from Beijing to New York, both from September 1, 2023 to October 27, 2023.

Meanwhile, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and American Airlines have successively announced plans to increase flights between China and the United States in the coming months.

Among them, Delta Air Lines plans to increase its existing Seattle Shanghai flights to 7 per week and Detroit Shanghai flights to 3 per week starting from October 29th; Starting from March 2024, resume flights from Los Angeles to Shanghai, with a frequency of 4 flights per week.

Starting from October 1st, United Airlines plans to increase the number of flights from San Francisco to Shanghai from four per week to seven per week; Starting from November, flights from San Francisco to Beijing will resume, with a frequency of 7 flights per week.

Starting from January 2024, American Airlines plans to increase its existing Dallas Shanghai flights to one per day.

NO.4 Boeing appoints Liu Qing as the President of Boeing China

On August 16th, Boeing announced that Mr. Liu Qing would serve as the President of Boeing China, and the appointment officially took effect on September 1st.

Previously, 34 years after serving the company, Ms. Xie Lijia, former President of Boeing China, announced plans to retire within 2023. Starting from July 10th, Liu Qing was appointed as the acting president of Boeing China.

Liu Qing, born in Liaoning Province, China, has over 20 years of experience as a corporate executive in China, including Vice Chairman of Ford Motor Corporation in Greater China and Vice President and General Counsel of Ford Motor International Market Group. In addition, he has also held leadership positions at Chrysler and Chrysler Daimler.

The phenomenon of Chinese people serving as the CEO of foreign companies in China is becoming increasingly common in various industries.

NO.5 Railway department takes action to rectify massage chairs

Not long ago, the report that about 90% of massage chairs at Tai'an High Speed Railway Station are too few ordinary seats and tourists often sit on the ground has attracted attention. On August 17th, the official response from China Railway stated that the railway department had issued a notice criticizing the operation and service issues of the multifunctional waiting seats at Tai'an Station, and requested train stations in various regions to draw lessons from each other, carefully investigate and rectify the problems, ensure that the multifunctional waiting seats are in good condition, operate in compliance with regulations, and provide universal and differentiated high-quality services for passengers waiting to the greatest extent possible.

The railway department requires a reasonable layout to facilitate passenger travel. For stations equipped with multifunctional waiting seats, it is necessary to ensure that the total number of passenger waiting seats in the waiting area does not decrease. The number of multifunctional waiting seats shall not exceed 20% of all waiting seats, and shall be distributed and balanced in each waiting area, without affecting passenger waiting and passage. The second is to strengthen inspection and maintenance, and improve the passenger experience. Regularly carry out electricity safety inspection, hygiene and disinfection and sterilization and other work to ensure that the multi-function waiting seat is in good working condition. Set up "Free Seating, QR Code Massage" signs in prominent positions in the multifunctional waiting seat area, and publish the service supervision hotline. The third is to comprehensively investigate and rectify, and operate in accordance with the law and regulations. Before the end of August, organize a comprehensive investigation and rectification, and rectify the number, specifications, layout, condition, and hygiene of multifunctional waiting seats that do not meet the requirements within a specified period of time. For stations with high passenger flow and insufficient waiting area, further reduce the proportion and quantity of multifunctional waiting seats.