Airlines in China roll out discount packages to boost cash flow

Domestic airlines in China rolled out ticket discount packages under the banner of "fly at will" one after another recently, in the hope of recouping money and boosting consumption affected by Covid-19 (coronavirus) outbreak. These packages priced at around 3,000 yuan (US$424.59) allow passengers to book a domestic flight (except for Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan) for free and without limitation of time slot and number of journeys in a given period of time. China Eastern, the first air carrier that launched "fly at will" weekend package said, as of June 24, more than 100,000 tickets had been bought by package buyers, most of which were for the Duanwu Festival holidays from June 25 to 27 or for weekends in July. The package of China Eastern will be valid until the end of the year. China Express launched a similar "fly at will" ticket package on June 23, five days after the China Eastern Airlines', according to its Weibo account.However, only medical workers and new clients of the carrier are qualified to purchase such tickets. China Express said on its Weibo account that it saw the package as a "testing waters" but it had gave the airlines a 3m yuan cashflow. Following the moves, Hainan Airlines announced its version of "fly at will" on July 1. <br/>