Foreign carriers looking for a bigger slice of China's market

With the rapidly growing number of Chinese passengers flying abroad, foreign airline companies find it hard to resist the lure of the huge market in China.

To meet the increasing demand from the world's second largest economy, airline giants are going to great lengths to significantly expand operations in the already lucrative market that hold even greater promise.

More and better

According to an industry forecast by International Air Transport Association, China is expected to become the biggest contributor to new air travelers in the world in the next few years.

With the trend clear, Malaysia Airlines doubled the number of flights from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing to 14 a week early this year while at the same time upgrading the airliner used on the route to the new A330-300.

It also plans to launch a new route from Shanghai to Kota Kinabalu in December.

As a destination, China is important for both business and sightseeing travelers. "The Chinese market is full of opportunities, to which we pay greater importance than ever before," said Joshua Law, the airline's regional senior vice-president of China, North Asia and America.

Malaysia Airlines, which will become a full member of leading quality airline alliance Oneworld next February, has been servicing the China market for 40 years. It currently operates 62 flights a week to Chinese cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Xiamen, Kunming and Hong Kong

"We are mulling over the idea to open more new direct routes (between Malaysian and Chinese cities) next year, maybe to Xi'an, Zhengzhou or Shenyang," Law said, adding that the airline is also thinking about adding the wide-body A380 aircraft to the fleet on the Chinese route.

Despite increasingly fierce competition in the Chinese aviation industry, Law said Malaysia Airlines is confident it can make a difference through its high service level.

Part of his confidence comes from the three prestigious Skytrax awards in July, including "Five-Star Status", "World's Best Airline Cabin Crew", and "Best Airline Signature Dish".

To further enhance the flying experience, the airline is offering a new in-flight menu with five Cantonese cuisines and desserts for routes between Malaysia and the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

"We hope to provide more options for Chinese passengers with our five-star services," Law said.

Green and cultural

American Airlines is sharpening its competitive edge through measures to save fuel and protect the environment.

For the third consecutive year, AMR Corp, parent company of American Airlines, received the top ranking among US airlines in Newsweek's annual environmental list of the 500 largest publicly traded companies in the country in 2012.

The airline launched its Fuel Smart program in 2005 to reduce energy consumption, which has since saved more than 700 million gallons of fuel and eliminated 7 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions, according to the company's website.

In addition to the environmental effort, the carrier also gives a high priority to sponsorship of cultural activities as a way to sustainable development in the Chinese market.

For example, it supported the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders to visit China in 2008, while becoming the sponsor to the Shanghai World Expo in 2010. It acted as the main sponsor of the annual "Meeting in Beijing" Cultural and Art Festival in 2011 and 2012.

Erwan Perhirin, vice-president of the Asia and Pacific at American Airlines, said "we are committed to the mission of building a cultural bridge between the two great nations, China and the US".

Analysts say the interest the American Airlines shows in sponsoring cultural activities enhances its brand recognition among Chinese customers as it is still a relatively newcomer that entered the market in 2006.

They add it could be an efficient way to learn the specific cultural needs of Chinese travelers to provide tailored products.

jiajingqi@chinadaily.com.cn