Come fly the friendly skies, even with red eyes

Budget travelers rejoice! Starting today, Civil Aviation Administration of China has partially lifted a four year ban on all domestic red eye flights, says a Tom.com story (in Chinese). The rule was put in place four years ago due to public safety concerns. Since then, thanks to a booming economy, domestic air travel volume has soared and supply hasn’t kept pace. (Even though China seems to be buying 20 planes from either Boeing or Airbus every other day.) Major airport hubs have reported record numbers of travelers every quarter and are now at a saturation point. During holiday seasons, air tickets to popular travel destinations are hard to come by and are often extremely expensive. Reinstating red eye flights would ameliorate the congestion and provide customers with even cheaper tickets, a further 20 percent discount off the listed price. With May Day holiday just around the corner, this is welcoming news indeed to all would-be travelers.

Starting today, Beijing airport will see its number of departing/arriving flights go up by 10 percent, from 1,000 to 1,100. Airports in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu and Shenzhen will also see similar increases. Security has also been beefed up at all above airports. Better still, even airport noodle shops will stay open longer for the weary and hungry few -- of course, if you have ever eaten at one of those places, you could argue that's not such a good thing. If initial tests at major cities are successful, red eye flights would eventually be available at airports all across China. Safe and happy travels, everyone.

You can read the full story on Tom.com