OK, we've never heard of East Star Airlines before, but it has just become the first private airline in China to be authorized to operate international flights. A Xinhua report tells us that under Civil Aviation Administration of China regulations, new airlines may apply to operate international flights only after three years of operations. East Star has been in business less than two years, but it beat rivals Okair, Ueair, Juneyao Airlines and Spring Airlines to be the first. Hmm... we wonder what made them bend those rules! more ›

China's transportation and tourism sectors hit a new record last week as 150 million people travelled within China during the seven day period. 44 million travelled by train, up 6 percent from last year, and preliminary statistics from the Civil Aviation Administration of China show that 3.62 million passengers few on 30882 domestic flights, up 19% and 12% respectively. And beat this, total retail sales in consumer goods totalled 3.2 trillion yuan. *Ka-Ching*! more ›

We think we've finally figured out why so many people here carry umbrellas. They're not for sudden thunder showers. They're not for keeping skin fair and white. They're for keeping crap from falling on your head. From the Shanghai Daily: more ›

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. more ›