In the news: Asia Pacific home to world’s busiest flight routes, more rail options for Ctrip users in Amadeus tie-up, Fliggy’s new shopping channel
Aviation: Kuala Lumpur-Singapore crowned world’s busiest international route for second straight year
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Every time I take a flight from my Kuala Lumpur base to Singapore, whether on a low cost carrier or legacy airline, the aircraft is always almost full, even on a mid-week day.
This is not surprising as the short hop, taking about an hour, between the two cities is very popular due to business and leisure demand. So it is not unexpected the route, which operates 30,187 flights annually by eight carriers, has been named the world’s busiest (again) for the second consecutive year.
This was revealed by OAG, the British provider of travel data and insight, in its ‘Busiest Routes in the World’ analysis based on the frequency of flights that operated between the cities surveyed from March 2018 to February 2019.
The study also found Asia Pacific is home to 15 of the top 20 busiest international and 13 of the top 20 busiest domestic routes globally.
The Hong Kong to Taipei route, with 28,447 operating flights, was also very popular, making it the second busiest international route overall
Rounding up the world’s top five are Jakarta to Singapore, Hong Kong to Shanghai, and Jakarta to Kuala Lumpur. OAG said this was likely due to high demand for low cost carriers, especially those that operate out of Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur. (See chart below).
“Asia’s dominance in the world’s busiest routes reflects the region’s tourism growth,” said Mayur Patel, head of ASPAC, OAG. “In addition to Hong Kong, which plays a strategic connecting role for many carriers, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta have become Asia’s new ‘golden triangle,’ mimicking the influence of major US hubs, Boston, New York and Washington.”
Key findings from the study:
- Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to Singapore is the busiest international route in the world with 30,187 operating flights; KUL features in two of the world’s top five busiest international markets.
- Incheon to Osaka grew even busier this year, increasing operating flight volume by 2,223 flights.
- The world’s busiest route, South Korea Jeju to Seoul, is also one of the shortest, with 79,460 operating flights, followed by Melbourne to Sydney with 54,102 flights.
- 30% of the world’s busiest international routes operate from Hong Kong International Airport, which is featured in six of the top 20 busiest international markets in the world.
- Singapore is the most popular destination for the region’s busiest long-haul routes, with six arriving in the island-state.
- Tokyo to Taipei is now one of the world’s top 20 busiest international routes, with 13,902 operating flights.
The study was based on operating flight volume, including insight into on-time performance and carrier frequency at the route level, both domestically and internationally. Access the full analysis here.
Travel: Ctrip expands rail offerings in new deal with Amadeus
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China’s biggest OTA Ctrip increases rail options to its 90 million monthly users in a distribution deal with Amadeus that enables its users globally to buy tickets on the routes of Renfe, the national Spanish rail operator.
Through this partnership, Ctrip customers from anywhere in the world are able to book and pay for Spanish rail tickets in their own language and currency.
For example, a Chinese traveller from Beijing on a Europe tour who wants to travel by rail from Barcelona to Madrid need not have to go on foreign websites that may not accept the Renminbi.
Rail routes will be available first across the Ctrip group, which includes Ctrip.com and Qunar for Chinese customers and Trip.com for overseas customers.
Following this launch, Ctrip plans to make Renfe’s offer available on mobile, through the new Ctrip app TrainPal. Travellers using the app will be able to search for train fares on the go using its smart search engine, in addition to providing simplified bookings and secure payments, as well as discounted fares.
“With Spain aiming to attract one million Chinese tourists by 2020, it is essential to offer them the best travel options in an accessible and convenient way,” said Amadeus in a statement..
Mirja Sickel, global head of rail and ground travel at Amadeus, noted that high speed rail is an accepted mode of transport for travellers from Ctrip’s home markets such as China, Japan, Taiwan or South Korea.
“So when they travel overseas, rail is a natural choice for them. Rail operators like Renfe that are quick to embrace technologies and adopt new commercial strategies to reach these travellers will benefit from higher growth than their competitors.”
Amy Wei, CEO of Ctrip International Train Ticketing added: “Our partnership with Amadeus is integral to our expansion strategy for rail. We already provide tickets for train routes in China as well as in other overseas markets. With the help of Amadeus, we are able to offer our customers even more rail options.”
Shopping: Alibaba launches Fliggy Buy, a new shopping channel for Chinese travellers
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Fliggy, the travel service platform of the Alibaba Group, has launched Fliggy Buy, a new shopping channel for Chinese travellers to browse and buy goods before reaching their destination, picking them up in stores after they arrive.
Through the channel, Chinese customers can access detailed information and buyers’ reviews about products, from cosmetics to bags and alcohol, in their own language prior to an overseas trip. After selecting a pickup store, inputting their personal information and completing payment they can then pick up their goods at their leisure on arrival at their destination.
Fliggy said the service advances its “Global Fun” strategy, which promotes international travel for Chinese tourists by working with industry players to give the tourists a “richer experience” while abroad.
“The launch of Fliggy Buy represents our latest move to work with merchants targeting the vast numbers of tourists from China to develop innovative solutions, and offer them targeted customer traffic,” said Roman Zhu, head of Fliggy Buy at Fliggy.
“Our aim is also to embrace the potential of digital technology and provide a holistic travel experience encompassing food, accommodation, transportation, sightseeing, shopping and entertainment.”
Merchants on Fliggy Buy include duty-free and tax-free stores, both overseas and within mainland China, internationally renowned brands and speciality local stores. Furla Hong Kong and Laox of Japan have joined this channel, and more merchants are expected to join.
“Duty-free and tax-free stores are our focus during the first phase of rollout as they are the most visited shopping and consumption venues amongst Chinese outbound tourists,” added Zhu.
“Our next step is to enrich the product categories on Fliggy Buy and recruit more overseas merchants to include high-end luxury brands, household electronics sellers, as well as pharmacy and cosmetics stores, assisting them to reach more Chinese consumers.”
Insights from the platform show an upward trend in Chinese travellers spending overseas. Average spend grew 9% year-on-year in 2018.
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