Chinese Civil Servants Can Now Opt to Fly on Spring Airlines

Chinese civil servants on official duties can now opt to fly on Spring Airlines (SC) after the budget carrier was included in the list of suppliers of air tickets for the government.

The largest low-cost carrier of China announced Tuesday it is now on the government procurement list for air tickets, which means Chinese civil servants can select the airline's special offers of 99 yuan and 199 yuan, a move expected to save public spending on business travel.

In the one-month trial operation starting September 25, civil servants booked 315 tickets from the airline, including 14 premium economy seats (SpringPlus).

The 315 tickets covered 91 domestic routes, and 207, or 69% are to and from Shanghai. Flights from Shanghai to Xiamen, from Chongqing to Shanghai, from Urumqi to Shanghai ranked in the top three.

According to statistics, 66% of the tickets ordered by civil servants cannot be refunded or changed. Spokesman for the airline Zhang Wu'an said, among the 315 tickets, 107 were sold at a discount of over 40% and 208 at a discount of less than 40%, including 46 sold at 99 yuan or 199 yuan.

The airline's premium economy products - SpringPlus provide wider seats, in-flight meal and 25 kg luggage allowance, becoming popular among the employees in enterprises and institutions.

Currently, the budget airline sells about 30,000 SpringPlus seats per month. It is believed that the SpringPlus will be popular among civil servants.