Five Chinese airlines jointly launched an express air service between Beijing and Shanghai yesterday, the first in the country.

But the service will mean an end to hefty discounts on weekday flights.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China, which initiated the service, is promising a maximum three-hour turnaround from final check-in to baggage claim.

A total of 36 express flights were put into operation by Air China, China Eastern, China Southern, Hainan Airlines, and Shanghai Airlines, taking off almost every half hour between Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport and the Beijing Capital International Airport.

The service includes dedicated express check-in, security check, boarding gates and baggage claims at the two airports, a CAAC spokesman said.

Passengers will be allowed for the first time to transfer to the aircraft of any of the other four airlines at their destination, the spokesman said.

"It's much faster and more convenient now," said Wang Ruiming, a passenger at the Shanghai airport.

Previously, passengers could get discounts of up to 30 percent on their fares. But from Monday to Friday, all tickets will be sold at the full price of 1,130 yuan (US$149), and to prevent cut-throat competition, some airlines have proposed a maximum discount of 20 percent.

According to the CAAC plan, the service will run as a trial operation until October 27. The winter and spring will be "the improvement stage," and the summer and autumn of next year will be "the promotion and expansion phase."

Xia Xinghua, director of the CAAC's east China bureau, said if successful, the service would expand to more major cities, including Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Chengdu.

At least 70 flights operate between Beijing and Shanghai every day, including the express service, but they struggle to meet the rising demand.

CAAC data show that the Beijing-Shanghai route is the busiest domestic commercial route, used by 4.18 million passengers last year, accounting for 2.98 percent of China's total civil aviation passenger numbers.

(Xinhua News Agency August 7, 2007)