Both China Eastern Airlines and Shanghai Airlines opened a Shanghai-Xi'an air express on October 25, 2009. [CCTV]
东航和上航携手打造的“陕沪空中快线”已于2009年10月25日正式开通。

年底即将开通的武广高铁将给各家航空公司带来巨大的竞争压力。“不得不承认，在低于1000公里的范围内，民航以往的优势正在逐渐消失。”一名民航业内人士如是说。 

The Wuhan-Guangzhou high-speed railway, which is expected to be in operation by the end of this year, has raised the pressure on airline companies, reported the Guangzhou Daily. The advantages of taking a flight that spans the railway’s route and is less than 1,000 kilometers are shrinking, a Civil Aviation Administration (CAAC) staff said.

武广高铁开通后，坐火车从广州到武汉由原来的12小时缩短到3小时, 只比乘坐飞机多出1.5个小时。票价虽然由原来的248元增加到480元，但是比起原价为930元的机票，还是占优势的。机票即使打到最低折扣也要370元。

The Wuhan-Guangzhou high-speed railway will reduce train travelling time from the current 12 hours to 3 hours, which is only one-and-half hours longer than it would take to fly. Ticket prices for the fast train will rise from 248 yuan to 480 yuan, but the tickets are still cheaper than the air fare of 930 yuan. Even with the best discounts, a plane ticket will still cost a minimum of 370 yuan. 

做了十几年机票销售代理的老王说：“我有不少客人都说今年过年打算坐火车回去。”

Mr. Wang, who has sold plane tickets for a dozen years, said, “Many of my customers have said they plan on taking the train to go home during the spring festival.” 

为赶在高铁开通前争夺客源，航空公司可谓绞尽脑汁。10月25日起国内民航正式实行新的冬春季航班时刻计划，多家航空公司宣布开通空中快线，其中国航开通了北京-成都、北京-重庆、北京-上海、北京-杭州、北京-广州、北京-深圳空中快线，还将于11月1日开通北京-香港空中快线。在现有京沪快线基础上，东航和上航也加开了上海-西安空中快线，而南航则继续运营广州-长沙空中快线。 

Airline companies have drawn up strategies to contend for passengers before the high-speed railway even opens. On October 25, CAAC carried out a new “winter and spring flight schedule.” Air China has opened six new domestic air express lines (Beijing-Chengdu, Beijing-Chongqing, Beijing-Shanghai, Beijing-Hangzhou, Beijing-Guangzhou and Beijing-Shenzhen.) On November 1, a Beijing-Hong Kong air express will also be opened. Both China Eastern Airlines and Shanghai Airlines opened a Shanghai-Xi'an air express, and China Southern Airlines will keep operating its Guangzhou-Changsha air express.

“我们也会考虑推出不同价位机票以满足对价格敏感的群体，如学生、探亲人群等。”国航华南基地总经理罗勇表示，快线票价将根据市场需求随时做出调整。

“We are considering selling tickets at different prices to target specific client groups, such as students and those going home to visit family,” said Luo Yong, manager of the Air China Huanan office. He also noted that air fare can be adjusted according to the demands of the market. 

从世界各国的情况看，高铁的建成对民航运输的影响很大。在日本，新干线开通后，日航停飞东京至大阪、名古屋等航线；在法国，欧洲之星快速列车占伦敦-巴黎运输市场份额的70%，BMI航空公司已经停飞了伦敦希思罗机场至巴黎戴高乐机场的所有航班。 

Historically, high-speed railways have always had an influence on civil aviation companies’ operation. Take Japan as an example. Japan Airlines closed lines from Tokyo to Osaka and Nagoya after the Shinkansen (bullet train) opened. In France, Europe Star took almost 70 percent of the transportation market share from London to Paris. And BMI (British Midlands) closed all lines from the Heathrow Airport to the Charles de Gaulle Airport. 

有分析人士认为，空铁联运可实现双赢。

Some analysts believe that if airline and railway companies form an alliance, they will achieve a win-win situation.  

空铁联运服务使珠江三角洲以及华南地区的旅客可以通过搭乘城际或省际快速轨道交通，无缝衔接至白云机场。（广州日报）

It will soon be more convenient for passengers going from the Zhujiang Delta (Guangdong Province, Hong Kong and Macau) and the South China District (Guangdong, Guangxi and Hainan provinces) to go to Guangzhou Baiyun Airport, if they take rail transit.

(China.org.cn translated by Wu Huanshu）