IN BRIEF | Low-cost airline startup Scoot will fly to three Chinese cities this year but says it won't double-up on destinations currently served by its parent, Singapore Airlines.
That rules out Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and six other major cities, which will be blow to business travellers hoping to use Scoot as a cost-effective way to reach Chinese partners and suppliers in those largest cities.
Scoot revealed today that it would begin flights between Singapore and the north-east Chinese city of Tianjin in August, following an early June launch with Sydney and the Gold Coast as the airline's debutante destinations.
Two more Chinese cities will follow this year, but according to Channel NewsAsia, Scoot CEO Campbell Wilson says the airline's focus is on "China's secondary cities" which are not substantial enough to be served by Singapore Airlines.
Wilson has apparently ruled out Beijing for that reason, but says "Tianjin, a mere 30-minute high speed bullet train ride away from (Beijing), has huge potential."
It's worth noting that Tianjin has a population of 12 million, which is pretty huge for a 'secondary city'!
Scoot has also adopted a Chinese name of 'ku-hang' (written as ??) which means 'cool'.
Keep up to date with the latest news for Australian business travellers and frequent flyers: tune into @AusBT on Twitter.
David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis.
Hi Guest, join in the discussion on Scoot rules out Beijing, Shanghai as China destinations