China Southern Airlines is now making e-ticketing available - for the first time - between Shenzhen and Urumqi.

Urumqi - home base for Xinjiang Airlines in Western China and currently merging its operations with China Southern Airlines - will be the 17th major Chinese city to begin Internet E-ticketing.

China Southern Airlines` Internet E-ticketing is available on its Chinese web site at website cs-air.com
to book tickets or via its Internet partner Et-China at et-china.com .

In 2002, China Southern recorded E-ticket sales of $72 Million (US).  2003 Internet revenues are expected to top out at more than $193 Million (US).  Holding steady, this would place China Southern Airlines as the number 1 E-business leader in China`s civil aviation marketplace.

“We will continuously explore the E-ticket business, extend the service into more cities, thoroughly upgrade the E-ticket system into a perfectly functional system and use this cutting-edge technology to meld the connection of reservations, booking, flight departures, revenue accounting and tariff,” said Mr. Yan Zhi Qing, President, China Southern Air Holding Company & Chairman of China Southern Airlines Company Ltd.

Mr. Yan added that the airline is, “demonstrating China Southern`s brand value of `convenience and quickness`, gradually improving the proportion of E-ticket sales in China Southern`s sales revenues, making China Southern one of the leading E-business airlines within China.”

China Southern was the first airline in China to start Internet sales business on February 1, 1999 ... and sold the first domestic E-ticket on March 28, 2000.

During the past three years, China Southern Airlines has gradually built up its service network while continuously expanding its E-business platform to the B-to-C and B-to-B customers and is currently available in 33 major metropolitan cities across China, including Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Wuhan.

Related stories on ITN:

(09/01/2003) China Southern & Et-china Announce E-Business Venture

(30/09/2002) China Southern Announces New English Website

(30/08/2002) China Southern Airlines Launches New TDMS Data Management System

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