China Southern Airlines blends Banking & Air Travel with New 'Bank Ticket'

China Southern Airlines and The Construction Bank of China, in conjunction with Xinjiang Airlines of China Southern Air Holding Company have launched an all-new "Airline Bank Ticket" promotion.

Effective immediately, passengers may now prepay airline tickets on Xinjiang Airlines at any of the business offices of the Construction Bank in Urumqi.

Now part of the China Southern Air Holding Company, Xinjiang Airlines uses China Southern Airlines' flight code - CZ - on all domestic (China) and International flights.

All Xinjiang Airlines aircraft are being gradually repainted in China Southern's distinctive white and blue logo colors and brilliant red kapok flower logo on each tail. As part of this merger, the frequent flyer programs of Xinjiang Airlines (and China Northern Airlines) have been integrated into China Southern Airlines' Sky Pearl Club as one unified FFP brand.

The new "bank ticket" service is available at 97 business offices of the Construction Bank of China here in Urumqi.

As the blended travel/banking promotion expands, "bank ticketing" is expected to rollout to the more 400 business offices of The Construction Bank of China throughout Xinjiang.

A "bank ticket" is a receipt for an airline ticket purchased at a bank - that can later be exchanged for an airline ticket.

Passengers can go to any designated counters at Urumqi International Airport on their day of departure and exchange their bank receipt for an official paper airline ticket.

In addition, The Construction Bank of China is also offering passengers typical airline ticketing services, including: flight itinerary change, carrier change and refunds. The Construction Bank of China in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region enjoys an extensive network of branch offices and has earned a solid reputation of service for its customers.

The Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region covers over 1.6 million square kilometers, one-sixth of China's total territory, making it China's largest province. With a population of over 19 Million, Xinjiang is home to 47 ethnic groups including the Uygur, the major ethnic group in Xinjiang.

Headquartered in Urumqi, Xinjiang Airlines owns 23 large and medium-sized passenger planes and has 86 domestic air routes and eight international routes with a total mileage of 170,000 kilometers.

In 2002 alone, Xinjiang Airlines, with 48 consecutive years of safe flight operations, operated 58,700 flight hours, handled 26,800 tons of cargo and moved 1.82 Million passengers.