China United Airlines pulls first class on entire fleet
China United Airlines says it will completely remove all first class seating from its fleet by the end of the month.
The cost-cutting move is to make the carrier more competitive over the next three to five years, said deputy manager Wu Gang.
Current first class cabin space will be adapted to business class seats.
Passengers who have tickets booked in first-class seats can apply for a full refund, Wu said.
Austerity measures and an anti-corruption crackdown announced by the government have dampened demand for first class seats for government officials and executives of state-run companies.
"Now, the consumption of first-class seats is considered hedonism," said Qi Qi of the China Air Transport Association.
State-run telecom companies such as China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom were ordered recently to close down their VIP lounges in airports to cut costs.
"China’s aviation market will see an upsurge of budget airlines and the transformation of China United Airlines is in line with this trend," said Liu Shaoyong, general manager of parent company China Eastern Airlines.
"All we need to do is to follow this ride to embrace a more public-oriented market," Liu said.
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive
Euromonitor International unveils world’s top 100 city destinations for 2025