Beijing-Havana Flight in the Works

Air China is working on a Beijing to Havana direct flight, one report says. That would be one very long flight – probably in the region of 14 or 15 hours – but it would make the trip much shorter overall, avoiding a transfer somewhere in Canada. Even if and when US air links with Cuba commence, any plane change in North America would add about three hours to overall travel time. We'll be watching this one with interest.

Shenzhen Airlines looks set to expand. How do we know that? They just ordered over USD 4 billion in new planes from Boeing, specifically 46 new 737s. Those are generally short-haul aircraft, but models like the 737-800 could do regional work to destinations as much as six air hours away. Keep an eye on them for new destinations.

UK-based travel giant Thomas Cook is partnering with China's Fosun to get a slice of the market. The two have created a joint venture to offer group tours in and out of China, with Fosun, which also now owns all-inclusive holiday leader Club Mediterranee (aka Club Med), to own 51 percent. The deal is worth about GBP 1.5 billion.

Finally, it's now even easier for people holding Taiwan credentials to the rest of China. We already wrote about that and crowd limitations at the Forbidden City.

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Photo: Havana Club