China Southern increases service to Canada

In order to provide more seamless, quality service to passengers during the China- Canada Year of Tourism, China Southern Airlines, one of the largest airlines in China, plans to increase its non-stop Guangzhou-Toronto service from three weekly flights to daily service this month.

At an event called "Responsible Travel" held on Wednesday in Markham, Li Xiaoguang, general manager of China Southern's Toronto office, told guests that the airlines regularly reports to the public about its job performance.

"We hope that the reports demonstrate our social responsibility philosophy and best practices to the public, promote understanding, communication and interaction between China and Canada," Li said.

According to Li, the airlines is conscientious about the environment and conducts many green initiatives such as "Green Flights". A green program started in 2016 through which the company brought in 53 new environmentally friendly aircraft that reduced fuel consumption by 15 percent.

Holding the best safety record in all of China with over 19 million safe flying hours, the airlines' vast network in China connects 123 cities through its four hubs of Guangzhou, Beijing, Urumiqi and Chongqing. The hubs connect to 49 short-haul Asia destinations and 25 intercontinental long-haul destinations worldwide.

"With the fastest transfer times in China, passengers can arrive home anywhere in China before noon. We also provide free airport shuttle buses to nearby city airports such as Shenzhen, Foshan and Zhuhai," said Li, adding that passengers can also enjoy the 72-hour visa-free transit program in Guangzhou.

China Southern Airlines currently operates up to 74 weekly flights between Guangzhou and destinations in North America, including New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Vancouver and Toronto.

"We are glad to see China Southern Airlines increase service to daily flights," said Yang Wenting, director of China National Tourist Office in Toronto. "It will meet more of the demands of tourists traveling between Canada and China."

According to Yang, China and Canada are now each other's major sources of overseas tourists. In 2017, about 780,000 Canadians traveled to China, and 680,000 Chinese tourists visited Canada.

The increasingly closer tourism exchanges between China and Canada "have enhanced people-to-people bonds and built up friendship," Yang added.

Contact the writer at renali@chinadailyusa.com