China Eastern hit by data leak

(Shanghai Daily) A significant amount of personal information about China Eastern Airlines passengers was leaked this week following an attack on a computer system used by one of its ticket agents.

The breach was reported by a white-hat hacker — a benign expert who tests the security of computer systems — on wooyun.org.

The anonymous poster claimed that a large volume of information about the airline’s customers was leaked on Tuesday due to a loophole in the system. The problem was flagged as “high alert.”

Wooyun is a website on which hackers share information about weaknesses they find in computer networks.

China Eastern yesterday confirmed that one of its agents had been hacked and that information about several passengers had been leaked.

It declined to reveal details of the attack, but told Shanghai Daily that the data related to customers that had been given refunds by the agent.

Despite the carrier claiming to have upgraded its security, the breach comes just months after a white hat reported in August that swathes of information about China Eastern passengers — including their names, dates of birth, passport and ID card numbers, and private addresses — had been leaked.

Many of the airline’s customers later complained of being bombarded with telephone calls from fraudsters and cheats.

China Eastern said at the time that all of its messages to passengers are sent via its official hotline on 95530.

Source: shanghai daily

Another budget airline debuts in China

(Xinhua) China's third low-cost carrier, 9 Air, launched its first flight on Tuesday afternoon, with its cheapest ticket priced at 9 yuan (US$1.46).

The inaugural flight took off at 1pm from Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong province, and landed in the western Guangdong city of Zhanjiang 70 minutes later.

Guangzhou-based 9 Air was founded in February this year as a budget subsidiary of privately owned Juneyao Airlines. It is the third low-cost carrier to operate in China after Spring Airlines and China West Air.

In the near term, 9 Air plans to operate domestic flights from Guangzhou. Later, it aims to expand into East and Southeast Asia.

Ji Guangping, 9 Air CEO, said its low-end tickets will be priced at 9 yuan (US$1.46), 99 yuan, 199 yuan (US$16) and 299 yuan (US$49). In general, 9 Air's prices will be 20%-30% lower than the industry's average, he said.

In May this year, 9 Air placed an order to purchase 50 Boeing 737 jets. The planes, including Boeing 737-800 jets and the next generation of 737 MAX models, will be delivered before 2020.

Source: xinhua via want china times

Cathay Pilots to Start Work-to-Rule Plans, May Hurt Flights

(Bloomberg) Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd.’s pilots union will do only what’s required by their contracts from tomorrow after discussions about pay failed, potentially leading to flight delays at Asia’s biggest international carrier.

Unionized pilots will start the so-called “contract compliance,” in which officials will perform their assigned duties in strict conformance with their agreements, the Hong Kong Aircrew Officers Association said on its website. About 1,700 members based in Hong Kong, New Zealand and the U.S. will be asked to comply with the work-to-rule plans, it said.

Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong’s biggest carrier, said in a statement it’s “extremely disappointed.” “This action is uncalled for, unnecessary and unproductive,” it said.

Last month, the union’s leaders were authorized by its members to take a decision on the work-to-rule campaign should talks about pay fail. With employees putting in only as much effort as is stipulated, operations at the busy Christmas and year-end period may be disrupted with flight cancellations and delays, the South China Morning Post newspaper reported on its website, citing unidentified pilots.

“It’s unfortunate that a year of negotiations has brought us to this point,” Chris Beebe, general secretary of the HKAOA said in a statement on its website. “The HKAOA looks forward to resuming talks with management for a fairer, more equitable agreement on pay,” he said. The union has more than 2,000 members, according to its website.

No Discussions

Although the expected long-term salary deal wasn’t reached this year, the company hopes that the pay award announced at the end of last month would allow both sides to close the year on a “positive note,” Cathay said today, without disclosing details of the remuneration package. Discussions with the union have been placed on hold, the airline said.

The last time the pilots union went on a contract compliance plan was in 2001 and it went for an “extended period of time with no substantial disruption to flight services,” the carrier said.

The union’s members in October voted to reject an offer from the Hong Kong-based airline of a 10 percent pay increase over three years.

In 2012, the airline and its flight attendants union agreed on a labor deal in the third week of December, averting the threat of a possible industrial action through the Christmas travel period.

Deutsche Lufthansa AG, Europe’s second-biggest airline, said today that a strike that began Dec. 1 will affect flights for the rest of the week after its pilot union called a further walkout tomorrow. The Vereinigung Cockpit union last night instructed pilots flying long-haul and cargo aircraft to strike in what would be the 10th action this year.

Lufthansa scrapped 1,350 flights during a strike than ran from midday on Dec. 1 through midnight yesterday, or almost half its timetable, while 29 flights were showing as scrapped on its website today in the aftermath.

Source: Bloomberg News by Clement Tan

Beijing Upgrades Bus WiFi Systems

(CRI) In Beijing, the WiFi system on around 12 thousand buses has been upgraded, with their network cards changed from 3G to 4G which will provide passengers with faster and more stable free Internet services.

As of now, the speed of the WiFi on these buses can reach 50MB per second which is enough for as many as 40 people to use simultaneously.

Passengers reach an oriented website once connected with the "16 wifi". They can also check other websites after downloading an app through this website.

Beijing has just lifted the fare for public transport which is expected to lead to more people taking the buses, and more WiFi upgrades will be implemented accordingly.

Source: CRI

China, Maldives Sign Agreement on Key Bridge Project

(CRI) China and Maldives have signed a memorandum for a bridge linking an international airport to the capital city of Male.

The memorandum promises to conduct research and feasibility assessments for the proposed bridge.

There are 3 international airports in Maldives outside its capital city.

The nearest one is some 100 km away from Male.

The two governments will work together in choosing one of the airports and explore options to finance the project.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has previously expressed his hope that the bridge would be named the "China-Maldives Friendship Bridge" during his visit to the Indian Ocean group of islands in September.

Source: CRI

China’s Fosun Readies New $1.11 Billion Club Med Bid

(WSJ) A group led by China’s Fosun International is set Monday to raise its offer for Club Méditerranée , valuing the French company at around €993 million ($1.11 billion) according to a person familiar with the matter.

In the latest round in an intense battle for control of the French resort operator, the group of investors led by the China-based conglomerate will make an offer to buy Club Med for €23.5 a share later Monday afternoon, the person said.

That is €0.5 more than the latest bid from rival suitor Italian businessman Andrea Bonomi. Mr. Bonomi and his partners, which now includes private-equity firm KKR , last month offered €23 a share, equivalent to €874 million, for the French group.

Fosun, a privately-held group whose latest acquisition spree has included investments in insurance and fashion around the world, is making its new bid ahead of a deadline Monday imposed by French market regulator AMF to react to the latest bid from Mr. Bonomi.

The Chinese-led group has received the backing of Club Med’s management, led by Chief Executive Henri Giscard d’Estaing, having made its first offer for the company, in which it has a minority stake, more than a year ago.

Fosun, backed by France’s AXA Private Equity, made an initial offer of €17 for the shares they didn’t already own in Club Med, equivalent to a 23% premium to Club Med’s share price on the eve of the bid announcement.

Mr. Giscard d’Estaing said earlier this year that he and other executives would invest in the new Fosun-Club Med venture.

Source: Wall Street Journal by Thomas Varela

UK rolls out red carpet for China's tourists

(China Daily) Teresa Hou has just signed up her 10-year-old son for a 15-day camp to visit prestigious universities in the United Kingdom during the upcoming winter holiday.

The 36-year-old from Beijing hopes the trip will motivate her child to study hard to be admitted by one of those universities some day.

The 15-day trip cost Hou 38,800 yuan ($6,300), but despite the high price, Hou says it is worth it. 

She says it is not only an educational trip, but also a sightseeing trip that she hopes will expand her son's horizons.

Thanks to China's expanding middle class, who have gained in wealth and disposable incomes in recent years, more Chinese like Hou's family are traveling abroad for sightseeing, shopping and other reasons, making Chinese one of the fastest-growing groups of tourists in the world.

Virtually every country wants to capitalize on this growing trend, including the United Kingdom. Its tourism industry has set a goal of making the UK one of the most welcoming destinations for Chinese tourists in Europe. One strategy has been a series of initiatives in China to promote travel in Britain. 

But industry practitioners say there is still much to do to cater to the growing sophistication of Chinese travelers.

"We expect the number of Chinese visitors to continue to increase significantly. The UK is still a relatively undiscovered destination for Chinese visitors, but is still one of the top global destinations for culture, heritage, countryside, shopping, music, sports and food," says Robin Johnson, head of overseas operations and China project director for VisitBritain, the British national tourism body.

The number of Chinese tourists in the UK has grown steadily in recent years. In 2013, there were 196,000 visits from China to the UK, an increase of 9.7 percent, generating spending of 491.7 million pounds ($770.6 million), up 63.8 percent year-on-year, the agency says.

"We want to make sure that the UK competes effectively for this market, helping the industry to develop products and services that appeal to Chinese visitors, and make sure that the message of 

Chinese tourists being welcome to travel to the UK is widely promoted."

This year VisitBritain launched a campaign called Great China Welcome that aims to attract 650,000 Chinese visits to the UK a year by 2020, worth about 1.1 billion pounds annually to the UK economy.

Since its launch, the Great China Welcome initiative has encouraged more hotels, restaurants, attractions and other hospitality businesses in the UK to become "China-ready". The campaign also helps Chinese visitors easily identify them. Johnson says VisitBritain hopes more tourism providers from the UK will invest in making their products more suitable for the Chinese market.

"Almost 200 businesses have so far signed up for the program, which is free and open to any UK business that meets the necessary criteria. The UK is already one of the most welcoming destinations for Chinese visitors, but we do not want to rest on our laurels. We want to ensure that every Chinese visitor to the UK has the best possible experience."

Although the number of Chinese traveling to the UK keeps rising, by far most of them are with tour groups, says Zhao Dexiang, manager of Shanghai China International Travel Service. If the UK wants to attract more independent Chinese tourists, local tourism practitioners need to be more China-friendly, he says.

"Not all tourists are willing to visit several cities in six or seven days. It is a rushed and compressed trip. But for those who do not speak English, they can visit the UK only in tour groups organized by travel agencies.

"If you do not speak the local language, you feel helpless when you travel alone. So if the UK wants to attract more self-tour Chinese tourists, I think it is important to provide information in Chinese and meet Chinese people's cultural needs."

To answer to the demand of Chinese DIY tourists, Johnson says VisitBritain has worked with businesses to share customer insights and holds seminars to raise cultural awareness.

Source: By Liu Lu (China Daily)