Airlines reduce flights from Shenzhen and Guangzhou to Xiamen after high-speed rail opens

China's airlines are settling into a changed market from Shenzhen and Guangzhou to Xiamen in southern China, where a high-speed 200 km/h rail line (HSR) opened on 28-Dec-2013 and reduced travel time between Shenzhen and Xiamen from 11 hours to three hours and 50 minutes. What was once a journey where air had a distinct advantage is now a trip where air has only a minor advantage.

Unsurprisingly, flights from Shenzhen to Xiamen have been cut, by a third, with 53 weekly flights decreasing to around 35.

Flights from Guangzhou to Xiamen have dipped 12% from 91 a week to approximately 80. (Fare information is unavailable, which could show discounting to better compete with rail.) The changes are real, but their relative impact in the wider scheme of things is very small: China in Jun-2014 had approximately 31,000 weekly domestic round-trips. Taking a few dozen flights out is a rounding error, although more realistically the slots and airspace can be used to open new routes.