Negative sounds
Air China is the country's first carrier to operate a Weibo user-planned flight from Beijing to Xi'an.
Not a single brand or marketing firm can afford to ignore the power of Chinese microblog, or Sina Weibo; even China’s high-flying,ralph lauren femme,polo ralph lauren, state-owned airlines.
Air China recently flew the country’s first-ever, user-planned flight from Beijing Capital Airport to Xi’an Xianyang International Airport,polo ralph lauren pas cher,polo lacoste,introductions and conclusions,abercrombie, adding the term “wei hang ban” (micro-flight) to the Chinese online encyclopedia.
User-generated flights
Although the flight was not solely planned by Weibo users -- the route had been arranged by Air China in advance -- netizens had the power to decide if the Boeing 737-800 would take off at all. The flight would have been canceled if reservations failed to reach a certain number.
Online users also had a final say on which flight attendants would board and what food would be served by voting for different options on the airline’s Sina Weibo page.
The page was the only channel to book tickets for the flight; so every single passenger was a Weibo user and a follower on Air China’s Sina account.
One passenger on this "wei hang ban" was a 20-something man surnamed Tian,polo ralph lauren pas cher, who was the first person to sign up. The self-dubbed "aviation microblog fan" explained to China Netizen News that he considered this a pure experience trip as he had to rush back to Beijing the same night.
He Yun (),polo ralph lauren pas cher,Ben Silverman Sells 'Fashion Star' to NBC, Network,abercrombie and fitch, Air China’s senior marketing manager, said in an interview with the same publication that Chinese travelers regard the carrier as slightly out of touch,abercrombie pas cher, and that the campaign is aimed to increase interactions with passengers.
Negative sounds
Controversy also surrounds the flight.
Chu Tian Jin Bao, a state-owned provincial newspaper,abercrombie and fitch,Prep Time, posted a commentary titled,polo homme, “China’s first ‘wei hang ban’ trials in controversy.”
The Hubei-based publication quoted an anonymous industry insider,polo ralph lauren pas cher, arguing that it will be difficult to popularize “wei hang ban.”
The insider pointed out the aircraft is only scheduled when enough passengers have signed up, and no change is allowed to tickets once payment has been made. Both terms are unacceptable to normal travelers.
"The concept is more of an advertising tool and a way to seek attention,polo,” Chu Tian Jin Bao said.
China Internet Network Information Center rates Weibo as the fastest-growing Chinese Internet application. The number of China’s Weibo users rose from 63.11 million at the end of last year to 195 million in June.
A total of 87 domestic and international airlines,2,000 to compete in Xiamen Intl Martial Arts compe, including Air China, JAL,ralph lauren femme,polo ralph lauren outlet,Fight Over a Potential Rolling Stones Tour Reveals,ralph lauren pas cher, Qatar Airways,polo ralph lauren pas cher, Singapore Airlines and KLM,Run My Way,sac longchamp, have signed up accounts on various Weibo sites,ralph lauren femme, with most of them using specialists to manage and update the pages.