Ctrip and Qunar are merging to create a large, new travel booking entity. We're not sure yet if it will be called Cnar or Qutrip or what, but we're worried that it will take all the unreliability and high cost of Ctrip and combine it with the impenetrable user interface of Qunar. Read all about it here.

Along with all the new routes that Air China has announced or commenced in this month, it's also adding Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, and Beijing-Auckland, New Zealand, and Beijing-Mumbai, India. One thinks others may be on the way, especially as Lufthansa is looking to deepen its ties with China's flag carrier during German Chancellor Angela Merkel's upcoming visit.

We guess Air China got tired of hearing about all the new routes that Hainan Airlines was pioneering, especially since so few of them begin or end in Hainan. Most notable is the Beijing-Manchester, England route, set to begin in June 2016. A fellow the Beijinger staff member noted that most Manchester routes now go through Abu Dhabi on Etihad Airlines, which unnecessarily extends travel time by hours, or via London Heathrow's domestic terminal, not noted for its comfort. We'll have to see what the price point is before we know whether it will lead to a mass conversion from British Airways or other carriers.

Until Thursday, one road flat safe.

More stories by this author here.

Email: stevenschwankert@thebeijinger.com

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