Bradley Perrett covered China, Japan, South Korea and Australia. He is a Mandarin-speaking Australian.
Before joining Aviation Week in 2006 he was a macroeconomics, politics and aerospace journalist with Reuters. Perrett holds a bachelor’s degree in law from Macquarie University, Sydney. He left Aviation Week in 2020.
The trend toward strategic partnerships between Asian airlines is gathering strength, with All Nippon Airways and Asiana announcing deeper cooperation as the Japanese carrier looks to making its next deal with Shanghai Airlines. ANA is also considering the establishment of a no-frills offshoot, a defensive step to answer foreign budget airlines expected to present a rising challenge to Japan's high-cost aviation sector.
Singapore Airlines' purchase of 15%-25% of a recapitalized China Eastern should be announced before the end of the week, giving the Southeast Asian carrier excellent access to the booming Chinese market through connections with the country's third-largest carrier. An infusion of Chinese government capital and Singaporean capital and management know-how will also ensure the survival of an independent China Eastern, which is almost broke after repeated heavy losses.
Southeast Asian budget carriers are stepping up efforts at getting extra revenue by selling add-on products and services. Malaysia's AirAsia, which does not allocate seats, has begun letting passengers join priority boarding groups by paying a fee. Such passengers board ahead of the others and thereby get the best seats. The charge has been set at an introductory rate of around $6 per one-way flight, although it varies from country to country, depending on currency.
