Episode Details

China's major airlines have extended free refund and rescheduling policies for Japan-bound tickets as weekly Sino-Japanese flight volumes sink to their lowest level in a month and Chinese travelers redirect their winter holiday plans toward emerging hubs in Russia, Central Asia and domestic ice-and-snow destinations.

中国主要航空公司已延长日本航线机票的免费退改政策，因中日每周航班量跌至一个月来最低水平，中国旅客正将冬季度假计划转向俄罗斯、中亚新兴枢纽及国内冰雪旅游目的地。

On Friday, major domestic airlines, including Air China, China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines, extended their previous Dec 31 deadline for refunds and rebooking to March 28 next year, the end of the winter-spring travel season.

周五，包括中国国际航空、中国东方航空和中国南方航空在内的国内主要航空公司，将原定于12月31日的退票和改签截止日期延长至明年3月28日，即寒假春假出行高峰期的结束之日。

The extensions follow China's travel advisories issued in mid-November discouraging trips to Japan after erroneous remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi regarding China's Taiwan. Chinese airlines have since recalibrated capacity, with reductions concentrated in leisure-heavy routes.

此次延长禁令源于中国11月中旬发布的旅行建议，该建议因日本首相高市早苗就中国台湾问题发表不当言论而劝阻赴日旅行。此后中国航空公司已调整运力配置，削减主要集中在休闲旅游为主的航线。

Data from Flight Master, a travel services platform, show that round-trip Sino-Japanese flights fell to 1,167 during the week of Nov 24-30, the lowest weekly volume in a month, with the recovery rate sliding to 78.1 percent, a new low. As of Dec 1, the projected cancellation rate for Sino-Japanese flights scheduled in December rose to 26.4 percent, continuing an upward trend.

旅行服务平台Flight Master数据显示，11月24日至30日当周中日往返航班量降至1167架次，创下一个月来最低周度水平，复航率滑落至78.1%，再创新低。截至12月1日，12月中日航班的预计取消率升至26.4%，持续呈上升趋势。

Industry insiders said that the impact is likely to extend beyond the Spring Festival period, with aircraft redeployed to Southeast Asia and domestic routes.

业内人士表示，该影响可能持续到春节假期之后，部分航班将被调往东南亚及国内航线。

As travelers look beyond Japan for winter sports and seasonal scenery, travel demand is rising across a widening set of destinations. One of the most significant shifts is toward Russia following Moscow's decision to grant Chinese citizens visa-free entry for up to 30 days through Sept 14 next year.

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