It's cheaper to fly to Shanghai Pudong than to Taitung  —  A mainland Chinese low-cost carrier is offering round-trip tickets for just NT$90

▲ Spring Airlines' current Taiwan-Shanghai round-trip promotion for NT$90. (Photo/Source: Wikipedia)

Reported by Chen Rui-zhong / Taipei

Are plane tickets cheaper than coffee, and do they even come with free accommodation? Is that even possible?

To compete for the cross-strait travel market during the Lunar New Year, the mainland Chinese airline Spring Airlines recently launched a promotional offer where round-trip tickets for the “Taipei–Shanghai–Taipei” and “Kaohsiung–Shanghai–Kaohsiung” routes are available for just NT$90. This translates to a one-way fare of just NT$45 (before tax). Passengers departing from Taipei will also receive complimentary hotel accommodation. The sale runs until 22:00 on January 20, 2014.

Spring Airlines is offering flights from Taipei to Shanghai on January 26, 29, and 30, as well asflights from Shanghai to Taipei on February 5, 6, 7, 16, and 17; for departures from Kaohsiung, the dates areJanuary 24, 25, 27, and 28, with return flights on February 5 and 8. The offer is limited to Spring Airlines members (registration is free), and the partnered hotel is 7 Days Inn. Calculating the round-trip fare of NT$90 plus taxes, it is estimated to save about half the usual transportation cost compared to current Taipei–Shanghai round-trip market prices. For more information, please visit theSpring Airlines website.