For many outside of Asia, Spring Airlines is probably best known for out O'Learying, Michael O'Leary when it floated the concept of standing-only flights - something that not to be out O'learyed, the publicity shy head of Ryanair was happy to pick the baton up on himself.
But there is plenty more to the story of Spring Airlines, which is attempting to adapt the hugely successful no-frills carrier model to the emerging Chinese market. So how is the airline faring with its ambition of bring low fares to the Chinese market?
"I saw an opportunity in an industry where the dominant global players are smart privately-owned companies. Southwest opened the market up to a whole new class of traveller, levelling the playing field on who might fly, and we thought that we could adapt this model to China," explains Spring chairman Wang Zhenghau in the June Airline Busines cover interview. "Regardless of who you are, the challenges that you predominantly face are internal. You have to understand your market, your consumer and their changing habits. Only you can control your destiny, and you are responsible for your own success."
Find out more about Spring Airlines and watch a video interview with Zhenghau in the Airline Business low-cost carrier interactive special here.
Source: Airline Business