Asia’s flag carriers have found different ways of coping with the threat from the growing fleet of low-cost rivals. Some, like Japan Airlines and Singapore Airlines have bought stakes in these upstarts or, in the case of Qantas, developed their own. Eva has decked out its planes in Hello Kitty livery. Cathay Pacific has chosen another path: focusing on premium business and tight cost control. Is that enough in an industry it admits is volatile and will always be highly susceptible to external factors beyond its control?
亚洲的旗舰航空公司找到了不同的方法，来应对层出不穷的低成本竞争对手的威胁。有些，像日航(Japan Airlines)和新加坡航空(Singapore Airlines)，购买了初创航空公司的股票，另一些则像澳航(Qantas)那样，发展了自己的低成本航空。台湾长荣航空(Eva)给它的飞机涂装了Hello Kitty彩绘。国泰航空(Cathay Pacific)则选了另一条道路：专注于高端业务和严格的成本控制。在一个自认有波动性，且永远易受超出自己控制的外部因素影响的行业，这样做是否足够呢？