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Xi'an (CNS) -- Several airlines offered discounted one-way tickets between Beijing and Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi Province, during the three-day New Year holiday.

The move came in the wake of recently opened high-speed rail lines that are luring some passengers away from air travel.

The Beijing-Guangzhou high-speed rail, which connects to the Zhengzhou-Xi'an high-speed line, has shortened the journey between the nation's capital and Xi'an to only four hours and forty minutes.

Airfare for the same route during the past New Year holiday cost more than 740 yuan, but passengers this year said they saw discounts of up to 80 percent.

"An airline ticket with a 75 percent discount is lower than a second-class train ticket, which costs 517 yuan," said Zhou Fenting, a citizen who travel often between two cities.

However, Gao Tianpeng, a businessman in Xi'an, said he would still choose to travel by air.

"Competition between high-speed railways and airlines will urge both to upgrade hardware and services, bringing benefits to passengers at last," said Shi Ying, vice chairman of Shaanxi's Academy of Social Sciences.