Wendy Zhang/ Shanghai Daily news

Air-carriers in the city are gearing up for the Christmas travel peak from later this month to the middle of next month, Shanghai Evening Post reported today.
Starting from the week before Christmas, many expatriates working or studying in the city will return to their hometown, while many foreigners will travel to China. At present, air-routes to Frankfurt, Los Angeles, Vancouver and Australia are proving very popular, according to several local foreign airlines.
A growing number of students studying overseas are also driving up the demand for air-tickets. White-collar employees, especially those working in local foreign companies, prefer to spend their annual leave overseas at that time to catch the throng of Christmas sales.
The decline in international fuel prices has dragged down the fuel surcharges of foreign airlines, with promotions offered on new routes such as China Eastern Airlines' Shanghai to New York and Shanghai to Auckland routes.