Travel warning issued after budget airline delay

China's central tourism authority has issued a warning about Bangkok-based budget airline Jet Asia Airways after 235 passengers were stranded at the Thai beach resort of Phuket on their way to the northern Chinese city of Shenyang .

The China National Tourism Administration "recommends passengers choose this airline with caution", it said in a notice following the unexplained cancellation of a flight to Shenyang at the end of last month.

The notice also put the onus on travel agencies to book flights through "qualified suppliers" and to foot the bill should their customers' flights be cancelled while outside the country.

Despite lower fares, some mainland travel agencies said they were wary of booking with newer budget carriers. Jet Asia was established in 2009.

"China's biggest travel agencies seldom have cooperation with these low-cost carriers because we need to ensure stable and good prices and services for tourists," Ge Lei, spokesman at China Youth Travel Service Group, one of the mainland's three largest travel agencies, told the .

"We see a growing demand for cheaper air travel in China, but ... we are still careful when it comes to new budget carriers."