Johnmango

I checked both eLong and Ctrip travel sites for mid October travel Beijing - Xian return. The fare is about 1000rmb (one-way) or ~2000 rmb return, plus tax..

At both sites, I also checked the English and Chinese version and there is no difference in price for the same flight.

I asked a tour guide in Beijing (he'll be taking us to see the Great Wall) to check the price in Beijing - and he basically came up with the same price. The lowest price is about 850rmb but one has to leave before 8am.

So I am not sure why some people suggest buying the tickets when I arrive in China, unless the travel agents there can get better price?? we do have a week in Beijing before going to Xian.

Someone also suggested waiting till about a month before departure and check the price online again. But when I checked eLong and Ctrip, I entered travel dates within 1 month, 2 months, 3 months, and the prices don't seem to change much. Unless I book something 1-2 weeks from today - then the price is about 100-150 rmb cheaper.

Any advice on whether I should just book now or not?

Thanks.

Shalinin

I was told that if you book 22-25 days in advance, you will get the best price. I just check the ticket for August, and the cheapest is 490 on 30th/31th.
From my experience, flight from Beijing to Xi’an couldn’t be higher than 1000, so if I were you I would wait till September and see if it will go any lower.

Johnmango

Thanks Shalinin.

Can you tell me which site did you use to get a price of 490rmb?? I used Ctrip and eLong and the lowest prioce I saw was about 840rmb

Johnmango

I found the 490rmb on Ctrip - for early (8am) or late (11 pm) departure, and on certain days. I'll keep monitoring the site and price.

Still curious if the price would be much better if get the tickets at a travel agency in Beijing.

Shanghainese

Hello, John, in my experience, local travel agencies do not have the lowest prices. For inter-city travels, I still used Ctrip and they deliver the tix to your hotel. Happy Travels!

Johnmango

Thanks Shnaghainese - long time no talk!

I thought they use e-tickets now within China, no? they are still issung paper tickets?!

I will keep monitoring the Ctrip website.

Have you or anyone heard of a site called Zuji? I am also looking for Hong Kong - Guilin flights and they seem to have the best price!

I will make a new thread about Zuji to see if the website is real/reputable.

Shalinin

Hi John, they are not issuing paper tickets anymore, you just need to provide them with your personal information and get your boarding pass with passport at the counter.
I have seen Zuji before but didn’t use it. Is it cheaper than Ctrip?

Johnmango

For some flights - for example the Hong Kong to Guilin flights the Zuji price is the best. Maybe because Zuji is in Hong Kong (and also one in Singapore, I think). I posted the Q regarding Zuji in Fodros and someone told me that it is a subsidiary of Travelocity!

Johnmango

I looked more closely at the "restrictions" on the 490rmb fare: it is only for age groups of 12-23, and for over 55!!

The rest still pays from 840 rmb (early flights) to 1050rmb!!

Shanghainese

That's a strange age group "restriction"!