monicapileggi

Hi fellow fodorites,

My trip to China is just around the corner. I’m checking prices on Ctrip and will purchase soon. I did buy the one from Chengdu to Guilin since there are only 2 flights that day and I didn’t want to miss out on the early one and have to get to Yangshuo late at night.

I’ve been trying to get tickets for the Guilin to Hong Kong for October 30th (CZ3031 5:30pm, arriving 6:35pm) and Ctrip said I could buy them in Shanghai (paying in cash, as I was told they would take my USA credit card for this purchase). I don’t get there until the 15th. I don’t know how quickly this flight gets booked and wanted to know if it’s reasonable to wait until then (probably couldn’t get to their office until the 16th) or could I just go to a travel agency in Beijing and book with them?

I know buying airline tickets in China is a 'wait until you get closer to the flight date' but not sure if this is the same for international flights.

Thanks in advance for your comments.

Monica

rkkwan

If you're flying 10/30, then 10/15 is plenty of time to buy the ticket.

And don't forget that there are a lot more, and cheaper, flights KWL-SZX. Then transfer to the airport bus to Kowloon in Hong Kong.

monicapileggi

Thanks rkkwan,

Yes, I do know about the KWL-SZX flights, but that means either getting up around 4:30am for the morning flight or arriving at 11pm and then having to transfer to HK. Now, this is based on the Ctrip web site. Maybe there are other flights that they don't list. I wouldn't be interested in the late arrival, but I could try to get a good nights rest the night before for that early wake up call in order to drive from Yangshuo to the airport and have enough time for checkin, which I believe is 2 hours.

Monica

rkkwan

You're right. Only two flights a day KWL-SZX now. I thought they would be more.

monicapileggi

rkkwan,

Thanks for checking.

For Guilin - Hong Kong, should I just book through one of the oneline sites like Travelocity or Expedia?

Monica

rkkwan

No, I will still wait until you get to China and use an agent there. There's really really no hurry for this. People don't buy tickets that far in advance.

monicapileggi

rkkwan,

Does an international flight like this one go down in price like the inter-China flights?

Thanks,

Monica

rkkwan

The issue is that Expedia or Travelocity charges you full fare, or over $300 for that one-way price. But really nobody pays that much.

EdEdwards

Monica, I've found far cheaper fares from wacts.com - and they have offices both in the States as well as around China. They seem to discount at least 40-50% from full fare, and they take credit cards. I'm also concerned about limited flights in and out of Guilin, or I'd wait until I'm in China to buy. But - I think if you want discounted fares from them you have to use Shenzhen rather than HK - which, per rk's advice, sounds like no big deal.

Chinaren

Hi, try this one, they could book the flight ticket for you very soon. http://www.travelchinaguide.com/china-flights/
or http://www.chinahighlights.com/china-flights/
or
http://www.diychinatours.com/china-flights/