FAQ
Before Booking
Available destinations, booking from Mainland China, booking requirements
Passenger types, special requirements, traveling with pets
Booking hours, booking methods, ticket classes and types
Searching for Flights
Flight tickets, prices, discounts
- How many tickets can I book in one transaction?
- How do I find the lowest fares?
- How far in advance should I book my flight tickets to get the lowest fares?
- Which months of the year offer the lowest fare flight tickets?
- Which days of the week offer the lowest fare flight tickets?
- Which times of the day offer the lowest fare flight tickets?
- Does the price shown on the search results page include taxes and fees?
- Are there discounts for infant or child tickets?
- Why does the child ticket cost more than the adult ticket on some flights?
Surcharges, extra fees, price changes
- Why does the Airport Construction Fee have three different prices: RMB 10, RMB 50 and RMB 90?
- Do children need to pay the Fuel Surcharge and Airport Construction Fees?
- What extra fees are added to the international flight ticket price?
- Why has the ticket price changed since my booking submission?
Submitting booking requests, required information, credit card payment
- Why do I have to provide my contact information?
- Is the email that I receive shortly after submitting my booking request the final confirmation?
Billing and Confirmation
Payment options, credit cards, receipts
Post-Booking
Booking records, flight check-in, luggage allowance
Changes, cancellations, refunds, lost tickets
Airline schedule changes, delays, cancellations, disruptions
Flight tickets, prices, additional fees
1. How many tickets can I book in one transaction?
You can book up to 9 adult tickets at a time. However, please be aware that reserving the maximum number of tickets will limit the availability to flights to those that have at least 9 seats. For flight deals, we also cannot guarantee that all passengers in a single booking will be able to take advantage of the special discounted price, because of airline limits on the number of tickets available at the these low prices.
2. How do I find the lowest fares?
You can find the lowest fares by using our "Best Deals in 7 Days" feature, searching for alternative routes, booking roundtrip tickets, and signing up for our email newsletter. Note also that fares on weekdays are usually lower than those on weekends, and fares during the early morning or late evening are usually lower than during the rest of the day. Please remember, however, that these low fare tickets usually have the most restrictions. This means that cancellations and changes are either not allowed or will incur penalty fees that are higher than with other tickets.
To find the lowest fare within 7 days of your planned departure date, click on our "Best Deals in 7 Days" feature, which can usually be found on the domestic flight page, or click on any of the Popular Destinations on the home page.
To search for alternative routes, plan early and consider your trip flexibility. Calculate how much time you are willing to give up in exchange for savings. If you have time to spare for stopovers, search for popular routes that have a wide selection of discounted fares. Check carefully whether the arrival airport of your first flight is the departure airport of your connecting flight. For flights within mainland China, you may also be able to spend 1 or more nights at your stopover destination with no additional flight cost. For international flights, you should check visa requirements and flight restrictions if you want to leave an airport in another country during your stopover.
To book roundtrip tickets, simply indicate your return ticket details during the booking process. You are able often to save a significant amount this way, especially when reserving international flights.
To sign up for our newsletter, simply click here and submit your email address. You will be one of the first to know about special deals with our airline partners.
3. How far in advance should I book my flight tickets to get the
lowest fares?
As a general rule, in China you pay the full price of flight tickets if you book too far in advance. This is because airlines often start offering discounts only when most of the booking volume can be anticipated. To find the best fares for domestic flights, start booking 2 to 3 weeks before your departure date. To find the best fares for international flights, start booking 4 weeks before your departure date. These guidelines change during peak travel seasons, such as holiday periods. For international peak seasons like Christmas and New Year, for example, we recommend you start booking international flights 2 to 3 months in advance.
Although Hong Kong and Macau destinations are considered international flights, pricing trends follow China domestic seasons more closely. Please also remember that low-fare tickets sell fast. Therefore, after the 2 to 3 week-period (in the case of domestic flights) or 4-week period (in the case of international flights) has passed, many low-fare tickets will be sold out and the ticket prices may again become more expensive. Of course, these are only general guidelines. Actual pricing will vary according to pricing rules set by each airline.
4. Which months of the year offer the lowest fare flight tickets?
Lowest fare domestic flight tickets are usually available during off-peak season. These are March, mid-May to June, and November. You may expect fares to drop 2 to 3 weeks after the Spring holiday, the May Holiday, and the October holiday. Again, these are general guidelines, and actual pricing will vary according to rules set by the airlines.
5. Which days of the week offer the lowest fare flight tickets?
For domestic flights, routes that are considered business routes (e.g. Beijing to Shanghai) are usually very busy on Fridays and Sundays. Therefore, the lowest fare flight tickets would typically be available from mid-day Monday through Thursday.
6. Which times of the day offer the lowest fare flight tickets?
The majority of demand is for flights in mid-morning and mid-evening because many travelers like to maximize their daytime stay in one city. Because of this, the lowest fares would typically be available during more awkward hours such as early morning (before 06:00 am), late evening (after 21:00 pm), and also around mid-day.
7. Does the price shown on the search results page include taxes
and fees?
No, and we're glad you asked, because this can sometimes be confusing. The initial search results show all possible tickets currently available in our system. However, the prices shown do not include the airport construction fee, fuel tax and additional fees charged by the airlines, since these are sometimes different for various locations. Once you have selected your flights, you will then be able to see the fees and the corresponding categories to which they belong. Please note, though, that the most accurate total price is subject to final confirmation.
8. Are there discounts for senior, infant or child tickets?
Yes. Many airlines offer discounted fares for infants, children, and seniors. These discounts vary by the airline, flight, and seat availability during your time of travel, and also by the traveler's age. To find out if your fares are discounted, view the breakdown of ticket prices on the left-hand side of the Flight Details page.
9. Why does the child ticket cost more than the adult ticket on
some flights?
Children between 2 and 12 years old can travel on children's tickets, which are usually 50% of the full adult ticket price. However, on some occasions, special deals for adult tickets provide discounts greater than 50%, resulting in the children's ticket price being higher than the adult ticket price in those unique cases.
1. Why does the Airport Construction Fee have three different
prices: RMB 10, RMB 50 and RMB 90?
A rather complex set of airport construction fees need to be included in the price of all tickets sold after Sept.1, 2004. For most domestic flights (not flown by the planes listed below) the airport construction fee is normally set at RMB 50. For international flights, the airport construction fee is fixed at RMB 90.
The exception to these rules is for regional routes flown by the specific airplanes shown below, where the airport construction fee for each leg is reduced to RMB 10. These specially discounted airplanes include: Cessna-208, Donier-328, ATR-72, CRJ-200, ERJ-145, MA-60, DHC-8-400, and Y-12.
2. Do children need to pay the Fuel Surcharge and Airport
Construction Fees?
For domestic flights, a child ticket pays a fuel surcharge of RMB 20 for routes less than 800 kilometers, and pays RMB 40 for routes that are 800 kilometers or more. Infant tickets that are 10% of the adult fare are exempt from fuel surcharges. Neither child nor infant tickets are subject to the airport construction fees.
3. What extra fees are added to the international flight ticket
price?
The international flight price is determined by the airline, flight class, validity period, and ticket policy, as well as base ticket price, tax, and any additional government fees or taxes in the destination city. The flight tax is subject to periodic changes, so the amount indicated on our website should be used for reference only. The final rate of the flight tax is set according to the exchange rate on the day the tickets are issued. The fuel surcharge is charged by the airline company itself, so the final rate of the fuel surcharge is determined by the airline. The China airport construction fee is RMB 90 for international flights, including flights to Hong Kong and Macau. Children and infants are exempted from the airport construction fee.
1. Why do I have to provide my contact information?
It is important to provide accurate contact information to validate your booking request. Please provide the contact information that you use the most, whether this is your mobile number, an office phone number, a home number, or an email address – or all of these!Unfortunately, reservation requests with invalid contact information will be cancelled by the airline system automatically, so be sure to double-check the accuracy of the contact information you provide us. Of course, this contact information also allows us to let you know of any last-minute changes or problems with your ticket. If we are able to reach you, we are able to lessen the risk of a missed flight or ticket price change.
2. How do I know my reservation has been confirmed?
We will send you a confirmation email once your reservation has been submitted and received. If you provide a Chinese mobile phone number, you will also receive a text message confirming your reservation. If you don't receive this confirmation in a timely manner, please feel free to call us to check on your reservation.