In May I'm going to Chengdu for about a week with an arrival stopover in Beijing (PEK) and a departure stopover in Shanghai (PVG). Starting from my hometown in Carlsbad, California, (CLD), I can book this routing on UA:

$902 for CLD to LAX to SFO to PEK
return PVG to SFO to LAX to CLD.

If I add the Chengdu legs (flying Air China), the price jumps by nearly $500:

$1397 for CLD to LAX to SFO to PEK (stopover) to CTU
return CTU to PVG (stopover) to SFO to LAX to CLD

So, my question is this: Should I book the Chengdu legs now from the USA, or wait until I arrive at PEK airport? $250 per domestic China hop seems steep, or is that correct?

P.S. I'm not loyal to UA, and there may be other possibilities. For example, LAX to Chengdu via Korea on Asiana Airlines. That routing seemed less convenient.

P.P.S. This is vacation. I mainly wanted to see natural areas in Sichuan Province.

Search the united board for a recent discussion on this topic.

Also note there are now direct flights to Jiu Zhai Gou from Shanghia a couple times a week. Check Ctrip.com

Domestic tickets are way cheaper bought at a discount in China than bought outside, so it mainly depends on how tight your schedule is -- whether you HAVE to be on a particular flight.

i can help you get tickets, if needed. (will be working in beijing starting next week). check ctrip for fares/schedules

P.S. I'm not loyal to UA, and there may be other possibilities. For example, LAX to Chengdu via Korea on Asiana Airlines. That routing seemed less convenient.



you can often fly to kunming (kmg) on jl via nrt and kunming is much nicer than chengdu (and close to sichuan). jl also permits open jaws. my travel agent in costa mesa can provide more info 714 438 1328

a friend of mine just left for chengdu from shanghai this am for y400 on the outbound and will come back tomorrow for y600. that is very cheap, considering the distance. i'm not sure about the situation ex-pek, but it is probably similar.

airfares are dramatically less expensive when you buy in Asian cities than when you buy in the States.

so, for any travel you may do while in China, buy them when you're in china. you will save money.

With the SOTO/SITI restrictions gone, as with the HIFs on the intermediate sectors as of 15 Jan, you should be able to purchase the same fares in the US as if you were in China as you are travelling after 15 Jan 05. That is the theory... whether your reservations agent can see the fares in the dreaded computer is another thing. Also by buying in the US, your card would be debited in USD and you would get a better conversion rate from the airlines than your credit card company. It would bill you earlier as you would have the ticket prior to departure.

it's is more likely you will get a cheaper ticket even with the exchange rate conversion. Though the caveat is that if you pay with a credit card, there will be the usual 2 to 3% charge.

With the SOTO/SITI restrictions gone, as with the HIFs on the intermediate sectors as of 15 Jan, you should be able to purchase the same fares in the US as if you were in China as you are travelling after 15 Jan 05. That is the theory... whether your reservations agent can see the fares in the dreaded computer is another thing. Also by buying in the US, your card would be debited in USD and you would get a better conversion rate from the airlines than your credit card company. It would bill you earlier as you would have the ticket prior to departure.

i like the theory, but -sadly- it is way off base. lots of cheap fares aren't even accessible from non-originating cities in china, let alone abroad. it's MUCH cheaper to buy your tickets here.

it's is more likely you will get a cheaper ticket even with the exchange rate conversion. Though the caveat is that if you pay with a credit card, there will be the usual 2 to 3% charge.

most TAs charge 4% extra for credit card transactions (this is in addition to any fees your cc charges you; cap one and mbna are the best, per previous discussions in these forums)

e-tickets aren't quite the rage in China as they are here. Another good reason to wait -- even if they tickets aren't a lot cheaper -- is that you can pick up your paper tickets the day of the flight and won't have to worry about them beforehand.

You can price check internal Chinese flights on the American Express booking engine, www.itn.net. I recently bought Shanghai-Beijing tickets using it. It had very complete information as to flights, carriers, equipment and prices.

You can price check internal Chinese flights on the American Express booking engine, www.itn.net. I recently bought Shanghai-Beijing tickets using it. It had very complete information as to flights, carriers, equipment and prices.


tmk the chances of booking $50 flights to chengdu on itn is less than zero. ctrip, for all its quirks is infinitely better.