Originally Posted by
moondog
Not really. I have a slight bias toward Air China because *G gets lounge access (a nice perk in places like Shenzhen or Guangzhou, but a non issue at the vast majority of Chinese airports). For me, schedule, price, terminal in Beijing (T2 is the way to go if you value your time), and a/c type, all trump airline brand.
I concur with this. With one addition: if flying on a discounted ticket that can't be endorsed to another airline, I usually like to go with a carrier that has at least one later flight covering that route, so in case of flight cancellation, MX, etc, I can still have a chance at getting out same day.
Check the top of this thread on page 1 for the Intercity Domestic Air master post--there are links to other viable booking agents in addition to ctrip and travelzen.