When I reviewed this thread today, it occurred to me that I don't think ctrip makes a substantial profit on airplane tickets (this is based on past conversations with its founder plus common sense). Whether they sell you a 8折 or a 4折 fare, the airline still gets to keep almost all of the money, and you get the benefits that are included in the fare purchased (e.g. the former can usually be changed once for free). Perhaps their search algorithms suck or they are simply playing conservative ball to guard against price spikes between booking and ticket issuance, but I don't believe there is any real conspiracy going on.