Looking for domestic flight help.
 

Hi all,
I'm looking for a cheap airfare to get from SHA (either airport) to PEK. Specifically the 01JUL. I've been shopping online, and fares are high, and most result in the non discounted Y fare. I went on to the China Eastern website and in English the fare is almost double what it is on the Chinese site. I tried to book it, but am missing some parts that I can't translate.
Should I wait till I get to SHA, then search out a airline branch or travel agent?
I've thought about the overnight train, but prices are about the same as the 2 hour flight.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Xie Xie

I've been searching for that fare as well and the lowest I found was on the air china website for RMB770 + 90taxes/fees (Ctrip.com had similar fare). It must be a heavy travel day as July 1 is the China Communist Party's Day...

y790 really isn't so bad. Or, if you don't mind flying to TSN, MU 5189 (110p) and 5563 (650p) are only 310 (70% discount) on ctrip.

I started a thread about the BJ - TSN trek a few months ago, and there has been one more since. Basically, it will add an hour+ to your trip and is kind of annoying. But, if you have time to spare, it might warrant the $70 savings.

Side note. Whenever SHA-PEK is expensive, in addition to looking for SHA-TSN, I like to research HGH/NKG-PEK and Wuxi-NAY. While I wouldn't go all the way to Hangzhou or Nanjing just to save $50, I often have business contacts in such places, which helps tip the scales.

Some other ideas.....

-If you can read Chinese, you could try some of the more "local' sites like www.qunar.com and www.mangocity.com. They are basically site aggregators and you can get an idea of how low of a price is possible.

-Go directly to the airline websites. Occasionally you'll find cheaper fares on their websites you do on Elong or Ctrip.

Good luck

I would wait for another week or two, by that time, more discounted fares should come out.

I haven't checked the route/fare today, but it seems Hainan Airline normally has the lowest discounted fare, plus China United Airlines started a SHA-Beijing Nanyuan flight (one stop over) on this route, and Nanyuan is very conveninently located close to city centre.

While I agree that NAY is marginally more convenient than PEK, the stopover pretty much takes this idea off the table.