freezefactor

So, I'm one of many FTers who are going to be heading to Myanmar - I am looking into the possibility of flying into Yunnan (either into KMG, but ideally Jinghong and then traveling up to Kunming, depending on award seat availability) and catching the MU KMG-Mandalay flight. China Eastern is the only airline on the route, and the dates I am looking at in mid-Dec are around $500 ow which is more than I'm willing to spend - however from mid-June until the end of Oct., it looks like it's about $150 one way which is much more reasonable.

Obviously noone can predict what direction fares will go, but I'm wondering if someone with more experience flying Chinese airlines might have more insight into the odds the fare will stay that high? I'll probably be booking my award flight pretty soon and this will probably determine whether I fly into China or not. I've gone to many places in Yunnan, but never to Xishuangbanna so I'd love to be able to work this into my trip to the general area.

jiejie

Well, checking things out briefly on ctrip.com, looks like the KMG-MDL China Eastern flight is RMB 766 all-in (USD 125) through December 13, then price goes up. I've never heard of it staying up $500, at least not if booked in China or in advance through a Chinese agent. But it might end up being in the $250 range which has been pretty typical in the past. Flying in this region is usually cheaper in the mid-June to mid-October period (monsoon/low season). I'd be pretty confident if you hold off until late summer or early fall, you'll see this one fall back a lot down from $500. Or just move up your plans to depart from Kunming by Dec 13, and book now online. $125 incl taxes is a fantastic price. Having additional days in Burma is always a good thing, easily used to advantage. I'd certainly put the time there over farting around in Xishuangbanna, China.

I wish Air Mandalay would bring back the Chiang Mai-Mandalay flight, that was a handy offering in its day.

moondog

You are far too early.

freezefactor

Thanks for the tip on checking ctrip - I had used them once 4 years ago, and it looks like their website has improved enormously. I remember having to scan in copies of my credit card in order for the purchase to go through. Anyway - I actually found dates in Dec. (Dec. 23) which work for me ($123 ai), so I think that this is going to work out.

jiejie

Jump on that, it won't get any better. Timing strategies for booking international flights out of China are not the same as booking domestic ones.