This is taking the thread OT, but I don't think that's what EU261 does. You would be offered compensation, as well as getting you to your destination, but I don't think the airline is obligated to get you on the next departing flight from any airline. I may be wrong, and happy to be corrected, but not sure your interpretation is entirely correct.

To go back on-topic, I agree this is incredibly frustrating, and I would be furious. However, again, I'm not sure local regulations are on your side. Perhaps they should be, although as mentioned, that might actually drive the LCC competitors under...which would be self-defeating.

tb

I'm currently posting from a Super 8 in Shanghai, which I booked via Ctrip. I also stayed at a 168 last November using Ctrip.

In both cases, the Ctrip rate was cheaper than the rate afforded to the highest level VIP cards that these chains offer (you need to pay around Y200 for the cards).

On a semi-related note, I booked a plane ticket on Travelzen yesterday because Ctrip's website was being annoying. While they don't tack on a fee for using foreign credit cards, their exchange rate between CNY and HKD was about 3% higher than spot.

just booked a flight from NKG-CSX on 1/30, flight on ctrip was 760RMB, i bought direct from the Shenzhen airlines for 720RMB. 40RMB difference not a huge deal.

annoying thing about booking from the airline directly though- had to use a Chinese credit card, didnt accept foreign cards or chines ATM cards.

i just updated my ctrip iphone app, and one of the specified changes is that they're no longer charging the extra 3% for foreign credit cards.

Just give it time, and they'll start charging it again (it's been on and off for as long as I can remember... I gather they get a ton of charge backs).

qunar.com is fake. My friend booked a hotel reservation using this website. As it turned out, the reason why the hotel reservation was so cheap was that because it was free in the first place. When he checked in at the Holiday Inn, he was asked if he was travelling with the member. My friend did not know what member the front desk was talking about. He later found out that an IHG member booked the reservation using his points then added my friend's name in the reservation, while my friend paid qunar for the booking. The whole reservation was bogus. My friend ended up paying for his room because the hotel would not accept his reservation. Apparently, this has been going on a while. Who knows, they could be doing the same thing with airline reservation.

Qunar is an aggregator, and one with very open listing policies. If you know what you're doing, you can use it to find very good deals, but the learning curve is a bit steep.

So, it's only applicable if you use the app to purchase the ticket, if you buy it off their website or use their phone service, they still charge the 3% fee.

I haven't been charged the fee for any website bookings so far this year (I use the Chinese site, but I'm not sure if this matters).

I have found some good deals on Qunar, in some cases even better than Taobao. But of course as all things in China, you need to be careful, especially on Qunar, since it's essentially a search engine.
Also it helps if you understand Chinese:p

Pricing Difference
 

Was researching a trip for the upcoming Qingming festival from PVG to BKK and searched using Ctrip's English site for business class seats. They offered MU flights for 5000+ taxes. Looked again on their normal (Chinese) site and the exact same flights, in business class were 3500+ taxes.

I haven't seen this before from Ctrip but if they start this BS I'll have to look for another online travel agent. Complete fraud imho. Beware to those of you using the English language site.

Can't speak for flights, but occasionally hotels will show cheaper rates on the English site versus the Chinese one. Sometimes these will be for rates Ctrip books through other travel agents, and therefore they don't always go through (prepaid amount deducted from credit card and then refunded if rate no longer available), but they do work once in a while.

I was just trying to book some hotels for next week on Ctrip because I've gotten good results from them during the past 6 months on this front, but ran into a mild shocker that suggests a "ream the foreigner" plan may well be in the works.

On the English site, they are now tacking a "service charge" onto hotel bookings (seems to be around 15%, but I couldn't tell for sure because they quote it in straight up RMB). And, they also wanted a credit card guarantee for a 2p arrival (very un Ctrip style).

I tried a second time on the Chinese site, and didn't encounter either of these issues, but I decided to refrain from booking out of principle.

Perhaps, though I recently booked a stay at the Wynn Macau through their English site for a bargain. Rate showed as "sold out" on Chinese site and the English site rate was significantly lower than any other online sites and booking directly through the hotel. Note that I had made two unsuccessful bookings through the English website two days prior. The two bookings completed without issue each time and amount was deducted from my CC, but Ctrip canceled booking after a few hours as they were unable to secure the rate through their external agency. Money refunded each time without any fees on my part. Its a little tedious to keep trying to make the same booking but worked the third time.

I haven't been charged any "service charge" as far as I know....

I am looking at the Holiday Inn in Qinhuangdao for one night tomorrow and the totals are the same on the English and Chinese sites. As someone mentioned before, the initial price quoted on the English site is 15% less than the Chinese, but when trying to book it, there is a 15% tax and service fee added on.

I am guessing this is for some sort of cultural reasons? :confused: