jiejie

Update--just heard this from a usually reliable source here in Beijing (but I make no guarantees!)

1) The Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee (BOCOG) are playing the exact status of ticketing close to the vest, but is planning to release more event tickets to the international market. However, probably not until the Chinese domestic Phase 2 lottery process has been completed/allocated/payments done---which may not be until sometime in March. Whether what's released will be broad-spectrum or high popularity events...or just the handball and Greco-Roman wrestling...remains to be seen.

2) BOCOG may wait until May to release blocks it has on hotel rooms, which would presumably free up these rooms for hotels to sell to the open market.

iahphx

Thanks. It will be interesting to see how tight ticket availability remains. Logic would suggest a tremendous amount of desire of the Chinese to sell tickets to Westerners, who would be happy to pay twice face value.

And I'm more confident than ever that there will be a massive hotel glut at the time the Games begin. The big story will be how few Westerners show up for the Olympics. If you make things too difficult, people don't travel.

iahphx

So the Chinese gov't is going to impose extra penalties on any Chinese airline that crashes during the Olympics.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?p...terstitialskip

Boy, do I feel safer.

I guess they don't understand how ridiculous this makes them look.

Roberteyewhy

Following this thread. Leaving from Honolulu on the 7th or 8th and returning on the 21st or 22nd.

Still trying to get the best deal on a flight for 4 adults. Right now the best I can do is $1250 total on JAL (1 night in Osaka).

Thanks,
Robert

jiejie

Robert, if that's HNL-PEK and those are August 2008 dates, I don't hold out much hope you'll be able to do better than that $1250. Summer air travel into and out of Beijing is usually pricey even without the Olympics. You might have a look at Korean Air to PEK via Incheon. Also, see if substituting Tianjin (TSN) for PEK in either or both directions gives you a better price. I know Korean connects to Tianjin from Incheon also. By next summer, Tianjin will be connected by high-speed rail to Beijing with the trip only 30 minutes (Currently 70-90 minutes by standard rail). If the differential per ticket is a couple of hundred dollars or if PEK seats not available, TSN is a good backup option.

Roberteyewhy

Thanks jiejie for the advice. So far, Korean Airlines price is only $100 difference but there are multiple layovers both going and returning. Plus, I want to stay overnight in Japan (free hotel). Might as well "kill 2 birds" at once.

Well be checking on what you have suggested Tianjin instead of Beijing route as new to China so rail travel through the countryside to Beijing is another upside for us.

Robert

dtsm

Interesting update:
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/01/23/asia/beijing.php

Having been back, most recently in mid Nov 07, they got a long way to go

mosburger

I think it's a good move. The huge number of visitors involved will surely tempt Chinese airlines to loosen up maintenance and safety procedures to speed things up.

dtsm

Read what US athletes might have to do to remain competitive:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/24/sp...yt&oref=slogin

anacapamalibu

Chinese officials say the air in Beijing, one of the most polluted cities in the world, will not be an issue.

Mr. Wilber, a 53-year-old scientist based here at the United States Olympic Training Center is encouraging athletes to train elsewhere and arrive in Beijing at the last possible moment and is urging all the athletes to wear specially designed masks over their noses and mouths from the minute they step foot in Beijing until they begin competing.

I wonder how many days in the last month has anyone in Beijing seen blue sky?

jiejie

In the last month, blue sky about half of the days...mostly the coldest and windiest ones. But Beijing winter is usually better than Beijing summer with % of decent air days. Not much comfort to Olympic athletes with outdoor endurance events, I'm afraid.

jiejie

Well, the plot thickens on obtaining Olympic event tickets. The results of the Chinese domestic Phase 2 lottery are about to be announced, but the word is that only 25% of the projected tickets are being allocated. About 450,000 tickets instead of the 1.8 million BOCOG thought they would unload this time. Apparently the bulk of the 4.5 million tickets requested by the Chinese in this round were focused on only a few popular events/sessions, with other sports very undersubscribed.

It will be interesting to see what this NEW domestic ticketing mess means for the additional international ticket allocations--could it be that BOCOG will actually go ahead and soon release an unexpectedly large block to the international agents, to get things moving and get seats sold? Or give up on domestic lotteries in China and just defer all the unsold phase 2 tickets and make one big open-market Phase 3 Chinese Fire Drill? Stay tuned....and if you are still trying to get event tickets the legitimate way, keep checking very regularly on Cosport, Sportsworld, or whoever your designated official agent is for your country.

anacapamalibu

That's more sun then we are seeing here in Southern California. Getting pounded this winter by storms..so much for "It Never Rains in Southern California".

dannyyu

Can I have some input from those that have booked and/or those planning on going?

Prices seem very steep ($8k USD for about 5 nights and a few events) at CoSport.

Ocn Vw 1K

dannyyu, welcome to FlyerTalk. Our Travel->China forum is a good place to discuss your question and I'll move the thread there for further help. Note that there is an extensive discussion in the China forum of FlyerTalk members planning to attend. Ocn Vw 1K, Moderator, TravelBuzz