I think m.y.'s suggestion of looking at the fare class on ctrip is the most fool proof.

This is indeed very informative.

I always had problems looking up whether my CA fares are mileage accruable.

Realised that anything more than a 50% discount does not earn miles.

Ctrip eTickets
 

I just booked some intra-China flights for March and am confused about the confirmation received through Ctrip. It states the order number, the flights, fare class, names and basic fare rules but has no e-ticket number or airline confirmation codes. Is this normal or is there something more to come? The flights are on MU and CA if it makes a difference.

Sounds normal. You will have an itinerary number though. If you drop them an email they will happily email you ticket numbers.

For domestic flights booked in China, you will also have a Booking code (PNR) but this is useless to you as it only works on the Chinese domestic booking system, TravelSky.

At the airport, the eticket is linked to your passport number. If there is an issue then CTrip have a desk in the check-in hall of most main airports.

For all my past bookings, I didn't even need my ticket number, I went to the airport with just my passport and knowledge of my flight number and timing.

Because most of my flight experience is with Ryanair, I was also a bit scared by the lack of any details or official looking pdf's provided by Ctrip. However this topic confirms that it should indeed be no problem to just print the email and show your passport at check-in.

Thanks to Berggeit's new post (which as a new post with a URL link went to the moderator queue for approval as part of FlyerTalk's antispam protocols), the newer CTrip posts have been merged with this existing thread (the reason we strongly recommend a search for the topic prior to starting a new thread - other members have already added a lot of information and experience with CTrip over several years).

JDiver :), Senior Moderator

Normal. Key to CTRIP is know before you buy, often use other engines to get fare class etc. Ctrip though is 100% reliable, you just check in with the operating carrier at the airport with your PP.

CTrip is giving me a rather unusual error.

"Sorry, passengers must be over 55 to book this flight."

Not exactly confidence building.

Are you over 55? What you tapped into is probably an age-restricted fare. The very lowest fares are often reserved for seniors or students. Sometimes just clicking another button with the same fare will get rid of that restriction. Scroll over the "Details" to see the popup on age and other restrictions. If you can't find something at the same price, go up to the next lowest fare which is probably in an age-unrestricted booking class. If you click on the "All Fares" link a list will come up with a bit more detail.

They don't have other fares for that flight under the "all fares link" and the MU website insists on a Chinese mobile number.

Why are you on the MU website? Don't bother with that, or any other Chinese airline website.

I thought you were on the Ctrip website? That's what I was describing. OK, try www.travelzen.com and see if that is more user-friendly for you. If you get currency weirdness, such as Taiwan dollars or something, just set the selector to what you want.

What is your routing and your preferred date(s)?

Why?

I've tried to use the site half a dozen times and have been stopped by half a dozen errors. Currently it keeps dead ending after I put in the passenger information saying "Failure to check seats", though the flights and fares are available on the airline websites and show up on CTrip.

If you don't have an account, you should create one. Then, book over the phone.