Mile-High Travel on a Shoestring: Cheap Airlines around China

Mile-High Travel on a Shoestring: Cheap Airlines around China
Jul 06, 2013 By Andrea Scarlatelli , eChinacities.com

Living in China places most expats in a part of the world they have never been. While you often hear of people backpacking through Europe or taking road trips in the United States, the idea of travelling through Asia hasn’t quite caught up in popularity – yet. But as more flights open up every day, airline carriers have been able to offer some amazing deals that make city or country-hopping from China a very real possibility. Inexpensive airlines give us expats the golden opportunity to take advantage of our unique position on the global map. So what are your best bets when looking for airline travel on a budget? Luckily, you’ve got options.

1)  Spring Airlines (http://www.china-sss.com/en)
Spring Airlines is known as one of the cheapest of the cheap when it comes to domestic China travel. They connect to 36 different Chinese cities, including Shanghai, Beijing and Xi’an, and do so at prices that won’t gauge your wallet. Spring Airlines even have international flights to Japan (Ibaraki, Takamatsu and Saga) and Thailand (Bangkok and Phuket). You can also pop down to Hong Kong and Macau via this brilliant budget airline. Spring Airlines frequently promote dirt-cheap tickets that range from 99, 199, 299 and 399 RMB, so you can be sure to save loads compared the prices of normal airlines. This is the ideal airline to use if you’re planning on exploring the country and foregoing international travel. As with most budget airlines, however, you don’t get this cheap price for nothing. Leg room on the aircraft is, to put it nicely, cramped, and there is no free food or beverages offered on the plane. But the crew is always helpful and the planes are in good, if not great, condition.

In addition, you’ll have to listen to a constant sales talk as someone stands in the front and pitches various products throughout the duration of your flight. I’ve found sleeping to be a good way to avoid this annoyance, however, and certainly worth the cheap ticket price! Spring Airlines also has one of the more forgiving cancellation policies if your plans change. You can cancel online if you haven’t received your physical tickets yet. If you have, call their customer service department to cancel. If it’s more than 24 hours before your flight, they will charge you 5-10% of the ticket price (only if the discounted ticket price is 35% or more than the original price) and refund you the rest. If it’s within two to 24 hours, you’ll be charged 10-20% and less than two hours before the flight will cost you 20-30%. If for whatever reason you miss your flight, you will only get a 50% refund (only if the discounted ticket price is 35% or more than the original price). 

2)  Air Asia (www.airasia.com/cn/en/home.html)
As well as Spring Airlines, there are also other budget airlines where you can fly internationally from China. You can get a round trip flight from Guangzhou to Bangkok on Air Asia for example, for 1,059 RMB*. The great news is, Air Asia also has flights starting from 12 major cities across the country: Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Chongqing, Guilin, Hangzhou, Kunming, Nanning, Wuhan and Xi’an. Be aware, however, that these starting locations greatly limit your destination choices. If you begin in Guangzhou for example, your only flight options are to Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. Air Asia is generally a great bargain, especially when you book online (trying to do so at the airport or physical ticket sales office is simply a hassle). The electronic check-in at the airport has a spotty record, but the staff is known to be quite friendly (if not fluent in English). Air Asia is great for making trips to the outlying Asian countries, but be sure you are absolutely committed once you book a flight – there are no cancellations or refunds given once payment is made.

3)  Cebu Pacific Air (http://www.cebupacificair.com/)
If you’ve ever made a trip to the Philippines, chances are you’ve heard of Cebu Pacific Air. One of their most popular airlines, they’ve been shuttling people from China to the Philippines and back for years. Lest you think that’s their only destination, however, Cebu Pacific actually provides some of the most comprehensive flight routes of all the budget companies. While they only fly out of China from four cities – Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Xiamen, – you have a wide range of international destinations to choose from, including Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, and of course the Philippines. The prices are reasonable, with a flight from Guangzhou to Singapore only setting you back 1,900 RMB*. If you can snag one of their amazing (but elusive) “Go Fares,” the prices get even better.

Their customer service department doesn’t have the best reputation, so I’d recommend avoiding it if at all possible. Also keep in mind that they tend to be particularly strict with luggage weight restrictions, so make sure you follow the rules to avoid a headache. Overall, almost everyone I’ve talked to has found the hassles of the “no-frills” Cebu Pacific more than worth the price. And if you need to cancel your ticket for some reason, various cancellation fees may apply depending on what flight you have booked. To find the exact details on cancellation fees for specific flights, it’s best to contact their customer service department at customerservice@cebupacificair.com.

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Keywords: cheap airlines around China cheap airlines in China

3 Comments

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Nov 29, 2013 21:06 Report Abuse

sharkies

Yes you do get what you pay for. Also the author didn't mention that Cebu Pacific is banned from flying in the EU as well as other numerous countries due to safety breaches and concerns.

Jul 09, 2013 10:44 Report Abuse

deefoe

author failed to mentioned spring airlines motto “we fly slow and low”. 3-4hour delays EVERY flight I’ve taken. its cheap and you GET what you pay for

Jul 06, 2013 00:45 Report Abuse