samsong Posted September 2, 2008 Report Share Posted September 2, 2008 I'm looking at buying tickets to China over the internet but I don't feel comfortable in doing it. Is it safe to do? Are there any pitfalls to look out for? How does all that work anyways? I appreciate any information pertaining to this subject. Thanks alot! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim_julian Posted September 2, 2008 Report Share Posted September 2, 2008 If you mean buying from a well established travel website there should be no problems from a security viewpoint. Some of the sites do tend to bait and switch and on some the price may not be all inclusive. The best prices for flights to/from China are usually on the Chinese airlines purchased through a Chinese travel agent ... as opposed to a website. Offer as much flexibility as possible on routing an departure and return dates ... this can result in a much lower price compared to a hard specification of route and time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usaRichard Posted September 2, 2008 Report Share Posted September 2, 2008 If you mean buying from a well established travel website there should be no problems from a security viewpoint. Some of the sites do tend to bait and switch and on some the price may not be all inclusive. The best prices for flights to/from China are usually on the Chinese airlines purchased through a Chinese travel agent ... as opposed to a website. Offer as much flexibility as possible on routing an departure and return dates ... this can result in a much lower price compared to a hard specification of route and time. Jim, since you live in California, this works well for you, my only real option from Florida is to fly to Newark, then non stop to Beijing. I have found a flight to Seattle then Beijing if I want to spend an additional 4 hours sitting in the plane. So perhaps the best answer for him will be determinded by where he lives. Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yuehan123 Posted September 2, 2008 Report Share Posted September 2, 2008 ...The best prices for flights to/from China are usually on the Chinese airlines purchased through a Chinese travel agent ... as opposed to a website...Jim, since you live in California, this works well for you, my only real option from Florida is to fly to Newark, then non stop to Beijing. I have found a flight to Seattle then Beijing if I want to spend an additional 4 hours sitting in the plane. So perhaps the best answer for him will be determinded by where he lives.RichardInteresting concept about "only real option(s)" My wife and I used (twice) a Chinese Travel Agent from North Carolina, or Atlanta or some darned place. Nothing to do with LA. But, the prices are still, generally, lower. We flew Tampa-Detroit-Japan-Guz. Haven't tried Newark yet. We have lots of options, I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usaRichard Posted September 2, 2008 Report Share Posted September 2, 2008 Jim, since you live in California, this works well for you, my only real option from Florida is to fly to Newark, then non stop to Beijing. I have found a flight to Seattle then Beijing if I want to spend an additional 4 hours sitting in the plane. So perhaps the best answer for him will be determinded by where he lives.RichardInteresting concept about "only real option(s)" My wife and I used (twice) a Chinese Travel Agent from North Carolina, or Atlanta or some darned place. Nothing to do with LA. But, the prices are still, generally, lower. We flew Tampa-Detroit-Japan-Guz. Haven't tried Newark yet. We have lots of options, I guess. Your right, let me further clarify what "only real option" means to me. I personally want as few stops as possible, the more stops there are the more of a possibility for delays and missed flights, or lost luggage. On my first, and to this point, only flight to China was to meet my (then) girlfriend for the first time, and I wanted to get there as easily as possible with the least hassle. This I accomplished on the Continental flight from Newark to Beijing. While searching for flights I found nothing from Florida that offered just one stop for less money, and the same or close flight time. Plus there were others (on CFL) that recommended the Continental flight as being a good one, and having made that trip I agree it is a good flight, as good as it can be for being in an airplane for 12 hours, save being in first class for an additional $9000. I hope to return this November, and would welcome an alternative if someone can suggest an agent to book through. Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WenDylan Posted September 2, 2008 Report Share Posted September 2, 2008 Jim, since you live in California, this works well for you, my only real option from Florida is to fly to Newark, then non stop to Beijing. I have found a flight to Seattle then Beijing if I want to spend an additional 4 hours sitting in the plane. So perhaps the best answer for him will be determinded by where he lives.RichardInteresting concept about "only real option(s)" My wife and I used (twice) a Chinese Travel Agent from North Carolina, or Atlanta or some darned place. Nothing to do with LA. But, the prices are still, generally, lower. We flew Tampa-Detroit-Japan-Guz. Haven't tried Newark yet. We have lots of options, I guess. Your right, let me further clarify what "only real option" means to me. I personally want as few stops as possible, the more stops there are the more of a possibility for delays and missed flights, or lost luggage. On my first, and to this point, only flight to China was to meet my (then) girlfriend for the first time, and I wanted to get there as easily as possible with the least hassle. This I accomplished on the Continental flight from Newark to Beijing. While searching for flights I found nothing from Florida that offered just one stop for less money, and the same or close flight time. Plus there were others (on CFL) that recommended the Continental flight as being a good one, and having made that trip I agree it is a good flight, as good as it can be for being in an airplane for 12 hours, save being in first class for an additional $9000. I hope to return this November, and would welcome an alternative if someone can suggest an agent to book through. RichardYou didn't fly first class? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yuehan123 Posted September 2, 2008 Report Share Posted September 2, 2008 ...I hope to return this November, and would welcome an alternative if someone can suggest an agent to book through...Richard Well our route certainly exceeded 12 hours! My San Diego/Orange county/LA Chinese friend¡¯s Travel Agent: Vivian Kao 1-626-280-9988 A previous CFL recommendation: "Try KDCAL Travel out of Alhambra, CA. Ask to speak to Karen Wang. Call (626)282-7108. Karen can give you as good a rate if not better than anyone." This is one we used: TRAVEL INTERNATIONAL4636 CAPITAL BLVD,RALEIGH, NC 276041-919-878-8886, 1-888-272-5888 Another CFL recommendation: "His name is Henry and his company is the Travel Depot. His Cantonese accent is strong, but you will be able to communicate ok. 223 E. Garvey Blvd.Monterey Park, CA 91755 Tel. # 626-280-2198" We also used this lady:Ling Liuling@eztravelglobal.com408-978-1661San Jose, CA These are all (to my knowledge) e-ticket providers. I can only vouch for the ones I've used. But, I'd use any of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usaRichard Posted September 3, 2008 Report Share Posted September 3, 2008 You didn't fly first class? I will next time, thanks to your generosity WenDylan, thanks!!! Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian Posted September 3, 2008 Report Share Posted September 3, 2008 samsong - this is a tough one for me to answer - tough because to me, it is something so ingrained in my way of life. But you made me pause and think about it. It becomes tough as you've forced me to really think about what is now an automatic process (for me).... First of all, you need to trust somebody with your credit card. If you feel comfortable giving your credit card over the telephone, then you'll feel doubly safe giving it over the internet on a SECURE payment portal for an airline or ticket company. Be sure the portal is secure. I'm not gonna tell you HOW to tell it's secure - though I feel if you made the time to study that one bit o 'stuff' about what makes a portal secure, you'd feel a lot better about using the internet with your credit card. Now - most ticketing companies and airlines ISSUE the ticket, not in the form of a paper ticket, but in the form of an E-Ticket - or electronic ticket. You take that e-ticket to a kiosk at the airport, or to the check in counter, and ya gets a boarding pass for the flights you wanna get on, headed in that direction. Baggage check in is mostly the same. The BETTER web portals (ticketing agencies, airlines) also allow you to purchase the tickets and e-ticktes over the telephone - but charge you more for that luxury, as you are talking to a human and it costs money to breathe oxygen and regurgitate canned speech over the telephone. I rarely use a human, but the times I have, solely was for routing issues that the web portal couldn't manage. Now, with all that said, where's the really good inexpensive 'deal' ? Many asian travel agencies in the USA have really good deals because of 1) contracts with the airlines to fill the seats or 2) airline consolidator agreements and as such, will not have a web portal to use, as it adds to the overhead of selling a ticket TO YOU. But hei - they do answer the telephone, do respond to emails. Usually they have a fax form to use for credit card authorization. If yer not comfortable to use a web portal, then don't do it. Call around to the companies listed in this topic, get quotes, see how they compare. Just remember that since they're NOT in your TOWN - they will either issue you an E-TICKET (without shipping, info sent only to email or fax) or they will issue you PAPER TICKETS, sent out via shipping (USPS, DHL, UPS, FEDEX) from their office to your house. I do suggest you use any web portal to study the ROUTINGS from point A to point B, and understand about discounts for mid-week travel. I use http://www.orbitz.com , http://www.cheaptickets.com and http://www.cheapoair.com when I need to study routings, and compare pricing. Some airlines offer deeper discounts than the online ticketing companies, during 'sale days' for 'sale fares' - so try to pay attention to that. Good Luck !! Warmest Regards ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samsong Posted September 3, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2008 samsong - this is a tough one for me to answer - tough because to me, it is something so ingrained in my way of life. But you made me pause and think about it. It becomes tough as you've forced me to really think about what is now an automatic process (for me).... First of all, you need to trust somebody with your credit card. If you feel comfortable giving your credit card over the telephone, then you'll feel doubly safe giving it over the internet on a SECURE payment portal for an airline or ticket company. Be sure the portal is secure. I'm not gonna tell you HOW to tell it's secure - though I feel if you made the time to study that one bit o 'stuff' about what makes a portal secure, you'd feel a lot better about using the internet with your credit card. Now - most ticketing companies and airlines ISSUE the ticket, not in the form of a paper ticket, but in the form of an E-Ticket - or electronic ticket. You take that e-ticket to a kiosk at the airport, or to the check in counter, and ya gets a boarding pass for the flights you wanna get on, headed in that direction. Baggage check in is mostly the same. The BETTER web portals (ticketing agencies, airlines) also allow you to purchase the tickets and e-ticktes over the telephone - but charge you more for that luxury, as you are talking to a human and it costs money to breathe oxygen and regurgitate canned speech over the telephone. I rarely use a human, but the times I have, solely was for routing issues that the web portal couldn't manage. Now, with all that said, where's the really good inexpensive 'deal' ? Many asian travel agencies in the USA have really good deals because of 1) contracts with the airlines to fill the seats or 2) airline consolidator agreements and as such, will not have a web portal to use, as it adds to the overhead of selling a ticket TO YOU. But hei - they do answer the telephone, do respond to emails. Usually they have a fax form to use for credit card authorization. If yer not comfortable to use a web portal, then don't do it. Call around to the companies listed in this topic, get quotes, see how they compare. Just remember that since they're NOT in your TOWN - they will either issue you an E-TICKET (without shipping, info sent only to email or fax) or they will issue you PAPER TICKETS, sent out via shipping (USPS, DHL, UPS, FEDEX) from their office to your house. I do suggest you use any web portal to study the ROUTINGS from point A to point B, and understand about discounts for mid-week travel. I use http://www.orbitz.com , http://www.cheaptickets.com and http://www.cheapoair.com when I need to study routings, and compare pricing. Some airlines offer deeper discounts than the online ticketing companies, during 'sale days' for 'sale fares' - so try to pay attention to that. Good Luck !! Warmest Regards ...Thanks for the great information, Darnell. That is what I was looking for. Thanks again!I've been playing around with a few of the airline ticketing websites to gain some info and pricing. I came across a Yahoo site that was interesting and I've looked at the cheaptickets website too. I just can't get over the credit card part, if you know what I mean. It's kind of scarey to obligate yourself in that manner but I'm sure most are legit. I just wanted to hear some experience from others in this field. I want to get tickets by December, I think. I never purchased any over the internet and I just want to make sure it is safe. Thanks again for your info. Thanks to all. Sam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim_julian Posted September 3, 2008 Report Share Posted September 3, 2008 Here's the Chinese travel agent that has been the best for us ... Rosa LeeRosa Travel Agency817 S. Sierra Vista Ave. #BAlhambra, CA 91801Ph# 626-458-8688Fax# 626-602-3871email: rosalax@yahoo.com If someone finds one that beats Rosa please let me know ... competition is healthy for the consumer. (unless, of course the government can do a better job) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsap seui Posted September 3, 2008 Report Share Posted September 3, 2008 (edited) Jim, since you live in California, this works well for you, my only real option from Florida is to fly to Newark, then non stop to Beijing. I have found a flight to Seattle then Beijing if I want to spend an additional 4 hours sitting in the plane. So perhaps the best answer for him will be determinded by where he lives.RichardInteresting concept about "only real option(s)" My wife and I used (twice) a Chinese Travel Agent from North Carolina, or Atlanta or some darned place. Nothing to do with LA. But, the prices are still, generally, lower. We flew Tampa-Detroit-Japan-Guz. Haven't tried Newark yet. We have lots of options, I guess. Your right, let me further clarify what "only real option" means to me. I personally want as few stops as possible, the more stops there are the more of a possibility for delays and missed flights, or lost luggage. On my first, and to this point, only flight to China was to meet my (then) girlfriend for the first time, and I wanted to get there as easily as possible with the least hassle. This I accomplished on the Continental flight from Newark to Beijing. While searching for flights I found nothing from Florida that offered just one stop for less money, and the same or close flight time. Plus there were others (on CFL) that recommended the Continental flight as being a good one, and having made that trip I agree it is a good flight, as good as it can be for being in an airplane for 12 hours, save being in first class for an additional $9000. I hope to return this November, and would welcome an alternative if someone can suggest an agent to book through. Richard Richard, I agree with you about that Continental flight from Newark. It's direct. I've used it twice and I like the 777 plane instead of the worn out 747's United uses...but I had a short hop from my home airport at Dulles International to reach Newark. United has a direct flight out of Dulles (IAD) that I've used twice, now. I like being in Beijing 13 hours from take-off....I HATE 20 or more hours flying around the countryside trying to get to Beijing...or spending the night somewhere to reach China. I will back up and say, if price is the only motivation, then by all means, check out those Chinese Travel Agents...me? I'm just going to AAA here in Bedford, Pennsyltucky, getting all the arraingements done at one place, driving to Dulles, gettin' on that United flight and landing in Beijing 13 hours later. I've flown way too many times to need to take the "scenic route" to China with 2,3,or 4 stop overs and 20-30 hours to get to Beijing, then another hour to Shenyang and my sweet baby's arms.... I want to get there while I'm still young. B) tsap seui Edited September 3, 2008 by tsap seui (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Rob & Jin Posted September 3, 2008 Report Share Posted September 3, 2008 I've always bought on line, (direct from airline, orbitz, priceline, travelocity) no problem, cheapoair always seemed to be the most expensive once you got the total with tax. you just need to get the best deal for the days you want to fly, or be a little flexible. I dont mind stop overs (outside the USA), gives you a chance to get off the plane get some decent food and have a smoke, Narita, HK and GZ all rock B) without leaving the terminal and having to re-enter through security. good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usaRichard Posted September 3, 2008 Report Share Posted September 3, 2008 Great topic, I think we've learned that there are many factors that lead us to purchase tickets for a variety of reasons, and very timely as I am returning to China on November 13, the one year anniversary of meeting my wonderful wife online. Jim, you and I both know the government can't do it better... Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewDay2006 Posted September 4, 2008 Report Share Posted September 4, 2008 I always bought my tckets online... all from Northwest. Because of my miles, Now I get tickets for at a good discount when they have thier specials, usually 3 times a year. I have flown to china 5 times. Delta does have a non-stop flight from Atl-Shanghai, saves you about 6-8 hours travel time if you SO is near Shanghai. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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