Purchasing plane tickets on line

[W & D]

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!

 

I buy my tickets to china from:

www.expedia.com

While in china I have purchased tickets from:

http://ticket.9588.com/FlightTicket/Main_E.aspx

I have purchased the tickets in china 4 times and have been very happy with no problems.

[Kaige]

We used Fly China, the Continental flight from Newark was good going and coming.

[shushuweiwei]

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

Interesting 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.

 

tsap seui

 

I'm in this group also of wanting a direct and convenient flight that I can count on getting me there at the appointed time. I can only make short trips (10 to 14 days) to China because of work and I don't want to spend more of it traveling/delayed. I usually drive to Newark, long term parking is $15 a day or to a relative nearby and they drop me off. That Continental Flight has a great ontime record, the food is good ( I get vegetarian so I can't really vouch for the other food), the entertainment system (especially the new one) is great, the planes are comfortable. My last two flights were brand new planes.

 

One of the things I also consider is that making an 8,000 mile trip frequently can rack up the miles. At Continental you get bonus miles for booking online and once you have enough miles to put you in the Elite program your miles per trip increases. Also, once you are in the Elite program, you check in with first class, which avoids the only problem I've found with that flight-the long line for coach check-in. Your bags also get a priority tag and that group of bags comes out first, which is good for me because I'm always very anxious to get out to see that beautiful woman that is waiting for me. If you take whichever airline is cheapest at the moment you may not accumulate your miles in one place. For thos going south Continental also has a direct Newark to Hong Kong and they've applied for Newark to Shanghai.

 

I've already made one free trip on miles (out of 4 trips to China with some bonus miles for helping sick passengers so it would have taken 5 without that), so one would have to get their ticket at least 20% less at another site or agent to do as well as that. I looked at booking a flight in November and it was about $900, so that means you have to get a ticket for $720 or less to offset the free trip.

 

I still have 36,000 miles in my account and, especially for Richard!, it is only 15 to 20 K miles per ticket to upgrade to first class. They have priorities based on whether you are Silver, Gold, or Platinum Elite but but they have said that they will take into account a special circumstance (like bringing your bride home) if you call the upgrade desk. You can also purchase miles if you are a little short and still pay far less than buying first class.

 

That is my plan with my remaining miles, to upgrade two tickets home to first class for my princess to be treated in style for her trip home. I do plan to show her coach and tell her not to expect to be in front all the time!

 

If you have to save the most money right now because funds are tight then discounters are probably the way to go. I think that in the long run accumulating miles can save you more and offer you more conveniences.

 

Another factor is length of trip. Since I can only go for 10 to 14 days, 24 hours spent flying (plus another 7 spent driving to and from Newark) is already a big chunk of my trip. Increasing time in the air and layovers would represent big percentage increases in non-weiwei vacation time. If I was going for a month or more, I could be more flexible about increasing non-weiwei time. For obvious reasons, maximization of weiwei time is an important consideration. B)

 

Joe

Edited September 6, 2008 by shushuweiwei (see edit history)

[RRTony]

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.

 

Buying online is safe these days if you are dealing with any of the major airlines.

 

Also, depending upon where you are going in China there are tons of different options, as well as mentioned earlier, where you are flying from, and how many stops are you willing to make.

 

I will note that you can sometimes get better options by thinking outside of the normal flying box.

 

It is typical to only think of the US airlines and/or Air China.

 

I have found some really decent deals sometimes on Air Canada, Korean Air, Japan Air and others.

 

They can be competitive sometimes and offer a 1 bounce flight from the larger airports in the US. i.e. From Seattle, Air Canada is the cheapest way to Beijing with a short hop to Vancouver first, then direct to Beijing. You can also do this on Air Canada thru Vancouver from numerous US cities that have their service to Vancouver.

 

Korean air and Japan air is the same way. From LAX or San Fran or New York, etc. these major airlines will fly to Shanghai or Beijing, etc with one bounce in Seoul or Tokyo. Sometimes they are cheaper and/or the flight sched may be better than the US airlines with the one bounce.