Airline tickets

[Alex]

Where are most of you buying your airline tickets once your fiance is ready to fly over? I have been told it is cheaper to have them purchased in China. I know China Southern Air has good rates from GZ to L.A.

 

Please share your $$$ saving experience, as it is likely I will have to buy tickets in July or August. Thanks in advance!

 

Al

[Orrin]

The best way I have found is to have your fiance contact an independent travel agent there. They can arrange the best fares with a number of airlines. I dealt with such an agent in Macau, and also GZ and saved several thousand RMB on the tickets. Good travel agents can be found in just abvout any significant city. It might take a little research and leg-work, but the results will be worth it.

[oregonknl]

Hey Al!

 

You should be able to get a great rate. But the best rates usually are Hong Kong to LA.

 

If you know your exact travel date, then Expedia and Travelocity are useful.... (just enter the dates... ) but if you really want to try to get a great price---

 

--- consider using the "find me the best price --- flexible about dates" feature at Travelocity.

 

For instance, from Portland OR to Hong Kong, is less than $500.00 (before fees) but the dates available need to match --- and often many of these seats are already booked --- which is why it is advisable to log on once per day if you are real serious about price!

 

And sometimes, as the prices rise --- there are very narrow windows where ---- all of a sudden --- they drop again --- (I just saw a price drop from Portland to HK drop from $1400 to $888 --- but it only lasted for a few minutes.... and I missed it! So it was, obviously only one seat!

 

Also, there was a post earlier (sorry I don't remember the author) who indicated that if you are willing to sweat a little bit, the prices go down if you book in the last two weeks before travel --- the theory being that the airlines know that you have to get the visa etc... so they hit you up early, and later discount at the end to fill empty seats.... sounds reasonable to me, but I haven't actually done that yet..... (plus, there needs to be empty seats, of course....)

 

--Kim

[Guest Gene]

I Found a local travel agent In the International District of Seattle, Last October round trip to Nanning $820 and last week round trip to Guangzhou $650. I leave sunday the 9th. I have not been able to beat these prices with any of the internet companys. I do have a Chinese friend that calls them and talks with them in Chinese I think that helps.

[jkobman]

United Airlines runs a non-stop from San Francisco (SFO) to Shanghai (PVC) and back - I think it's daily. My sister-in-law to be likes China Travel Service ( may@chinatravelservice.com ). Someone else said China Eastern - and that's probably the best - and probably out of LAX. Also Northwest flies, but makes a layover somewhere in Japan. I have flown United and China Eastern - both are good. A travel agent in California can probably find you a better rate, but you will have to find the right agent.

 

Hope you get a good fare!

[se_lang]

www.flychina.com best yet

[oregonknl]

Gene in Seattle --

 

Which agency? But that's right, Seattle's Chinese community seems to have good travel connections...

 

In the past I have used Lotus Travel in Seattle, which specializes in travel for adoption in China, and has a special relationship with China Southern airlines...

 

I still always use if for my China visas, because they are inexpensive, and have good service.... (Chinese language skills are not necessary, because they employ some English speaking..)

 

--Kim

[Patrick & Li]

www.flychina.com best yet

I also use FlyChina when traveling to China from here, Round trip. But if you want a 1 way ticket from China, it will be much cheaper to book from there to LA.

 

Patrick

[se_lang]

OMG, I just checked the prices even flychina is high, what happened?

[Guest Gene]

Jade Holliday Travel and Tours

623 south King Street

Seattle

206-682-6988

 

Kim, They speak english also.....I think that maybe they give a little better deal to a chinese person.........she also said to get ticket by the end of April because prices were going up

[oregonknl]

Gene --

 

"get tickets before end of April" ha, ha! Yeah I see her point! ---- now....

 

Don, yeah, seems everytime I have used Northwest I have ended up in Narita as a layover --- has anyone ever gone from Narita to Tokyo proper?

 

I have only spent time in the terminal, and it seems to be out in the middle of no-where even flying in, I have only seen farmland --

 

Northwest adds a direct flight from Portland to Narita starting 6-10, and it will save me ALOT of time to HKG --- but haven't been able to find an affordable slot...

 

Patrick --great advice about the one - way! I'll store it away in the back of my mind ... some day hope to use it!

 

--Kim

[warpedbored]

I just had Bing look into tickets from China to Seattle and it turned out t be more money than flychina.com She can get a better deal to Shanghai there though. What we are doing is me by the ticket from Shanghai to seattle $461.00 and her buy the ticket from Nanning to Shanghai. 1000RMB I think.

[natrigon]

If you are going from HKG to LAX or SFO the absolute best service and most comfortable flights I have found are on Cathay Pacafic (www.cathaypacific.com). Then since LA is a major hub from LAX to whereever should be a decent price. The one way originating from HKG was a fortune but I kept checking and one day the price dropped to $700.

 

Funny because they have a standing roundtrip special LAX or SFO nonstop (and round trip) for $599, but for one way they wanted over $1000. The main problem is to get the special deal originating from HKG I had to physically show them my credit card. Since I moved to LA no prob.

 

Not to beat their drum but the nice seats, each with their own TV show many movies in both English and/or Chinese. The staff speak both languages and are actualy helpful. The one time I flew United it was like an act of Congress to get some service and then it felt like they hated me for asking for a snack. What a difference, I will never fly United again.

[LiuXia's Husband]

Narita is a nice town with one of the oldest temples in Japan. But to get to downtown Tokyo takes over an hour by train. Taxi is too expensive.

I have had good luck using flychina.com from PDX via LAX or SFO to/from Chengdu via PKG, using Air China and United (partners- frequent flier miles add up quickly). Also best fares I could find. Of two round trips, flights only about 70% capacity. But always delays because of Chengdu weather, at least in winter and spring.

[hypoclear]

here is a cheap way to get to china.

 

http://www.courier.org/ and http://www.aircourier.org/ This last one I joined.

 

email me for info on how simple and good this was. I came over on JAL from NYC to Narita to HK and on return flight HK to Narita, with over night hotel and on the NYC for $300.00 RT hotel was paid for.

 

Only restriction was being limited to carry on luggage.

 

Mark and Bea